The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1867-02-06
FEBRUARY 6, 1867.
Congress.

Congress.
We have nothing of particular interest
from Congress. We give the following from
the correspondence of the New York 1sl-
6uae in relation to the action of the House on
MIR. Stevens bill
The consideration ofMr. Stevens enabling
act occupied the rest of the days session,
and this important measure was at last dis
posed of. Julian of Indiana, Cullom of ILL
nois, and Scofield of Pennsylvania, made
speeches in favor of Mr.. Stevens's plan,
which, together with other facts, led Mr..
Stevens to hope that the bill might pass
without going to the Reconstruction Com
mittce. When the debate had finished,
Bingham demanded the previous question
on motion to recommit the bill to the Re-
construction Committee. This gave rise to
good deal of maneuvering and activity
among the friend and opponents of the bill
Bingham and Conkling were looked upon as
the leaders Of the Republicans in favor of
recommitting, while Stevens backed by
Boutwell,, Shellabarger, and Morrill,, was
considered the champion of the immediate
passage of the bill. Bingham, in his re-
Marks expressed himself as satisfied with the
Constitutional Amendment, while Conkling
did not commit himself Boutwell, was viii
ling to have the bill go to select commit
tee. During the debate, which was very
spicy and interesting, Stevens denounced
Bingham in very severe terms, telling him
he did not want his counsil nor advice, nei-
ther did he recognize his authority to speak
for the people, and, in fact he would not be-
lieve word he said. For this language the
Speaker called Mr.. Stevens to order, and
thus put stop to an interesting family
quarrel. During the debate between the
leaders. active canyassing was going on be-
tween the Republican members, many being
at loss to know how to vote. The Ste
vens men put forth the statement that the
reference of the bill to the Reconstruction
Committee was the same as killing it entirely.
A large number, however, whose radicalism
cannot be doubted, thought otherwise, and
consequently voted for the reference. After
half an hours canvassing, the crisis was
reached by Bingham demanding the main
question on his motion to refer. AS soon as
he did this the Democrats moved to adjourn,
which was voted down, and then Bingham
again demanded a vote when Stevens, see
ing defeat ahead, moved to adjourn, but the
| Democrats voted with the Bingham party,
and the motion was lost The vote was
then taken, and the bill was recommitted by
| IS Yeas to 65 Nays, all the Democrats vo-
ting in the affirative The whole number oi
Republicans in the House is 1873. Of this
number 4S voted to recommit the bill, 81
voted against recommitting, while 90 were
absent and did not vote The vote by which
the bill was recommitted to the Committee
on Reconstruction demonstrated two things
that it was the sense of the House that til,
bill needed amendment, and that the bes
place in which to amend it was the Recon
struction Committee Room, and not tn
floor of the House. The XXXIXth Con
gress had done nothing more solemnly
more deliberately, and more carefully thar
to organize thai Committee. The Uniol
party throughout the North and West wen
into the last canvass upon the report of tina
Committee and its recommendations /
carried the country upon them. The persona
of the Committee and its fitness for the dis
charge of the great trust committed to
were indorsed by the people at the polls
after discussion more thorough and genera
than any in the history of our politics. TIL
endeavor to take from this committee til
perfection of this legislation, contemplate
by Mr.. Stevens's bill, was sufficient reasol
of defeat the motion. 1t would have bee
impossible to have made the necessary chan
ges in the bill in such an arena of parliamen
tary license and disorder as the House is
with the unlimited right ofmotions to amen
and to substitute, quite as impossible as t
frame Tariff bill in Committee of th
Whole instead of having it done by the Way
and Means Committee, This is the signiff
canoe of the Radical portion of the vote te
day seemingly in opposition to the bill.