Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-03-22
FORTIETH CONGRESS-.


From the st. Louis Republican,
Z SENATE.
!: WASHINGTON, March l8.-Afr. John
e son presented the credentials of Phil
II +. Thomas, senator elect for six year
v ending March 4. 1878, and asked tina
they be read and that Mr.. Thomas b
sworn in.
70 The credentials were read, when MI
!, Howard moved that they be referred {
= the Judiciary committee, stating, in re
> ply to q question from Mr.. johnson, tha
I, il was q matter OF common runner tina
: the genllepa4 wing was an applicant 70
admission to the senate, syfnpathiEe,
with the rebellion in the late civil war
Mr.. johnson did not know what ru
; mors Mr. Howard referred to ia relation
. TO any particular act of the senator elect
: which had given aid and comfort t
rebels. Perhaps it was Feferfsd 10 on thi
> floor of the senate on Saturday, tina
Thomas, while secretary Of the treasury
> transferred q large amount of money
!, from New York to Louisiana that i
? flight be there to assist rebels. Mr.
Johnson had mentioned that to his col
league, and vas authorized to say there
was not a word Of truth in Il. The
! transfer of funds he made while seere
! tary of the treasury in 1860, was Of some
seven or eight hundred thousand from
T kew York to Washington to meet the
necessary disbursements OF tue treasury
: and the whole of it was disbursed here
The only other sum transferred by his
order vas 5000 or 500, 600 from Arkan,
sas to New Orleans, where it vas all ex-
pended before the rebellion commenced.
/, He had already said in what he bad
stated of the character Of the honorable
gentleman that his word on that subject
would convey with all who knew BIN
most absolute confidence. 1t is possible
tket Mr.. Thomas might have supposed
that the war cUuId aGEs teen AVOIDED.
He was not alone ia that opinion. IL
was entertained by thousands in the
loyal states.
Dir. Howard said his objection to Mr..
Thomas was the language be attributed
to him ia the speeches he made after the
election. He was reported to have said
that the senate of the United States had
done all in its power 10 dissolve the
| union by war in which they tailed and
were now attempting to Destroy the
union by legislation. He (Howard)
thought il was very unkind remark on
the part Of the applicant, If he made
/ that remark. II a man could be called
! strictly "loyal and attached to the
| government Of the United States who
/ held that the entire action of congress
| in prosecuting the late war to suppress
/ the rebellion was an effort on the part of
/ congress to dissolve the union, then he
/ Howard had lost to great degree, his
( knowledge of force Of language.
Mr.. johnson knew nothing Of the
| speech to which Mr.. Howard referred.
What he did know was, that in a letter
accepting his nomination, there would
be found nothing inconsistent with his
duties to his country.
The letter of Mr.. Thomas was then
sent to the clerks desk and read.
Mr.. Nye said it was claimed by
"IoyalU men of Maryland that the cleo
ton of the legislature by which Thomas
had been elected was palpable fraud
upon the existing laws of Maryland. 1t
was asserted by those Union mes that
they had a law standing on the statute
book that prevented all person sympa-
thizing with the rebellion from voting
at their elections. At the last election
that law was disregarded, and persons Of
all kinds, the worst "rebels among
them, were permitted to vote, and by
their vote a legislature was elected that
had sent the honorable gentleman here
as senator. When Mr.. Thomas resigned
from Mr.. Buchanan's cabinet he wrote
letter stating his reasons for so doing,
that he was forced TO leave from the
fact that he could not concur in the act
to reinforce Fort Sumter. He denied
entirely the power of coercion.
Mr.. TESsmbull spoke at some length on
the suS ct. He was opposed as much
any non could be 90 admit traitors or
enemies Of the government as mem bers
Q of ~ ~ . in fa nf
ceiving none but loyal - men. But
the objections TO Mr.. Thomas were sus-
/ tanned by nothing but rumOrs. No
! specific charge was made by any senator
against him. Mr.. Il. was certainly enti-
1 tied 10 be sworn in, unless there was
something to overcome the prima facie
| case, wLich was in his favor. If any
/ senator could bring a specific charge
( against the applicant he would go as far
as necessary in making investigation.
1 But he understood Mr. Thomas was will
ing to take the oath required by law.
| Ii so he ought to be admitted, unless
there was distinct charge made against
/ him.
Mr.. Fessenden said he was unwilling
/ by his vote to establish 50 dangerous a
| precedent as TO refuse to receive the SEN
ator who came here with the proper Gre
dentials, and had been elected in pursu-
auce of law, and against whom there
was no specific charge from any RESPONSE
| BILE source.
Mr.. Sherman read from the letter of
| Mr.. Thomas's the resigningof his office as
| secretary of the treasury Of Mr. Buchan-
ans cabinet, in which Mr.. Thomas says
| that the United States has no power to
| collect the custom duties at the port of
! Charleston. This was an Endorsement of
the right of secession. 1t has at least
/ placed the applicant in an embarrassing
/ position which will require an explana-
| ton. But he would call attention to the
/ speech of Mr.. Thomas's to which refer
ence had been made. In that speech the
senate was referred to as a body of men
/ who always had been, and were now,
/ traitors to the union"
Mr.. Morton said the imDutation Just
| heard was sufficient to justify inquiry.
! If what Mr.. Thomas had said was not
! true, the converse of the proposition
was true. If the senate was q body of
/ traitors, Mr.. Themas was a "loyal -
man, but il the senate was not a body of
! traitors, then Mr.. Thomas was dis
| loyal " man.
Mr.. Salisbury said this report of the
speech of Mr.. Thomas from which this
/ extract read, appeared in the Baltimore
| American He read the speech in the
! Baltimore Gazette, and there was no
such language attributed to the speaker
in that repsrt.
After some further debate the subject
was, on motion of Mr.. Grimes, postponed
until tomorrow.
Mr.. Trumbull called up the supple
mentary reconstruction bill, the ques-
! ton being on concurrence in the house
amendments to the senate amendment,
| the first amendment of which, of an
unimpOrtant character was agreed to.
| The second was to require " a majority
of all registered voters,n instead of as
/ by the senate bill, "a majority of votes
/ cast,u to adopt a state constitution. At
/ ter debate it was disagreed to by twenty
| one against twenty-fOur. The next
amendment of the house relates to pun
! shment for swearing falsely under this
act, and was agreed to. The bill now
goes back to the house, and the question
will be on recediDg from the amend
ment disagreed to by the senate.
The senate went into executive session
and soon after adjourned.
HOUSE.
Two newly elected members from New
/ Hampshire, Messrs. Ella and Stevens,
I appeared and had the oath of Office ad.
miuistered, and took their seats.
At 2:l5 p m. the senate supplementary
| reconstruction bill was taken up.
/ Mr.. Wilson, Iowa, from the judiciary
COMMITTEES, moved to amend the first
section by adding to the prescribed oath
a clause that any person proposing to
vote has never been a member of any
state Legislature, nor held any executive
or judicial Office in any state, and after
wards engaged in insurrection or rebel
/ lion against the United States, or given
aid or comfort TO the enemies thereof.
Mr.. Wilson explained that in Virginia
and perhaps in other southern states an
oath TO maintain the constitution Of the
/ United States has not been for some
years previous to the rebellion admins
tered to state officers. The amendment
was agreed to.
Mr.. Wilson, Of Iowa, moved to amend
/ the fifth section by striking out the words
recurring that the vote east be at least
one-half OF all registered voters voting
upon the question IOf ratification. He
explained that this would leave the pro-
vision in that respect the same as when
it passed the house. The amendment
wss agreed to.