The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-01-29
CoNGREssIoNAL4.
1Lth c0NGkGss : TnIRD SESSION.


SENAPE....w W AsII1Nerox. January %.
The President presented the credentials
of Senator SEQ of PENNSYLVANIA. fl.i q
TrumbuIl presented a relponsiranee of
the wholesale grocerS Of Chicago, against
any Increase. of duty on .reiined sugar. Re-
ferred To the Eonsnittee. on Financs. "a q
Anthony, from tai 1,Qln nllttee on Naval
a fairs, reported n bill for the fsllef OF Cap
tain Charles Hunter, United states Navy,
whi n was passed. sss i. .itf Es4s Iaa
Frelinghuysen, from the Committee on
Naval 4 fIaiIs, reported o bill ia relation TO
the apDolntment OF midsh1pIllen in the
navy, from the lately reconstructed States
Wilson Wis i, Introduced Bin 10 furnish sup
plies for the Indiall Bureau. Referred to
The Committee On Indian Affairs.
Rice introduced a Bill to provide for the
construction of lines of telegraph between
New York and Boston, baltimore and
| Washington, under the direction OF the
/ Post Office Department. Referred TO the
Committee on Post-Offices.a Il "a
/ AorriII, from the Committee on Agrtcui-
| ture, reported favorably n resolution pro-
! posing the appointn1en of a commit tee OF
/ live on etIucafiou Resolution adopted.
Morton renewed the motion To take up
| the House Bill for the relief of McGarra-
han, which, after consideration, was car
Morton then moved to send "a message to
| the House for the papers connected wit n
| this case. Carried.
The special order of the Constitutional
4 amendment then came up The ainend-
1 ment as originally introduced by Hender-
Article IS. No state shall. deny or
abridge the rights of its cltizens 80 vote
| or hotdsOfliee - slccOunt OF race or color,
or previous condition.
Section =. Congress shall have power TO
enforce the provisions OF this act.
! The Judiciary Committee reported as n
| substitute for the first section the follow
ing: . the right of citizens Of the United
States 10 vote and hold office shall not De
denied or abridged by the = Cited States, oI
any state. on account of race, Color, or
previous condition of SerVitude."
1]A Stewart offered an amendnen to the
. second section ; vi hIch was isdopteti, con-
, forming ft to The languages of the thff
2 teenth article. that Congress shall have
power to enforce this article by appropri
ate iegi.lation.
| Vocacy of the proposed amendment rs re
| ported from the Committee.
The substIt ute for the first section by TIN
/ committee was then adopted.
- Backalew moved to add the folloWing ~
= an additional section: The second claus
. of the first section Of Article 20 of the Con
u stitutiOn of the United Ststes shall b
- amended as to read as follows: " Eacl
N State shall appoint, by vote of the Deopl
thereof qualified TO vote for Representa-
tiVes in Congress, a number OF electoF
equal to the whole number OF Senator
| and Representatives to which the stat
) may be entitled IN the Congress; but N
: Senator or Representative, or person notd
. ing an Office OF ttust or profit under tn
u United Stslies, shall be appointed an eleei
or; aud the Congress shall rave power {
prescribe the manner in w ich snch olee
J. ors shall be chosen by the pc Ople-"
= BucISaleW said that tue am endment pro
posed To make two change > first, to rt
= auire the electors to be chosen by the pee
T1Ie instead of leaving it TO the Legislf
! | lures OF the States to direct how they sha
:, be chosen; and second, to authorize Con
q | oresS 10 prescribe the mode of their Seiet
q ton by the people,
After considerable discussion, durin
2, which the amendment was generally con
nented on, the opinion was generally e.
i pressed that it should be treated sep;
rately.
J Buck alew Withdrew his amendment an
afterwards introduced IL as q Joint resoII
tion, which was referred.
'e Williams offered a substitute for the n
o port of the committee, but the Chair d
l. clared it out of order.
IL Davis offered an amendment proposin
l. that all constitutional amendments shoul
be submitted tor ratification directly
the people. The Radical party, he sal
a. nroposed to be very dem ocrslttc, and t11efi
= fore they oug Int to vote tor this most den
II ocratic proposition, but he knew the
~ would not, because they knew that if thE
y did their purposes and projects, neg
:, suffrage and ali, would he overwhelming
,! | defeated. .
N Stewart suggested t;aat TO submit I'll
,t | amendmrnL to a direct vote of the peop
"a would be to violate the Constitution.
Davis-W ell, propose TO change Il
Wilson said the Senator from Kentucl
nc and every body else knew that The strugg
SS for equal rights for all classes had alwa
oo been unpopular. and had been wag
70 against the great vested interests al
IS, against pref dice-the results of geneE
n tfOns of wrong and oppression. He IA
no doubt the negro suffrage question IN
n cost the Republican party n quarter of
re million of votes, but no matter how Il