The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-02-01
s,.rn Debate Great Squirmanp
amoug the Radicals.

s,arp Debatc-Great SqulrmanR
among tho Radicals.
corator Hendricks. Of Indiana, is said
y. the finest stump speaker in the West
Northwest. It seems, too, that he is
..,,o in the Senate. His speech 90
Ssnrsaay was telling one. he made one
Lin. we have for some time been expect
:. some one to make-namely, that Con.
- had received Tennessee into the
Union in 1856 because she. as State, had
r.,ised the proposed constitutional amend
rsnt. The same Radicals now declare
,hst the other southern States were no,
ssssd to ratify it; that it becomes effective
r;,hout thoir ratification, SC. Mr.. Hen
bricks produced quite stir among the
radicals in the Senate, and Sumner
hacked him up in his declarations. We
rive a short sketch Of one scene:
Mr.. HENDRICKS lin continuation said
he enyied the Senator from Wisconsin
mr.. DooL1rTLE). Four Senators had at.
,empted to answer him, and neither OF
Them had done it. He thought the Sena.
for was much honored. The fact was, he
could not be answered-his arguments
stood on the foundation stones Of the Go.
yerpment. Tho Conservatives here were
small in number, but they were firm. He
felt that they stood in the Thermopole OF
American liberty, and that not one of.them
would faint or faltcr. A number Of Sena-
tors had expressed their regret ut the num-
bc7 of people DISTINGUISHED in the South,
and this was an acknowledgment that it
was all wrong.
Mr.. CONNESS.-We don't all share in
that regret.
Mr.. HENDRICKS.-I don't doubt that
the Senator from California (Mr. CoNNEss)
would prefer to have all political power
taken from the blood that trickles in
white veins and conferred upon the negro,
but that l am opposed to. Applause in
the galleries.l In regard to this disfran-
chisement, and the statements that the
cause Of such an apparent large disfran-
chisement was from the refusal Of the
whites to register, he believed that this
whole system Of registration had been an
Snoi houS kkduQs WILL IL. hOi0 iOou iioih
the letter of Mr.. THADDEUs STEVENS, OF
last August, " that they all knew that they
were acting outside Of the Constitution"
Mr.. FESSENDEN said, for the chair
man Of the Committee Of Reconstruction
on the part Of the Senate, he could say
that this language of Mr.. STEVENS was un-
authorized, so far as he was concerned.
Mr.. HENDRICKS asked if Mr.. STE
TENS was not chairman of the Joint Com
mittee on Reconstruction?
Mr.. FESSENDEN replied affirmatively.
Mr.. HENDRICKS. said that was enough
for his purpose. Mr.. STEVENS was chair
man of the committee, and in this letter,
which had been published oil over Penn
sylvania, he had admitted that in this re-
construction policy they We're acting out
side of the Constitution; but so far as he
was concerned the information was unne-
cessary.
Mr.. FESSENDEN: Yes, there arc some
people who, when they agree with them
selves, think everybody else agrees with
them.
Mr.. HENDRICKS said the Senator had
perfect right to interrupt him for an ex-
PLANTATION, but he had no right to do it for
the purpose Of casting slur upon him,
and he would not submit to it or be inter
rupted in his line of argument.
Mr.. FESSENDEN disclaimed any inten-
tion of casting slur, and the Senator was
too able debater to be interrupted in his
line of argument.
Mr.. HOWARD said, as member Of the
Reconstruction Committee, he would say
that Mr.. STEVENS had no authority to
apply his statement to that committee.
Mr.. CONKLING said that in the de-
bates in the Reconstruction Committee of
the House there had been no doubt as to
the constitutionality of the acts.
Mr.. HENDRICKS said short time ago,
but two years, the leader of the House
and the Senator from Massachusetts (Mr.
SUMNER had stood alone in the advocacy
OF this policy. The Senator (Mr. SUMNER)
had then said that before long the party
would come to him. a,.
Mr.. SUMNER arose.
Mr.. HENDRICKS declined to be inter-
rupted. He knew where it would lead to.
lLaughter.l
Mr.. SUMNER only wished to say that
gress under the Constitution to carry out
this legislation, and in this he differed from
the distinguished gentleman of the other
House.
Mr.. HENDRICKS said at this time
when the Senator from Massachusetts had
advocated his views, the Senator from
Maine (Mr. FEssENDEN), in burning words,
had repudiated the right of Congress to
take such action and it was also denied
BY the Senator from Ohio (Mr. SHER-
gAS).
Mr.. FESSENDEN said if the Senator
(Mr. HENDRICKs) continued to make false
statements he must expect to be inter-
rupted. He (Mr. FEssENDEN) denied that
he had been inconsistent, or that the posi-
ton of the Senator from Massachusetts,
had been correctly quoted.
Mr.. SUMNER: The Senator (Mr. HEN
DRlcKs) is right. That is the position I
assumed.
Mr.. HENDRICKS was not abiding to the
position Of the Senator from Maine, but to
that of the Senator from Massachusetts,.
Perhaps it would be"well to hold another
caucus to decide this question. His col
League (Mr. Morton) had also spoken of
Jefferson Davis not being punished. Why
was he not punished? They had court,
presided over by Chief Justice Chase,
which could try him; they had another
court, presided over by Judge Under
wood, but Horace Greeley steps in and
saves him. Whose fault was it? He (Mr.
~ had nothing to do with it. If Jefer-
son Davis was in the way of the congress
slonal plan of reconstruction, pass q law
and hang him.
Mr.. BUCKALEW.-There is clear
i,sat 10 do it under the guarantee clause.