Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-03-25
WASHINGTON.

sIppf RecOnstrucIIOn--PO Postmaster
Appointed, etc.
WAsHNGToN, March 24-The Repub
lican caucus this morning agreed to tn
report of the Judiciary Committee on tn
tenure of-office question The main fea'
lures are as follows:
The President is TO have power to re
move cabinet and other civil officers
during the session Of the Senate, with
out giving reason, providing the Sen
ate shall have power 10 fill the vacancies
and during the recess Of the Senate may
suspend and appoint 10 Office until tht
end Of next session. Within twenty
days Of the commencement of the ses,
sion he shall report these suspensions tC
the Senate, and if that body by direct
affirmative vote refuse to concur, then
the suspended officer shall be reinstated
If the matter be simply passed over the
officer shall not be reinStated
The President to-day nominated Gen.
Giles A. Smith for Second Assistant
Postmaster General Also, William
Price for Postmaster at Grenada, Miss,
and j. p. Bard as Postmaster at Column
bia, Tennessee.
The following discussion took place in
the House on Mr.. Buffers Mississippi
reconstruction bill
Mr.. Butler expressed his acknowl>
edgment for the confidence in the Presi-
dent expressed by the amendment of
Mir. Beck, and said he could not help al
miring the newborn zeal of States
rights men, who now wished State
officers to be appointed by Fed
eral authority rather than by the
proper authority Of the State. The
committee however, thought the appoint
ments should be made by the President
Of the convention. lie proceeded to ex,
plain and advocate the various provisions
of the bill. 1t had been reported from
the committee with great unanimity; it
had been sanctioned by the committee
of the last House; it had been carefully
and thoroughly considered. IL the House
thought it best to have any recOnstruc-
ton in Mississippi, he hoped it would
stand by the bill.
Mr.. Beck addressed the House for an
hour in favor Of the amendment offered
by him. lie declared that the last cons
Vention Of Mississippi had rendered itself
infamous and was utterly unfit to be the
of power. He cOntended that
the President of the United States, hay-
ing no animositles to crafty, and being
presumed to desire the restoration of
good relations with the whole country,
would appoint a provisional Governor
who would see thai at least there was a
fair election. He urged this, not from
any newborn zeal for the Federal au-
thority, but as a choice of evils The
Democratic minority did not look to any
party advantage in this. They did not
expect the President to appoint any
Democrat to such an Office, but they be-
lieved the President would do justice
and see that fair men were appointed and
fair elections held. Therefore they were
opposed to depriving the President of the
powers which he now had.
Mr.. Lawrence asked what pOwsGs this
bill took from the President?
Mr.. Beck said the President now had
power under all the reconstruction laws
10 appoint provisional Governors and
military officers, who had authority to
appoint registrars and judges Of elections,
BY this bill the President was deprived
Of this power and the military comman>
daut depriN ed OF all power; all that he
could DO was to aid the provisional Cow
ernor in carrying out his orders, how
ever infamous they might be.
MIR. Beck proceeded to give Illustra-
tons of the unWOrthiness Of the last
Mississippi convention which this bill
proposed to reconvene. Having done so
at considerable length, he asked whether
1t was wonderful that the whites voted
against the constitution Was it wOnderS
ful that the decent negroes Of Mississippi
voted against 1t as they had Was 1t
aot wonderful that any set OF gentlemen
- aid now seek 10 restore the power to
such a convention without even giving
the President Of the United States power
to see that the next election was fairly
held That was the amazing PROPOSE
ton.
Mr.. Lawrence replied 10 the comments
Of Mr.. Beck, on depriying the President
Of the power 10 appoint the Provisional
Governors. ii was argued that no such
power was vested in the President. Pres
ident johnson had undertaken &c
exercise the power of appointing ProviS'
soma. Governors, and such action Oh
his part had never received any
validity from Congress, and no acl
confeTring such power on the President
had ever passed Congress. That power
had been conferred by the reconstruction
acts on the military commanders in the
SSdth, and on the General Of the army
This bill, therefore, took no power from
the President. Ii merely transferTe,
nom the military authorities TO the con
vention, the power to appoint 4 provision
al Governor for Mississippi.
Mr.. Beck suggested that Mr.. Llncolr
bad exercised the same power IN the al
4 uointment Of Mr.. johnson as GOyeTno
Sor Tennessee.
MIR. Lawrence replied that was notSo.
Mr.. johnson had been appointed Mih
tary Governor OF Tennessee, which wa
very different thing from ProTlsiOna
. Governor. Tho one exercises InaItia
powers-the other civil powers.
Mr Ward obtained the floor TO oPpO5
The bill, but yielded to motion 10 ad
IuuIn, and the House adjourned.
Amasa walker has written long LET
ter TO Mr.. Garfield, chairman Of the Com
mIttee on Banking, submitting snothe
plan for the resumption Of specie pay
ment. lie proposes.
First, LIT Congress authorize the issu
Of compound interest notes precisel
like those with which people are alTead
familiar, TO an extent equal to its treasur
notes, say S3GO,OOO,0O0, OF as many q
may be required TO redeem the greer
backs; let them be Of the denomination
Of IS, $40, $40 and $50 bills, with
suitable p oporlion Of 500 ard Sl,00
for large speculatons.
Second. Let these notes be dated c
the first day of each successive mont
commencing with the first day of Jul
next, when 100000 should be mao