The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1867-02-23
Congress-.

schems, with an appendix. In our last, We
mentioned the passage by the House, Of the
scheme of Mr.. Stevens. This proposed to
divide the south into military districts,
each to be under a Major or Brigadier Gen>
eral, by whom the south was to be governed
antil the states, by exclusively loyal votes,
negroes to vote equally with loyal whites,
should elect conventions and make constitu>
tons by which negroes and whites should be
placed on a perfect equality as to franchise
and all other points, except that rebel whites
should be wholly disfranchsed then,
the people of each southern state having rats
flied such constitution, and congress haTing
approved it, Congress might admit represen>
tatives Of such states INTO congress. This bill
was taken up in the Senate on the 18th and
debated until after midnight. The oppo>
sition seemed most persistent and de-
terinined Mr.. Doolittle declared the bill
no less than an attempted renewal of the
civil war-an attempt to reconstruct with the
sword-''a power which should not be an
opposition to the bill showed such unex pect>
ed .trength-men like Fessenden, Sherman,
Stewart, &C, beirg found in It's ranks, that it
became apparent the bill could not only net
be forced through the senate Friday night,
or rather Saturday morning, bat that it could
not pass at all So before the senate re as
| seubled on Saturday, a caucus committee
got together, and coDcocted an amended
scheme that tco,ll3 pass the senate. This as
| it was afterwards offered in the senate by Mr..
Sherman, is known as the Sherman bill and
is the bill published in another column. 1t
| embraces the military part of the Stevens
bill, but in lieu of the mode prescribed in
that bill for recognizing the southern gov
ernments, adopts what is known as the
Blaine amendment-an amendment offered
to the Stevens bill in the House BY Mr.. Blaine,
bat which was there voted down.
This amendment proposes to admit the
Southern State, to repr Presentation iii congress
| on their adoption of the constitutional
ameudmen-ot last winter, and providing for
AH'SioJ
The debate orr the Stevens bill was renew
ed In the Senate at II o'clock on SATURDAY..
10Th. and continued until after midnight, the
radicals still hoping to force it through. Then
the new scheme, and on this the debate was
continued until o'clock Sunday morning,
when it was passed and the Senate adjourned.
On Monday the bill as amended by the
Senate was taken mp III the House, and Mr..
Stevens having moved not to concur. tn.
debate was continued until 10 o'clock at
night, when it was agreed TO adjourn and
take the vote Immediately on meeting the
| next day. Accordingly at II o'clock next
day the House Proceeded T. vote, and the
| motion of Mr.. Stevens prevailed, with a re-
quest to the Senate for a committee of con-
! ference. The Senate refused the request,
| and sent the bill back to the House. Then
| Mr.. WIlson moved to concur with the Senate,
with slight additional amendment, dlsfran>
! chising persons excepted in the pending cons
! stitutional amendment. This motion pre-,
vailed, and the bill tins re~doctored went
| back 20 the Senate on Wednesday goth,
where it was coneurred in, SO that il has
| finally passed both houses and is III the
| hands of the President who. though hs
could defeat it by simply sticking it into his
pocket, it IS said, will return it with his veto,
thus placing it in the power Of the two
| houses to pass il over his head.
I" ,vmuSution with this reconstruction
, business, Mr.. Wentworth offered i resolution
| in the House on the 18th, which created some
stir. 1t appears there were reports OF nego>
.iatons between certain prominent radical
members Of the House and the President, to
the effect that If tie Presiden; would ~ gree
/ to certain propositions in reference to recon>
struction, the movement for his Impeachment
should be stopped, and the reports said the
| Blaine amendment was the result Of the
negotiation. Mr.. Wentworth proposed a
committee TO investigate the truth of these
reports and the House gave him a commit
tee of three to do so.
The tenure of office Iill-to prevent the
| President from removing officers without the
| consent of the Senate-an1 i'll reference to
which a conference committee was appoint
| ed. has passed both houses-the conference
committee agreeing to retain the House
amendment including cabinet ministers
among the officers not to be removed without
the concurrence of the Senate
! The bankrupt bill-which had previously
passed the Senate-pasSed the House on tie
! 18th, with sundry amendments, which the
senate refused to concur in, but asked COM
| ference committee, which the house voted.
| The Tariff bill, which passed the Senate
several weeks ago. but for which the House
proposes to substitute new bill was set for
| Thursday in Tie house, but did not come up.
The chances are against It's passing.
The new bounty bill passed the House on
Saturday. It gives ali soldiers who have not
already received bounty to that amount, 1888
e month for whatever time they served.
! The new Tax Bill was up in the House on
| Wednesday aud Thursday. Amendments
were agreed to exemptIng all receipts for
money from stamp duty, and all legal docu>
meats, afiidavIts, and probate of wills where
the property Is less than $1,000.
Warehouse bill.
The Eastman Warehouse bill, which pass