The Portland daily press., 1872-01-31
XLIId CONGREsS--sECOND SESSION.
SENATE.

WASHINGTON, Jan 30.-A bill appropriating
$4,000 for the Japanese Embassy reception,
was passed.
The amnesty bill came up and Mr.. Salisbury
spoke in favor thereof.
Mr.. Davis of kentucky, gave notice that on
Friday he will call up his resolution on execu-
tive deriliction.
A resolution was adopted that the Postmaster
furnish the names of claimants for mail service
In Louisiana prior to 1861. .o
resolution was adopted that the Secretary
of War give the nature and extent of the OBJ
strustions in Red River.
THE AMNESTY BILL.
AT the expiration of the morning hour, the
amnesty bill was taken up.
Mr.. Salisbury spoke at length in favor of the
bill. He would prefer amnesty making no ex-
ceptiOns, and if he had hope of success would
move to strike out all exceptions from this bill;
but that being apparently hopeless at this time,
he would give the bill his hearty support trust
ing that the generous spirit of the American
people would soon enforce removal of all disa-
In conclusion he denounced Mr.. Summers 8 civil
rights amendment as an attempt to degrade
white men to the level of an inferior race.
Mr.. Schurz followed with an elaborate speech
in favor of universal amnesty. He had at first
intended to vote for the House bill without
amendment, expecting it would be promptly
passed, but the bill having been amended in
one particular it must go back to the House;
therefore, there was no longer any reason for
refraning from an attempt to make it apply to
all classes laboring under political disabilities
at the South. The Senator from South Caroli-
ma (Robertson) had given notice that he would
move to strike out exceptions from the bill, and
but for this he (Schurz) would move that mo-
tion, believing that the reasons which make it
desirable that there should be amnesty at all
make it desirable that the amnesty should be
universal The wickedness and terrible conse-
quenceS of the rebellion had been adduced by
Mr.. Morton and others as a reason against am
nesty, but if the rebellion had beeu still more
wicked, and its consequences still more terrible,
he (Schurz) could not permit himself to forget
that in dealing with this question Congress had
to deal with not the past, but the present and
future interests of the South and whole count
try. Experience had shown that the system of
disabilities did not serve in any way or measure
to protect anybody in his rights of life, liberty
or property, and, therefore, it was the duty of
Congress to acknowledge the mistake and place
men of character and ability at the South in
position where they could take part in the man.
aqement of affairs. He had heard it said that
many of the late rebels did not deserve amnes
ty. Perhaps not; but was not the welfare of
the country of far more important conSidera-
ton? A Senator had asked whether defaulters
should be punished and traitors allowed to go
free, and whether embezzlement was greater
crime than treason. That was not the question
The question was whether general amnesty to
the rebels was not more demanded by public
good than general pardon of thieves. A broad
distinction was always drawn between the vio
lations of law in which political opinion was
controlling element, and crimes implying moral
depravity. There were men now sitting in the
German Parliament who few years ago were
fugitives from justice. They had been admit
ted, too, without being asked to abjure their
former opinions, and most of them now belong
ed to the liberal opposition. Count Andrassy,
condemned to death in 1S49, was now at the
head of the Austrian Ministry, and it was well
known that the liberal amnesty granted him
had done much to attach Hungary to the Impe-
rial Crown. Again it was argued that certain
men should be excepted from amnesty because
they had been educated by the United States
government and had deserted its service. But
the rule had been violated by the appointment
to Office of one of the most conspicuous of the
class-Gen. Longstreet In the discussion of
this question in the Senate, so much had been
heard about the wickedness of the rebellion as
a reason against amnesty, that the question
was suggested whether the argument comprised
the whole of the political wisdom and virtue of
those who used it, and whether we were to keep
the Southern States in their present condition
merely for the purpose of keeping the thorn in
the side of our enemies, and demonstrating
again and again our disapprobatiOn of the re-
bellion? The people We're fast becoming aware
that the greatest crime of the rebellion is that
there are other villianies which imperatively
demand correction. They were beginning to
look behind the vociferous assertions of austere
and exclusive patriotism to see what abuses they
were intended to disguise and to discover that
good and honest government in the South, as
we'll as all over the country, would do infinitely
more to revive true loyalty and healthy rational
spirit than laws calculated to keep alive the
and resentment of the past
Mr.. Nye said it had been left for NJ. Sohurz
to discover the sovereign panacea, a sort of po-
Of the body polite. The Senator had denounc-
I'd all who did not agree with him on this ques-
tion as lacking in craftsmanship and compre-
hension of the spirit of true republicanism. He
.Nye) thought he knew as much about the his
tory of the rebellion and of his country as Mr..
Schurz did, because he had been born here, and
he submitted that it was not quite becoming in
Mr.. Schurz to charge lack of craftsmanship
upon all the great men who had dealt with these
questions since the rebellion; who had given
to teach what the true spirit of Amer
can institutions was. For his (Nye's) part he
would never consent to give the rebel leaders
light to take part in the government. He would
Keep them browsing on the outside until their
hair grew as long as Nebuchadnezzar's s, and if
hat was not craftsmanship then he did not
know anything about it. Naughter.) The
Senator wanted the leading rebels relieved SO
rs to bring higher order of talent into public
life at the South; but he would rather have a
ower order of talent cultivated in a school of
oyalty. AS to the abuses in the government of
5he Southern States the people had only them
selves to blame for it. They had sown the wind
and they must reap the whrlwind. eg 4- Il
Mr. Schurz said he would not reply at length
TO Mr.. Noyes Speech but he would notice one
emark,-his boast that he was to the manor |
born and therefore must know more of Repub-
ican institutions than those who were not
He wished the Senator from Nevada to under
stand that adopted citizens would judge for
themselves. They had come here with desire
% enjoy of the blessings of Republican institu-
lions, and their desire to maintain them was by I
no means less than that of native citizens, and
# the Senator thought they must follow his
ead in order to be entitled to the rights of cit
zenship he was very much mistaken.
Mr.. Nye denied that he had said anything
the Senator himself had told the Senate some
time ago that he had been waited here on the
wave of revolution. He (Nye) found no fault
with the wave. Uaughter.) But he did won
1er on what meat the Senator had fed that he
had grown so great as to turn instructor in the
principles of Republicanism.
Mr.. Robertson gave notice that he would ask
the Senate to set Tomorrow till a vote was had
On the bill
Adjourned. .tt
HOUSE
A bill was passed appropriating $25O,O0O for
A lot of land in st. Louis for site for Gov
building, the entire cost Of the build
ing not to exceed $2,00000O
A bill was passed providing that merchandise
either by boat or rail from the port of
arrival to an interior port of destination shall
be under the exclusive control of the Custom
House officers and inspectors stationed at prop
er points or on the boats or trains at the ex-
pense of the transportation companies; the
not to be unladen between the
port of arrival and destination except author
lied by the treaty regulation, and no breakage
of an original package will be allowed.
Resolutions were adopted authorizing the
Banking Committee to send for persons and
papers in conducting the examination of the
causes of the recent suspension of national
banks.
Bills were passed extending the statute of
limitations for the prosecution Of claims against
the Government; to pay the fees of respondent
witnesses in extradition cases; to prevent fur
ther smuggling; providing that collectors of
customs and internal revenue collectors report
to the District Attorney within ten days all
fines and forfeitures, and making it the duty of
the District Attorney to Immediately COM
mense prosecutions for the recovery thereof
Mr. Butler, of Massachusetts,, reported bill
to further regulate the appellate jurisdiction of
the Supreme Court. 1t increases the existing
minimum of limitation $4,000 as the value Of
matter in dispute to $4,000, and allows criminal
cases to be certified from the Circuit Court to
the Supreme Court for revision of doubtful law
questions.
AT the expiration of the morning hour it went
over
The House concurred in the Senate amend
ment to the apportonment bill.
Mr.. Connor, of Texas, offered resolution,
which was referred to the Committee on For
eign Affairs, for inquiry into the outrages COM
mitted by Mexican citizens and Indians against
citizens of the United States.
The House then went into Committee of the
Whole, Mr.. Cox in the chair The Indian ap-
preparation bill was taken up. 1t extends
through seventy printed pages, and appropriates
about $5, 500, 900. A discussion upon the differ
ont of md ta1 a