The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1867-02-23
Tri-ateeklp Stanaard.
RALEIGH. n. e.
FEBRUARY IS, 1867
ReconstructiOn.

we nave not yet rcCclFcu Luc Diii III luii,
just passed by Congress for the more efficient
government of the rebel States. We shall
publish it in our next.
The history of this bill may be given brief
lv. as follows: Mr. Stevens military bill, as
it is called, passed the House by two-thirds
lacking one, and went to the Senate. The
Louisiana bill, Us it is called, passed the
House about the same time by two-thirds
vote, and also went to the Senate. That body
| refused to act on the Louisiana bill, but it
took up the military bill and amended it by
adding to it what is called the "Blaine
amendment" The bill was then returned to
the House for concurrence. The House re-
fused to concur, and proposed committee
of conference consisting of Messrs. Stevens,
Shelabarger and Blaine. The Senate re-
| fused the committee of conference, and the
House, after some debate, struck out the
Blaine amendment, and otherwise amended
the bill, and passed it on Wednesday by
vote of 1875 to 46. The bill thus amended
went to the Senate, and that body also pas
sed it on Thursday by q vote of 80 to z.
The bill, as we understand it-for we have
not seen it in full in its present shapc-pro-
vides, first, that the Southern States shall be
placed under military governments, and that
the people of these States may then proceed
to form new civil governments. The bill must
have some machinery for the work of recon-
struction, as in Mr.. Shellabarger's amend
ment given below, it is provided that the
elections shall be conducted by persons
named in q certain section of the bill Suf-
frage is to be general of both races, with the
following exception, as contained in pro-
viso offered by Mr.. Wilson, of Iowa:
I'rouided, That no person excluded from the
privilege of holding office by said proposition Of
amendment to the Constitution of the United
States shall be eligible to election as a member
of convention to form constitution for any of
said rebel States, nor shall any such person vote
for members of such convention.
We give below the proceedings of the
House, beginning with Mr.. Shellabarger's
amendment:
Mr.. Shcllabarger (Ohio) then offered an amend
ment, declaring that until the people of said re-
belious States shall, in due form OF law, be adj
mittcd to representation in the Congress of the
United States, any civil government which may
exist there shall be deemed to be provisional only,
and in all respects subject to the powers and au-
thority of the United States, at any time to be
abolished, modified, or super sedcd and all cleo
lions for officers of such provisional government
shall be conducted only by persons named i'll the
5th section of this act, and no person sli"ll be
eligible to office under such provisional govern
mcnt who would be disqualified from holding Of
flee under the provisions Of the Sd section ofthe
Constitutional amendment of last session
The previous question was ordered on the
amendment as amended by a vote of 50 yeas to
Al nays.
Mr. Boyer (PaD moved to lay on the whole
subject on the table.
Not agreed to.
The yeas and nays were demanded upon agree
ing TO the amendment, and it was agreed to-yeas
9S, NAYS 20.
The question then required upon agreeing to
the Senate amendments rs amended, and they
were agreed to by vote of 125 yeas to 46 nays,
as foll0ws:
YeaS-Messrs. Alley, Allison, Amos, Anderson,
Arnell Ashley Of Nev, ashley of Ohio, Baker Baker
min, Bidwell, Bingham, Blaine, Blow, Boutwell,,
Brundegee, Bromwell, Bromall, Buckland, Bun
dy, Clarke, of Ohio, Clarke, of Kansas, Cobb,
Dcano, Deming, Dodge. Donnelly, briggs, Du-
mont, Eggleson, Eliot, Farnsworth, Faquar, Fer
ry, Grinnel, Griswold, Harding, of Ill, Hart,
Hotshkiss, anpbard, Of Vest va, Hubbard Of
Conn. Hubbard, of N, Y, Hulburd, Julian, Kas-
son, Kelley, Kelso, Ketcham, Kootnz, Latin,
Lawrence, of Pa, lawrence; OF Ohio, Loan,
McIndoe, Mckee, McRuer, Mercur, Miller, Moor
head, Morrill,, Moulton, Myers, Neville, O'Neill,
Ortiz Paine, Patterson, Perham, Pike, Plants,
of Maine, Rollins, Sawyer. Schenck, Scofed
shellabarger, Sloan, sPalding, Starr, Stevens,
Stokes Thayer, Frank Thomas, John L. Thomas,
\. Y, Van Horne, of Mo, Ward, of N. Y. War
ner, Washburne, of Ind, Washburne, of Mass,
Wcker, Wentworth, Whaley. Williams, Wilson,
of Iowa, Wilson, of Pa, Window, and Wood
brdge-l25.
Nays-Messrs. Ancona, Bergen, Boyer Camp
bell, Chanler, Cooper, Dawson, Dennson, Ell
driige, Finck, GloSsbrenner, Goodyear, Harding,
bell, of o., Humphrey, Hunter, Kuykendall, Le-
Blond, Leftwich, Marshall, Mccullough, Niblack,
Nicholson, NOEL, Phelps, Radford, Randall of
Pa, Ritter, Rogers, Ross, Rosseau, ShanKlin,
Taylor, of N. Y, Thornton, Trimble, Ward, of
Ky, Winfield, and Wrght-46.
The Sd section of the Howard Amend
ment referred to above is as follows:
SEC 3. No person shall be Senator or Rep
resentative in Congress, or elcctor of President
and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or
military, under the United States, under any
State who, having previously taken an oath as
member of Congress, or as an officer OF the
United States, or as member OF any State legs-
lature, an executive or judicial officer OF any
State, to support the constitution of the United
States, shall have engaged in instruction or re-
belion against the same, or given aid or comfort
to the enemies thereof. But Congress may, by
vote of two-thirds OF each House, remove such
disability.
1t will be observed that the entire Repub-
lican party of the House voted for the bill,
including such sterling patriots as Stevens,
Shellabarger, Ashley, Boutwell,, Kelley, May
nard, and Stokes The old Democratic, cop
perhead party voted en- nasse against it. In
the Senate the vote against the bill was
small, Mr. Reverdy johnson having bro
ken the Democratic ranks by voting for the
measure. AS wholesome and proper as this
measure may be, we are glad to see that Mr..
Shellabarger offered an amendment which
passed, providing that the whole matter of
reconstruction shall be only provisional and
experimental. and that Congress retains to
itself the right to modify, abolish or super
sede at will the whole machinery contained
in this bill. It may turn out, in the end,
that this amendment by Mr.. Shellabarger
will prove of vital Importance in the work
of reconstruction. The loyal people of the
country will thank him for the tact and
forecast evinced by this amendment.