Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1867-07-10
Congressional Summary and
Washington News.
WASHINGTON July

Wash1HgtOn News.
SENATE.
WASHINGTON, July 8.
The Senate met at noon.
Mr.. Sumner asked leave to enter 8
protest against the resolution calling
Congress together, asserting that so fal
as provided for the adjournment wac
without day, and in the absence of q
quorum it was unconstitutional. he
saw there was a quorum present, but
did not wish the resolution to be ia.
ken as a precedent for the future.
The roll was called and "a Senators
answered to their names. The Secreta-
nv was instructed to inform the House
of Representatives that a quorum OF
the Senate was present.
Mr.. Fessenden objected to the intro
duction or reference of any business
not directly connected with the SUBJ
ject for which it was well known that
Congress had met.
Mr.. Wilson offered a bill in addition
to the several reconstruction acts. It
consists of two sections. The first va
Gates all civil offices in the Southern
States within three days, and author
ICES the commanding general to retain
presentincumbents, make new appoint
ments or order elections. The second
authorizes the boards Of registration to
refuse to register persons applying to
be registered whom they have Just
grounds to believe are seeking to evade
the Just requirements of the law, and
strike from the rolls within twenty
days persons registered and afterwards
proved to be disqualified. The bill was
ordered to be printed, and lie on the
table.
Mr.. Sumner offered a bill for uni
versal suffrage; the same with but
slight amendments, as the one offered
at the last session.
A Committee vas appointed to wait
on the President and inform him that
the Senate was in readiness for the
transaction of business. Without wait
ing for the the report of the Commit
tee, the House adjourned till Friday.
HOUSE.
The Speaker at noon called the
House to order. The roll of members
was called. During its progress a mes
sage was received from the Senate an
nouncing that it had q quorum. 1t was
loudly applsuded.
The Speaker stated that 40 mem
bers we're present, and directed the
Clerk to notify the Senate that q quo
rum of the House was in session.
The Speaker stated that the first
business in order was the administra-
raA- If AAa aofA aF 4&a1 - A. 1.1r,.
beers elect, not sworn, the members
from Kentucky having presented
themselves for that purpose.
Mr.. Schenck rising to the question
of privilege, objected to the oath being
administered 70 j. d. Young, and pre-
scented q protest from Samuel Mckee,
formerly q member of the House, Ia
king ground generlly against the dis
loyalty of Young. The protest, he said
was accompanied by another protest
from the citizens of the Fourth Con-
gressionsl District of Kentucky, sus
tanned by an affidavit proving the facts
alleged, and he asked that the papers
be referred to the Committee on Elec-
tions.
Nj. Logan offered the following as
an amendment:
WHEREAS, There is good reason to
believe that in the elections recently
held in the State of Kentucky for
members of the Fortieth Congress, the
legal and loyal voters in several dis
tricts Of said State have been oYerawed
and prevented FROM the expression of
their viii and choice at the polls by
those who have sympathized with or
actually participated in the late rebell-
ion, and such elections were carried by
the votes of such disloyal and returned
rebels; and
WHEREAS, 1t is alleged that several
of the members from the State ofKen-
lucky are disloysl; therefore
RESOLVED, That the credentials of all
the members elect from the State of
Kentucky shall be referred to the
Committee on Elections, to report at
An early a day as practicable, and that
pending the report of said Committee,
none of said members shall be allowed
to take the oath OF Office and be admit
ted to seats.
Mr.. Benjamin gave to the House the
same statement in reference to the
public character of Mr.. Knott, from
the Sd Congressional District of Ken
lucky, and said that during the war he
had allied himself withthose who were
intense in disloyalty to the government,
voting, speaking, and actingi in support
of all the designs of the rebels.
Mr.. Logan addressed the House in
support of the amendment He had
offered it not for the purpose of strik-
ing at any Kentucky member but for
the purpose of establishing a precedent
in the House. He desired to preserve
the House from contamination. The
disloyal portion of the people of Ken
tucky-and they were legion-had had
Representatives in the Rebel Congress
at Richmond; and after the suppress
sion of. the rebellion the Kentucy reb-
els returned to that State and the law
which disfranchised them ives repeal
ed. Then they undertook to transfer
their representation from the halls in
Richmond contaminated by treason TO
the halls of this Congress, which ought
to be sanctiied by loyalty. 1t was an
historical fact, that at the late election
in Kentucky q man was elected Cover
nor who had been a traitor and a rebel.
la member near Mr.. Logan whisper
ed 8 correction.
Logan corrected himself, and said he
was q little too fast. At all events
those members were elected on a ticket
with a man who was in the eyes of the
world, q condemned traitor. If Ken
lucky could send members under such
circumstances to the House, and if no
member protested against their being
sworn IN, why should not South Caro-
lima do the same under the ruling and
advice of the head of the government.
He was not willing to sit here and al
low any man to take the oath when he
knew that members and their constitu-
ents were disloyal, and would send no
other kind Of q man to Congress, if
they could avoid it. This was his
theory of getting at the question. Ken
lucky had shown herself disloyal