The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-12-25


In addition TO the credit which Mr.. AScE
i, entitled TO for having kept North Carolina
50 ,on~ unreprescnted hy q Conservative IN
the United States Senate, he has had the
honor of being the cause Of the temporary
defeat Of the general amnesty bill. On FIT
,i,v last. in Committee of the Whole in the
senate. numerous amendments to the bill as
il came from the House were offered ana
voted down because the senators knew that
i; amended the bill would have to go back
70 the House of Representatives, and so
world fail to pass before the Christmas re-
cess. which was to commence that day. Inc
following amendment, however, after having
hccn once defeated, was adopted by vote Of
80 10 2G
Pr0ritlcd, That this act shall not he con-
>tricd to relate back to or validate the clec-
ton or appointment of any person 10 the
position of senator or representative in Con-
ssrcS<, or to any office. civil OF military, under
the United States, which person was at the
date Of such election or appointment inellgl-
BE to tie office or position to which he may
have Eccn go elected or appointed"
This amendment was adopted to exclude
Mr.. VANCE from the Senate. Its adoption
settled the fate of the bill for the time being !:
and the friends of the bill did not press it to a
vote The vote by which this amendment
was adopcd does not indicate Mr.. FANcEs
prospect of getting seat in the Senate, since
a number of senators doubtless voted against
il who will also vote against seating him for
it was asserted by Mr.. THURMAN that as
VANCE had been elected some time previous
", the passage of the bill could not validate
his election if he was ineligible at the time he
WAS choscn--if, in Il word, his election was
absolutely void and not simply voidable.
Those who held this doctrine, and those also
who did not wish the bill to be temporarily
defeated by the adoption of the amendment,
voted against it. SO that Mr.. VANCE has now
no excuse for not surrendering his creden-
tiaIS and whatever claim he has to scat in
tie Senate.
The debate on the bill was highly interesting,
and evidenced the kecnest legal acumen in
various scnators--particulally III Messrs.
TRrMDuLL, EDAuNDs, CoNKIISG, and THUR
MAX. Mr.. SUMNER appeared to great disad'
vantage in this discussion. His speeches
were almost pucrile contrasted with those OF
the other gentlemen we have named. He
was ont of his acknowledgement his depth.
Their arguments were pure logic and law
points. SUMMERS dcclamatory powers count
for nothing when such debates are going on.
Mr.. TurRMAN's speech especially was diStin-
gnished for the highest degree of ingenuity
and ability, and proved how familiar he is
with every sort of legal question that could
arise in such discussion. The question was
indeed Il knotty one. Mr.. SUMNER had offered
his bill supplemental to the civil rights bill
a. an amendment to the general amnesty bill
and Mr.. THURMAN had made the point Of
order that inaslnuch as the general amnesty
bill would require for its passage two-thirds
vote, whilst Mr.. SuMNERs, if standing
alone, would require for its passage merely
majority vote, the latter could not be
entertained. The point had been decided
against Mr. THURMAN by the President pro
tenn, and lie had appealed from the decision.
1t was upon this point Of order that the dis.
cusSion arose. 1t seemed sometimes that
EpMuNDs, or CoNKLlNG, or some other astutt
lawyer, had the distinguished Ohio senator
1--WE are proud of him as native of Virginia
upon the hip but he always rallied; and thu
immense impression that he and his allie.
made upon the Senate may be inferred from
the fact that though the decision of the Presi
dent was against him, as well as Jeeerson's
Manual apparently, yet when the vote was
taken the Presidents decision was sustained
by u majority of only two in vote of fifty
four senators.