Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1872-02-03


journmeut Of Congress May Doth was the SUBJ
iect Of considerable discussion, and it was f.
naly referred to the committee on way sand
means for their judgment. An effort was
made through resolutions offered 10y Mr.. VOor-
bees, Of Indiana, to recognize tie belligereut
ri gbts Of the Cuban insurgents, which obtain
ed 70 votes against 100, after which they were
referred to the House committee on foreign af
fairs.
TUESDAY
The Senate passed the House bill appropri
ating $4,000 for the entertainment Of the
japanese embassy, and the bill setting apart
Yellowstone Valley as a public park. Tue
bill to pay the French spoliation claims was
reported by the committee Oh foreign relations.
The amnesty bill was debated by Messrs Sauls-
bury, Scburz twho favored universal amnesty
and Nye, the latter saying be intended to keep
those rascals referring to the persons uu
der political disability-out Of the Senate as
long as he could
Mr. Schurz said he was in favor Of universal
amnesty. The great object should be to re-
move all Determinations, to make all the peo-
pie equal, and to thus promote love of one
common nationality. lie then drew picture
Of the condition of the Southern State govern
ments, ascrbing the Generalization, anarchy
and corruption which generally prevailed, to
the exclusion from participation in the govern
ment Of the mass Of the intelligent aud refined
people of the South. The wonderful conduct
Of the colored people Of the South when eman-
cipation was proclaimed, entitled them to
great credit Where serfdom has been abol-
ished in the countries of Europe, it has been
followed by the glare Of the burning of the
mobiles castles, and of dreadful acts of person.
al vengeance. No such result had followed
emancipation in the South But the late
slaves, in their ignorance and of their plastic
nature, were ct materials to be operated on by
the rascals and scoundrels who seeking for
tune and taking advantage Of the peculiar cir
cumStaueeS existing, 1ocked to that section
and elevated themselves to place aud power
If it was intended to punish the treason of
the rebellion a row of gallows might have been
erected extending from the Potomac to the
Rio Grande, but the instincts Of the American
people revolted from such punishment as
this And as treason was not punished, he
contended that no good was ever done, no
question of public policy ever called for the
visitation of small degradation upon those peo-
pie. The Senator from Connecticut (Mr
Buckingham had compared the treason of the
leaders of tie rebellion to the conduct of Alb
salon, and had put the question that if Absa-
ION had lived what would have been thought
Of his claiming the sceptre of his father? lie
Mr. S. accepted that illustration. If Absa-
ION had lived, David, as a wise king, would
have either visited upon him the full penalty
of his guilt, or be would have pardoned him
completely.
He iustauced, as an example Of wise policy,
the case Of Count Androssy, now at the head
Of the Austrian cabinet who only few years
ago was sentenced to be executed for compiled
" in the Hungarian rebellion, and spoke at
some length Of the great benefit which had ac-
crued to Austria from her policy Of couciiia-
ton.
Some said, is not the rebellion to be pun
ishcd lie said yes, and lie asked if it had not
been punished, if the woe the desolation, the
ravaged fields aud honesteads of the South,
It's slain sons, its ruined hopes, its bitter hunl
iation. more bitter than thai which had ever
before fallen upon man, if all this was not
punishment 1t will be said, have we not
sufered-have our sons not been slain by the
thousauds2 True, but we came out Of the con-
test with victory perched upon our bauners.--
Our honor was brighter and we had settled
great principles.
He concluded with an eloquent and earnest
appeal to pluck tue thorn from the flesh of The
Southern people, to he actuated by no mere
political considerations. As the people Of the
North and South are to live together, let the
people Of the South know and feel that in con-
querug them We did not do it as their enemies
but as their friends. II did not want those
who had siuned against the Union to see in its
Tag the symbol IF their degradation, he want
ed them to feel that they bad All equal inter-
ct in the honor and dignity Of that flag
In the House a resolution adopted authoriz-
ing the committee on banking and currency to
send for persons and Papers in their investigation
Of the New York national bank failures. 4 bill
extending the time within which pension frauds
NAV be punished to five years from the date Of
their commission passed
bill was reported limiting the right Of appeal
to the Supreme Court ofthe United States in civil
cases to those in which the involved should
amount to five thousand dollars and extending the
right to criminal cases involving life and in GER
tain eases liberty. Mr.. Merrick moved an amend
ment excepting the District OF Columbia from the
civil limitation. he said he had been a judge in