Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1867-01-15
CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS.

SENATE, Saturday, Jan. 5.-The Senate was
| not in session to-day.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Although to-day was devoted to mere speech
| making, a discussion between two of the ablest
and most prominent Republicans excited the
closest attention. Mr.. Spalding, of Ohio, en-
tered into an argument to show that the South
ern States, by adopting the constitutional amend
| ment could resume their Congressional repre-
sentation without further action-in other words,
their restoration would be complete. On re-
cent visit to Petersburg Va, gentleman with
| whom he conversed said the adoption of the
amendment would be condemnation of their
leaders, but if -fourths of the States would
ratify it, no opposition would be found in Vir-
ginia
Mr.. Kelly of Pennsylvania obtained permits
sion to state the substance of letters he had re-
| ceived from North and South Carolnas, in
which the writer's expressed views similar to
| those of the gentleman in Petersburg.
Mr.. Spalding warned his political friends not
| to insist on ultra measures, such as the I'M
parchment of the President, while Congress had
two thirds power over the action of the Exc
| cutive. Such measures would react on the Re-
publican party. Ii, he added, we find by the
| Fortieth Congress that the South does not rati-
| fly the amendment, then let the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Stevens) call up his bill for the
| reconstruction of the Southern States
| batting Spalding's argument that the ratifca-
| ton of the amendment could be the final act
! This would leave the country open to an influx
| of reconstructed rebels The House and the
public ought to know the gentleman had utter
| ed the most pernicious doctrine of the rebel
sympathizers. To ask rebels to vote on the
| amendment is to stultify ourselves. For. while
| we, in fact, hold the South as conquered prov
inces, we recognize them as loyal States, but
| we propose to regulate these States by law.
Mr.. Niblack, Of Indiana, asked whether Mr..
| Stevens and his friends did not admit Tennes
see on the ground that she had ratified the
amendment, and whether the Radical majority
did not regard that as an evidence of her loyal
| ty.
Mr.. Stevens replied that the preamble of the
| bill admitting Tennessee recited the good things
| that she had done, but she was not admitted on
| that ground alone
Mr.. Maynard, of Tennessee, enquired wheth-
| er the gentleman would not vote for the admis-
sion of other Southern States who would secure
freedmen in their civil rights, and exhibit indis-
putable evidence of loyalty.
| Mr. Stevens replied that he would never vote
for the admission of any State that did not con-
sent to negro suffrage.
| AOAAS
as much as Pennsylvania and other Northern
| States had DONE Those States did not permit
negro suffrage
| Mr.. Stevens replied that the remark was just
and right. Pennsylvania and other States ought
| to blush for the infamous exclusion to which
the gentleman referred. He did not doubt MIR.
Spalding' Radicalism, but, as with shrubs, his
roots might not sink deeper in the earth more
than half an inch or six inches: This remark
created much laughter, which Spalding turned
aside by saying: THE less said about roots
| the BETTER
SENATE, Monday, Jan. The bill provid-
ing that the report of the Civil Appropriation
Commissioners, provided for in former act,
shall be sent to Congress by the Secretary OF
| War, and no payments appertalnlng thereto
| should be made until such report was approved
| by Congress, was called up and passed. A res
olution directing the Commissioner OF Agrlcul-
ture to forward specimens of the cereal products
of the several States to the Paris Exposition was
passed A bill to protect the rights of married
women in the District of Columbia was referred
to the District Committee A bill to amend
| the copy right law was referred to the Commit
tee on Library, and bill regulating the courts
in Idaho was referred to the Committee on Ter
| ritories. The Message of the President con-
tanning his objections to the District Suffrage
BILL was received, read and discussed. The
| question was then taken on the passage OF the
bill over the veto, and resulted in vote OF
twenty nine for to ten against it, being two
| thirds majority of the members. present. The
| Nebraska Admission bill was then taken up,
and the amendment that the act snail take ei-
feet only upon condition that negro suffrage Is
admitted in the Territory was disagreed to-
The Senate soon after adjourned.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Mr.. Farnsworth's resolution directing the
Postmaster General to allow Senators and hep
resentatives to examine all papers and recon-