Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-02-15
FORTY-FIRST CONGRESS.
This Afternoons PROCEEDINGS.

SeBsse nv the Vice President.
ton. bnt
Mr. Hamilton Md objected, ard stated that
lie wished 10 examine it.
Ir. Anthony offered a resolution, which was
adopted, instTucting the Committee on Elles -
;n.@iEe what measures can be taken 20 secure
4 CDRRBCT REPORT
o. tbe proceedings o. the Senate N the public
Mr Morton called Up the join. resolution OF
the legislature % Indiana Withdrawing is a.
ssEt 10
TEE FrFTrEHTH AEExuyFxT
10 the Constitution.
The resolutions were read, aid ~. Morton
said these resolutions had passed tie Senate %.
Indiana by d strictly parsy. and would IN
lo1ltcdly PASS the House, and a. he woUiihave
Az opportunity later lie proposed % make some
remarks upon them now. The resolutions de-
clare that the ratification OF the fifteenth
amendment by the Senate Of Indiana was lie
gal. because OF the absence o. a CONSTITUTIONAL
quorum, and that tie am aDGment was void he
cause OF tie enforced assent ut Virginia. Mis-
sissrpI. and Texas. If tbs was the case wit
the nftcenth Imenlmentit was equally 50 with
tie fourteenth, as both must stand or fan to-
E5thsr. These 10 solutions arc pgcdicRted upon
the theory that the reeelIi0Gs States los 10
rights by their rebellion; doctrine which i
abhorent ~ common sense. But ibis is the
doctrire OF the democratic party. Assuming
that treason was A crime, and that it worked a
forfeiture or former rights, and the authority
Oh tie part OF the general government 10 exact
guarantees for The future, how are those guar
antees 10 he secured. Plainly by the written
law, 10y incorporating them in the constitution,
and enforcing the assent OF these rebel States.
hr. NJ. then, on this point, argued thai u was
plainly III The power OF Congress 10 prescribe
the conditions uPUn which she rebel States
should he restored 10 their former rights IN the
mon. and that the constitutional amendments
were iGht in themselves. and were vital 10 the
safety OF the nation; and 20 prove that the As
sent OF the Southern States TO them was secured
by coercion. IL will have 20 be iiTSt admitted
that those States lost TO shts by going into the
rebellion.
In reference 10 Tie allegation in the resolu-
tons hat the assent OF Indiana 20 the fifteenth
amendment Was involved, Mr.. NJ. said that az
appropriation bin, passed On the same day by
the same quorum, was contested and IIed 10
the Supreme Court OF Indiana, where II was
decided that the court had Ho power 70 20 be
hind the enrolled ball.
Mr.. NJ. then stated that N he late disputed
question of what constituted a Quorum an the
Indiana legislature, the democrats hc!t tha, a
quorum required two-thirds OF All the members
elected, while the republicans held that two
thirds of those present constituted q quorum.
he fifteenth amendment received % votes III
the Senate of Indiana, and ~ In the House,
clear majority of all the members elected; aud
hence these resolutions assuming % rescind the
assent OF the State are mere harmless nulltty,
and deserving OF no consideration except for the
spirit IN which they are c0ucled. They breathe
the abEorrent doctrine Of notification AMI Sc
Cess.or. They DO not represent the people Of
Indiana, tie majority u whom are republicans
But il is well for the country 70 know the issue
made 10y the democratic party. That party
does not mean 10 accept aBy OF the results OF
The war. They DO not mean To recogni &c the
reconstruction acts. They DO not mean 10 re-
ccgnize the fourteenth and fifteenth amend
ments, and II they have the power they Will
nullitv them. Last session. when Tesolutiorl
was OfeIed 1T the House affirming tie validity
OF the fourteen and fifteenth amendments. not
single democratic member voted TO- Il. Not
q SINGLE CCInOcTgtI. legislature ia the cuu.Itr-
has recognized the validity of these ameni-
inerfs, and today the state OF Kentucky multi
lies az important provision OF the fourteenth
FttDrsL he
right 10 testify in cases TO which white peoy,c
are parties. The Supreme Court OF California
ami the governor ~ that State assume hat
Congress has nO right TO propose these amen BE-
mems, and the legislature OF oregon tec' ares
they are nuiiity
NE. FLAIR
said tho Senator from Indian ..t!v represents
tAe administration, ia the open and bold III AL
rtr al which he expresses his ccUtemIt for rep
iC>entdtive government. Last summer II was
SAID that the Senator was 20 take a high Office
under the administration. but alter the Gle ton,
and the democrats carried that State, the Sen
alter concluded not TO accept the place, for the
avowed purpose, il was said, OF preventing "A
,lemocrat from being sent here 10 represent the
State, lNr. acknowledgements represent
The state. he Mr.. e. would not use harsh
tenn, and say the Sen itor misrepresented the
PEOPLE OF Indiana. AM kept his seat here 10
Prevent them from sending one heie who dit
more nearly represent them. In the Chicago
platform the republican party promised the
people that the principle involved In the iif-
ttenth amendment was entirely in the control
OF lEe NfAtct. Iher Carried the election
this promise, and yet when Congress came to-
gether II Immediately proposed this amendment
anu voted down a proposition to submit ir
10 the legislature TO be thereafter elected, and
the Senators and Representatives from the
States of Missouri, Kansas, Michigan New
York and Ohio voted Tor the Amendment. al
though the people al those States had voted
down negro suffrage at the previous election by
immense maiorities; and the legislatures OF
some or these States, elected al the same time
ratified this amendment. In his own State of
Missouri, where the people had voted IL down
hy 0.0Oo majority, the Legislaturr adopted
one-halI OF the amendment "n telegram.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
medistely alter the reading OF the journal, tte
regular order Icing demanded, the House pro-
ceeded TO the consideration OF
THE ELL TO AMEND THE ENFORCEMENT Act.
MIR. El,lridge (Wis.A addressed the House.
charging that the bill was unwarrantable. un-
9ustlhabie, and atrccioGs, without one redeem
ing feature, Overthrowin. and treading out All
State rights. Ii was, lie said, the GROWING act
OF Capitalization, substituting the Federal bayo.
net tor the authorities Of the States. 1t creates
host OF offices, and fills tie land with spies
and make> new crimes never known TO the law
before. No iair-minded man could read the
provisions of the bill without being satisfied il
had It's origin IN the Interests of an unscrupu-
lous party.
Mr.. Eldrdge reviewed the several sections OF
the bill pointing TO the provisions which placed
the control OF the elections rs he charged en-
tirely in the hands Of federal offcers {, the ex-
for the work. Aside from this interference this
force OF officials would become ALI electioneer-
in. army such as had never been known before,
and unwarranted and unparalleled power to
arrest was given to these men while the officers
OF the States municipalities were prohibited
from interfering But TO cap the whole the
twelfth section placed the army and navy
ut the command oil the deputy marshal
There WAS TO be no hesitation. the law was i'm
perative, and the highest military officer was
placed at the command of the most insignid-
can. deputy marshal. He looked upon the bin
as an electioneering scheme to prop up the wan.
ing fortunes Of the republican party. The bin
would provide for from forty or fifty thousand
deputy maIshals aside from those who might be
pressed into service on election day The
details OF the bill were, he said, sckenins in the
extreme, and gave evidence of the desperate
straits TO which the party which insugurated it
had been reduced.
Mr.. Eldridge asked il, in giving the right to
the colored race, this blu had been made neces-
sary-if, in freeing the slaves, the white race
had becomes slaves. There was no constitu-
tiOnal warrant for the measure. 1t was rank
usurpation, and an insult 70 the people Of the
United States, and would end in bloodshed
The cry "Let US have peace would not avail
in the face of such measures As these. and the
People would teach Congress that such meas