Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-05-03
XXXGXTH CONGRESS,
The POsto1iice Appropriation EsiLE
RECONSTRUCTION AMENDMENT.
THE ARMY APPROPRIATION BILL,
SENATE.
WASHINGTON, May 2, 1856.

| !. Mr. sumner; from the Committee on Foreign Rela
tons reported bill for the relief Of the owners o
| the British ship Magicenne.
Mr.. johnson. from the Committee on the JuIi
cary reported adversely or the bill TO reorganiz
Ihe supreme Court OF the district OF Columbia an,
| asked Tor ITS indefinite pOstponement, which wa
| Mr., Fessenden presented petitions numerogsI
| signed asking the aboishment of tho tax on crmd
| petroleum. Referred to Committee on Finance.
| Mr.. Sherman introduced bill to reduce the rat
o. interest on the national debt and for funding tn
| nance
Mr.Sherman brcay'explained tho objects of the bill
| ~ w. lark SAID hG would ask that Friday be Sc
on Claims. 0'-- IL ''''
RECONSTRUCTION AMENDMENT
| var. Williams offered an amendment to the Join
resolution reported from the Committee on Recon
struct0n, providing thai of the late rebel States
with the exception of Tennessee and Arkansas sbsI
| oe admitted to representation before March t. 1867
| Mr. DIXON gave notice of his intention to offer
}2nt resolution as substitute for that of the Join
COMMITTEE on Reconstruction. T It provides tina
When any state which has assumed an attitude O
Ioya!ty and harmony, sends representatives who's
sqySg cann9t no. DC gnesone9 under any legal
Mr. d read an article from the New Y0rl, Post a
emoodylng ms views, and said it was so wise ant
galaotc ihat ne trusted 1t would have some effect
| Quite an animated debate mere sprung up. par.
| 1ieipated IN by Messrs. Fessenden, Grimes Sumne
and Dixon, on the report of the Committee and tn
| policy of the President. Va
POsToFFrCE APPROPRIATION BILL.
Inc regular order, being the Post0tice appropri O.
ton bill was then taken w, the pending Question be-
ing on the amendment Of Mr.. Trumbull, heretofore
| reported.
Mr.. Howe addressed the Senate in advocacy of tb.
amendment n concluding he alluded to tho differ.
ence between the President and Congress and said
peace could be had by the President recognizinr
Congress the law making power and it Tecognizing
| nm as the Executive. The people had sent then
here to represent their views. and not to be the crea
tures OF the President. They (Congress) were told
| that peace could be had. How? They we're to sur.
render their rights Peace could have been had from
| the rebels on the same terms.
MIR. Guthrie opposed the amendment Il was con.
Geveq because Of the opposition Of the Senate to the
! The motion was then taken on tho amendment
| and resulted as follows:
IeSs-MeSsrs Clark, Conness. CrosweII. Harris
Henderson, Howard, Howe, kirkwood, Morrill,, Nye
! Poland, Pomeroy, Ramsey. Sprague Sumner, Irum-
| bull Wade, Williams and Wilson-l9.
| Nays-Me$srs. Davis, Dixon, DoolittIe, Fessenden
| Van Wrinkle and WiIley-l1.
| So the amendment was adopted. 1t il as follows
And no person exercising orpororming the duties Of
any ONCE which by law is required to be filled by
the advice and consent of the Senate shall before
his confirmation by the Senate receive any salary OF
for MS services unless he be commits
stoned by the President to fill up vacancy occur
ring By reason OF deRth, resignation or expiration of
term of Office during the recess of the Senate and
since It's last adjournment or removal for violation
of the duties OF his Office the case and cause of which
shall be reported to the Senate at its next session
ADVERTISING.
Mr.. Wade offered an amendment limiting the adj
vertsing of the Executive Departments in the CITY o
washington 10 TWO newspapers having the largest
CIRCULATION the proper adayts of which TO be made
and the charges to be no higher than those made to
private individuals.
Inc amendment was agreed to.
ISTHMCS ROUTES,
Mr.. Connoss offered the following amendment,
Thlch was agreed 10. to be inserted at the end OF the
first section:
To enable the Superintendent of tho Naval Obsery-
atOry to carry out the object of Senate resolution Of
March ~ 1885, for report of Isthmus routes to the
Pacific Ocean; fifteen hundred dollars The bill was
then passed..
aPPropTiates for the transportation Of the inland
mail S9,5jU,OUl and for the foreign mails 5000 GOO
The Postmaster General is required 10 report an
nualy TO the Secretary Of the Treasury prior to the
first OF November his estimate Of the amount re1uir-
ed by the Department for the ensuing fiscal year
Army APPROPRIATION ELL.
On motion Of Mr.. Sherman, the Army Appropria-
tlon bill was taken up and the amendments reported
by the CQmmittee on Finance. was agreed to.
Mr. wilson offered an amendment to be inserted
fS as an adGltloaat s sectoF agpropratng $4,000 9T
| arsenal, near Philadelphia. which was agreed TO-
| Mr; ConneSs offered an amendment. providing that
the Qqarternaster General in purchasing clothing
and blankets for the troops on the Pacific coast sha
give the preference to articles manufactured there
when the of good quality and can be pIIr-
chased at equal rates with those now purchased Mr.
| COnnes5 said that the blankets furnished to the
troops on the Pacific coast of English manuiac-
ture and inferior in quality to those made in San
| black man to sleep under.
MI ConneSs subsequently withdrew his amend
me9L at the request Of Mr.. Sherman, and the bill was
On motion of Mr.. Anthony the Senate then went
into Executive session. and aitec some tiIuc spont
therein, adjourned
HOUSE or REPRESENTATIVE
NISCELLANEOVs.
Mr.. Jenckes, from the Committee on Patents re-
ported bill TO regulate appeals from the Examiners
in Chief i'll the Patent Office; which was passed l.
Also, bill to amend the act to promote the progress
Of tho useful arts which passed. This bill reg
uates the mode OF paying officers in tho Patent
Office.
| MIR. Ghaulcr. of New York, from the same com
mitee. reported bill to enable tho Commissioner OF
Patents to be represented at the Paris Exposition;
which was laid on the table.
Mr.. Blaine, of Maine asked but failed to obtain
unanimous consent to offer the following:
GILLIAN AFFAIRS.
Rc8Oired, That the ProSten Of tho United States
be RESPECTFULLY requested. II not Incompatible with
the public interest TO communicate to this House at
the earliest practicable day, any authentic informa-
the reported barbarous bombardment of the city of
Valparaiso by the Spanish fleet on the 3lst Of March,
utimo. Also, to inform the House what instructions
had been given by the Navy Department to the OIL
Ger commanding the American fleet in those waters.
Mr. Coffroth, of Pa, asked, but failed to obtain
leave to otier resolution, instructng the Committee
ON Invalid Pensions to report bill to grant pensions
| to the surviving soldiers of the war oflSl2.
CUBA TELEGRAPH.
| Mr. Eliot. from the Committee on Conference, re-
ported on the dlsagreeing votes ofthe two Houses on
the Cuban Telegraph BILL which report was concurred
| In, and the bill STANDS as passed.
RECONSTRUCTION.
Mr.. Washburne of Ill, from the Committee on Re-
construction, submitted some additional evidence to
the House, on the condition of the States of Florida
Tennessee and Texas. Most of this evidence bas
been anticipated in the newspapers The most Dro-
minent witness is Major General ?. H. Sheridan who
sends deposition dated New Orleans, March 81
His testimony Is brief He commences by saying
that he believes that the people of Texas accept the
situation and have earnest desire for the return
the Union, but at the same time they exhibit an un-
mistakeabe desire to sloriy the rebellion. He has
not noticed any particular change among the people
on account Of Executive clemency, and thinks that
the people would quarrel among themselves ifleft to
tnelr own government. lie believes that the
bic and substantial people would regret the with
the offices OF the State in the hands of the re-
turned rebels. The inclination Of the people to glo-
Tty the rebellion gives the rebels the preference for
election or appointment to Office Loyal men would
feel unsafe If the troops were withdrawn and they
were left without any protection from the Federal
Government and many would leave the country.
lie considers it, therefore, necessary maintain
military force in his department to give security to
Northern capital and to protect Union men, and to
give actual and moral support to the freedmen as
well as to prevent quarrelS among the people them
selves. lie thinks the Erecdmens Bureau should be
continued, and advantageous change might be
made by the appointment of an Inspector General
OF it, under the command of the department com
mander, which would be more economical than the
present system though it would enforce duties on
the military to great extent. There would be n
great deal Of trouble if the freedmen left under
the control Of the whites, and of races would
probably be the consequence. There is, he adds. a
great desire among the freedmen to learn and they
are willing to work he believes that the best thing
Congress or the state can do is to leglslate little
as possible in reference to the cOored man, beyond
giving him security in his person and property.
The labor Of freedmen is the only kind that can be
obtained in the South for some time to come The
feeling Of the people in his command was not salts
factory, but as good, perhaps, as could be expected
General Sheriden that the majority of the people
of Louisiana not opposed to the General Govern
ment, but spirit ofbternesS and discomfort still pre-
yais and in his opinion the military forces should not
be withdrawn but retained for some time to come
lie regards the tone and sentmen of the people of
Florida very fair and there is great desire
among them to restore the Union,
Adjutant General Thomas OF the United States
army, says thar the people of Louisiana arc desrous
of returning to the Union and are disposed to treat
the freedmen well.
THE remainder of the evidence submitted is brief
put OF the same tenor as that given, ar is mostly
from civilians who have Travelled in the South
ARMY BILL.
Ihe House proceeded to consider tao bill to reor-
ganlze and establish the army Of the United States,
was agreed to. This and the remaining sections as
passed were in effect as follows:
Section "A. The engineer corps shall consist of one
chief engineer, with the rank and pay of brgadier
general; SIX colonels, sixteen lieutenant colones,
twenty-five majors, thirty captains twenty Ist and
ten I'd lieutenants,
Sec %. Five companies shall constitutes battalion
Of engineers.
Sec 26. The ordnance department is to remain as
at present authorized.
shall have the rank and pay of colonel of cavalry.
Details from the army to make up thesgnaloorps
Sec Z5. All stall promotions may be made on the
ground OF merit, without regard to seniority.
Sec -. Authorizes the President to transfer Off.
from the line the general staff and uce eersd
Sec 81. The age Of the admission of cadets to West
Point is fixed between II and o. the persons who
have served In the late may be admitted at age
not exceeding "a.
Sec 81. Cadets may be appointed for West Point