The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1869-04-08
The Case of Mississippi In Congress.
HOUSE PRocEED1NGs, MARCH, BORN, 1863.

/ HOUSE PROCEEDINGS, MARCH, BOTH, 1859.
The House proceeded to the consideration
I of the bill reported from the Reconstruc.
/ ton Committee for the organization of /
provisional government for Mississippi.
/ Mr.. Farnsworth, a member of the Recon
/ struction Committee, offered a substitute fol
I the bill, proposing a resubmission to tht
| people of Mississippi OF the constitution al.
ready framed, with separate votes on some
/ of its Objectionable features. He argued
against the bill reported from the commit.
/ tee, which proposes to reassemble the con-
I vention and authorize it to appoint pro-
! visional Governor, with power on his part
to fill all other State offices. That conven-
I ton, he said, was not popular with the best
classes of the Union people of Mississippi
To revive it would be to throw in a fresh
apple of discord, and to prolong instead OF
quieting the disorders reigning.
Mr.. Ward inquired whether the gentle
man had any charge to make against mem
bers of that convention.
Mr.. Farnsworth declined to discuss the
personnel of the convention, but remarked
that most Of the members were themselves
candidates for offices, and it was suspected
by Union men that the whole game was got
upi in the interests of those candidates. The
proposition that these candidates should
elect a Provisional Governor who would
have the appointment of all State officers,
was exceedingly distasteful to the people.
With General Grant as President OF the
United States, and with good officer in
charge of that military district who was
not mixed up with any of these cliques or
cabals- was it not better to have the govern
ment of Mississippi as it now is till it should
be properly erected into a state? Why i'm
pose 4 new discord, new strife, a new trou-
bic on the people? Why prOlong the con-
test? Were the gentlemen afraid that the
President would not properly instruct his
mi cop,poan6arS fharaS Wpra thew
afraid that the military of the country
would. under Gen. Grant, be in hostility TO
the interests of the country. 10 the Union,
and to the loyal people of Mississippi: He
trusted not? He had taken up the cudgel
twenty-five years ago in defence OF the
black man. while some gentlemen were
acting with the party that was in conspira-
cy with the Shareholders 10 fasten the mana
cles more closely on the black man. He had
fought it out on that line till the black man
had procured not only his freedom but the
right To vote and hold office. He was just
as willing now TO take up the cudgel in de-
fence of the white man. The time for talk
ing about a sweeping punishment for every
man engaged in the late rebellion was past.
The moral effect of anything of the sort was
gone. While he would steadfastly oppose
disqualifcations from the leaders
of the rebellion, he was willing to shake
hands with every man who was in favor of
the right of suffrage to every
citizen of the United States not disqualified
by crime and crime fully proven. Until
that was done there would be nothing but
discord and strife in those States. He would,
therefore, move to postpone the whole sub
ject until next session
Mr.. Schenck said he would vote for the
of the whole subject till the
next session of Congress. If it was not
he would be willing to have the
constitution of Mississippi again submitted
10 the people either in whole or in part. If |
hat could not be done then he would vote |
against the bill before the House. 1t seemed
% him that the bill involved one great de-
ect viz: the governing of State by a con-
rention-the worst form of government;
lydra-headed government. He preferred /
very much that simple and more etfectual /
government by the military until the peo- |
pie were ready to come under reconstruc-
ion.
APRIL Ist.-The House then resumed the |
consideration of the bill to provide for the |
organization of a Provisional Government |
or Mississippi. MeSsrs. Ward, Maynard, !
Whittemore and Lawrence advocated the |
bill, when Mr.. Butler moved the previous |
question, which was seconded. MIR. Butler, I
who was entitled to the floor to the close of
he debate, yielded part of his time to Mr.. |
stevenson. who spoke in favor of the bill. /
Mr.. Butler resumed the floor and proceed /
ii to criticise the course of his colleague |
Mr.. Dawes, its effect being to keep loyal /
JcOIlG u -hISSlSSlp Dl OuL VI luG OulOI'
Mr.. Dawes desired to ask question, but |
Mr.. Butler refused to yield, and continued /
With his argument. He warned the Repub-
lean members that mississippi and Geor- /
ria were not reconstructed with loyal Leg |
slatlres he Fifteenth Amendment could |
Tot be passed and they would lose half a
lozen States. Every man on the other side /
If the House knew that very well and |
aughed in his sleeve at these Republicans, |
whom hey got to do their work. They /
1xr-I,e RI. 10
Knew them OF old; he used to be one of
hem. Laughter.
They used the Wings in the olden days As
he monkey used the cats paw, to pull the
.hestnuts out of the fire. Referring to the
'emarks of Mr.. Farnsworth, yesterday, as
o taking up the cudgel for the black man
rears ago, when men who were now Repub-
leans were acting with the Shareholders
party. he said that some persons thought
more of Judas than of Paul, because Judas
vas the oldest apostle of the two. Mr.. But
er would wait to give the vote to the white
nen of the South until it would be safe for
very Union man in the South to sleep in his
abin with the latch-string out; then he
will go with the gentleman (Mr. Farms
vorth) for the white man, and not till then,
o help him God.
The House then proceeded to vote on Mr..
'arnsworth's motion to postpone the bill
i'll the first Monday in December next.
The bill was postponed-yeas lob, nays 81.
Yeas essrs. Allison. Archer, Armstrong,
Arnell, Bailey, Beck, Briggs, Bird, Blair,
Brooks, Burr. Calkin, Cleveland. COwles,
'rebbs, CullOm, Dawes, Devices, Dickinson,
Dixon Dockery, Eldridge, Farnsworth, Fer
les. Finkelburg, Fitch, Garfield, GetZ, Gill
alin, Golladay. Griswold, Haldeman, Hall,
Hamill. Hawkins. Hawley,
Ieag, Holman, Hopkins, HotchkisS, Jen-
inns, johnson. Jones of Kentucky, Kerr,
4aflin. Loughridge, Lind. Marshall, May
lam, McCarty, Mccormick, McCrary, Mer-
ur, McNelly, Moffitt, Morrill, of Illinois,
Morrell of Maine, Mungen,
liblack, O'Neill, Packer, Palmer, Peters,
'oland, Pomeroy, Potter, Randall, Reading,
Reeves Rice, Rogers. Schenck. Schumacher,
cofeld. Shanks, Slocum, Smith of Yer
lont. Smythe of Iowa, Stevens, Stiles,
tokes. Stores, Strickland, Swami. Sweeney,
'affe, Tanner, Trimble, Tarchel, Van Auken,
-oorhees, Washburne of Wisconsin. W ash
urn of Massachusetts, Wells, Wilkinson,
Willard, Wilson of Minnesota, Winans and
Nays-Messrs. Amber, Arnell, Aspen,
seaman. Beatty, Benton, Bingham, Bowen,
Jays, Burlington, Burdett, Butler of MaSsa-
husetts. Butler of Tennessee, Cake, Cessna
hurchill Cobb of Wisconsin, Cobb of
Duval, Ella, Fisher. Hay, Heaton,
ill, Hosr, Jones of North Carolina, Judd,
ulian, Kelly. Kelsey, Knapp, Lash, Law
ence, Maynard, Moore, Negley. Orth,
ackard. Paine, Phelps, Prosser, Root, Sar- :
ent- sheldon, Smith of Ohio, Smith of ;
inner, Epson, Van Horn, Ward, Nelker,
yhittemore, Williams, Wilson of Ohio, and
Vitcher-62.
ParsOn BrOWnIOW.