The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-02-04

- Mr.. H6nQrlckS--l men Une purpose
of the Senator could only have been
to interrupt the line of argument us
Mr.. Fesseuden--No, sir. 3a3 l0 6
Mr. Hendricks went on to say that
the Senator had a right to make the
disclaimer. for VIII ch he (Mr, Hen
dricks) had yielded the feOr9 sdi bsa
Mr.. Fessenden-The geBtleman is
too skillful a ,debater to be troubled
by single remark. / beg to disclaim
any such purpose, and had 0EO refer
ence to him In the remark i made.
My object in rising was simply TO
say for myself; and so far as / know,
for the other members of the Recon
struction Committee, that 10 such
idea was intended by them. I never
heard it mentioned.
Mr. Fessenden again disclaimed
any intention to apply his remark to
the SENATOR. 5.at1.ti
Mr. Hendricks accepted the as
claimer. tta Hf
Mr.. Howard, another member of
that committee, corrobOrated Mr.
Fessenden's statement, and said the
remark ABOUT the committee was
therefore gratuitous. ~ 80
Mr.. Conkling said, as a member of
the House branch Of the committee,
that there never had been any foun-
uation, to his knowledge, for the as
sertion that Ia their opinion they
were acting outside the Constitution.
Mr.. Hendricks recollected the at
tack upon the Senator from Massa-
chusetts, (Sumner) by the Senators
from Maine (Fessenden) and Ohio,
(Wade), in his endeaYor to have the
Southern States made Territories,
charging that he stood alone; but he
stood then just where his, party stood
now on this legislation.
Mr.. Sumner Mass. )-Will the SEN
ator allow me co interrupt him?
Mr.. Hendricks-No, sir, I know
just where that will run to. Laugh
ter sNs
Mr.. Hendricks proceeded to com
ment upon the Stevens letter.
Mr. SUMNER never disagree with
that distinguished authority on that
point [ have always insisted that
all reconstruction measures were pos-
itively within the Constitution of the
United States.
Mr.. Hendricks did not claim that
the Senator logically stood with him
two years ago, but he stood upon that
guarantee clause faE
Mr.. Sumner-So / did. a uesH
Mr.. Hendricks said the resolution
offered by the Senator the first day of
last Congress declared thaE- those.
States had ceased to be such, and had
become Territories. He stood alone
then, but now the party had all come
to that doctrine.
Mr.. Fessenden repealed the idea, so
far as ne was conceI ned.
Mr.. Hendricks made an allusion to
the sensitiveness of Senators on the
other side.
Mr.. Fessenden said there was no
sensitiveness so far as the Senator
confnal himself to facts.
Mr.. Hendricks was not stating the
position of the Senator from Maine,
but of the Senator from Massachu-
sets.
Mr.. Sumner proceeded to say he
had founded his position on the guar
antee clause, but
Mr.. Hendricks refused to be fur
Their interrupted. saying there could
be separate Republican caucus held
to settle this question, and if Mr..
Stevens had placed any of his breth-
rem In the wrong he could settle with
them. He (Mr. Hendricks) believed
that gentleman was right in calling it
outside of the Constitution. In re-
gard to the remarks during the de-
bate, the leader of the rebellion
having been allowed to go free, he said,
let them pass law that JEFF. Davis
can be hung; there was no difficulty
about it; they could find the power
under the clause guaranteeing a re-
publican form of government-one of
the powers that are clearly defined.
Laughter. ] The bill in regard to
the majority of the Supreme Court
he characterized as giving an uneon.
stitutional law two thirds majority
over the Constitution. 1t was an ad-
mission before the world that their
legislation was vicious. He repudi.
ated the charge that the Democratic
party favored the payment of masters
for the loss of slaves. He read a
proposition as offered by Mr. Conkling
In che House Of Representatives du-
ring the war to compensate loval-
owners for the loss of slaves. That
had been denounced bya Representa-
tive from Indiana. He then met, on
the part of the Democracy, the charge
now made by his colleague, (Mr. Nor
ton from Indiana. He closed by
saying he agreed with Mr.. Morton
that the Reconstruction column was
composite;" it was composed of solid
blocks from the quarries of Austrian
Iidespotism. above that a large mass
| from Africa, finished off with rag
ments of our Constitution. But it
would soon lie in ruins, and 10 it's
stead the American people would