The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-12-09
A Fair start.

Congress laid out work enough the very
first day Of the session TO occupy the mem
bers for many weeks.
The propositions on the suhra9e question
presented in various shapes TO the two
Houses were unfortunately very numerous
and irreconcilable with each other. Mr..
Sumner in the Senate and Mr.. Boutwell, in
. the House introduced bills providing for i'm
partial suffrage by q mere legislative act,
without any amendment Of the constitution,
while Stokes of Tennessee and Kelley OF
Pennsylvania introduced resolutions to
amen the constitution so as TO forbid States
TO restrict the right OF suffrage on account OF
race or color, and Brooma of Pennsylvania
an amendment forbidding both the STATES
and Congress to place such a limitation OH
the franchise. Cragin and Pomeroy Oh the
Senate introduced resolutions similar 10 MT.
Ke Iey's. All these bills and resolutions
were raferre to the Judiciary Committee in
the House. 1t is pretty safe to predict, that the
Committee will report some one of the reso-
buttons in preference to the bills. Messrs
iIson of Iowa, Boutwell, of Massachusetts,,
Thomas OF Maryland, Williams of Pennsylva-
mia Woodbridge of Vermont, Lawrence of
Ohio, Churchill of New York, Marshall of
Illinois and Eldridse of Wisconsin consti tute
this important committee
Mr.. Lynch was Oh hand, as usual with his
often ridculed and oftener stolen plan to pre-
vent undue expansions and contractions of
the currency and with the often rejected
measure Tor allowing drawback on articles
used In the construction of vessels. The
inst measure will probably pass during the
present session, either in the form which
Mr.. Lynch has given it or as it has been
modified by more distinguished andless orig
fnal huanciers who have borrowed it. The
action of the National Board OF Trade at
Cincinnati on the subject OF American ship
ping, and the evidence there presented that
the decline in that branch of industry has
not yet stopped, ought to secure the attention
of Congress to the matter of drawbacks.
One OF the most interesting questions raised
by the proceedings of Monday is that Of the
status of Georgia in the Union. The Rebels
of that State have promptly acted on the
supposition that the admission of Represen-
tati es to the lower house placed them once
more in the Union with their right to "wal-
, lop the Niger" unimpaired. Not that they
have attempted TO reduce the freedmen to
slavery. but to kick him out of the legisla-
: ture, SD Dot him at the dictate of caprice or
anger ana to tread him under foot generally.
1t is gratifying to see disposition
evinced on the part of several members of
Congress to let the unreconstructed know
that they have been halloiug before they
are out of the woods. 1t clearly appears
from the Report OF General N, ade and from
the statements of Governor Bullock that the
conditions precedent to admission were not
lawfully fulfilled by the Georgia Legislature
Many Of the members of that body, when it
voted on the ratification OF the 18th amend
ment to the constitution were not qualified
to hold their seats. There seems to be an
opportunity to administer further reforma-
tory discipline to the Georgia Rebels which
ought not to pass unimproved. When they
can come IN fairly and become good citizens,
they will receive hearty welcome.