Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-05-17

Railroad TO Winncpcg.
Mr.. Ramsey called up the bill grantin
lands to aid in the construction of rail
road from the Western boundary of Min
nesota, at the junction of Sioux and Woo
/ rivers with Red river up North to Whine
peg district of British America. Passed
Fifteenth Amendment.
At one o'clock the Appropriation bill
came up in order.
MIR. Stewart, in pursuance of a reques
made to him by a number of Senators
moved to pass over present and all PRO
orders, in order to reach the bill for tn,
enforcement of the Fifteenth Amendment
Messrs. Sumner and Salisbury lose tC
speak, but Mr.. Williams objected to de-
bate
MIR. Casserly asked for division on the
motion
The question was taken on passing over
the pending order. Yeas, 81; nays, %,
The ranking bill was also laid aside. Yeas,
81: nays, %. ~ 2e --s..s
The bill enforcing the Fifteenth Amend
ment then came before the Senate. Its
provisions were publishedSAp %.
Mr.. Stewart submitted an amendment
providing that when any person ineligible,
under the Sd article of the Fourteenth
Amendment, shall hold Office, except as a
member of Congress or State Legislator,
the United States District Attorney for the
District in which said person holds Office,
shall proceed against such person by quo
warranto, and such writs shall take prece-
dence over all others on dockots of the
United States Courts, to which they are
made returnable.
Mr.. Stewart also moved several addi-
tional sections imposing fine and impris-
onment for holding Office in violation of
the fourteenth amendment and forever
disqualifying the offender from holding
Office under the United States, and giving
to all persons within jurisdiction of the
United States (not taxed excepted, the
same rights in every State or territory, to
make and enforce contracts, to sue, give
evidence and to full and equal benefits of
all laws and proceedings for the security of
person and property as enjoyed by white
Also to be subject to like pains
and penalties of taxes, licenses and exac-
tons of every kind and none other. No
tax or charge is to be imposed by any
State on any person immigrating thereto.
Mr.. Vlckers argued against the constitu-
tional power of Congress to pass any bill
the control of Suffrage belonged
to the States alone.
speech of Senator Thurman.
Mr.. Thurman said that State after State
had permitted the colored race 10 vote,
that no black man had been interfered with,
and it would now be most evil example
to pass bill bristling with fines and i'm
prisonment ON officers of election, and re-
wards to be given to informers where no
for it existed. His own opinion
was that the bill had been purposely made
so obnoxious as to defeat itself.
The first section was Objectionable be-
cause the fifteenth amendment could not
gain any additional strength by its enact
ment In the shape of a statute, which
ecemed the only object of the section. The
second section undertook to impose duties
upon State officers directly in the face of a
decision by Supreme Court, that it was
not in the power of Congress to impose
any duty upon an officer of State. The
third section required that officer to per-
form requisite to entitle q party to vote,
and shall if rendered nugatory by the
refusal or negligence of an election officer
be deemed a performance in law of the act
it'might be proven by one hundred
witnesses that the party was committing
perjury. His affidavit as to the offer was
to be conclusive of the election officer. Ii
he did not receive such vote II was pro-
vided that he should forfeit five hundred
dollars to the person aggrieved, thus hold
ing out a clear iuducement to the IN
to commit perjury, giving him
FIVE hundred dollars for it and making the
party in every such case a common in
former.
The bill prohibited any attempt to him
der, delay or obstruct voter under pen
atty Of five hundred dollars to the person
aggrieved, and imprisonment, with an adj
dltional five hundred dollars to the United
States. What was an attempt to delay,
etc. If one man reasoned with another
the polls, and attempted to
pursuade him to vote for a particular can
didate, was that an attempt to delay? Ii
so, the offender would have to pay five
hundred dollars to the United States and
60 to prison besides.
This would put every man IN the power
of every INSCRIPTIONS man who chose to
swear falsely forpay. Had it came to this
that the adoption of the Fifteenth Amend
ment had made it necessary TO offer pre-
MUM for perjury, and put every man in
the community at the mercy of a vii
lain?
Mr.. Thurman reviewed the objection
able features of the bill in detail, and char
acterized it as bill which created race
of common informers, and pay them in
hard cash for perjury.
Referring to the calling out of the land
and naval forces by order of the President,
he said in England it was punishable
offense to have troops of the Realm within
one mile of the polls; but under this law
we were to have United States troops to
surround every polling booth, to see that
the judges of election discharged their
duty. This was subordinating the civil to
the military authority. If the Senators
could pass such bill and the people should
sustain it. all he had to say was that the
country was lost to all sense of freedom.
Mr.. Ferry moved to amend Mr.. Stew
arts amendment by striking out the section
to enforce the 18th amendment, lmposinga
penalty on any person ineligible who,
knowingly, holds Office. He thought the
political disability of the South would not
remain more than two years longer, and 1t
was impolitic to create new fines for mis-
demeanors of this character, as the. re-
manning provisions gave a sufficient RENE
dy for existing evils,
NO Rights for the SOuth-A Frank
Confession.
Mr.. Morton hoped that the section
would not be stricken out. He had failed
to see the propriety of permitting old poll
ticians of the South, men who brought
about the war, and were real authors Of all
our misfortunes, to share in our political
rights. The proposition was subversive
of every principle of justice, and it would
be cruelty to the country. There seemed
to be desire to divest the rebellion of
every feauture of criminality, and to regard
it merely a sectional controversy or an
unpleasantness. II was now proposed to
relieve the old politicians of the South as
a means of cancellation, but the Senate
might as well expect to conciliate nest of
rattlesnakes.
Mr. Ferry thought IN two years all dsa-
bilities would be removed. He would say
they could not be swept away without stul-
tifyIng ourselves A bill had recently
passed the Senate without objection re-
pealing the iron-clad oath, under which
Rebel Generals and members of the Con-
gress, if not ineligible under the Four
teenth Amendment, could occupy seats in
Congress; that bill was nowi in the House and
was likely to be stopped there. If passed,
and if the policy indicated 10y the Senator
from Connecticut should prevail, men
who were foremost in the rebellion
would come here and take seats on this
floor. 1t wouldn't do then to talk about
rebels. Personal considerations would
prevent that. Tie only distinction then
between Union and rchel soldiers wolld be
pensions ard the widows and orphans of
the former, tOE those would soon be with
held as the very best measure for cOncilla-