The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-12-22
EoUsE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 2

/
ton BIZ might he continued several members
asked and OBTAINED leave 10 print speeches the
| subject
| Mr.. POTTER, ldem.l OF N. " argued against the
/ bni. He did not see how any member who nad
sworn TO support the constitution could vote for it,
| He regarded 1t as wholly unconstitutional. ana he
I believed it also to be unnecessary and uuwise. dc
believed that the policy Of vengeance was only cal
culaed to increase the dissatisfaction, the disgust
| ana the sense OF wong which more Than
| anything else nterlered with the prosperity and
| We-Delng OF Georgia. 1t seemed 70 him that thus
| bill tnieaJened the rights and liberties not only OF
The people OF Georgia but oil every Northern man Is
| well. Inc offence OF Georgia was the same as tnat
Of the state Of New YORK, which had Just decided by
vast majority that negroes would not be admitted
10 Office nor even admitted 10 suffrage without spe-
| cia qualifications. Ii Georgia could be published
Tor that offence in the manner proposed by this bl
| why coud not New ! ork also be punished in tho
| same waya This was but one move in the daily
! strides towards centralized and absolute govern
ment and 10 the destruction OF that system OF limited
| ana localized government established by the foun l.
ers OF the government and In which only true liberty
! could be tound
Mr.. VOORHEES,, (dem.) OF Inn., took the floor and
| made an argument lii opposition TO the bill, the
Introduction OF which ne ascribed to the influence OF
] the President. HIS own position was that Georgia
had never ceased TO be STATE, but even under the
Beng, therefore, a State he should like to know
! from some one more eminent IN the law than the
| presentE xecntiye by what power The federal gov
! ernment tells state to organize her Legislature
| III one way or another.
| Mr.. DAWES, Uepl OF Mass, inquired whether that
the constitution requiring The United States
10 guarantee republican form OF government in
eacn state ola not require the maintaining OF q
republican form OF government.
MI. VOORHEES, replied that the gentleman from
Massachusetts was precluded from making that
point because he had voted last April against inter-
erlng with Georgia, and nothing mad occurred since
10 Affect his Judgment Ia that regard, unles5 were
the Presidents Message.
MIR. DAWES inquired whether Mr. Voorhees, had
any other answer to make TO his question except
that he thir. Dawes was es.opped2
Mr. VOORHEES, replied that Iiiat generally was held
to be a good answer.
Mr. DAWES admitted thai it might be good answer
as TO hun. out was not sutficient answer 10 inc
people
Mr. yoonnEEs desired 70 know whether the gen
tionai acts Of . state Legislature warranted the
| federal government marching an army into that
STATE Striking down the nabeas corpus and govern
| ing the people at tue point OF the DayoneLY
Air. DAWES understood that IL de ended altogether
on the character Of the unconstitutional acts. me
Unlled states government was authorized 10 do
| A Legislature might be guilty OF what would Call
upon The FEDERAL government IN all Us capacities
all lis functions Interfere MAINTAIN a republican
| form OF government IL was a question vi Iact
whether tnat condition OF things existed III Georgia
| or not.
2ress the acts OF state Legislatures aud 10
| decide whether they were unconstitutional or not.
II was for the judiciary to pass upon the constltu
| nUnalty OF acts brought into question. 1T was
heiesy of the grossest kind TO that Congress
| had power III D Juuclai capacity, revise the
legislation OF the States and to determine whether
they IN accordance With their Stae cons utons
| IL was q standing doctrine ana one Wllcn the
sagaclOus mind Of the gentleman from Massachusetts
resorted 20 only because he saw no other ground
whicn 10 base MS defence oil tns D alteg the strong
| opposition when ne made 10 similar bill last
| April.
Mr. ELDRIDGE, (deml of Wis, next spoke In OPP
position the bill. he sad that one OF the saddest
| things connection with discussion In this House
was that the House had almost ceased 70 be d de.
Lucrative cody aud that action was dictated 10
II by eaalng partlzans OF the republican party. IL
the docIine we're to be established that the COM
mission OF crime III state Justified the interference
Of TIE federal government, way should not the doc
! trne have been carried out as against Massachu-
| sells, wnere the most atroclous crilnes were
| mlttedf In THIS connection he sent TO the Clerks
| desk ana had read The report made TO Governor
AAlrew on the management OF the Insane Asylum
| IN Massachusetts. lie predicted that unless the
| states by every constitutional means resisted the
| entertainments OF Congress tue liberties OF the
| people wound be destroyed ana republican govern
ment would lie a mere snaln, u delusion, deceII.
Inc Supreme Court was already nedged and virtu-
ally desIroGea. IL was stl9matized III the House
the "superannuated Old court,u and the assault
by tue popular branch 0f the government would be
upon Senate vi the United States.
Mr. COX tdeln.) OF n. L.. was the next speaker on
the same slde He denounced the bill the gospel
0f anarchy and the philosophy Of revolution. When
lie iound The Governor OF sae hanging aroua I'D the
halls oi Congress begging 10 have MS state taken
out OF tue Union IL lea m 10 inquire the reason Tor
H. and he found mat reason IA the letter yes
ierday rom the state treasurer, charging Governor
Bullock With speeulations. For hinsen he would
rather bring tnat Bullock TO the slaughter than 10
bring the state Of Georgia. tLauguter.l The al.
tempt 10 coerce the state VI Georgia to raLIy tne
fifteenth constitutional amendment was tue old
Turkish system. Unoer the Old Turkish law 1t was
allowed 20 the Uletnas To interpret the law, but
always the Grand Segnor wished 1t, and II they
did not they were to DE pounded TO death Ia NOR
tar
Mr. BINGHAM (rep.l OF Ohio took the floor lie
SAID the bill sent TO us bY the Senate Is IN conflict
with every letter OF the past legislation OF Congress
the subject OF reconstructiOu 10 IL IN conflict
with the express order OF the President when ne
General OF The army. acting under the law OF
construction IN 1868, In relation 10 Georgia. IL Is in
conflict win the utteranc q OF the Attorney General
of tie United States IN reference to virginia under
the operation Of All our reconstruction acts ana IL
| congress AID OF the Interpretation oil the
| constitution. For these reasons | ask that
| the olii may be postponed TN the third
| wednesday 10 January next il there be truth
| m what have said, the majority IN this House
should postpone Here we are limited To twenty
mInutes discussion shut OH IRON reference TO the
record asked TO decide question By passion which
ought be decided in the gnt OF tue ca IN temper
OF reason qua under Tie obligations OF an oath. The
honorable gentleman from Massachusetts, tMr. But
er said yesterday that for those frequent murders
In heorgia of those denials OF right 20 the people OF
Georgia there ought 10 be remedy In Congress. |
agree VITA bi nat this Is not the bill before us. 1t
an appeal OF that sort TO the House
Aud It is equally gratuitous to attempt
to bring the support OF this measure the recon-
menGalon OF the President of tue United States.
happen to know. and therefore say IT, that there is
q single line tue Presidents Message which
ne never intended to be there aud which he does not
stand ny to-day and that Is the line which refers
the imposition oil the oath enoined by the recon
strncitdn 80 nm meInbers OF the Iegisiatnre THE
whole context OF the Message shows that what he
meant was the imposition OF the oath required by
the third section OF the fourteenth amendment /
wish TO say turther that The decentralization act OF
the I'd OF March, 1861 which undefiles this entire
legislation enloins also the oath oil quaiiDcation
required by the third section OF me fourteenth
amendment Commenting on the section which
allows army navy be placed IN the control
OF the Governor, Mr.. Bingham SAID the law ~ not
worthy OF moments consideration In the D0nsc
OF Representatives OF the people, and for one, no
| matter what party dctation may say. stand here
IL.
not become tho representatives OF the peoDic To be
dragooned IN any such manner into legislation touch