The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-12-11
WASHINGTON, December ., 1895.

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WASHINGTON, December Q, 1896. =
Tbad. Stevens has announced bis intsn-
ton Of putting the wheels of the Recon
struction Committee In active operation
immediately, and the first subject which it
Is proposed 10 give serious consideration to
Is the idea just circulated Of reducing the
southern States to the condition of Terri
tories. That this committee win recon-
mend this move without any reservations
whatever does not seem to admit Of o sim
gle doubt and upon that particular sub
ject there will soon be prominent mention
In q written report. This committee will
consider the propriety Of the territorial
appointments, which, it is strongly asserted,
will begin to be made in the South. There
has not been sufficient time, however, TO
this date TO allow the new feature in the
theory Of Radicalism to develop itself tho
roughly. Much will be decided after some
advance has been made in the session.
The Senators elect from Colorado are
both very confident that their claims for
admission will be recognized and allowed
in . very short while. They may be reck.
oning somewhat at a loss, however, as there
are some objections even among the Radi-
Gals, who have but little regard for o State
constitution which will not admit Of uni
versal suffrage. II is not Improbable that
Stevens in the House and Sumner in the
Senate viii carry with them sufficient force
to defeat the bill, should it be vetoed by the
President, on the final vote towards making
II law. Their object in thus protesting
against the admission OF a State which will
give two additional Radical votes in the
Senate and one in the House is for the pur-
pose of giving q show of consistency in
their opposition to the admission of the
southern States, it being the principal
point Of averment that their objection to
universal suffrage is the main cause of the
indisposition to admit them at present.
There are some among the members of
both this and the Fortieth Congress who in
sist upon the constitutional amendment
being ignored in the presentation Of other
and more Objectionable guarantees for
southern representation There is no
doubt whatever Of the majority Of the
Radicals being in favor of it. Butler,
Boutwell,, and Stevens argue forcibly that
the strength of the party will not be
weakened by this advance, and they are
n1lGnlinH1 by prominent Jacobin Senators;
e majority Of ne party are yet IN
willing TO agree to more stringeh. qognas
and prices of obtaining rigiS' aa/they So
in it party disaster. The question, IN any
light, will very probably breed dIssenslon
at an early day. - lihoN'
We must admit that we are Inclined to
believe that our correspondent is mistaken
as to the probability of the reduction of the
southern States to Territories. The fol-
lowing from the Washington correspond
ent of the Baltimore Gazette seems to be
more nearly correct: .r....
"Thc extreme measures of Mr.. Sumner,
having in view the overthrow OF the exist
ing State governments of the ten unrepre-
sented States, and the other revolutionary
scheme of ignoring their existence BY act
of Congress, in the matter OF the constitu-
tional amendment, haze both failed to re-
ceiue such support as TO justify euen their
presentation to the action of a caucus OF
either House, much less Of a joint caucus Of
both. In these secret gatherings am as
sured upon reliable authority it has been
ascertained that the extreme projects
have named, and all those Of kindred
character, cannot receive the sanction Of the
present Congress, and they have therefore
been withheld from the action Of the more
omen assemblies. / am sorry to add, how
ever, upon like authority, that the class OF
hills and resolutions having in view the hu-
initiation of the Executive will probably be
successfully pressed through by party ma
chinery, as, according to my information,
any measure passing the ordeal OF the for
NAL assembly, miscalled the caucus y
especially if the Republican Senator's enter
into it, is quite sure of unanimity in Con-
gress on the part of Republicans of all
stripes.
81 also learn that in the same way the
fate of Kelly's bill, imposing universal ne
gro suffrage upon this district, was de-
cided."