The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1869-01-14

WASHINGTON ITEMs.-A Sister of Charity
from Charleston, S. c., has arrived here
with petition to Congress asking the Go
vernment to rebuild the Catholic hospital
IN that city. The hospital was destroyed
by the shells from the Union army during
the war. This being similar claim to that
of Sue Murphy, it will not be acted upon
until after the disposition of the latter by
Congress.
There IS very prevalent error that the
thirteenth section of the Act of 1862, author
lzing the President Of any time hereafter,
by proclamation, to extend to persons who
may have participated in the rebellion in
any State or part thereof pardon and am
nesty, is still in force The section was re-
pealed by the last Congress, so that the
PRESIDENT, in issuing his last amnesty pro-
eiamatlon, has not this Act to rely upon, nor
did he rely upon any Congressional authori-
ty, but entirely upon the power with which
ne believes he is invested by the Constitu-
tion of the United States. His answer to
Senator Ferrys resolution of inquiry on
the subject may be expected in the course
of few days
Mr.. Wadsworth, of Kentucky-who, it
will be remembered was on one occasion
introduced to q public audience by General
Grant as ''his (Grant's) old school mate,
who could talk to them better than HIMSELF
tuc61dn with his opinions of the Generals
views and policy. 1t seems to be the cold
school-mate's" idea that Grant is more of
radical than the radicals themselves give
him credit for, and that if Kentucky wishes
to receive favors at his hands, she must
adopt the fourteenth amendment to the
Constitution, or some similar article allow
ing universal suffrage. Mr. Wadsworth be-
lIeves that the reconstruction policy of
frra will I,,,n 4
Grant
The Reconstruction Committee, it is un-
derstood, is beginning to weary with the
tes. mony OF the carpet-baggers who appear
before it from Mississippi and Georgia
The testimony of one is that of all the
others, and the committee have heard no.
thing SO far but an endless story of the u
Klux outrages, and urgent appeals to put
the management of affairs in these States
into the hands of few Northern adven-
tnrers at the head of the negroes. Several
members of the committee have got their
eyes opened to the fact that what is wanted
by these men, especially in Georgia, is Il
new deal of the offices, State and national
The committee had meeting to-day and
examined Mr. Field, from Mississippi,
and MIR. Stone, from Georgia. Field
testified nlnety-nine out of every hundred
OF the white people of Mississippi are rebels
upon some of the committee expressing
surprise at such a sweeping statement, Field
said that was true of his locality, but close
examination showed that he lived in an
isolated country district and knew very
little about the State in general Stone
told the same old story of the Ku Klux out
rages in Georgia, and depicted an unusually
horrible condition of affairs Judge Bine-
ham asked him if matters were no better
since Grant vas elected, whereupon he
softened little, and admitted that since
the election the rebels as he called them,
were more subdued. The truth is, the
members of the committee have very little
faith in the majority of the startling stories
told by these too willing witnesses.