Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1867-03-01
Washington Correspondence.

iiNcu. 10 speak NgulalvelN. almost gem
Grafton. The clouds and the mSts that
lowers over Us have all passed away. The
iJil Known as the Military bill for the gov
erltmeut OF the rebel states introduced into
the House by Stevens. chairman of the Re
construction Committee on the part of the
House, after having passed that body was
taken up III the Senate where it met vio-
Lent opposition from the copperheads. 1t
was discussed at length and every effort
made TO defeat it. These efforts came very
near being a success, nat only in a defeat
of the stevens bill but every other meas
urc OF reconstruction this of Congress.
After a very lengthy debate of Friday.
Saturday and Saturday night until six and
half o'clock Sunday morning the product
of all this travail was what is known as the
sherman bill introduced by Hon. john
Sherman, Senator from Ohio. 1t was a
blending Of the Stevens, Rlailo. and Eliot
bills; but emincntly calculated to give dis
satisfaction. As the sun Of a glorious Stun
day morning gilded the dome aud the pill
lars ofthe Capitol the grave Senators in the
Senate chamber below, passed this meas
urc by the decisive vote OF twenly-nine to
ten. Those who had not read the bill felt
that something effective had been done and
all day Sunday much rongratulation was
expressed among Union men that NE were
at ielgth out of the woods; but when OIL
Monday the bill came up in the House it
was oo0n discovered that the measure was
Il failure. MIR. Boutwell, ofMass. led offin
an earnest speech against it. He wds fol-
lowed by he intrepid Col W. 3. Stokes of
Tenn. Oh the same side. and by Mr.. Stew
ens. the old war horse himself. The strug-
gle was one long to be remembered. An
effort was made to rcdel. the question early
in the day. but it failed. 1t was felt and
believed that the question must be taken on
or before twelve o'clock or that nothing to-
wards reconstruction would be done by Til,
Congress for ii the vote was DELAYED be-
You'd that hour, UbePre,ident would poke,
the bill. thus matters stood when tie
House met al half past seven O'Clock. 7. VI.
on Monday. The democrats secinr their
advantage began to tiilibjlster and BY mo-
tons to lay upon the table, to adjourn at
different Sneeilied times. and to take 4
recess, etc, etc, they kept Oft the vote
Strange rs it appeared to many, old
Inad' led the democracy in this fi!libtle-
tering. What does il mean, en4uired cy-
rybody. His power is gone, said others;
be can no longer be Il leader. The old
man 1new what he meant. and the result;
has shown TIE wisdom of his course. The
iillibd,terin" was kept up till about twelve
O'Clock al Hi%at when il was agreed TO adj
i4lra til eleven O'clock on Tuesday and TO
take Ike Vote III twelve. Accordingly the
Uo0se !Det at eleven and the vote on the
question was reached at twelve o'clock on
tuesday: but not uHtii two important
All elidmehts had been made TO the bill
The first by Mr.. Wilson of iowa, to the ei-
feet that no persons shall be allowed TO
vote for members of the Constitutional
eli siiic TO seats rs delegates in said Con-
yentions who are prohibited from voting by
the Constitutional amendment passed the
last session. The amendment of Mr.. Shell
labarger Of Ohio provides that the present
State government of the Southern States.
organized by the authority of Andrew
johnson. shall be regarded only as proviS-
ional, and that their power shall be tenn
porary and limited. These two amend
ments were adopted BY decisive majoriies,
and then the bill passed the House by al
most strict party vote OF one hundred and
twenty-five TO forty-siX. Thus it will be
seen. that the brave Old champion Of the
right from Pelna is still in the ascendant.
His star does not wane. His f1llnebustering
was not in vain. The democracy were but
puppets in his hands. He still leads the co
horts Of freedom.
Shermans bill as amended in the way
have Indicated was sent to the Senate, aud
there it was freely discussed and severely
denounced by men on both sides. But af-
ter these men had ea2tied the vials of
their wrath upon it, it WAS nevertheless
passed by the following vote of thirty-fve
to seven. the particulars of this whole mat
ter will form an intere sting chapter in his
tory. but | cannot in this connection give
You the details. The fact that Hon. Rev
erdy johnson conservative Senator from
Maryland gave his support to the bill. is a
significant fact IL said that he went for
It because it was the best thing the South
could ever get. Let the people in that To-
caIity be warned in Season,
This bill is now in the bands of the Tres
ileut what Will he do: Its useless to spec.
date. His veto was expected to day.
but it did not came. Before this reache,
YOU something viii be known ofthe purpose
of lis 'accideney. My opinion is, that
there viii be veto, though some now think,
he Will sign the bill.
The tariff bill is presented, BAT is no: Yet
taken up. Several private bills have been
before the House the past week, some OF
them have passed ald others been defeat
cal. Tho House also has had under con-
sheraton The appropriation bills but most
Of tits t.nc H., been devoted to the conSid-
GRAFTON of,'.> Internal Revenue or tax bill,
This bill still drars its slow length along
the committee of the whole. 1t is about
Two thirds flushed.
Ir. Pike made his report Of the commit
tee to Investigate the numbering of The
Maine Soldiers in South Corolira. II i, 4