The Portland daily press., 1872-01-24
LXIID CONGREsS-.SEGOND SESSION.
SENATE.

Mr.. Trumbull on presenting several of the
latter from the Western States, called Mr.. Nor
fills attention thereto, saying that Mr.. Morrill,
appeared almost alarmed at their number
Mr.. Morrill, responded that he had the utmost
respect for spontaneous petitions, but none for
such petitions as these which showed by their
uniformity of language and their yellow covers,
that they all emanated from the British Free
Trade League in New York. Uaughter.)
The appointment bill was reported to the
Senate with amendments, tables, sc.
Mr.. Pomeroy from the Committee on Public
Lands reported a bill setting apart certain
lands near the headwaters Of the Yellowstone
river as public park. This valley he said was
about 40 by "A miles in extent and full of natur-
al curiosities, but without any good agricultural
lands and he thought it important to pass the
bill before private parties should go in and es-
tablish claims, as they had done in Yo Semitic
valley,
Mr. Sherman from the Committee on Finance,
reported bill to allow importation, free of
duty, of certain machinery designed for expert
ments in mining in Louisiana which was pass
ed.
THE AMNESTY BILL.
The amnesty bill was taken up Mr.. Morton
spoke against general amnesty and predicted
that if granted the next step will be to pension
rebels, the next to pay rebels for their proper
ty taken by the union armies in the war includ-
ing slaves and the next to pay the confederate
debt. He declared himself opposed to univer-
Sal suffrage anu cDlrQCIeT1Zeu The arguments
in it's favor as based upon sickly sentmentalism
and spurious generosity. He thought there
was a good deal of misapprehension throughout
the country in regard the disabilities now rest
ing upon those who engaged in the rebellion
1t was perhaps not generally know that Jeffer-
son Davis and all of his followers had as much
right to vote as any man who served in the
Union army. He reviewed the history of the
18th amendment and argued that the provision
in it authorizing Congress to remove disabilities
al h,,f L. IA.
seemed, therefore, straining the 14th amend
ment to pass the amnesty bill as it came from
the House. He was willing, however, to vote
for that bill, but he never would vote for it
with the exceptions stricken out. The disabil-
ern leaders Was hS ttha s 81 dis
appreciation of the rebellion and he could never
consent to its removal because that would be to
acknowledge that the rebellion was not wrong,
but was merely a difference of opinion, and
that the leaders have the. same right as loyal
men to hold the highest offices of the govern
ment. 1t was argued that amnesty would con-
ciliate the people of the South, but he believed
that the leaders could no more be conciliated
than rattle-snakes conld be concilsated
by restoring their extracted fangs. They would
die as they have lived-rebels. If universal
amnesty were to be granted now, 1t would be
impossible to convince the next generation that
there was anything wrong in the rebellion and
the Republican party could not concede guilt
lessness of the rebellion without classifying Its
whole record and disgracipg itself before the
world Mr.. Morton further said he would vote
for Mr.. Summers supplementary civil rights
bill as amendment to the amnesty bill
Mr.. Thurman said that Mr.. Morton's fears
and predictions were too preposterous to be
shared or believed by any intelligent man in
his senses, and expressed surprise that Mr..
Morton as leader of the Republican party
should denounce amnesty so fercely when the
President had recommended it in his message
Mr.. Morton replied that the Senator had just.
said that he could not understand this admins
tration That was true; the whole Democratic
party were unable to understand this admins
tration Caughter) or the times in which they
lived. They were like man riding in car
backwards, who never sees anything until he is
clear pastit. 1aughter) AS to the dangers
that would result from their coming into power
he would ask whether the Democrats were not
committed to pay for the rebels slaves? To
show that they were he sent Frank Blairs
Broadhead letter to the desk to be read, and
said it was because of the sentiments expressed
in that letter Mr.. Blair was given the second
place on the Democratic ticket.
Mr.. Blair-If you had not backed out of your
speech in 1865 in favor of President johnson
you might have got my place. Q4aughter.)
Mr.. Morton thought Mr.. Blair must be igno-
rant of what he had really said in that speech.
He had expressly declared that he was in favor
of universal suffrage, but had favored period
of probation for the colored people of ten or
fifteen years. The Southern Whites however,
following the lead of the Democrats, had made
it necessary to enfranchise the colored element
at once in order to get loyal basis ON which to
reconstruct the State Governments. The Sena-
tor from Missouri (Blair) had once been mem
Der of the Republican party and had left it,
Mr.. Blair=-I left it because of its usurpations.
joined it when the whole party could have sat
down at dinner table, and left it when it
was in power oil over this country to join a
party that was out Of power. As to the Sena-
tors speech, remember that when he deliv-
cred it he was thought to be very fit person
for Mr.. Johnson's Cabinet, and If the people of
the South were misled by any one it was the
Senator himself in that speech. .-sa
Mr. Morton-The Senator attributes more i'm
portance to that speech than ever did. AS to
being thought fit person for Mr.. Iohnson's
Cabinet know nothing about it, but can say
this much, that there never was an Office in the
gift of Mr.. johnson would have accepted. 1
say, without disrespect to him, that have
heard it said that sought place in his Cabi-
net That is false. There never was an hour
in which would have resigned the Governor
ship of Indiana for any place except in the
United States Senate. Mr.. Morton said further
that this was the most important question be-
fore Congress-far more important than the
civil service reform or tariff revision
Mr.. Scott followed with an argument in favor
of the amnesty bill as it came from the House,
but said he was not prepared to vote for univer-
sal amnesty.
Mr. Robertson gave notice that he would en-
deavor to bring tile bill to a vote tomorrow
| Mr.. Window presented petition, signed by
Gen. Sheridan and other officers, representing
100000 soldiers in the army of the Cumberland
praying that the time they served in the army
| be allowed in the five years required by the
homestead laws after two years of actual resi-.
| dence.
About o'clock the Senate went into execu.
tive session and soon after adjourned.
| HOUSE.
| Petitions for the reduction of the tobacco tax
| to sixteen cents and for the repeal of the ta1
| on spirits were presented. - "
! Mr. Sargent of California from the Mining
! Committee reported a bill for the development
of the mining resources of the country. 1t de
clares that all government lands whether su
veyed or not, free and open to exploration an(
purchase and defines certain rules governing
newly discovered mines, ETC.
After an explanation by Mr.. Sargent the bill
was passed.
Mr.. Pierce, from the Committee on Educa
ton and Labor, reported a bill to establish al
educational fund and to apply the proceeds o
ed that it be put upon its passage The bill
| sets apart and consecrates forever the proceed
| of public lands for the education of the people
1t requires the Secretary of the Treasury to in
vest half the amount of the net proceeds from
public lands in United States bonds and re
quires the other half and the income from tina
Invested to be distributed to the several State
and territories and the District of Columbia up
on the basis of population and after certain con
ditions as to school houses, ETC., are compile,
with. Fifty per cent of the amount thus APP
propriated may be applied the first year to TIL
instruction OF teachers of common schools ant
ten per cent. after the first year, afterwards tn
whole amount to be applied to the payment o
teachers.
The House went into Committee of tn