The Portland daily press., 1868-01-27

The rash Mr.. D0olittle has stirred up per-
feet hornets nest by putting himself forward
as the champion of the Southern rebels In
the Senate, Friday, Mr.. Morton of Indiana
and Mr.. Nye OF Nevada replied to his speech
of the previous day, each of them in his own
peculiar way. We give a brief abstract of
Mr.. Mortons remarks, which were received
with the utmost enthusiasm by his associates
and the crowded galleries, though he was
obliged to sit while speaking on account of
illness: .. 4....E ..I .I..laIr I-.. d
He quoted from the Constitution and from
judicial opinion, to show that the guarantee of
a republican form of government could be en-
forced only by Congress, and said that Sena-'
tors Doolttle and Johnson had voted or this
proposition. He also said, in reply to the
structures Thursday of Mr.. Doolittle on his
(Morton's) course, that as the Constitution
did not define the means to be exercised by
Congress in executing the guaranty it must
be lett to circumstances. If the rebel States
could not be, reconstructed with the help of
the white citizens living in them Congress
had right to raise up a class of men who
had been dsfranchised by the rebel State
laws in order to do it, and that right could
not be reviewed by the courts. He said that
the President proposed by his policy the dis
franchisement of q far greater number OF per-
sons than the Congressional plan of recon-
struction did, and constitutions framed under
that policy had never been submitted to the
people, and were, therefore, Illegal They
looked TO returning the freedmen under the
power of their rebel masters. Congress had
been determined to go through the rubbish
. down to the eternal rock and secure equal
rights to all men. He defended his speech in
Indiana, referred to by Mr.. Doolittle, wherein
he had said merely that while he admitted
the rights of all men he thought that be-
fore the blacks should have the suffrage
there should be a period of probation.
Replying to the charge that the Republicans
were overthrowing the Constitution he said
those who talked loudest about it were the
men who if they could, would have replaced
ii by the Montgomery Constitution of the So
called Radicals of the South. Secessonists,
he repeated, were Democrats. He next took
up and commented on the claim that Republic
cans sought to establish negro supremacy, and
then criticised Mr.. Doolittles proposed amend
ment OF the first qualification of negro suf-
frage, one years service in the United States
army. He said they allowed rebels to vote
who had served three years in the Confederate
army. OF educational qualifications he said
they allowed white men to vote who did not
know how TO put their mark to note given
for whiskey, Llaughter]; and in regard to the
tnlrd quailhcatIon, requiring possession of a
freehold worth $3.50, it would cut off 80 out of
100 loyal blacks while a white rebel, never in
ms lie worth twenty five cents, and who had
never paid one honest debt, was allowed to
vote. This disclosed the purpose of the prop
osition, leaving, as it would, white rebels in
the ascendancy, and putting the South again
into their hands. He disclaimed having, in
1865, Endorsed the Presidents present policy
as charged by MIR. lDoolittle Thursday. He
had merely repealed statements made then
that the President had left the Republican
party, and majority of Republicans were OF
that opinion.