The Portland daily press., 1866-05-05
Reconstruction.
SKETCH OF WEDNESDAYS DEBATE IN THE
SENATE.

Wednesday morning Mr.. Williams OF Ore
gou. gave notice that in place OF the hisI sec
ton of the enabling act OF the JOINT commit
tees report, he should, at the proper Ihle'
move the folowing:-
9,I'hat whenever any one of the States lately
in insurrection shall ratify the above propos-
ed amendment as required by the Constitu-
tion of The United States, and shall conform
its constitution and laws thereto, the senators
and representatives from such State, after the
4th day of March, 1867, if found duly elected
and qualified, shall, upon taking the required
oaths, be admitted into Congress- Provided
that senators and representatives from Ten.
nessee and Arkansas, respectively, shall be
admitted, it elected and qualified as aforesaid,
when either OF said States shall ratify as afore-
said said proposed amendment"
9 This brought Mr.. Dixon 10 his feet, who
read, in ectenso, the leading editorial article of
the New York Eoening Post of yesterday,
said that he hoped its wise, calm and states
manllke views would have some influence
there In the Senate, as they certainly would
among the intelligent people of the United
States, for they expressed the views of think
Ing m N, and would, as soon as public opinion
could declare itself, take the form and be cloth
ed with the authority of public deeds. and
then concluded by giving notice of his inten-
ton to offer by way of amendment to the bill
and resolutions reported by the joint commit
therefor, the following joint resolution:-
"Resolued, &C.: That the interests of
peace and the interests OF the Union require
the admission of every State to its share in
public legislation, whenever it presents itself
not only in an attitude of loyalty and harmo-
ny, but in the persons of representatives
whose loyalty cannot be questioned under any
constitutional or legal test"
Hereupon debate in which Messrs Ees-
(rrmnC
pated. The remarks of Mr. Fessenden, are
given in full:
MI. fesSenden-I wish to make a simple
remark upon the proposition of the honora-.
BILE senator from Connecticut. He thinks that
the remarks which he read from the New
YORK Ecensng Post are so very wise, so very
Just, that he has some hope, to use his own
language, mat they may not be without their
effect, even upon the members of this body,
thus, 1 suppose, intending to intimate that the
last place where wise and just views could be
expected to have any effect would be upon the
members of this body. We have not given
ourselves over to the keeping of the honora-
BILE senator from Connecticut, or those who
act with him. We do not pretend to any
very particular wisdom, or any very particular
sense of justice; but we, who were on the
joint committee of fifteen, and who are most
Immediately touched by the remark, have tried
to do our duty. We have been in session a
considerable length of time, but not lonoer
than we deemed it absolutely necessary in ar
der to reach a conclusion, and in reacbino
that conclusion we have been obliged to take
into consideration great many things,-first.
what 1t would be wise and just to do. and
next, what II 1t is wise and just we can do,-.
what would be acceptable in the first place to
Congress, and in the next place what would
be acceptable to the people, Unouestiona-
bly,, in the committee, there was very consid
cradle difference o. opinion. That difference
OF opinion had to be reconciled. I did not
suppose that the scheme as presented would
6 be exactly, in all particulars what would suit.
perhaps, large number; but the question is
one beyond mere personal opinion or personal
ieemng either, and the committee, after much
dellberatiOn, came to the conclusion that ito
DUTY was to agree upon that which seemed to
De the best scheme with regard to reconstruc
ton upon which they could come to an unani-
nous agreement. :,
The proposition made by the honorable sem
ator from Oregon, this morning. would indi
cate, Tor instance, that he is not exactly salts
ned with the result to which the committee
game. really, with all respect to my friend
from oregon, beg leave to say that when the
committee, after great elaboration, has come
to conclusion upon a subject which has been
assented to and reported, at any rate the mem
bers OF the committee should abstain from
pressing individual views in advance of the
general action of the body to which the report
has been made, because it has a tendency To
weaken the effect of the report itself accede
to what has been said by the honorable sena-
tor from Connecticut with regard to the emin-
ent standing of the press from which he read
but, eminent as it IS, / think it is not immod
est on the part of the committee of fifteen. Sc
lected with very considerable care, and. with
one exception perhaps, composed of GENTLE
men eminenty fitted for the position assign
ed to them, to suppose that after months of
dellDeration, after great study and reflection,
after careful examination of the evidence be-
fore them, not only as to what was wise to do,
but as to what could be done, the united opir,-
ions of a very large majority of them might be
supposed to come as near the right as the
opinion OF an individual who may happen to
write IN the columns of a newspaper I ac-
knowledge, as general rule, the editor of
newspaper, Knows by intuition far more of
the state OF the country and what is wise to
be done, no matter what his age, or what
his position, than Congress can possibly know:
but think at any rate a little faith should be
given to committee of Congress SO large as
TINS committee, and to Congress itself, devot-
ing Itself carefully to the great questions on
which 1T proposes to act. / cannot agree with I
my honorable friend from Connecticut, that
because the opinions which he read happen to
appear in press OF character they are, there
fore, SO conclusive as at once to overturn ali
the conclusions to which, after much deliber-
ation, the committee have arrived. At any
rate, Isha!l beg leave to ask, when the proper
Time comes for the careful consideration by
the Senate of all these important questions, 1
and having no pride Of opinion on the subject. l
II congress shall come to the conclusion that |
the scheme which has been presented needs |
amendment and alteration, l shall submit |
with perfect Willingness and perfect content !
ment, in the hope that something wiser and |
better will be reached; but, until we come TO |
the discussion, am unwilling to admit, even
upon the authority of the New York Evening |
Post, that what we have done cannot be ac.
ceptaole to the people of the United States.
Mr.. Dixon-The word "even," as used nv |
me, may have, l think, different meaning |
from what the senator supposes. Ny mean |
ing was that those remarks ought tn have in
fuence even upon SO distinguished and wise
body as this; but will consent to strike o,,t
the word "eyen" if it is offensive to the seua-
tor.
Mr.. Fessenden-Not at all. |
Mr.. Dixon-I meant to say, and I now re-
peat, that even in such a bo1y as the Senate
of the United States words of wisdom like
these might have their effect. l certainly
would be the last person to reflect on the SEN
ate or to reflect on the committee; but sup
pose have right to say that do not think
the report of the committee contains all the
wisdom which even may exist in the Senate,
or in the committee itself. Now, Mr.. Presi-
dent, beg leave to say word with regard to
that report and the measure which the COM
mistee have proposed. But for my great res
pect tor the members of that committee and
lis chairman, and were not forbidden by nv
Knowledge that they are incapable of such a
tning, from the bare reading of their reported
prcpositons l should suppose that, as this
wIlter ntlmates, whose language 1 have
adopted, the object Of the report was to pres
ent s s sc1Gme which could not be accepted.
bv nv treat re 80 entertain rita such an opinion
know they arc incapable of anything of that
sort, and therefore am obliged to sunn nose
that they thought this might be accented pP tH
it might possibly, under some supposable ' cir
cumstance t calm s the agitation which is pre-
mission of members from IT, a lato ,,ol :, y i0ou-