The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-01-15
Washington News and Gossip.
WASHINGTON, j.

- Washington News and Gossip.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 4, 1874.
A rumor is afoat here that before the lapse of
many days republican member of the House
will submit to that body somewhat bold and
startling proposition for the relief of the South
srn States from their present disheartenlng
financial embarrassments. This proposition, it
is said. will be to advance to the Southern
States several hundred millions Of cash, or its
equivalent, and partly in consideration Of the
heavy losses suffered by the Southern States in
the loss Of their slave property. Of course
there is no hope of the success of any such
scheme this side of the Presidential election of
1876; but suppose you have an ambitious re-
publican or two intent upon new departure
for 1876, you will perceive that, in gaining the
good will of the South, through the proposition
suggested, the republican leading OF IN this
movement will secure some capital to build
Upon. It seems TO be understood here that a
uowerfu1 bolt from the administration party is
bound tc be made for the campaign of 1876,
and so if some leading republicans during this
session of Congress shall lead off in some move
ment for the Southern vote not set down In the
administration programme you need not be
surprised.
when the nomination of Chief Justice Will
tiams comes up in, executive session, which
may not be for several days. as the judiciary
Committee is not in hurry to make report,
Senators Chandler and Conkling will first try
TO rally the administration Senators to thesup-
port of Mr.. Williams on purely party grounds.
IF rejection stares them in the face, then they
will try the game of adjournment, and Conk-
ling will try to pass his compromise arrange
ment, already mentioned in these dispatches,
to abolish the office of Chief Justice as Pres.
dentiai appointment. It is now considered
certain that Mr.. Williams will be rejected, the
latest acquisition to the opponents being Sena-
tor Frelinghuyson, making six of the seven
members of the judiciary Committee opposed
to his confirmation. q,
In accordance with the promise made in his
Message, the President will tomorrow send to
Congress the correspondence relating to the
case Of the Virginius. AS prepared at the
State Department., it embraces the whole or.
virtually the whole documentary history Of the
case, beginning with the first telegraphic in
structions Ito Minister Sickles to inform the
Spanish government what the demands of our
government would be if the then unofficial
news should be confirmed, and including the
correspondence with General Sickles, which
ended in the acceptance of his resignation, and
the opinion of the Attorney General concern
ing the status Of the vessel -
According to programme, the Civil Rights
bill will be the first thing after the morning
hour in the House of Representatives, and Mr..
Stephens, of Georgia, is to open the debate. In
order to guard against any mistake or misrep-
resentation of his views, Mr.. Stephens has, for
the twenty second time in his life, prepared a
written speech. In this address Mr.. Stephens
states, first, the grounds upon which he does
not oppose the bill and, next, some of those
upon which he does oppose it. In this order
of division he declares first, that he is not op-
posed to the bill because of any disinclination
to have awarded to the colored race the full en-
joyment of all their civil rights. He is not
opposed to the colored race having the amplest
Justice done them as equals before the law.
Second, his opposition springs from no preJu-
dice against race, color or previous condition
of seryitude. He is for equal justice to all.
Third, in the administration of justice, which
he maintains to be the real source OF peace,
harmony in all societies or States, governments,
in his opinion, should not be Influenced by the
common yet pernicious dogma of the greatest
good to the greatest NUMBER" but the higher,
better rule of the greatest good to all without
detriment oriujury toany. In stating his rea-
sons afirmatively for opposing the bill, accord
ing to his method of treating it, Mr.: Stephens
assigns but two. First, the want of constitu-
tiotal power to enact it. On this head, Mr..
Stephens goes into full discussion of the
powers conferred by the new articles of the
amendment of the constitution as they stood,
and without any inquiry as to how they became
incorporated into the organic law. He quotes
LARGELY from decision of the Supreme Court
of the United States, delivered at its last term,
known as the slaughter House cases." and
also from another decision afterwards made by
the same Court at the same term, which, he
maintains, fully sustains him on the constitu-
tional question. The fourteenth and fifteenth
amendments, so far as they relate to the SUBJ
iect under consideration, he contends, are only
protection;againstS State legislation, and confer
no new powers upon Congress- The rights
secured to the colored race are to be enforced
in the same way that the rights secured to that
like prohibitions in the constitution before the
amendments were made-that is, not by mu
nicipal acts of Congress operating over the
people of the several States, hat by the judg-
ment of all courts declaring that all such hos
tile State legislation is null and of no effect.
Secondly, Mr.. Stephens opposes the bill upon
the ground Of expediency; even if there was
any necessity for the passage OF any such
measure, it should be left to the State Legisla-
ture. On this point he maintains TINT the
powers claimed by the bill, even if vested in
Congress, had better be left to the States, il
view of the whole nature, spirit and history of
our government. If there is any truth more
prominent than all others in that history, it is
the fact that the germinal principle of all our
free institutions was the great right of local
selfgoyernment by the States. The great issue
of constitutioualism on the one side and CEN
tralism on the other must soon be met in this
country. The dawn of new epoch in the
politics of the United States is upon us. The
elements of present party organizations will
soon fall into new alignment. Of this issue
Mr.. Stephens maintains that whatever party,
by whatever name, whether republican, demo-
cratic or any other which shall plant itself on
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