The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-04-04
BY TELEGRAPH
TO THE DAILY PRESS.
XLIId OONGREss---Pirat Session.
SENATE.

WASHINGTON, April 3.-Mr. Frelinghysen
presented memorial of numerous ship owners
and merchants asking for the erection Of q
lighthouse on the Jersey coast at Berwick
Bay.
Mr.. Wilson introduced a bill to prohibit the
retention fsoldiers'discharges by claim agents
and attorneys.
Mr.. Cole introduced bill authorizing lease
for public park.
Mr.. Stewart offered a resolution directing
the Secretary of the Interior to inform the Sen.
ate under what laws individuals and corpora.
tions are allowed to hold public lands and clos
ing them to settlement.
A bill authorizing the CONVEYANCE of the
Mint building at Dahlonega, Ca, to the trus.
tees of the North Georgia Agricultural Col
lege was passed, and Mr. Sherman's resolution
OF instruction to the judiciary Committee was
taken up on which Mr.. Blair was entitled to
the floor.
Mr. Blair quoted from the debates in Con-
gress when the 14th amendment was under
consideration, to show the construction placed
upon it by its authors and supporters, and
held that it was plainly laid down at the time
that the only power of legislation which Con-
gress held under it was to prevent any VIOLA
tions of its provisions. Under color of State
law the measure which was now proposed was
an assumption of the power of Congress to
punish the violation of State law. The design
OF this legislation was to carry out the designs
baggers" and their aiders and abettors, and
continue Gen. Grant perpetually in power. 1t
was very easy course for the men whom the
South had repudiated to manufacture stories
OF outrages to further their efforts to get back
into power. The system of the government
under which the South is ruled is the disgrace
of our age. This carpet bag system is perfect
ly Infamous, by which strangers, adventures
and men of no character were ruling over a
people whose ancestors made these States what
fhnrv Nhn Ae &I4
are SO alarming that something must be done.
The people are clamoring for revenue reform
and reduction Of taxes, by which millions
are wrung from them for the benefit of the
plunderers. They are searching very closely
into the cOrruptiOns and venality of the radi-
cal party. The rank and file are falling away
from it, and something desperate must be re
sorted to to save it. Abiding to the recon-
struction acts, MIR. Blair said that whenever
the Supreme Court had an opportunity to pass
upon any question connected with them it had
invariably pronounced them unconstitutional,
and Congress, knowing that they were uncon-
stitutiOnal passed an act to prevent the Su-
preme Court from passing directly upon its re-.
construction measures. He said the Demo
cratic party while it believed the acts to be un-
constitutional did not intend, as had been
charged, to overthrow them by force. The
only measures which the Democratic party
would resort to were constitutional measures
Mr.. Scott here interpOsed and quoted from
the "BrOdhead letter" of Mr. Blair that the
President elect should dispose of the carpet-bag
governments by force.
Mr.. Blair said he was not the Democratic
party and the Democrat party was not Mr.
Blair, and he repeated the Democratic party
never threatened to use violent means to over
throw the unconstitutional acts of Congress.
He, Blair had believed and did believe that the
President having taken an oath to support the
constitution should stand to that oath, whether
against Congress or against individuals, for he
believed Congress in violating the const' tuition
was no more than mob. He has said that
the army should be made to undo its work of
usurpation and he said SO now. Mr.. Blair then
reviewed at length the situation of affairs in
North Carolina under Gov. Holden's admins
tration, which he condemned in unmeasured
terms, and proceeded further to comment Sc
verely on the neutrality of the South Carolina
can papers to support his statements.
Mr.. Sherman admitted that the Legislature
of South Carolina had behaved shamefully,
and he would ask the Senator what remedy he
proposed for it. Did he favor general amnes-
ty?, Because if he did he (Sherman) would
suffrage from the negroes? Because if he did
that " ould be subject for debate; but if the
Senator proposed no remedy he had certainly
no right to bring these matters in here.
Mr. Blair said he had to do it. He had a
right to arragn this body for striking down
the very vital principle Of 1ree government; for
destroying local selt-government.
Mr.. Sawyer cOrroborated the statement of
Mr.. Sherman. Every one voted in South Car
oliDa; and Mr.. Sawyer said there were not
over $500 in the State debarred from holding
office by the 18th amendment. The position Of
the Democratic party in South Carolina was
such that no considerable number would ac-
cept the proffer of office. They were influence
ed by the attitude of the Democratic party in
the North and the Brodhead letter to refuse of.
Goo fnr ovnfs 0c r. D1os~ e.
Mr.. Sawyer-Sentiment.
Mr.. Blair-Principles. 1t was principles and
he was glad the Democratic party adhered to
principle in spite of the loaves and fishes. He
was glad the Democratic party refused to
snare the plumber with the carpet baggers.-
Mr.. Blair continued in his review of the condi.
ton of ether Southern States; the debt of
which has been so enormously increased under
radical rule. He said he knew Gov. War
mouth of Louisiana well. He went from Mis-
souri,, ragged and naked and without money to
pay for his breakfast. Now he lived in pal
ace and was rolling in wealth and he (Blair)
was informed that he never signed bill with
out price. In regard to the case of Yerger,
which had been brought into this discussion by
the Senator from Ohio Mr.. Sherman), he de.
sired to allude to the aspect of that case which
was yet untouched. He then read from state
ment of one of the counsel to prove that the
case had been kept out of the Supreme Court
because of the fear that the reconstruction acts
under the authority of which Yerger was COM
mitted, would be declared unconstitutional
The radicals had thus confessed that the acts
were unconstitutional, and yet without them
they would be in the minority in both Houses
OF Congress to-day, and the minority men who
came in by virtue of these reconstruction acts
had in caucus given votes which depOsed the
man who built up the radical party, the Sena-
tor from Massachusetts-Mr.S Sumner. With
out concluding Mr. Blair gave way and the
Senate went into executive session and then
adjourned.
The House met at IL o'clock this morning.
Mr.. Roosevelt, of New York, alluded to the
frequent laudation of the negro for their devo-
ton to the Union, and said the fact was that
during the rebellion they indirectly did all
they could towards breaking up the Union by
feeding the armies opposed to the Government
and in the erection of defensive works. He
opposed the bill, saying that it would break
down all State authority, create new class of
offences, sweep away the safeguard of law,
namely, the habeas corpus, and try and punish
men by drum.head court martial instead of by
due process of Jaw. What may be done in the
South may be done in his own State, and this
at the discretion of the President.
Five minutes befOIe noon, this being a con-
tinuation of the recess from Saturday, the
House adjourned till noon.
The Speaker called the House to order at
noon, and after prayer by the Chaplain and
reading of the journal of Saturday the House
resumed the consideration of the bill to en-
force the provisions of the 10Th Amendment.
Mr.. Dawes, of Massachusetts, said the debate
had been progressing for nearly a week, and
his object in rising was to ask the gentleman
having charge of the bill whether he could not
indicate some time when the discussion should
close SO that the House could proceed to the
details of the bill.
Mr. Porter, of Virginia, said there was thirty
Republican members from the Southern States
and thus far only three of them had been heard
in favor of the bill. Gentlemen distant from
where the outrages have been committed expe-
rienced no difficulty in obtaining the floor. To
cut Southern members off might peril the BILL
Mr. Dawes said he desired to cut off nobody
from any section. He was surprised at the le-
mark of the gentleman from Virginia that il
Southern members should not have an oppor-
tunity to speak the bill would be imperiiled
His only object was to come to an understand.
ing as to a time for terminating general debate
He had as much interest in the bill as ANYBODY
yet for the purpose Of facilitating business he
had refrained from addressing the House.
Mr.. Porter related that it was not his pur-
pose under any contingency to oppose the bill,
but when great wrongs and injustice had been
perpetrated in the Southern country it was
but proper that gentlemen from that section
should be heard After long conversation
the result was an agreement that general de-
bate shall continue to-day and tomorrow, with
an evening session, and that the House will
meet Tomorrow at II o'clock and that on We'd
nesday morning the House will consider the
bill under the ten minutes rule, and that the
amendments be decided as in the Committee
of the Whole.
MIR. Kinse'la of N. H., opposed the bill as
unnecessary and unwarranted, and Mr. Van
Trump followed on the same side. He argued
earnestly in favor of general amnesty as the
only just AID statesmanlike policy for Congress
to exercise towards the South.
Ellis II. Brooks of N. Y, referred to the evil
denca of OutraOes in most nj Tho Ctafoo lately