Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1868-08-06
WHAT CONGRESS HAS DONE.

| Herald furnishes q summary OF what has been
done since the assembling in November last. We
make the following extracts:
| Congress met on the 2lst Of November last,
nearly one month prior to the commencement OF
the regular session. The present assembling has,
therefore, been protracted, without interval, just
eight months. The principal portion of this time
has been absorbed in the attempt to impeach the
President contested election cases, and the consd
Grafton of important bills which have not been dis
posed Of
Another item outside of legitimate legislation
that has absorbed large proportion of the time OF
Congress is the contested election cases. There
have been twenty-five contested seats, greater
number than has been known in the history of tho
country, involving an enormous expense, and the
exhibition of the most intense partisan prejudice.
Many of these cases are still pending.
The history of this session is more conspicuous
for the important legislation it has deferred than
for What it has consummated. It has neglected to
adopt revision of the Internal Revenue bill ex-
lcept in the two items of whiskey and tobacco:
BY piecemeal, but action was deferred from time
time and finally it failed altogether.
A bill was passed depriving the Supreme Court
of appellate jurisdiction In cases affecting personal
liberty.
By m existing law the Freedmen's Bureau was
to have been discontinued next month. The last
work of Congress was to pass bill continuing the
Bureau one year, with all the powers originally
conferred. The precise annual cost of this vast
establishment cannot be furnished by accurate data.
The only official estimate for any one year was fur
nished by General Howard, the Commissioner OF
the Bureau, for the fiscal year ending January l,
1857, upon which an approximate estimate Gun be
based In that calculation he placed the sum total
at $ll, ,745, ,05O. Some two and half millions OF
this sum he approprates for clerk hire, stationery
and other purposes not Immediately applicable to
the feeding, clothing and schooling Of the negroes.
| Tn the administrative department Of this Bureau
there are employed, as subordinate to the Com
missioner, one major-general, seven brgadlers,
nine colonels seven lieutenant -colonelS, twenty
nine majors one hundred and ffty-seyen captains,
one hundred and ffty-eight lieutenants and seven
hundred and seventeen clerks, messengers and
other employees, at salaries corresponding with
those of the various civil departments OF the gov
ernment.
Oft Reconstruction bills, one reported by the
Reconstruction Committee, in January last, pass
| ed the House. This bill gave the General Of the
army and department commanders absolute pow
er over all provisional governments until the States
to which it was applicable were admitted to repre-
sentation in Congress This bill did not pass the
SENATE.
The next of this class was the Alabama bill
passed with special reference to the election in
that State BY which the constitution was defeated,
and provided for her admission, Notwithstanding
majority Of the registered. voters had not voted
for the constitution as required by the Reconstruc
ton acts This bill did not pass, but substitute,
offered by Judge Spalding, of Ohio, authorizing
the Legislature Of Alabama to resubmlt the con-
stitution to the people, received majority in both
Houses, was vetoed by the President and became
law, the objections of the Executive to the con-
trary notwithstanding.
Next in the reconstruction series is the act gen.
era in its application to the reconstructed States,
providing that any election authorized by the act
of March %, 1851, shall be decided by majority
of the votes cast, and authorizing any person duly
registered to vote in the district in which he may
offer his vote. This act became law.
An Act for the admission of Arkansas has
passed and became law over the President S veto.
The Omnibus bill, admitting North and South
was passed over the veto. YFg1.H :.
( "a general act was passed removing disabilities.
It modi6es the oath for the benefit OF persons who
participated in the rebellion, ~ .ua..,
An act introduced on the 10th Of July, providing
for an election in Virginia, was lost. 1t enfran'
chised twenty-five thousand white voters, and from
the fact that they would in all probability vote the
Democratic ticket, its fate was sealed. .
| A. bill was passed, removing disabilities from
General Young, member Of Congress elect from
Georgia. General Young is an old Democrat and
brigadier rebel general of cavalry. He was ad-
admitted Generals Grant, Meade, Schofeld,
Emery aid Howard recommended the removal Of
disabilities, and Judge Bingham took lively in
terest in managing the bill through both Houses. :
The final passage Of General Banks bill making
~, ohoea A1oclv
mates Secretary Seward land purchase.
The military bill for furnishing arms to the
Southern States has failed. The reference to the
Military Committee carried it over.
The Appropriation bills have been passed with
special reference to the public scrutiny. In many
instances the amounts for the expenses Of the civil
departments have been placed far above the actua
necessities, and the dismissal of considerable por
ton of the clerical forces in the departments is in
evitable. When Congress meets again, there vii
be a heavy deficiency to supply. The dismissal o.
hundreds of clerks, required by the inadequacy o.
the money appropriated, and the scanty pay, o.
those remaining in employ, creates q vast deal o.
discomfort among numerous class OF people who
have furnished the Radical sinews of Congress by
moneyed contributions, names to petitions, and
sympathy to an indefinite amount. ...
| Among the other important measures adopted
by Congress was one for the protection of natural
lied citizens abroad, which, after much discussion
and considerable amendment, became law. The
struggle on this measure was peculiar and interest
ing. Both political parties bid high for the Irish
vote, which, if cast solid in the coming Presiden
tal election, will be sure to turn the scales one way
or the other. It was amusing, therefore, to study
the devices resorted to by Democrats and Repubf
cans to tone down the bill as it originally came
from the pen of General Banks, Of the House For
eign Affairs Committee, without mourning the hos
tility of the terrible Fenans, nearly every man o.
whom is voter who understands the knack OF go
ing it early and very often. Some Of the section:
were considered extremely dangerous and mischief
provoking in tendency, especially that one provid
ing for retaliatory measures. But how to oppost
these sections without alternating the Fenian vott
was puzzling problem. With the Democrats i
was simple enough, because they have always beer
intensely anti British. But the poor Republican,
were in fix, and to make matters worse, doughty
Conness, of California, from the very camp OF Rad
icalism, drove ahead the Fenian measure with al
the zeal of an Irish Republican eager to propitiats
the popular favor for self interest The polio,
adopted by most of the Republicans in opposing
the dangerous sections of the bill was ingenious
!, They pretended to base it on the fact that tor
much authority was placed in the hands Of tht