Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-02-14
HOUSE,.


The SPEAKER presented laws Of Mon
tano Territory. Referred. "a
The SPEAKER also presented a tele-
graphic dispatch from Denver, Colorado
Territory, announcing the proceedings OF a
public meeting in favor of the admission Of
Colorado. ,I.f flr H''Ert
The House resumed the consideration of
the bill establishing Military Governments
in the South. u rrfrl
Mr.. VAN HORN advocated the bill, and
arguing the illegality of Governments, set
in the lately rebelious States. ss.tasA
Mr.. STEVENS withdrew his motion to
recOmmit. in order to submit some amend
ments, which he explained among them
was substitute for the second section, by
which Congress directly detailed five Gem
eral officers to command in the Military
Districts proposed to be organized.
Mr.. GARFIELD suggested it was for
Congress to undertake to detail an army OF
officers.
Mr.. STEVENS said he had tried vainly to
satisfy the views of the gentleman around
him, but finding he could not, he withdrew
the proposition to amend.
Mr.. BOUTWELL, closed the debate by
arguing the necessity and propriety of
passing the bill, and in the course of his re-
marks, said if it, should happen that the
Supreme Court should declare, as it posi-
bly, might, that the ten States lately in re-
bellion were. States in the Union and enti-
tied to all the rights and privileges of
States, and should base their declaration
on any act of Congress, then these States
were restored as lar as the Judiciary CON-
mittee could restore them, to position in
the Government, and nothing would re-
main to Congress and the people except 10
accept that conclusion as binding, or
enter into indescribable and dangerous
controversy with the chief judiciary of the
land. If, however, this bill became law
and put iuoperation, the Supreme Court
would have no capacity to see in these ten
States any civil Government, therefore for
| judicial purposes it could see no State, and
Congress would keep in its own hands the
political organization of those States.
In reply to the question by Mr.. Eldridge,
| he said it was competent for Congress to
declare thatthe late erebellious States should
be governed by military law, that,the pre-
| tended State governments had no power to
issue writs of habeas corpus, or to do any
other act of government except by power
derived by military authority. "Nh'''t
MIR. SCHENCK having had five minutes
| allowed him, declared his assent to the pro-
priety of extending martial law over States
| that were In rebellion, and Ii was his opiL-
| ion that at the same time Congress ought to
indicate to the people Of these States Whist
| they were required to do in order that they
might have civil governments and be rep
resented in Congress; that he understood
it to be the object of Mr.. Blain's amend
ment, and he therefore supported it. ..,
At two o'clock Mr.. STEVENS moved the
previous question:. gAaBk NA q g5%3
Mr.. BIN GHAM appealed to the House
not TO second it, ana thereby cut Oft all
| amendments. ~, NJ $500, So
The House refused, and debate eusued.s
Mr.. BINGHAM, while approving the
general purpose of the bill, said Congress
could not, BY direction, or indirectiOn,
make State Government for the people Of
any. State. That was matter which be-
| longed to them. State Governments had
| to be established, not by act OF Congress,
but by voluntary act of the people them
selves. He desired to give the people that
opportunity. That was the object of his
amendments. He had thought the gentle-
men who sustained this bill were for man
hood suffrage, confined to q minority of the
people in State. Was it not enough to
clothe the emancipated slaves with the
| highest right ever exercised by citizen
or had It come TO this, that Congress was
not only to clothe the emancipated slave
with the, elective franchise, but also to give
him the whole political power of State; to
make majority of white men his subject
for life and compel them to pay the expense
of the administration? There was not an
emancipated slave in America that would
ask any such Legislation at the hands oi
Congress. They only ask equal rights and
equal protection.
| Mr.. BLAINE moved to recommit the
bill to the Judiciary committee instead Ol
that on Reconstruction, withainstructiOns