The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1867-02-22
senate Reconstruction Bill.

TcCOilSlTuCtiOn. MOlc nus DStiI UOUc II
toward the final and satisfactory set
Element OF the subject in six days
past than for two years previously.
First came Mr.. Eliot's Louisiana
hill, submitted with the report on the
New Orleans riot, which passed the
House OIL Wednesday by. party
vote. The Stevens Military Bill,
previously introduced, was in some
respects proper complement to that
measure The one provided for the
permanent reconstruction on the ba
sis Of Loyal Suffrage without dis
tinction of color: the other provided
temporary military governments for
the South in order to regulate and
Irepress The disorder and persecution
to Cniou men there prevalent. There
were, however, many and grave oh.
jeclions to the Stevens bill, which
causc,l many of the best men in Con
gress, while heartily supporting its
general principle, To combat with all
possible carnestncss its immediate
and unamended passage. Perhaps
the gravcst of these objections lay inl
the fact that instead of being avow-
ely temporary in its nature, IT,
seemed to contemplate permanent,
or at least an indefinite remission ol
the South to military authority. To
10 away with this objection, Mr.
Blaine, of Maine, offered the amend
ment to the bill which has already
become famous rs the Blaine amend.
ment. 1t consisted Of an additional
section providing that whenever any
Of the Southern States should ratiiy
the Constitutional. Amendment, and
provide, by amending its own Con.
stitution, for manhood suffrage with
~ Out bISlIhttioh VI law W Soioii ~
/ should be admitted Loarepresentation
/, in Congress. This is the first decla.
. ration on.thc part of Congress in Ia
vor OF impartial suffrage as bass Of
= reconstruction, and it is worthy oi
s remark, MS an Indication OF the won
derful advance OF public sentiment
ON this subject, that it was supported
0 by the conservative Republicans and
c opposed by Mr.. Stevens and his fol.
g lowers. twas defeated in the Hous,
of Representative on Thursday last
10y so yeas to 95 nays, An analysis
of the vote shows that of the J cas- lG
: were Democrats and 81 Republi.
cans, while OF the nays % were Dem
e ocrats and 81 Republicans-showing
an almost equal division of the Re.
publicans on that subject. Or the
the Ohio Republican members, Bing.
ham, Buckland, Bundy, Delano, Gar.
. field, ilubbell, Lawrence, Plants and
Schenck, nine in all, voted for it, and
Ashley, Clarke, Eggleston, Hayes,
Shellabarger, Spaliing and Wclker,
seven in all, against it. % The Blaine
amendment having been voted down,
. the unamended bill was passed by q
: stlict party yoto.
!. On going TO the Senate, however
I" 'it was discovered that the Republi.
cans of that body were almost q unit
in favor Of amending the bill by the
Blaine amendment or something like
it. The debate in that body on Fri
day and Saturday, and reaching into
SUNDAY morning, which takes rank
among The most, renarkable, ON the
$ 'tSenatorful records, terminated on
t Sunday morning by the introduction
i lot Senator Sherman substitute FOR
n the Stevens bill, which was adopted
by strict party vote. \ FAr-
II The Sherman hill is the most un.
!. OF jectionable AMI altogether accept
: able proposition yet offered in refer.
: ence to the yexe1 reconstruction
Question. 1t combines the good
qualities both Of the Stevens bhl and
the Blaine amendment, and has care.
fully eliminated from both the object
7 ionable features. IL has been oh
} jccted to the Stevens bill that il gave
To the present illegal and unrecog,
lnized State governments of the Soutl
n sort of qaou recognition. Senator
). Sherman's bill opens with tue decla
. ton that mo legal State government
3, now cxists' ia the rebel States. The
Stevens TIL dcvolvcd the appoint
ment OF district commanders upon
!, the general of the army" an obvi
) ously futile attempt to avoid the au
i thority Of President johnson, who is
; made by the Constitution ez oGct
, "Commander.iu Chief of the army
and navy Of the United States. -
(, rbe Sherman bin recognizes a dlsa.
agreeable bat obvious necessity by