Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-02-27


a speech in Congress, that the Military
Despotism bill put a bsyonet at the
breast of every Southern man, to en-
force the adoption Of negro suffrage. He
characterized the bill as a measure which
laid its hands on the throat of the rebel
governments, and took the very breath
out Of them, and which pointed the bay
onet at the neart of every rebel at the
South. II placed in the hands OF Con-
gress utterly and absolutely the work Of
reconstruction. Referring to the asser.
tions of members who opposed the
amendment, that it contained the princi-
ple of universal amnesty, he denied that,
and said there was not line in it which
justified the assertion. he advocated
/ this bill. too, because il imposed duties
on the President Of the United States ;
aud he thought that perhaps some i'm
peachment hunters would have chance
Of impeaehing hin if he did not perform
those duties. At least, they would have
a chance of finding new and plain and
definite cause for impeachment, and
could go forward to that work.
Stokes opposed the senate amend
ment because he saw in il universal
amnesty and universal suffrage. He
did not understand the English language
if it did not enfrancbiSe every rebel IN
the southern states. He, for one, would
never cast his vote 70 place the govern
ment OF these states in the hands OF
rebels. If this bill was passed, where, he
asked, would be the loyal men OF the
south, white or black? They would go
under. He preferred the defeat of the
bill rather than its passage in the shape
ia which it came from the senate. He
would ask the house whether 1t was in
favor of loyal or disloyal men controlling
the governments OF the rebel states. II
it was in favor of disloyal men, then 1t
should pass this bill.
BAKER, from somewhere, wanted to
make the Republic secure for the future,
by means of negro suffrage, and to stamp
treason with the stigma Of unmistakeable
dishonour.
Couthon Stevens thus dilated:
Mr.. Speaker, this house, few days
since, sent bill to the senate-a bill to
3
states. That bill prOfsssed but single
ohiect-the protection Of the loyal men
of the south from the anarchy, the OPP
preston, and murders which were every
day known TO be peTpetrated upon them,
without distinction of color, but did not
attempt the difficult question Of recon-
structing for those states civil govern
ments. The house thought it wise to
leave that question until the congress
which is about to come Inland which
/ leaves a longer time to consider the whole
| question-ean do so. It had not in it
one single phrase or word that looked to
anything but a police regulation for the
| benefit of those states. What has the
senate done tt has sent US back an
amendment which contains everything
( else but protection. 1t hassent Us back a
l bill which raises the whole question in
/ DISPUTE as to the best mode Of recon-
structing these states, not by Immediate
/ legislation, but by distant and future leg
/ islatiOn, which this congress has no
power to make and no power to execute.
/ What power has this congress TO say IN
| a future congress that when the southern
/ states have done certain things you shall
admit them and receive their represent
atives into this house Sir, it is idle
and nugatOry to suppose that We are not
assuming what is impudent in US and
must be wholly fruitless. The first
| feature of the amendment which strikes
the eye in this bill is that we take the
MANAGEMENT of these states from the
! general of the army and put it into the
l hands of the president Of the United
| states. No m6n doubts the constitu-
/ tioual authority Of congress to detail for
/ particular services, or to authorize Others
/ TO detail for particular services particular
/ officers of the army. But our friends
/ who love this bill love it now because
| the president is TO execute it as he has
executed every other law Of congress fOI
/ the last few years, by permitting the
murder of loyal men and by despising
! congress and flinging in its teeth all thai
| congress desires. That seems to be the
sweet ingredient in this bill for many o
4 our friends around Us. I do not, O
course, believe anything about thesC
nightly meetings that are talked of.
| think that is all imagination. But i
! there were just such meetings, this bill
| as returned TO us from the senate, wOult
be the offspring OF such convocations
| What is the fifth section of the bill
It is that We must pledge this govern
ment In future to all the rebels in rebel
dom, so that there may be no escapu
whatever from it. Congress has nothing
to do with that nothing 20 do with tn
holding out to them a ple0ge OF promise
that II they do certain things they shal
be admitted to representation in con
gress, and theiT representatives shall b
allowed TO aeC with us l know, Mr.
| Speaker, that there is an impatienee t
bring in these chivalrie gentlemen, les
] 81 el,z Of in
vote for the next president of the Unitet
States and, therefore, gentlemen, post
pOne the regular mode of bringing u
That question, and put it in q police bill
in order that il may be carried thrOug
in time, and that their friends may hav
an opportunity to he here at the tim
specified. Sir, while / am in favor c
allowing them to come here as soon Q
they are fairly entitled TO come, DO no
profess fsp be very impatient TO embrsc
them. lam not very anxious to see thel
votes east along with others TO cOntrI
the next election of the president an
viee-president of the United Statei
Therefore it is that my impatience is nC
so great as that of others. There was
time, Mr.. Speaker, when that good msI
: who is now no more, carried, SIS
! thought, his idea of reconstruction b
= loyal men rather to an extreme. TheI
was a doctrine held, that the,
: outlaw states-these states Of rObber
traitors, and murdeFsra-consisted, ;
2 far as the real state was cOncerne,
= of the loyal men of the state, and til,
! the others went for nothing. I don
think that held that doctrine, not b
J ing myself an extreme man. Laugl
J ter I But it was held by gentlemen a
. around me. 1t was held by the la
+ president of tho United States. NOV
the doctrine is that the state IS compos,
of disloYaI traitors, and we iguOr
wholly ignore, the loyal elements in 6
of these states, and are hurrying to 7
l. produce these loyal men among us WI
is il that we are so anxious to prOclai
universal amnesty? Is there any fe
8 that the nation may awake from
IS lethargy and may insist upon punishil
,- by imprisonment, by cOnfiscatiOn,
# possibly by personal violence, some
4 those who have murdered eur brOthe
Is our fathers, our children? ? Is there al
o danger that such a spirit will be arous
1. in this natiOn-a spirit which sleeps on
e here, and which no other nation ev
e before allowed to slumber2 If the
F. is such danger thab the
It is to be some punishment drea
e ed by these men, then this bill pl
.e teots them. The president has alread
Of as far as he is able, and Illegally, pi
n doned and restored to these rebel trait
.e property which was eontiscated by
10 act of 1862 and he had done that
III defiance Of the law. Last Saturday
J. gentleman from Alexandria came TO II
is one of the judges there, and told me
N the case of an old gentleman who h
te bought some seventeen dollars worth
T. property under o tax sale of the Unit
" States, but that the rebel whose proper
D. it had been came recently with the pre-
N dents pardon and an order for the res
ge ration of the propertyi and an ejectmi
has been brought in the state court, a
I'd beyond all question the recovery will
Isl had. Sir, more than two billions, so
10 as l can ascertain, Of property belongi
40 10 The United States, ccntscateG not
1T rebels property, but IS enemies pr
at ertv, has been given back to enT
Id traitors. Our friends whose homes hs
ne been laid in ashes, whose farms hi
IT. been robbed, whose cattle have o,
nv taken from them, and whose houses hS
q, been ritled, are to so forth suffering q
at laboring, While Wade Hampton and
sst black horse cavalry are enjoying th
ed millions of dollars, and while all th
lis men, along the valley and elsewbt
on with their manoFs OF thirty thousi
on acres. are still enjoying them.
D lfvfuo- fbaro obnH IL