The Portland daily press., 1869-04-02
XLIst CONGRESS First Session.
SENATE.

WASHINGTON, April 1.-Mr. Thayer intro
duced bill amending the homestead law SO
to clear land of trees ON homestead and pre-
emption settlements.
Mr.. Hamlin, from the Committee on Politi
cal Disabilities, reported a Joint resolution re
quirlng every person petitioniDg for the reno
val OF their political disabilities to accompan,
ms petition with sworn statement, under M
own signature, of the ground upon wnicn M
asks relief. Passed.
Mr. Sumner, from the Commlttee on for
eign Relations, reported and recommended thu
passage of bill to facilitate telegraphic com
munication between Europe and the United
States.
Mr.. Sumner, from the same committee, re
ported favorably bill accompanied by re-
port, to refund to the States Of Massachusetts
and Maine the interest paid by them on ad
vances made for the United States in 1872
Mr. Sumner offered joint resolution post
poning the election in Texas. Referred to the
Committee on Judiciary.
Mr.. Sumner presented memorial of Jose
n. Casanova, citizen of the Unite States,
setting forth the indignities received by him
sell and brother at the hands of the Spanish
government in Cuba, and asking the interpo-
sition Of the United States government IN
their behalf Referred to the Committee on
Foreign Relations.
Mr. Grimes. from the Committee on Naval
Affairs, reported with amendments bill to
establish the office of Solicitor and Naval
Judge Advocate General.
Mr. Osborn introduced bill to secure the
completion of the Washington and Lincoln
monuments. Referred to the Committee on
Public Buildings.
The Indian appropriation bill then came up.
Mr.. Harlan offered series of amendments.
some OF which were agreed to and others re-
The bill was still under consideration at
O'Clock, when the Senate went into executive
session and some time after adjourned.
HOUSE.
Mr.. Sawyer, from the Committee ON Com
merce, reported the river and harbor appropri-
ton bill, Referred to the Committee on APP
preparations.
The House then resumed the consideration
of the bill for the organization of provisional
government for Mississippi.
Mr.. Ward, a member of the Reconstruction
Committee, addressed the House in advocacy
of the bill.
Messrs Maynard and Whittemore also adyo-
Gated the bill, when Mr.. Butler moved the
previous question, and having the floor to close
the debate, yielded part of his time to Mr..
Stevenson, who advocated the bill.
Mr.. Butler resumed the floor and proceeded
to criticise the course of his colleague Mr.
Dawes) in opposing the bill, the effect OF that
course being, he said, to keep the loyal people
of Mississippi under rebel rule.
Mr.. Dawes asked his colleague to yield for a
question.
Mr.. Butler-No, sir. cannot open my
mouth that some gentleman don't come down
my throat. (Laughter.)
Mr. Dawes-That is the last place desire to
get. lLaughter.) l desire to ask my col
Mr.. Butler-( (Emphatically) IL don't Weld.
Mr. Dawes-I want simply the ordinary
courtesy. do not complain of my colleagues
putting any construction he pleases upon the
effect of my remarks. simply want him to
fofo vlaofl ho
the House that desire
Mr. Butler-I am not to be categorically cat
echized. ] don't know what my friend desires,
but know what the effect Of his acts are, and
| put the legal intendment on his acts. Now
If can be freed from my colleague desire to
sin.
Mr.. Eldridge-I rise to a question of order.
The gentleman charges me with being an ally
OF his colleague. think that is out of order.
The Speaker overruled the point of order.
Mr.. Ward suggested if that was true it
would do credit to the gentleman from Wis
consin.
Mr.. Eldridge retorted that if suoh point of
order had been made IN reference to the gem
tlemen from New York. it would certainly
have been sustained. (Laughter.)
Mr.. Butler, in reply to the question put by
Mr.. Edridge to Mr.. Stevenson, said that two
members of the convention had gone to that
home from which there was no return-sent
there by the bullets of those men to whom
Mississippi was to be turned over if the argu-
ment OF his colleague and of the gentleman
from Wisconsin are to prevail. The constitu-
ton had been defeated under the influence of
Gen. Gillem; but one of Gen. Grants first
acts was the removal of Gen. Gillem because
of his Copperheadism, which covered every
thing wrong and bad He warned the Repub.
lican members that if Mississippi and Georgia
were lot reconstructed with loyal Legislatures
the fifteenth amendment could not be passed,
and they would lose half dozen States Ev-
cry man on the other side of the House knew
that well and laughed in his sleeve, as those
Republicans, whom they got to do their work,
knew right well what they were about. He
knew them of old-he used to be one of them.
(Laughter.) They used the Wings in the olden
days as the monkey used the cats paw, to
rake the chestn1ts out of the fire.
Referring to the remarks of Mr.. FarnsWorth
yesterday, as to his taking up the cudgel for
the black man years ago, when men who were
now Republicans were acting with the slave
holders party, he said that some persons
thought more of Judas than they did of Paul
because Judas was the older apostle of the
two.- He (Butler) would wait to give the vote
to- the white men of the South until itwould
he safe for all men to vote-until it would be
safe for every Union man in the South to sleep
in his cabin with the latchstring out Then he
would go with the gentleman (Farnsworth) for
the white, and not till then; SO help him God,
not till then.
The House then proceeded to vote on Mr..
Farnsworth's motion to postpone the bill to
the first Monday in December next.
The bill was postponed-yeas 103, nays 62.
Mr.. Paine, from the Committee on Elec-
tions, reported that Mr.. Simpson, claiming
seat from the 4th district of North Carolina, is
not eligible.
Mr.. Maynard introduced bill to increase
the revenue from duties on imports and to tend
to an equalization of exports and imports; be-
ing the bill prepared at the last session by
subcommittee of the Committee on Ways and
Means. Referred to the Committee on WAYS
and Means.
Mr. Cessna called up the election case of
Covode and Foster from the LIST district of
Pennsylvania, and argued in support of Mr..
Covodes prinad fdcia right to the seat.