Daily national Republican. (Washington City [D.C.]) 1870-1872, 1870-02-11

carly advocacy OF Inc firhts Of the coiored
man. Why should that Senator take up an
hour Of the valuable tlmo OF tho Senate In
the useless task OF defending bis record on
this subject. lie (Mr. 81 thought theie
would have been just as much necessity Tor
George Washington to hayo defended him.
self from a charge Of disloyalty to the colo.
mics AZ there Is now In tho Senator from
| Nassaehusetts defending his record on the
subIecf OF equal rights. MIR. 8. spoke Of the
| various bills on reconstruction that had been
introduced, and the coutrariety Of opinion
among the Republican Senators, and that Il
became evident that the small Democratic
minority, by concentrating their strength
with one or the other clique into which the
Republican party was then divided, would
have rendered futile any attempt at recon.
struction. Then he (Mr. 81 moved the ap.
polntment OF q committee Of seven TO take
all these bills Into consideration, so as 10
mature some measure which would COM
mand the appreciation OF all. In that COM
mlttee tho late Senator from Maine Mr..
Fessendenl had made q forcible argument
against incorporating this suffrage clause,
bat solely because Il was unnecessary.
There was no difference Of opinion as to the
propriety OF II. Mr.. Reyerdy johnson, tho
Democratic Senator from Maryland, had
himself brought forward two days before
| the caucus the proposition TO incorporate
colored suffrage. In fact, II was hardly
worth while for any man at that time
(February, 1s67) to claim any honor In con.
noction With proposing colored suffrage, as
| there was no difference OF opinion as TO Its
propricty and Justice at that time.
Mr.. Stewart again criticised the remarks
Of Mr.. Sumner. He suid no one denied the
earnest advocacy Of that Senator Of human
rights In the abstract, but where Is his legis-
lationl Ho Is grand thoorlst; there arc his
pamphlets, but they arc not statutes. All
his theories require man OF more practical
brain 10 put them Into effect. There has
hardly been Senator here for the last ave
years that has not more Of his work on the
statute books than the Senator from Massa-
chuset's.
Mr.. Drake would only say that every Sen
ator here to-day must feel that this Is one Of
tho days OF the senate's degradation.
Mr.. Thurman said one strange revelation
brought out to-day was, that these recon.
structlon acts Involving such great political
| questions, were decided, not In coustltu-
tlonal body, but In party caucus. Was
| the fifteenth amendment decided In the same
Wayi that amendment which did not enfran-
chlse one Of the many Thousands now de-
priyed OF tho ballot In West Virginia and In
Missouri, and did It mean that a man with a
white skin cannot vote, and man with
black skin cant
Mr.. Trumbull said the Senator from Mas
sachusetts had three times made an lncor-
rect assertion In regard to him, (Mr. T.,)
asserting that he (Mr. To- was fret to last
the perslstent enemy Of reconstruction.
From irst to last there ls not one act on the
subject OF reconstruction that he (Mr To-
| had not voted for. In the face Of this how
| could the Senator from Massachusetts, make
such an assertion. That Senator, who had
himself not voted for some Of these acts.
The Senator had also reiterated his asser-
lions relative to the action OF the Judiciary
COMMITTEES on the Virginia matter, amer he
| (Mr. I. had denied them, aud his denial
had been corroborated by both Mr.. Conk-
ling and Mr.. Carpenter.
Mr.. Sumner said the Senator Mr.. Trum-
bull reminded him OF sick man lying on
an uneasy bed, and there no should let him
lie. He would now ask the Senator from
Missouri whether In the remark ho had
made a short time ago he alluded TO him,
(Mr. SD
Mr.. Drake said his remark had no per-
| sonal application; he meant the thing Itself,
these personal controversies, which he
thought were only to degrade the Senate Of
the United States In the eyes OF the whole
country.
The Senate then, without further action,
at p. M, adjourned.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
Mr.. Roots, of Ark, introduced bill to
encourage the establishment Of limo Of
steamers 10 European ports, and to tho ports
OF India, China and japan, and to promote
emigration to the Southern stateI. Referred
to special committee on the cause OF decline
OF American commerce and ship-bulldlng.
On motion OF Mr.. Smith, Of Iowa, the
Secretary Of the Interior was directed to
communicate to the House the last report OF
Gen. @. NJ. Dodge as chief engineer Of the
Union Pacific railroad.
Mr.. Trimhlo, nf KY. asked leave to offer
| a resolution directing the Secretary or the
Treasury to inquire Into the expedleucy OF
erecting courthouse, &C., at Paducah, Ky.
Mr.. Farnsworth, Of H., objected, and said
he felt II his duty to object In future to all
such measures.
Mr.. Wood, of N. Y, asked leave to offer a
resolution directing the Committee on Ap.
proprlatlons to inquire into the expenditure
OF one million dollars by New York for tho
Union relief fund In the beginning OF the
war, and after investigation TO report bill
to reimburse New York. Objected to, and
the regular order was demanded.
The House resumed consideration Of the
resolution reported from the Foreign Affairs
Committee relative to imprisonment OF
American citizens In Great Britain.
Mr.. Wood then spoke to the resolution,
and specially replied to tho remarks OF Mr..
Willard, Of Vermont. Mr.. Wlllard's re-
marks, he said, are In accordance with the
lntolerant, fanatlcal, and puritanlcal Views
of the people he represented. Not only OF
that people but also, he believed, OF the Ad-
mlnlstratlen, for he thought Mr.. Willard re-
nected tho sentiment OF the Administration,
and therefore his utterances became import
ant. In the first place, Mr.. Wood repudi-
ated the assertion that the Fenians were
imprisoned solely for violating British law.
There was no proof Of that fact, and he
thought the real cause OF Imprisonment
could be fonnd In the claim set up by Great
Britain Of once citizen always a citizen"
Mr.. Wood then referred to the conduct oil
Great Britain toward this country, and con.
tended that We were under no obligations
whatever TO England. He then referred Ia
the legislation OF Congress upon this sub
ject, and argued that We had q law now
upon the statute-book which made 1t com
pulsory upon the executive to demand the
release Of Americans imprisoned abroad,
and to enforce the demand. This law, he
said, had not only not been enforced as "a
Americans In British prisons, but II had not
been enforced as to Cuba. The promises Of
the President In this behalf were all fair
but they were all promises, and he doubted
whether their fulflmeut was ever intended.
Mr.. Haight, Of N. Y, addressed the Hous,
In favor Of the resolutions as reported, ant
was followed by Mr.. Schumacher, OF New
!, York.
Mr.. Dawes hoped the gentleman from In
diana Mr.. Orth, who had the foorl would
call the previous question on the resolu
tlon.
Mr.. Ohh refused to do so. He though
: tho resolution was one Of importance, anC
should be discussed. He then made q brle
, speech on the subject In favor OF the resolu
: ton.
: Mr.. Wilkinson, Of Mimi, then addressed
= the House. He commended that every prln
clple OF Justice and right demanded that WI
should sympathiEe with these prisoners.
Pending further consideration the morn
Ing hour expired, and the bill went over.
, Mr.. Logan, from the committee Of con
: ference on the dlsagreelng votes OF the twO
! houses on the bill for the relief Of the poo
ofthe District Of Columbia, submitted a 70
, port which was agreed TO. The bill, a
, agreed to by the conference committee q
, amended by the House with an addltlona
section, allows the Secretary Of War Il