The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1867-01-30
CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE.

bill and amendment being up at the even
ing session. the following interesting de.
bate occurred.
The House met at Il o'clock for debate
on the reconstruction bill. Mr.. Van Horn,
OF New York. occupied the chair.
Mr.. TRIsBLR addressed the House in Oh
position to the bill. He claimed that the
last constitutional amend ment had been re .
jected; il had been submitted 10 ali the
States, loyal and ,liiloyal, and Il had not
been ratified by three .fourths of them. II
II had been ratified then this bill would be
in violation Of IL. HE denounced il as a
bill Of attainder, and an er post .taeio law;
and he made several constitutional points
against il.
Mr.. DoDos rose To give his r. asuns wIry
he could not vote either Tor the bill or for
the amendment. lie hoped ne would moi
for his course on this bill, be denuuncod n.
arenegsde Republican. lie differed en-.
lirely from the general sentiment on an.
Republican side Of the House, that the
tatesrecently 10 rebellion were not States m
the Union. Congress had alread ycom nitteTl
itself against that view. The constitution.
al amendment a5olishing slavery had been
submitted 20 them by the General Severn.
ment and had been ratified by them. In
lss2. when YVES; Virginia was organized
Mr. Speaker coifax had made speech. IN
whish he declared that Governor Piernoin,
and the Wheeling Legislature were The
rightful 6ovsrnor and Legislature Of the
State OF Virginia, competent constitution.
ally 10 give assent 10 the partition of the
State. And the last constitutional ame nj.
ment had in the same view been sent 10 The
late rebel States for ratification and he
was confident that Congress had intended
that II should be sent. He bad read care.
fully The bill of Mr.. Stevens and the sub.
siitute Of Mr.. Ashley. and he had failed 10
lind IN either the 6rst thing that promised
peace. conciliation. and harmony. lie
looked anxIously Tor peace, aud permanen,
Cancellation. aud therefore Congress should
be careful not to pass law. that could only
Irr'talc tie people Of the South and perpet.
sate hostility between the sections. lie
was not deficient in sympathy Tor the coIor.
ed mrn OF the South but h. knew that. IN.
der the circumstances, such a state Of
things was, in a measure, I. be cxpecsed.
What was wanted was something Ii bring
about better feeling bet~een The North
and the South. and At the same time A bet.
ter feeling between the Southern man and
the freedman.
lie could not see 10 either The bill or he
amendnent anything Of the kind. The re.
suit OF the passage Of the bill would dis.
franchise the larger proportion oi The white
men oi the South, while IL would enfran.
ehise the colored man. Would the passage
ol such law be calculated To- create better
feeling between the white and the colored
people, Or between the North and the
souths II the Republican party in the
State oi New York had laid down such a
programme at tie last election. he had no
doubt y would have heen defeated.
VIZ. KADSoTp inquired whether his col.
leuage was IN fayor Of admitting 10 repre.
sentation ~ Congress an, Sonthcrn S,ate
which would fatify the constitutional a.
mendlnent.
Mr.. Dodge replied. that he was unhesit,,.
ngly IN favor OF IL. provided loyal repre.
sentatlses were sent TO Congress. Tie re.
sumed. and elaborated on his argument ,ha,
this bill. instead Of being calculated 10 re.
store peace and cancellation. was calculat-
ed TO embiter the feeling between the Sec |
tions, to keep up the irritation, and 10 post.
pone the settlement VI the question. Re.
ierring TO the prnpused impeachment of the
esijent. he deprecated il as being unfor.
tunate 10 q political point Of view, hut
vastly mere unfortunate 10 paralyzing the !
industrial and business interest Of the
country.
lie mentioned the instance Of q eharita-
ble institution in New York, which had
voted to invest IT. surplus capital in Unit.
ed States securities. but that vote had been
reeonsidered on aceosnt Of the impesch-