Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-02-02
HOUSE.

Mr.. Jones, of Kentucky, presented
petition of the manufacturers and deal
ers in tobacco stuff and cigars of Gov
ington against the special tax and tax on
sales.
The Test Oath Partially Abolished.
The House resumed the consideration
of the Senate bill passed last April, pre-
scribing the oath of Office to be taken by
persons who participated in the late re-
bellion but are not disqualified from hold
ing office by the fourteenth amendment.
After a noisy and excited discussion the
Senate bill abolishipg the test oath for
persons in the South, not disqualified by
the fourteenth amendment, was passed
without amendment by yeas lis, nays
SO. 1t now goes to the President for ap-
proval.
The bill provides that such persons
shall take the oath prescribed In the act
of July IS, 1868, prescribing an oath of
office to be taken by persons from whom
legal disabilities shall have been removed.
A Negroes Maiden Ku-KluI Speech.
Long, colored, of Georgia, made his
maiden speech in opposition to the bill,
claiming that the men whom it would re-
ieve were leaders of the Ku-Klux Khan.
He declared that since the rebellion
closed more than 500 loyal men had been
killed in Georgia, and not one of their
murderers had been brought to justice.
More of the Same SOrt-Tennessee
Discussed.
MIR. Maynard argued against the bill
and presented communication he re-
ceived yesterday addressed to Gen. Le-
man, who reported the bill to Butler.
The communication represented the
Union people of Tennessee in a hopeless
and deplorable condition, under the COM
plete control and at the mercy of the
enemies of the government. He ex-
pressed the belief that there are more
practically DISTINGUISHED men in Tennes-
see to-day than at the close of the war
when the Union men got possession of
the State Government, the only difference
being they were then DISTINGUISHED by
law and DOW by violence. He con-
demned the miserable namby PANTY SEN
timent which is doing more to sap the
foundations of the government and over |
throw it than Lee and all his hosts.
Mr.. Dawes inquired whether the severe |
treatment meted out to the Rebels had not |
had an effect contrary to that intended.
Mir. Maynard replied in the negative.
Mr.. Garfield said he was unwilling that |
the vote which he should give for the bill |
should be construed to be a vote to favor |
Ku-Klux in any State. He asked the |
gentleman from Tennessee, (Mr. Maynard) |
whether the retention of the irOn-clad |
oath in the cases from which this bill |
proposed to leave it would have the least |
possible effect in suppressing outrages in |
any outhern State.
Mr.. Beck said nobody need be surprised |
at the scolding INDUCED in by the gentle
man from Tennessee.
Mr.. Maynard said he had been scolding
all his life. He would read the House a
scOlding he had given the abolitionists of |
in 1858, in regard to Kan
sas matters. He then read an extract |
from the Globe of that year.
Mr.. Farnsworth remarked when the |
two gents from Tennessee, Maynard and |
Arnell, were declaiming against the bill,
he almost fancied twas the ghost of Ham
let's father, crying, Swear, swear, swear,
Qaughter,) as if a test oath were the |
great psnscea for all the woes the South |
is suffering under The intelligent white |
people of the country could not be |
damned up by any such means. Sooner
or later it would break down. If the |
gentlemen of Tennessee had passed lib
eral laws and allowed the DISTINGUISHED |
to come back into the fold and vote and |
hold office they would not had any trouble
in that State which they now had. The |
trouble in Tennessee had been caused by
Mr.. Arnell-I deny it.
The bill passed provides that officers
not ineligible under the fourteenth amend |
ment may take the oath prescribed for
persons whose disabilities have been re-
moved.
Mr.. Cook introduced a bill for the relief |
of purchasers of land sold for direct taxes
in insurrectionary States, which was
passed also one providing that, where a
railroad company is operating in State
and has officers there, it shall be deemed |
q citizen of the State so far that it shall |
not be permitted to remove causes brought |
against it by citizens of the State from
the State courts to the United States |
courts. Passed.
Mr.. Butler, of Massachusetts, intro
duced a bill allowing parties in certain
cases to testify making laws of each State |
govern as to competency of witnesses in
all criminal trials in United States courts |
in such State. Passed.
Mr.. Bingham introduced bill to amend
the act of the 91st of May, 1870, to en-
force the rights of citizens of the United
States. Went over till tomorrow.
AJiourroI