The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-02-13
Our Washington Letter.

Our Washington Letter.
APPROACHING DIssoLUT1oNITHE AaoN1Es OF AN
EXPIRING CONGRESS.
WASHINGTON, February 9.-The people at large,
if they have not entirely given over the prodtless
occupation Of coming Congressional reports VIII
not have failed to notice that there is unusual
spirit and temper prevailing in the ReconstruotiVe
Councils OF the National Legislature this fortnight
past. AS intimated in my last letter to the NEWS,
many Of the Radicals are in great distress ut Hnd-
ing themselves so near the end Of theh Congress
sionsl tether, and yet without policy to show
their constituency for the restoration Of the Union
It is upon this cote,e Of members whose terms ex
pire on the fourth OF March that THAp: eGsyEHe
bas addressed with special refarsatct
making their fears subservient' to the better judg
eut they really entertain, and in this line he has
bean partially successful but again only to be met
by ahis unforgiving antagonist, Mr.. BINGHAM, OF
Ohio: The signal defeat Of STEVENS Enabling
Act abont week ago, made it easier for the OPP
poation to gather strength on the occasion last
evening Of his second sbortiYe attempt to provide
for the military government Of: the South. It Ras W
easy to see lsstsVening, as the hour approached,
according to previous understanding, when ayotY
would be demanded, that ssOLD THAD" vas was
bound up in it's success, and nerved to pitch
Of anxiety, that could scarcely be reRrained
from breaking fGeifh in vehement sneers upon the
- I, nj
did come to trust himself to close the debate, IL
was painfully apparent that the most devilish OF
that old mans passions were warrng upon hls DIS
cretion, and causing the wan frame to twitch and
tremple ike an aspen. On the whole, this occa7
sion was not the least impressive scene Of the
House, and many, both occupants Of the floor and
the galleries, who Unlisted their Observation Oft
National Congress- with the beginning OF the 9sth
session, regard it as the most SOLEMN and SEEM
irgly portentous moment Of these very troublous
councils, Imagine sfold THAD'' choking with pas
sion, and in the full that his last scheme
for yoking the South ia folsed by members OF his
own party, who have not straws care, in the pre-
misses, beyond q: dasirs to break down the STE
VEINS leadership and their own. Filled
with considerations Hike these, and smarting with
the knowledge that aastever he dictated in the
way of reoons1 ubtion must be contaminated be-
fore fha iii Of March next,;or else be scattered to
the winds BY the incoming Radical chieftaina, Lo-
aAH and sBUrLER, sGEvEss rose to- demand the
,ss ptevieus question" and the voice that
followed faltered and shook as it said
,sI have seen enough Of this House, and as Ihage
heretofore noticed, il is demorai1ed so far ilaugh-
teri that there is not enough Of the spirit that sent
us here to carry out te Will of people, and per-
feet the legislation which the people expect. i
have, therefore, no sangnine hope that this bill lsi
to be forced upon the country or upon gentlemen,
There are words and letters in the bill, laluding
to Mr. BMaHAn,s criticism Of it, from the first
through the whole alphabet; which some friends
object to and carp st and make an ercuBe for their
attacking IT. i was quite sure, when The last bill
for reconsE urttim Wss before the House, that it's
Commitment to the committee to which it;was sent
would lha it's dleat = knnHnnt 1kethar -it
IS the desire Of the House to pass any suon
bin. OF to disperse, 60 home, and leave the Pre-
sident triumphant. + am quite sure that much OF
the opposition on both sides of the House comes
from modification Of views coinciding with the
Presidents views, and that his arguments have
convinced many gentlemen that his theory is the
true one. [Great excitement among members,
most Of whom were standing, in order the better
TO hear and witness Whstwas going on.] Isfh un-
able to learn to what extent that has prevailed,
but after the previous question shall have been
voted upon IBhan be better satisfied as to whether
it is worth while to proceed farther in any attempt
by Congress to resist the power OF the President,
or whether it is our duty like humble Christians,
to submit to the power that has conquered Us,
and allow the Southern people to: remain IN their
present condition. r hope the previous question
will be sustained, and I now move it.
You have already noted how the House hereto
fore refused to second the demand Of the previous
question by vote Of sixty-one to ninety-eight
and later, how RAYMOND and BANKS, each for him
SELF declared, with very popular effect, that they
were not to be driven, nor implicitly led, blythe
gentleman from Pennsylvania. To-day the Repre-
sentative Chamber has been thronged to note the
next phase in the discussion, and to see whether
ssold THAp" had really, as it seemed, fired bis Last
shot and given up the battle, when brought to
orief last evening The result has been the recon-
mitment OF the Bill with the sundry amendments
snd substitutes called out during the last day or
two to the Committee on Reconstruction, or, as
Mr.: srEvKHs himself remarks, conaigns it to s'she
tomb Of the Capulets" And SEEyENs, poor ola
1nan, who had but to command at the commence
paent Of the session, aid il was done is now ahorn
of his strength, and with few Of the poorest tacti-
clans of hia party that will do him reverence Al
together. it must be conceded that there is Cod
like fatality attending the efforts OF this Congress-
which, Of surety, must bring the country nearer
to regeneration and the grace of the oden time,
made properly available by the President and his
advisers.
THE STATE AND FEDERAL CONSTITUTIONAL AMEND
MENrs OFFERED THE SOUTH.
do not know how you will regard the new
policy Of the Administration, which had been hrs'
presented to South Carolina and her adjacent
sisters, in the guise Of an amendment to the Con
stitution of the State. Practically, however, the
main proposition is to allow your negroes to vote
or lose them in the basis of representation, ano
thie done look to cordial welcome in the Halls O
Congressl Upon this feature of the subject
have but one opinion, and that resolves itself Init
eomethine Ike this: If you care to concede TIM
proposition for itself alone, do so, by all means
enfranohise the darhes, and point joyfnlly to ths
fact that having complied With the terms proposed
you are therefore, norninaily possessed OF nasn
Of national representation founded upon unaver
sal count. But never, amid any such fluctuations
| conceive the idea that Congress WILL I'VE up U
principles Of such an agreement, however, it me-!
hold out tie snare to it's embrace on the part
the South. To that complexion have they come
in these Congressional haunts, that neither tn
word or bond Of either branch Of the Governmen
Legislature is Of the estimation Of hair IN bind
ing them to an honorable fulAlment Of any portion
Of the agreement to which Congress becomes
principal, by the terms offered you: Beware 0
yielding 40 hopeless faith.
IMPEACHMENT.
The Judiciary COMMITTEES still continues t
"