Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-05-11

! T. sASll eau lne ietIer Oh DiT wilson
| mendng the release Of Mr.. Clay Chat answered the
question as to where Clement C. Clay was.
hr. u. sad be would speak oi the different wings
/ OF tho party now ii. opposition to the Republican
| party led by the President There was the nniJaTsa
conSeation party led by that veteran Pennsyivanian
the Hon. Ihaddeus Stevens; the uuivers al suffrage
| party, led by the Senator from Massachusetts mt
Sunner) the hanging party, led by the Senator from
Nevada, (Mr. NyeG and the universal suffrage and
universal amnesty party Of the other Senator from
Nevada Car. Steward which had SO far gained only
! one recruit lHir Wilson)-mingle, minge. black
| spirits and grey.
| Mr. Sumner-White spirits.
! Mr.. COwan-Eherc were no white spirits tkara
| Mr. Dcolilte said he had been interruptea IA his
quotation. lie then passed to a consideration Of The
rights OF the States. II these trepssses Tnon the
rights of the States did Dot cease, i6cv WoTId he
swept out Of power. Kindness and Cancellation were
| the. only lnodes to practice now They had won
their victory in the eid and the victory now to win
| was moral victory.
! The Senator speaks Of the pardons made bv tho
! President. There are hundreds and thousands who
| have not been pardoned. None of the leaaers
| have been pardonoa. He held one Of these blank
| paIdons in bis hand, the terms of which had been
pronounced by Sir M ortnn PeO to be of such a nature
! as to reflect honor on any government. These par
! amendment was ratified and support of emauci-
patton had been Of The conditions: these parlops
hai been l1strumentalin III building upa Union feeling
In regard to the charge thas had been 50 often re-
peated here that the President and his supporters
were IN tlTor q ADMITTING these red-handed traitors
smoking with the blood of our sons and brethren he
hurried back the charge false and unfounded These
infamous fasehoods had been repeated In the news
papers. The President had no more to do with this
question than the Supreme Court Each House by
the Constitution swaS made the supreme iudee of
| the qualifications of its own members.
| Mir. salisbury said he wished to make some re-
marks IN reply to the Senator from Nevada, but as
| that senator was not now present, he would do so
| some other time.
On motion Of Mr. Conness the Senate went into
! Executive session. and Mt its conclusion adjourned
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
RECONsTFUCTIoN.
After the reading of the journal,
The House resumed the unfinished business Of
/ yesterdays dGy the
ment proposing a basis of restoration rs reDortad
from the Committee on Reconstruction. Thespeeches
as on yesterday. we're each limited 10 thirty minutes
Mr. Randall OF Pa, took the floor in opposition TO
the amendment and declared that not one of the
disunton 1t the result OF confusion of tongues
OF principles, and of hearts, and put forth for 20
party Ihe eden pogcg Wa e Ins true mspGShe4 "n
was lust and equitable allboth North and South.
| States were in the Union, and that when they sent
yI ioy9l mea here they should be admitted to these
Ii was NOS surprising he contended that the Dem
ocratc party throughout the land should be ustat-
ing the President fer that party during the war rad
adhered to the Constitution and the laws, and weTe
stu consistent in that direction.
Mr.. H., without concluding his remarks yielded
| the remaining LtteeU minutes to-
Mr. Strouse. of Pa. who saw necessity for
amenument to toe Constitution in order to restore
Inc unon Inc history Of the country was The his
| tory Of the democratic party. Ii had saved the
Union heretoIore. and would save it now He con-
cluded by reading an editorial from the New York
| spirit. '--'
t,I Banks. of Massachusetts, next addressed the
iouse He thought that there was n necessity for
change III the political basis of society, and contend
ed that anything which left that basis of society nm.
touched IL the South left oDen the question Of an
other war and gave absolute power 10 those lately
IN rebellion to again destroy the Government There |
were TWO ways to prevent this. lst give ne fran
chiSe to the negro population, OF else to commence
and dstranchise that portion of the white people
who had aided the rebellion ard had previously to |
tnat heid the nght OF suffrage. lie believed that |
the Government had the pOwer-no, he would moi |
say exactly the DOwer-but he assumed that the Gov
erhmenC nau ne GHh9rltg to extend the right OF sUf
r2ge to all OF the colored population of the South
There were distinctions between power and au-
thorly, between power and right: and it was wise
perhaps, that the Committee Reconstruction in
deterence to public opinion had omitted this now,
and, in its place. had looked to other means In
reviewing the amendment. he looked upon the first
section as just aud equitable regarding representa-
ton, though he would say that he did not regard
ths as important, for It would only reduce the rep
reSentallon Of the Southern States but eight mem-
those States whether fty-eight fifty Representa-
tigeS sent here Those leaders did not govern
by public opinicn they governed by force-force IN
tIovernment-torce everywhere; whether they were
few, whether they were many they will have now
Grand have 1t by force.
best ana surest way to negative this influence was to
eXtend suffrage to all o. the people of the South
This would deprive the leading enemies of the Gov
GrlnehC from ef or haYinS share OF the power Of
this Government hereafter.
At the surrender of Lee and johnson, it was dis
tnctly understood that their capitulatiOn gave them
no claim to future political power. The terms pro
posed by the rebel Joe johnson t9 Gen. Sherman, |
proposing to restore the Southern States equality
IN Peeai B9TST 30 T9 LnS66SSt 5T% f
OF President johnson. The instructions of President
Lincoln to General Sherman, were not to have any |
terms OF agreement on political grounds. The OBJ |
ment that it intertered with the faith given to
Southern men in their pardon by the President But
1t could ne nowhere maintained that pardon in |
vested person with political rights and he thought
tnat the objection urged against the third section |
disfranchising voluntary rebels was thus en-
tIrely removed. He believed. that we |
secure the ratification of this amendment with ease.
Ihere were twenty-five States represented in
this hail. Twenty-seven would make three -fourths
necessary to the ratification Arkansas and Tennes-
see would certainly adopt it, and thus give the
In conclusion, Mr.. Banks endorsed the amendment
as whole. He never believed that q majority of
thepeople of the South endorsed the rebellion In
the Southwest men forced into the rebel ranks
rs they everywhere until became to be known
mans fight Under this amendment he looked for
gradual representation here from the South, COM
and 1869 hen the last would be here. We had a |
precedent for this course. Switzerland, the wsest
Government on the face Of the earth had suppressed
arebellon when the loyal men focked to the Cam
TONS and by the example won back the recusants to
the loyal fold. :
| Mr.. Ecksy, of Ohio briefly addressed tho House /
on the condition of political parties and traced the
power he believed would be utterly destructive to |
this Union.
Mr.. Beanan, of Mich. read q speech for Eve min
utes, when his time expired Not word of it could
approved Of the pending amendment
MI Rodgers, Of New JERSEY, spoke against the |
an attempt to degrade the Southern people. He |
wanted it distinctly understood that this Gov
ernment for white men and white women. The Re- !
pabicans hadn't made a speech here in which they
had not favored negro suffrage and Y9. .ney dared
not go before the people o, any State in the Union
and advocato Tat doctrine. lie opposed to every
portion OF the amendment.
Mr.. Farnsworth, of ILL.,, advocated the amendment
1t was not all he wanted but he accepted it as the
best ne could get he preferred that the organic law
OF the land should provide for universal suffrage.
This amendment, however, would soon bring sut- /
trage In all OF the SoUtAerniS. .aea. As 10 the pres-
dents plan, the coppe[heaaS glorihed Andrew john
son. the confederaeS of Booth and Payne praise him:
the rebel leaders, Jeff Dayisand his cabinet, and the
confederate generals and all the rebel sympathZers
Judas gioruy him. But the people would crush him
Mr. Dawes, Of Mass. spoke for five minutes rais-
ing legal objections to the third clause. IKE amend
ment as whole, however would receive his support.
MIR. bingham, Of Ohio, declared that he did not |
approach the discussion Of thisquestion partizau.
iie spoke for the Constitution and for no party
What the Republic wanted now was not demo-
cratic party, Republican party, but party of
the Union and the Constitution. What was wanted {
was perpetual covenant III the shape o. consttu
uonal amendment securing The loyal people of the
North from rebellion IN future.
Mr. Bingham then defended at some length tho
first section of the amendment relating civil rights
and was opposed to the third -distranchising
rebes-and in favor of incorporating it into law.
Mr.. stevens-The President will veto.
Mr.. Bngham-l am no defender of Presid 7nlial 1
vetoes. but do not believe he would Teto it. He
hoped the House would strike It ont and place it in
disfranchisement bill. All of the other amend
ments re approved.
Mr. Stevens rose to close the debate. He was glad
to see so much unanpimy among his friends on all
of the amendments but the third section.
He would say give this section or give us nothing
1t only salvation. If this was stricken out
this Hall would be filed with yelling secessionists
before your amendment could be ratified. Without
the Sd section he would not give snap Of his anger
for the whole thing Give US the whole or none and
don't give the nation into the hands of its enemies
before it is consolidated; As to Mr. Bingham pre-
fering it as law he would ask how much better do
you expect to enforce law than the Constitution?
Some said the Sd section too strong for their
stOmachs, but 1t not too strong for tho ttomaehs
of the people. Others said it eHient but il
not so for his hard hear for fit left 70 him
he would not only dsiranchise these rebels till 1870
but to eighteen hundred thousand ana seventy.
Laughter and applause.
Gentlemen said the South must not be humiliated
Why not? Did they not deserve to be humiliatedo
He would never consent to their coming here en- de-
mand; but only suppliants, if AT all. The Mem
phis atrocities showed who these people were.
ToOmbs with his shaggy locks and bowie knives
might be here to make this legislative hell. He
remembered q scene in this Hall years ago, when
these rebels were here ready to crush uown be-
cause of speech for freedom He would shoot these
men if they broke out of a Gordon of bayonets.
Mr. Stew vens demanded the previous question.
The demand for the previousssqUestion was sec
question. 1t agreed to-yeas 81 NAYS 79 TJust
fof fhay iIo,ott tL,o