Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1867-01-10
Congressional.


the thirteenth section of the confscation
act, authorizing the President to grant a
general amnesty.
The pending question was upon Mr..
Salsbury's amendment to repeal the entire
act, instead of the thirteenth section of it,
Mr.. johnson being entitled to the floor,
addressed the Senate upon the measure.
Mr.. johnson proceeded in a lengthy
speech ON the bill before the Senate. He
said he had advised the Executive to issue
general proclamation of amnesty, and
had endeavored, so far as he was able, to
bring it about, but the Executive had not
seen proper to do SO. Some of the first
Jurlsts OF the country, some of them mem
bers of the Republican party, and some of
the best jurists of England, had expressed
the opinion that the moment belligerent
rights were granted, the commission Of
treason was impossible. If this point were
brought before the Supreme Court, what
their decision would be he could not say
But on the other point, the right of State
to secede, he did not doubt for one moment
that it would decide there was no right. No
proclamation Of amnesty had been issued,
and no trials for teason had taken place
The first was due to the President the
latter was not his fault. A man CT delicate
frame was now held immured in prison
who had been called to preside over their
destinies by over 5000, 900 of people.
Had this thing happened in any other
country, it would have been described as an
act OF extreme cruelty.
Mr. Howard said that the opinion Of the
law officer of Mr. johnson had prevented
the trial Of Davis taking place.
Mr.. johnson said he was ready to be de-
hvered up to the marshal of the court au-
thorized to try him. The prisoner had
petitioned for a trial, but the court, in
whose circuit he was, refused to receive
him, on the ground that he could not be
held in custody. 1t had also been said
that the Chief Justice could not preside,
because Congress had changed the circuit.
He said no matter whose fault it was, it was
a blot on American civilization that the
prisoner was retained, and that if, in his
delicate state, he shonld die, the nation
would be responsible for his death. Had
he (Johnson) been President, he should
have paroled him long since.
Mr.. Salisbury spoke in favor Of his
amendment to repeal the entire Confsga
ton bill instead of the 18th section, and a
vote being taken it was disagreed to. The
Senate then passed the bill-27 to 7.
| -~ o>--
Letter from Hon. Joseph segar.
RosEDALE, VA, Dec. %, 1866.
To the Editors Of the Baltimore San:
am not aware by what warrant your
Washington correspondent undertook to
connect my name with certain statements
in his dispatch touching the sentiments of
the Legislature of Virginia on the consti-
tutlonal amendment question, and pub
lished in your paper Of the 18th inst. [
never saw your correspondent that [ know
of, and certainly exchanged not a word
either with him or any other attache of the
press on the subject referred to- OF course
a statement founded on data receiv-
ed at second Or perhaps third hand cannot
| be relied on as accurate, though DO inten-
tional Misrepresentation may have been
designed.
L certainly never undertook, as [ could
not undertake, to make any authoritative
declaration or pledge as to the future ac-
ton of the Legislature Of my State on any
subject. All | have done, generally in re-
Spouse to inquiries propounded to me, was
to express my imdi0iduaI opiaion--not
intended for tie pubic-th that the Legisla-
ture would, in certain contingencies, adopt
! the constitutional amendment as the only
remaining means of avoiding worse al
tentative. [ am Of that opinion still not
from any influence exerted by me on the
minds Of its members, (for [ have none to
exert, but from what personally learned
in brief visit to Richmond, in the course
OF which many of the members-not few
of them old legislative associates called
on me for information and conference
What the Developments were that in
duced me to believe that the Legislature
would adopt the constitutional amendment
on satisfactory assurance that on it's adop-
ton the State would be restored to the
Union | will not trespass OIL your space to
detail. But | must be allowed to state
that they were strongly indicative, and
that most unquestionably decided change
has recently taken place in the spirit and
views of the Legislature. It is owing,
doubtless, to the information conveyed
from Washington to Richmond by Cover
nor Pierpent, and confirmed by my own
concurrence, thas on the adoption Of the
amendment the State, like Tennessee,
would be admitted; that Congress would
not yield, and that therefore the Presidents
plan OF reconstruction was out of the ques-
ton, and that in the event of the failure Of
the amendment plan of DECENTRALIZATION
would be substituted which would wholly
subvert State organizations, legislative,
executive, and judicial, and perpetuate III
definitely the ruin that now overwhelms
the State and brushes her people to desti-
tation and misery.
But the change rs bepnn That nosi-