The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1870-01-26
6oreresstpnnl.
WASHINGTON, January 2l, 1870.
SENATE.
BILLS.

-
Education.
BY Mr.. POMEROY-To prohibit the
sale of public lands IN Kansas, except by
| actual settlement; also, proposing an
amendment to the Constitution of the
| United States, submitting to the States
| the following article, to be known as the
| Sixteenth Amendment, which, when rat
! fled by three-fourths thereof, shall be
part of the Constitution of the United
States: "The basis of suffrage IN the Uni
ted States shall be that of citizenship, and
all native and naturalized citizens shall
enjoy the same rights and privileges of
the elective franchise. Each State shall
determine by law the age of the citizen
and the time of residence required for the
exercise of the right of suffrages which
shall apply equally to all citizens, and
shall make all laws in regard to time and
place of holding elections" 1t was refer
red to the Committee on Judiciary, and
orderedto be printed.
THE VIRGINIA BILL.
The Virginia bill was taken up.
During the discussion which followed
Mr.. Trumbull said that in former dis
cussion on the subject of misunderstood
ing upon an alleged agreement to vote up
on the Virginia bill upon the previous
Monday, the Senator from Massachusetts
went on to impugn his (Mr Trumbull's)
motives in assuming the position he had
taken. Previous to this that Senator had
asserted that certain loyalists of Virginia
had knocked at the door of the Judiciary
Committee asking to be heard, and to set
forth the condition Of things in that State.
yet the untruthfullness of this and similar
statements was shown by a messenger at
"a of hn h.. Il
such persons, single or together, had ap-
preached the door at any time, and not
withstanding the express denial bv all the
members of the Judiciary Committee of
the assertions of Mr. Sumner, that any
person was denied access to that Committee,
that Senator not only insisted upon the
correctness Of what he had asserted. but
actually afterward inquired, as shown by
the report, whether he (Trumbull) did not
admit he had been IN error After an ex-
PLANTATION by each of the members of the
Judiciary Committee, that Senator still in
sisted upon the correctness of what he had
said, refusing to admit the corrections,
Mr.. TTumbull continued in the further ex-
position of the alleged untruthfulness and
injustice of the assertions from the same
sources remarking that he proposed to
strip from one who could descend to the
use of impudent assumptions all his self
assumed infallibility. He defended the
Judiciary Committee from all imputations
upon their action, and indicated the
patriotism and loyalty of Governor Walker,
who had been openly denounced in the
Senate by Mr.. Sumner as a traitor In
regard to the recent election in Virginia,
the assertion that it was huge fraud was
denied by thereport of General Candy after
careful investigation Yet the Senator
from Massachusetts, had asserted and re-
peated this charge, and said it could not
be denied, even after an explicit refutation
by more than one Senator. Such was the
etrontery to which, from day to day, the
Senate had been subjected In answer to
imputatlon upon his own action he quoted
from the records of the Senate to show that
Republican Senators had voted, with but
one exception, for the bill for a more ef-
| fcent government of the rebel States.
which conferred the right of suffrage on
colored men throughout the South. That
exception was the Senator from Massa-
chusetts,
Upon the passage of the bill to submit
the Fifteenth Amendment to the States,
the same thing was repeated that Sena-
tor refused to vote for 1t for the same reas'
on that governed his action in the other
case, which was that his own idea of the
kind of legislation which was required
had not been blindly adopted by the rest
of the Republican Senator's assurance and
etfrontery was such that he could not re-
| sIst his inclination to assail others he
must glrd his armor about him, lest it be
stripped off and expose him to the Ameri-
| can people as an impracticable obstacle in
the way oflegislation.
The CHAIR suggested that personal
application of the word "effronterv' was
not strictly IN accordance with the rules
| of parliamentary order.
Mr.. TRUMBULL disclaimed q purpose
to violate any rule of order, but reminded
the Chair that some limit might be allow
| ed, inasmuch as his remarks had been de-
nounced as preposterous and absurd, and
the charge made that he was attempting
to impose upon the Senate. He said he
well recollected the day when the Senator
trom Massachusetts was subjected to the
| assault Of Southern Senators belonging to
the then dominant party, and feared that
the Senator had too well followed the ex-
ample of those domineering slave-mas-
tiers. The Senator was the peer of those
who assaulted him, but his attack upon
| the character Of loyal Governor ofa State
was upon party who could not reply.
Mr.. SUMNER replied that the Senator
from Illinois ran into the region of person.
allty as bird few in the air, fish swan
IN the sea. As for himself, he would not
be drawn aside from the strictest discussion
OF the questions raised by that Senator
He would ask how the Senator became
a critic of himself Did not the Senate
know that from the first day the promo
sitlons were introduced into this chamber
to confer suffrage upon colored men down
to the final triumph the Senator had been
| Its persistent enemy? When called upon
to consider the case of Georgia, was not
his unrelentlng opposition encountered
AS the representative of the Ku-klux
hIan, he was willing to see the State han
ded over to that influence When a lust
House OF Representatives dragged to this
bar the greatest enemy to reconstruct, the
President Of the United States, the Sena-
tor threw over that criminal the protec-
ton Of his vote. Upon the question.
should Andrew Johnson be expelled from
office so that reconstruction might have
free course, the freedmen protection, and
the hu-klux klan driven out, the Senator
found technical argument IN favor of the
criminal, Mr.. Sumner continued IN a SINH
lar strain, referring to the charge that up-
on the passage of the great measure rela-
ting to the rights of the colored people he
had declined to vote for the measure He
explained that he was absent from the
Chamber on account of fatigue and illness,
though the bill did not, in his opinion,
furnish to the freedmen sufficient measures
of protection. He was. compelled to leave
the Chamber after midnight, and did not
absent himself in order TO avoid recording
his vote
During the continuance of his remarks
Mr.. Sumner was reminded by the CHAIR
that in applying to another Senator the
language, "He poured out of his venom, -
he had violated Parliamentary decorum.
Mr.. SUMNER disclaimed any improper
intention, and continued quoting from
letters of correspondents and speeches
purporting to have been made by Gov
ernor Walker to show the revolutionary
intent and disIoyal sympathies of the peo-
pie of Virginia.