The New York herald., 1871-12-12

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| ins-Fernando Wood as Reform Her
cuIes-Hurrying Up Manifest Destiny.
| Mondays are the periodical seed times In the
two houses of Congress. That is the day
when, particularly in the lower House, the
opportunity is given for introducing bills and
having them referred to committees. The
States aud Territories are called In their
order every Monday, and each representative
and delegate can then set his particular little
argosies afoat on the insweeping tide
of legislation, few of them, fortunately,
being destined ever to reach port or even
to be heard of any more Yesterday was
one of those days, and the feet Of little paper
boats that was sent adrift was positively
bewildering. Let us try to pick out and
describe few of them.
First comes the stately chairman Of the
Committee on Foreign Affairs, and launches
his several ventures by which he proposes to
supply provisions for carrying out in various
respects clauses of the Treaty of Washington,
upon which President Grant plumes bis admin
| istration so much. These may all come
safely to port but so much can hardly be said
for another venture which he sent out in their
wake, and which has for its aim the prohibition
of American citizens residing abroad from
owning slaves How Mr.. Banks calculates
| to bring these unreconstructed and unre-
generate Americans within the jurisdiction
of this government, and to make them amena-
BILE to our laws, is question which we do not
care to discuss or attempt to explain. But
Congress is great, and has already tried its
hand on legislation quite as difficult and as
far from the scope of its authority. Who,
then, can say that it will not undertake to
stretch out its arm even to the Golden Horn,
and punish the Americ an Sybarite who dares
to own, in the city of the Sultan,
graceful Circassian or Greek slave2 Mr..
Cox, always ready to cast his mantle of
charity over the erring, introduced bill
for general amnesty, without exception.
Many other members, more chary of their
mercy, came forward with propositions for am
nesty in particular cases, while in the Senate
the General Amnesty bill, passed by tho
House at the last session, was reported back
from the Committee on Disabilities with re-
commendation for Its passage. 1t lies over for
the present. But let US here repeat the hope,
which we have so often expressed, that a
clean sweep be made of the matter, and that
not single person be left to complain Of our
| government for any lack Of generosity. It is
mean and impolitic to make any exceptions or
to punish any man, Of high or low degree, for
participating in a rebellion which was the
work of the whole Southern people.
Among the other House bills deserving a
| passing notice was one introduced by Mr.. Kill
linger, of Pennsylvania, looking to whole
| sale governmental reformation in the railroad
system of the county; one by Mr.. Butler, of
Massachusetts,, to secure and protect She free
| dom of travel and commerce within the
| United States, which means, we suppose, to
| give colored people the entrfe to the grand
| saloons of the Sound and Hudson River
steamboats, and to the palace cars Of Pullman
one by Mr.. Hoar, of Massachusetts,, to pro-
tect the elective franchise, and one by Mr..
Negley, of Pennsylvania, 10 prohibit the col
| lection of harbor port or pilotage fees by
virtue of State or municipal authority. Va
| rious propositions to amend the constitution
were also .made-one by Mr.. McNegley, of
Illinois, depriving Congress of the power
to raise taxes by imposts or excise, but only
| by direct tax on property, such tax to be
| assumed, collected and paid by the States
respectively, at their option, aud one by Mr..
| King, of Missouri, to prohibit miscegenahon,
and to authorize the States to provide for the
education of white and colored children In
separate schools.
| Mr.. Fernando Wood laid down, in resolu-
tlon submitted by him, programme for
slve scale, and which may probably be re-
garded as embracing new democratic
platform. He demands that the repub-
lican party shall, through it's legislative
and executive powers, provide for the inn
mediate reduction of direct taxation and
import duties to q strict revenue standard !;
for the reduction of expenses and
the abolition of sinecure Offices; for the res
toration to the people of the States and their
local governments Of the rights originally pos
sessed by them under the constitution; for the
abolition of governmental paper money and the
restoration of hard cash for the reduction oi
the army to peace footing; for the preven-
ton Of Treasury ''bulling" and bearing" In
Wall street for bringing the President and his
Cabinet under the authority Of law and enforc-
ing their obedience to It; for restoring to the
Southern States and people peace, prosperity
and contentment, through the cessation oi
vindictive legislation and military interfer-
| for ha al IF n
commerce, the restoration Of American
credit and the reinauguration Of repub-
ican simplicity; and for aiding in the full
development Of the agricultural, mineral and
| commercial raso nrces Of the country There