The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-03-21
Our Washington Letter.


ESPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS OF THE rAnY NEWS
WASHINGTON, March 18th. 15G7.-There has been
no debate in the Senate. where alone of the two
branches Ut Congress, the ethics Of party ftnesse
is studied with any depth that has brought in
such plain relief tho petty dissensions ranking in
the Radical breast, as tho discussion of Saturday
upon the Supplementary Reconstruction Bill. 1t
took until the toll of midnight to get vote and
pass the Bill, notwithstanding there were only two
Democrats present during the evening session.
Tho bubble was wholly confined to the Republi-
can side of the chamber, and, in fact, the entire
proceeding had more the air Of o Radical caucus
than anght concerning cons1mate statesmanship.
The fight was mainly waged between SUMNER, NYE,
DRAKE and HOWARD, on the one side, and TRUM-
BULL, MORTON, WILSON and FEssENDEN, on the
other hand.
Neither HOWARD or NyE could see any reason
for haste in declaring an ultimatum looking to
final requirements Of the Southern States, and
promising admittance to Congress whenever the
lettor Of such propositions had been complied
with. Notwithstanding the fact Of it's being plain
ly evident that he was ready for no definite recon-
SG1QSIlfo oCtiOu 1oMARO DtCuuS 9ull6 luu1SudUD
at Mr.. TRUNBuLL for speaking OF him as an enemy
Of the Bill under discussion, and demanded with
TO Little heat, "By what authority does the sena-
tor from Illinois assert that am an enemy of this
Bill?" and when TRUMBULL proceeded to show in
Ills arrogant, biting way, how the nervous old
Michigander was nothing, not opposed to every
conceivable form of legislation that could come up
HOWARD was too Iull for utterance, and hobbled
off to q retiring room looking very red and
choleric.
As for HENRY WILSON, SUMMERS colleague, he
was fairly driven s'beside himself by some cold
blooded remarks of NYE who persistently rettled
the cobbler," until it was not in the nature even
of long-sufering, recently converted proseyte to
the paths of peace, to stand more, and 80 WILSON
fared up, and then, astonished at his own heat,
endonvored to retract-was mettT another success
sion Of taunts from NYE and DRAKE-which again
drove him to anger and loyal utterance Being a
man of simple craft loss Of temper invariably suf-
fees to draw from WILSON confessions Of con-
science, from which, in his own cooler moments,
he shrinks abashed, and not unfrequently utterly
disclaims And so it was in the present instance.
Stung by tho castigation administered by NYE,
WILSON gave impctuous vent 10 a series OF
representations, to the effect that delay in
reconstruction was iraught with danger to
the country, but especially to the Radical
party. The people, he said, demanded re-
construction o come basis, and the Radicals
could not 6 o into the Presidential canvass in the
year to como-four years after the war ended--and
acknowledge their fliluro to reconstruct the Gov
crnmept by keeping the South out IF they failed
in their duty, the country would find leaders who
did not. WILSON continued to contend that 5he
South would go heartily into the movement about
to be naugmated under the Bill, and that the Rad
icals had fair show for controlling all the States,
and Louisiana, and rebuked SUMNER for hageEng
over minor points when the great object of bring
ing in those States with Radical Senators was
within their grasp.
The next sensational feature Of the debate was
SUMMERS impassioned remark--unwittingly utter
ed, it is true-in which he denounced the Statos
about to be constructed under tho Bill as "born of
the bayonet" Several Senators sprang to their feet
upon the conclusion Of the speech, and were about
to take tho immaculate gentleman from the club
severely to task f1r such libel upon their party in
eG Pqa ssSsf S4S Ts
floor and succeeded in making striking and
adrot use Of Mr.. SUMMERS Characterization osten-
sibly in that learned gentlemans defence, against
tho evident ill-feeling OF his colleagues on the
other side of the Chamber. SUMNER, he claimed,
was the pioneer of his party, advocating policy
for which he was ever denounced one
year by his friends, only to SEQ them support
it the next by their votes. He ayerred that SUM-
NEE was perfectly correct in characterizinG these
States as '.born of the bayonet." Civil authority
did exist there. 1t protected life. 1t regulated
property; it performed fully all the functions of
lroyernmert-as fully rs elsewhere. Now, military
authority was reared above the civil. Neither pro-
porty, nor liberty nor life secure, save by the
permit of soldior and this state Of things was to
exist until conditions were acted upon by tho
South which were extremely repulsive, and could
only bo extorted by power. Verify, this was the
offspring Of the bayonet, as admitted by Mr..
SUnE.ER.
The Bill was then pass ed, anu now goes to the
House for the appointment of u committee Of con-
ference to consider the real nut Of disagreement
viii h is, whether majority ofal registered votes
or of all the votes cast at election, shall be re-
qusite to ratify the Constitutions that may be
adopted. VDEA.