Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-11-16
FROM WASHINGTON.


/ General Hancock.
| New YORK. Nov. 15.-The Tines special
says. :, General Hancock arrived at New
Orleans yesterday and will forthwith as
sumo command.
POpalation OF Washington and
! % ,z.s Georgefown. ,-i.. .satr,Ey
| II A census of Washington and George
town for school purposes show the popu-
lation OF the former to be 100000, and tn
latter $1,000. l-,.. l,4n-f, = r nj F
l. 4. Thaddeus Stevens, Health
Thaddeus Stevens. who Is i'm Washing
ton, says he is much better in health than
| is reported. .nHud-io.s r iHan:Grs if7a7"e 7
| 20 Chase on Universal Suffrage.
The Herald's special learns from Rich
mOnd that Chief Justice Chase is in tayor
of such modification Of the Radical pro-
| granlme as will preclude negroes from
holding office, but demands universal suf-
| frage. t'-" n tt' o"t 80 @
-. ,', Gov. Pierpoint. ,,..-,
Gov: Pierpoint has declared he is not n
candidate for reelection. ~. II. 30, s,.t
Losses of the Government
The Tribune's special says. Ohicial re-
ports show that the Government has lost
by nom recollection of the whisky tax alone.
the past year, upwards OF one hundred mill
lion dollars. The loss on tobacco is SET
down at twenty-five millions. These loss
es are attributed to the corruption and mis-.
management of collectors. s--4.,i.,
ri a5f.i-IoIT = Pardon. IA uaaual
The President has pardoned G. B. Crit
tenden, OF Kentucky, who was rebel
Major General. r-s ~ e.
official Info m alton Concerntng the
iF7 Tornado at MatamOras. ii2
|: WASHINGTON, Nov. 15.-The State De-
partment is informed that the amount OF
losses by the tornado at Matamoras in Oc-
tOber cannot yet be computed. Five mill
lions would be a low estimate.. AT least
six hundred houses have been destroyed,
including many valuable warehouses. con-
tanning large stocks of goods. So lar as
heard from all the ranches were thrown
down for thirty miles around Matamoras.
At the mouth of the river the destruction
was great. Scarcely house is left stand
ing. All the river steamers were wrecked
or disabled. except the Tamaulapas No. 2
which was still serviceable. Considering
the great destruction of buildings, the
the number of casualties isnot great, prob
ably 20 killed and 40 or so more or less in
jured. Brownsville suffered equally with
Matamoras, very few buildings being left
uninjured. k..a
Opinion of Attorney General stanbery
~ on the Meeting of Congress. F
Attorney General Stanbery is out with
an opinion, presumed to be unofficial, as il
dppcdiS dS d III HtWSpd-
per. instead of being addressed to the Pres
ident, on the additional session of the 10th
Congress. After quoting the provisions OF
the Constitution for the meeting of Con-
gress. the article says the act of January
22l, 1867, does not change or interfere with
the day OF meeting fixed by the Constitu-
tion, and all sessions of the 10th Congress
held prior the first Monday in December.
except such as were convened by the Pres
ideut, are Irregular.
/. 1t is true the term for which members
are elected Senators and Representatives
begins and is dated from the 4th of March.
but that it does not affect the time fixed tor
| the regular annual session to begin.
A new Congress cannot meet under the
Constitutional provision before the first
Monday in December, unless convened in
| the interim by the President; hence unless
Congress by law appoints different day
for such annual regular session, there
can be no Constitutional meeting of Con-
gress prior to the first Monday in Decem.
ber.s Any meeting of Congress in interve-
ming periods would be extra sessions and
can only be called by the President OH an
extraordinary occasion demanding it, ol
I which he is to Judge. k-. rEse-. b. II
| The Constitution does not anywhere, In
any other way, provide for any other than
a regular session of Congress. 1t does moi
authorize Congress to provide for any 9TH
| tT tudu d regular SESSION. Ol SOD0TFSS. IL
does not authorize Congress to provide toI
an additional meeting, and simply gives il
power to change the day for such regular
meeting from the first Monday in Decem-
Der, by appointing a different day. There
is first and second session of each Con-
gress, and the meeting of a new Congress
commencing before the time fixed by the
Constitution for it to assemble in regular
legislative session, can not be legaliZed
by calling it an additional session or an
additional meeting.
The Attorney General goes on to say
that the 39th Congress had no power to
pass the act of the 22d of january, 1867
Otherwise it had power not only to convene
an extra session, but create an extraordin-
airy occasion for it, in contravention OF the
powers of the President.
The article concludes as follows: The
present meeting of Congress is not an ad
Journed meeting, for the regular session OF
March 4th, 1867, as has been shown, was
not regular session. 1t was a new and
extraordinary meeting, created by act OF
January %, 1867. fssr F+ss - =
In addition to the present regular times
of meeting of Congress, as designed by
the Constitution, the act expressly sn des-
ignates it, how additional, not to any reg
ular meeting of the Thirty ninth Com
gress, for that Congress expired on tne 45h
of March, 1866. nor was it additional to any
regular meeting of the Fortieth Congress,
for the Fortieth Congress has yet held no
such regular session. 1t is not even yet
fully organized by the session of March
4th. 1867. and its adjourned meeting con-
stitutes an extraordinary session of the
Fortieth Congress, created and convened
by act of January %, 1867.
The time will come for review of its
acts and proceedings. and he would sug-
gest to those now arting under those pro-
visions of that act if not too late, to pause
and consider its very questionable consti-
tutionality, and comprehend the precedent
they are establishing or else change the
time fixed by the Constitution for the reg
ular meeting of Congress, by appointing a
different day therefor than the first Monday
i'm December i'm every year.
It's learned the arguments were set forth
by the Attorney General in Cabinet meet
ing, when the subject of sending in the
Presidents message and documents to Con-
gress was uuder consideration. --
=ss' Comm otien-A. III. stephens.