The tri-weekly news. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1865-1876, 1866-02-06
Speech of Stevens.

thus narrates an. impressive scene in
Congress upon the production of the
Constitutional Amendment bill by Mr..
Stevens The amendment returns to
the House emasculated. Of its provisions
for the apportionment of direct taxes /;
otherwise it is unchanged Although
there was no longer any excuse for de.
bate. Mr.. Stevens gave General Schenck
five minutes to present his inevitable
amendment to the amendment. Schenck
has hobby as we'll rs Stevens, and
. they differ considerably in color. Mr..
Schenck would apportion representa-.
tives according to number Of male citi.
zens Of the United States over twenty.
one years of age who are voters, in the
proportion Of one representative for each
hundred and twenty-five thousand vo
ters, regardless of the. effect upon New
York. where half the foreign population
have never been franchised; even Mis-.
souri where half The natives have been
'hSiranchised for rebellion, and Massa.
chnsetls where the population can nev.
or be iranchlscd on account Of sex.
Schenck'S amendment was voted down
It the first opportunity, and Thad's pro.
position passed by a requisite two.third
vote
Pending the question, Mr.. Stevens
madc an imprDssiv", r~"arl." hl---.''d
somewhat acrimonious speech of forty
minutes duration in defence Of the prac.
ticc Of amending the constitution -
True, we had been informed by the
high authority Of a Pundit at "'other
end of the avenue that no amendments
We're needed, but we disagree with him. >
He found fault generally with the botch.
ed work tnrncd out by the fathers who
framed the constitution, and invoked
God to forbid that lie should ever adopt
the sentiments of Raymond and "the
man'at the other end of tile avenue"
against repairing it. Referring to the
Associated Press despatch purporting to
give the Presidents views on the topics
now before the House, Stevens animad.
verted on the Presidents conduct with
great severity. and said-"Such conduc.
on the part Of British king few
years ago wonld have cost that king his
head" Mr.. Ingersoll, of Illinois, fat
round republican, wanted to know
Thad's authority for crediting Che author.
ship Of the press despatch to the Presi.
dent, when the sarcastic old radical re.
piled that he really could not divnlge
any Of the secrets between the Presi.
dent and himself. Nearly every desk
in tho hall, except those in Mr.. Ste.
vens' immediate vicinity, was vacated,
and a black ring of members formed
around the impassioncd old man. His
frequent illusions 10 "that man at the
other end Of the avenue" and his little
friend from New York provoked laugh.
ter. Thad hopes the amendment will be
adopted by nineteen States and become
part Of the organic law. He ignores
the Southern States as eleven dried iip,
shrivelled nonentities. AS to Andrew
Johnson's endorsement, it will make no
sort of difference whether he adopts it
or not. 1t was very kind,ia him, how.
ever in view Of the fact that. Congress
would not ask him for it,,to send his
views to them through the newspapers.
The old manssat down, with his lips
compressed, and awaited, bolt upright,
the result Of the vote. Raymond and
Hale Land their heads together and la.
: