Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1868-03-19
Congress-.

In the Senate, yesterday, Mr. TrumbulI,
from the judiciary Committee, reported an
amendment to The House bill relieving Mr..
Butler, member OF Congress elect from Tenn
essee, from all political disabilities incurred by
participation in the rebellion" The bill per-
mits Mr. Butler, instead OF the oath prescribed
by the act Of July ID, 1862, to take o modified
oath the form of which is given The Chair
laid before the Senate :; communication from
Gen. Grant, endorsing cypher dispatch lron
Gen. Meade of January IA, stating that unless
the test oath is rescinded the pending Recon-
struction bill making it obligatory on the Min
tarv Commanders to fill vacancies in the State
offices will be imperative. The discussion Of
the House bill to exempt certain manufactures
from the internal revenue tax, with amend
ments thereto reported by the Senate Finance
Committee was resumed. The amendment OF
Mr.. Henderson, exemptng from duty all I'M
ported articles used in the construction OF
steamboats, on the inland waters of the u. s.,
was rejected Mr.. johnson offered an amend
ment, that the imported articles used IN the
construction Of ocean steamers be exempt from
duty This amendment was rejected, and tic
question required on Mr.. Fessenden' S amend
ment allowing drawback upon imported ar
tcles used in the construction of sailing yes
sells This was rejected-yeas is, nays %, sew
eral Senator's however, declaring that they Ia
vored the amendment, but thought 1t out or
place in the pending bill. Mr.. Grimes pro
posed an amendment reducing the amount OF
duties on imported good, wares and mcrchan-
disc ten per cent. The amendment wasreJect-
ed-ayes y, nays 90. Mr.. Sherman gave
notice that he would ask Tor vote on the oil!
TO- day.
The House of Representatives devoted nearly
the whole OF yesterdays session to the discus
sion of Mr.. BroomalPs bill to guarantee to the
several States of the Union republican form
Of government The bill recitcs that the gov
ernment of several of the States is not repubIi-
can, and enacts that all provisions and enact
ments in State Constitutions and laws which
make distinction in political and civil rights
among citizens Of the Uunitcd States, or deny
such rights to any such citizens on account OF
race, parentagc. lineage or color, arc. and are
hereby declared to be void and Of no effect.
The refusal of the right Of suffrage is made Il
msdemeanor, punishable by fine and lmprlson-
| ment. A number Of members spoke on both
sides Of the ques ton, Mr. Schcnck, instancing
Maryland, particular Mr.. Stevens briefly adj
dressed the House in support OF the bill, and
afterwards had read legal argument In defence
oft. At the conclusion of the debate the bill
was rccommitted to the Committee Oh the
judiciary.
FIsH-The efforts that have been made OF
late years to preserve from extinction tac
| fresh water fishes OF our country that arc use
| full for food are worthy OF all COMMUNICATION.
At meeting lately he Id in Greenfield, Massa-
chusctts, this subject was taken under consld
Grafton, and q society formed to promote the
object in view. The president Of the meeting
was the Speaker OF the Massachusetts House
of Representatives. Great interest wa2 it'll
parted to the proceedings by the presence o!
| Professor AgasSz, who earnestly adTocatcc
! the movement He said it was difficult to cX-
aggcratc it's Importance. He remarked That
it was variety of food taken in daily to build
| I'D the human frame, to cultivate the brain
and develop the faculties, which is advancing
civilization He added:
'If there is one thing Of which the American
people have right to complain, it is Of the
uniformity OF their diet. Men are most heal
| thy and more enduring in proportion as they
| vary their diet, and take proper time to eat
| to chew their food. No creature in the uni
verse requires such variety CT food as man.
The fish enters largely into the requisites OF the
system, especially after intellectual fatigue.
| There is no other article Of food that supplies
| the waste of the head so thoroughly Us fish diet,
and the evidence of it is in the tact that all the
| inhabitants Of the sea-shorcs, the world over,
arc the brighter population of the country.
| Fish contain phosphorus to q large extent, 4
chemical clement which the brain requires for
growth and health, lie would not say that all
exclusive use Of fish would make q blockhcad
| wise man, but that the brain should not be
wanting in ono of it's essential clements. .
| Mr.. Ben. Wade, in his reported" talk with
agate" gives the following account Of The
| ''Wadc-Davis Manifesto -
"You know that | never differed, 10 any Sc
rious extent, from my party, except on one
matter. As to everything else, why, il L was
wrong, my party was wrong, and the majority
of the American people we're wrong II | was
Incorporate in action OF over jealous or OK
| tremc, or impracticable, so were they. But On
one point | did differ from my party. That
| was in opposing Mr.. Lincoln course in pocket
| ing our reconstruction bill and setting up q
reconstruction policy of his own-cxacty the
thing that has got US into all this trouble now,
| did feel much opposed to that and | SAID 50.
| That splendid fellow, Winter Davis and /
| published a paper on it. I've never taken
| back one word OF that paper, and | stand BY it
DOW. The Republican party now takes exactly
| the ground that Winter Davis and [ took
then, and the trouble we've got into arises from
| the Presidents taking the opposite ground,
| that reconstruction belongs to him and not 10
Congress-. y
At the session Of the Maryland Annual Con-
ference of the Methodist Protestant Church,
in Baltimore, on Tuesday, Mr.. ". D. Massey
introduced the following, which was adopted
unanimously:
"Whereas the Rev. Francis Brown, pastor Of
the colored Methodist Protestant church oi
Charleston, s. c., by his presence here has
manifested the devotion Of himself and people
to the doctrines and government of our church,