The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-05-22
SENATE.

Committee on Finance to sill during III
sessions Of the Senate.
Mr.. EDMUNDs called up the House sur
Elemental appoftionment bill, grantinI
additional Representatives to New HamE
shire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylya
mia, Indiana, Tennessee. Louisiana, Ala
bana, and Florida.
Mr.. MORTON offered an amendment
leaving i optional with each State to cleo
the additional Representatives given b.
this bill, either at large or as representa-
tives Of q district. tIFTI
Mr.. CAssERLY opposed the amendment
and argued against the system Of electinl
Representatives at large.
MIR. MORTON said he thought Il yery
desirable that the large States especially
should have Representatives at large.
At the expiration Of tho morning hour
the bill went over.
Mr.. PATTERSON called up the bill fol
adjusting the claims of New Hampshire
for money advanced to volunteers.
Messrs. PATTERSON and CRAoIN ex,
planned the bill and 1t was passed..
The Senate then resumed the considera
ton OF the habeas corpus suspension bill
Mr.. ALcoRN made general denial oil
the charges made against him by Mr..
AMRs last evening. The Senator (AMRs'
had charged him with attempting to ride
two horses. 1fso, he was trying to guide
them to the common goal Of harmony
and peace, while the Senator (AMEs) was
content to ride the black horse alone. He
feared, however, that the Senator would
soon lose his seat. As to the charge that
he, tAIcoRN) when he was Governor, had
misused the secret service funds OF the
State, 1t ought to be some consolation to
MIR. ANrEs that even II the funds Of Missis.
sippi were misused, It was no loss Ia
him personally, as he had never paid any
taxes IN the State, and had not any inter.
est or even residence there. Laughter.
The TACT was, however, there had moi
been single defalcation by public of.
ticers in Mississippi appointed by him.
and the people Of the several counties in
the State would be glad II the same could
be said OF those appointed by Senator
Ames. he (Alcorn) had expended some
OF the secret service funds in attempting
to catch Mississippi appoiDtees who had
run away with public money, but, like
the Ku.Klux, they were expert enough
to keep out Of the way. Laughter.
Mr. BAYARD said he had long ago
come to the conclusion that the party In
power was making systematic attempts to
put the elections throughout the country
under the control of the Federal Govern.
ment, and each successive step confirmed
him in that view. A few days ago the
Senate had passed Louisiana election
bill for that purpose, and now it was de-
manded that power to suspend the hd6eds
corpus act should be continued in the
President, the object being the same.
Legislation seemed to be assuming more
and more every day the form OF military
order, and the government was becoming
government Of will, instead OF a gov.
ernment Of laws. But there was some
hope that these extreme measures would
bring about a good result by awakening
the people to the dangers surrounding
them, and so produce salutary reaction in
favor OF respect for the laws and safe.
guards Of the Constitution.
Mr.. CARPENTER, from the Committee
on Judiciary, reported, without amend.
ment, bill to amend the bankruptcy act,
by substituting 1871" for "1S64' in the
first proviso Of the the fourteenth section.
Also with anlendpents to Mr.. TRUM-
BULBS bill, amendatory to section 33 OF
the hankruntny oft
In conclusion Mr.. BAYARD asked the
Senate and the whole country whether, in
view Of the history Of the past three
years, 1t was not time toabolish recon.
strucuon and substitute for it reconcilia-
ton.
Mr.. MORTON said Senators had opposed
this bill and had spoken at great length,
but he did not complain Of that, because
they had very difficult task. They had
charged the President with exercising
despotic powers for malignant purposes
and assailed the motives OF officers acting
under him and the party supporting him.
This attack was mAde Tor political pur.
poses and these speeches had been pre-:
pared as campaign documents, he felt,
therefore, that in discussing this question
he owed 1t to the administration and to
the Republicans members Of the Senate
to speak plainly and'te the whole truth.
He said that when the war closed there
was a general good feeling throughout the
North, and feeling Of forgiveness towards
the South and in favor, Of general amnes.
ty prevailed, that feeling lasted several
months, and the Democratic party was
responsible for its passing away. The
party at the North advised the Southern
people that they had forfeited nothing by
the rebellion, and that the imposition oi any
conditions Of reconstruction was tyranny
and usurpation. The Southern people
accepted this advice, and the result was
that when Congress was compelled to
embark in. the work OF reconstruction
the governments at the South were
thrown, by the action of the Northern
Democrats and Southern leaders, into the
hands Of the colored people and Of
Northern men who had gone there. This
was a necessity of the situation; but II
the Southern people had rejected the ad.
vice Of tho Democrats and had
continued in the frame Of mind in
which they were after the war, they would
have had the matter in their own hands
again, In 1868 the Democratic party
in convention, resolved that the re.
construction acts were null and void
and prominent Democratic leader
Mr.. BLAIR, declared that 1t would be
the duty Of the Democratic President
when elected, to overturn the carpct-bag
governments by force.
Mr.. MORTON here defended the carpet.
baggers. so.called. Most OF them, he SAID
were Union officers and soldiers, who
liked the soil and climate OF the South
and decided to made their homes there
They had as much right to go TO the
South as to the West or any other part O
the country.
The testimony taken by the Congres
sianal Committee concl1sively demon
a nd la - Al.