Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-07-26

Letters From Washing Congress Pro-
ceedings-Southern Electors for President
and Observation-Disclosures Officers the ir
Choice and Mode of Appointment--RcsO-
Tuition of Ccnsure upon the President
The Witness Cameron in Congress, &c.
WASHINGTON, July II, 1867.
ed, it will certainly not be for lack of bills
upon the subject III both houses of Con-
gress. Scarcely day passes that some bill
! is not introduced having reference to this
subject. To-day Mr.. Coburn, of Indiana,
gave the House his views in bill regula-
ting the selection of electors of President
and Vice President of the United States.
! 1t provides that whenever the Inhabitants
of the territory lately known as the Con-
federate States of America, except the
State of Tennessee, shall have been organ
! lied into State governments and declared
capable of representation III Congress,
such inhabitants as are by law authorized
to vote for representatives in Congress shall
be authorized to vote for or appoint cleo
tors for President or Nice-Presidcnt. Sec.
2 excludes from service as an elector of
President or Vice-President any one who
held office of any kind under the Confed-
crate government, or under the govern
ment of any State of the Confederacy.-
The bill was referred to the committee on
reconstruction.
The Senate passed the bill introduced
yesterday by Mr.. Sumner, providing that
| no person shall be excluded from office i'll
| the District of Columbia by reason of race
or color. When the bill was sent to the
House it was subject to considerable amend
ment. Mr.. Judd, of Illinois, had a clause
inserted declaring colored people eligible
to the Office of jurors. Mr.. Schenck did
not like the allusion to race or color. He
thought it was keeping up an unpleasant
distinction, and should therefore be done
away with, and the House not being able
to perfect the bill, sent it to the judiciary
committee, from which it will no doubt be
reported tomorrow, and passed immedi-
ately.
The bill passed by the House to-day to
regulate the selection of officers in the city
of Washington takes all the power of ap-
pointment from the mayor and vests it In
the mayor and both boards of the city
council jointly, and when the mayor and
councils assemble for purposes of making
appointments on the first Monday in Au-
gust, in each year, they shall have power
to abolish any of the Offices now estab-
lished, increase the salaries of officers, nc.
Each corporation officer, except such as
| are now GlGcI1VG, Is 60 De appOluGeC III tuIS
way, and majority shall elect.
A resolution introduced by Mr. Julian,
of Indiana, condemning the President for
his message of day or two ago, in regard
to the Southern State debts, met with great
favor among the republicans and was adop-
ted by strict party vote.
The most remarkable resolution Of the
session was that of Mr.. Covode, of Penn
sylvania, in relation to Stephen +. Came
ron, late an officer in the Confederate army,
who had been pardoned by the President,
and whose testimony in the Surratt case
YOU are familiar with. Mr. Covode as
sumes Surratt's guilt in advance of the ver-
dict of the jury, designates Cameron as
| zone of the most notorious violators of the
law of nations" and says the fact of the
President pationing him indicates his (the
President's) sympathy with the assassins OF
President Lincoln and asks a judiciary COM
mittee investigation. But the preamble
was rather too severe dose for even the
radicals, and they refuse to take it.. Max
ing virtue of necessity, Mr.. CoVode mod
ifed his resolution by striking out the OBJ.
iectionable language, and it finally passed
in that shape. Mr.. Williams, of Pennsyl
vania, one of the most intensely radical
members of the House, could not swallow
the resolution, and he suggested that the
President had clear right to pardon Cam
eron if he choose to do SO, for the purpose
of making him a competent witness. MIR
Impeacher Ashley, Of course, voted for thu
] resolution in it's most Objectionable form.