Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-01-14

From the Congressional Reeord.l
Mr. Speaker, rise to privileged question
move to reconsider the vote which has just been
now give notice that if the motion to reconsider is
agreed to it is my inte nton 10 offer the amend
ment which has been read several times will
not delay the House to have it read again.
Every time the question of amnesty has been
brought before the House by gentleman on that
side for the last two Congresses, it has been done
with a certain flourish of magnanimity which Is an
imputation on this side of the House, as though
the republican party which has been in charge OF
the Government for the last twelve or fourteen
years had been bgoted, narrow, and iiliberal, and
as though certain very worthy and deserving gen
tlemen IN the Southern States were ground down
to-day under great tyranny and oppression, from
which the hardheartedness Of this side of the House
cannot possibly be prevailed upon to relieve them.
If NAV anticipate as much wisdom as ought to
characterize that side of the House, this may be
the last time that amnesty will be discussed in the
American Congress. therefore desire, and un-
der the rules OF the House, with NO thanks to that
side for the privilege, to place on record just what
the republican party has done IN TINS matter; !
wish to place it there imperishable record Of
liberality, and large -mindedness, and magnanimi-
ty, and mercy far hey ond any that has ever been
shown before in the worlds history by conqueror
to conquered.
With the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr..
of the hot hame of war, when the Union was rock
ing to its foundations, and no man knew whether
we were to have country or not. ! think the
gentleman from Pennsylvania would have been
surprised when be and were novices in the Ihir-
ty-eighth Congress, if he could have foreseen be-
fore our Joint service ended, we should have seen
sixty-one gentlemen, then in arms against us, ad-
mittsd to equal privileges with ourselves, and all
by the grace and magnanimity OF the republican
party. When the war ended, according to the
Nhn (.n- nnf hon
under the exclusive control Of the republican par
ty, had the right TO determine what should be the
political status of the people who had been defeat
ed in war. Did we inaugurate any measures OF
persecutionl Did we set forth on q career Of
bloodshed and vengeance Did we take proper.
ty, Did we prohibit any man all his civil rights :
Did we take from him the right he enjoys to-day,
to vote
Not at ALL But instead of general and sweep
ing condemnation the republican party placed in
the fourteenth amendment to the Constitution on
ly this exclusion; after considering the whole
subject it ended in simply coming down to this
''That no person shall be Senator or Repre-
sentative in Congress or elector OF President and
Vice President, or hold any office, civil or militia
rv under the United States, or under any State,
who having previously taken an oath, as mem
ber Of Congress, or as an oicer OF the United
States OF as member of any State Legislature,
or as an executive judicial officer OF any State,
to support the Constitution of the United States,
shall have engaged in insurrecuon or rebellion
against the same, or given aid or comfort to the
enemies thereof. But Congress may, by vote OF
two-thirds of each House, remove such disability
1t has been variously estimA that this section
at the time of its orig final insertion in the Consti-
tuition included somewhere from-fourteen to thirty
thousand persons; as nearly as can gather to-
gether the facts of the case, il included about
eighteen thousand men in the South. 1t let go
every man of the hundreds of thousands-or mil
lions if you please-who had been engaged in the
attempt to destroy this Government, and only held
those under disability who in addition to revolving
had violated special and peculiar and personal
oath to support the Constitution of the United
States. 1t was limited to that.
Well, that disability was hardly placed upon the
South, until we began in this Hall and in the 9TH
er wing of the Capitol, when there were more than
two-thirds republicans in both branches, to remit
it, and the very first bill took that disability off
from 57S citizens of the South; and the next bill
took it of from 1926 gentlemen-by wholesale
Many of the gentlemen on this floor came in for
grace and amnesty in those two bills. After these
bills specifying individuals had passed, and Others
of smaller numbers, which will not recount, the
Congress of the United States in 1872, by two
thirds Of both branches, still being two-lhirds re-
publican, passed this general law:
"That all political disabilities imposed by the
third section OF the fourteen article of mendments
of the Constitution of the United States are here
by removed from all persons whomsoever, except
Senators and Representatives Of the Thirty sixth
and Thrty-seventh Congresses, officers in the Ju
dical military, and naval service of the United
States, heads of Departments, and foreign minis
ters of the United States
Since that act passed q very considerable num-
Der of the gentlemen which is still left under disa
bility have been relieved specially, by name in
separate act'. But behcve, Alr. Spe aker, IN no
sing instance since the act of May % 1872, have
the disabilities been taken from any man except
upon his resi- eciul petition to the Congress ofthe
United States that they should be removed. And
| believe no Instance, except one, have they
been refused upon the petition being presented.
| believe in instance except one, has there
been any other than a unanimous vote.
Now, | find there are widely varying opinions
in regard to the number that are still under disa
bilties in the South. have had occasion, by con-
ference with the Department of War and Of the
Navy, and with the assistance OF some records
which have caused to be searched, to be able to
state to the House, | believe with more accuracy
than it has been stated hitherto, just the number
of gentlemen in the South still under disabilities.
Those who were ofiicers of the United States Ar
my, educated at its own expense at West Point
and who joined the rebellion, and are still includ-
ed under this act, number, as nearly as the War
Department can figure it up, 325; those in the
Navy about 295. Those under the other heads,
Senator's and Representatives Of the Thirty sixth
and Thirty seventh Congresses, officers in the ju-
dietary service of the United States, heads of De-
partmenis, and foreign ministers Of the United
States, make upa number somewhat more difficult
to state accurately, but smaller in the aggregate.
The whole sum of the entire list is about-it is
probably impossible to state it with entire accura-
cy, and do not attempt to do that's about I5O
persons now under disabilities.
l am very frank to say that in regard to all these
gentlemen, save one do not know of any reason
why amnesty should not be granted to them as II
has been to many others Of the same class. l am
not here to argue against it. The gentleman from
Iowa Mr.. Ksssonl suggests ION their applica-
tion." l am coming to that. But as have said
seeing in this list, as | have examined it with
some care gentleman to whom think there
would be any objection, since amnesty has already
become so general-and | am not going back o!
that question TO argue it-I am in favor of grant
ing il to them. But in the absence of this re-
spec,ful form of application, which since May p
1872, has become a sort of common law, as pre-
liminary to amnesty, l simply wish to put in that
they shs Il go before United States court, and in
open court, with uplifted hand, swear that they
mean to conduct themselves as good citizens ofthe
United States. That is all.
Now, gentlemen may say that this is foolish
exaction. Possibly it IS. But somehow or othel
have prejudice in favor Of it, And there arr
some petty points in it that appeal as well tt
prejudice as TO conviction. For one do not wan
to impose citizenship on any gentleman. If an
correctly informed, and l state it only On rumor
there are some gentlemen in this list who hav'
spoken contemptuously of the idea of their takinl
| oil, psb; nd mi al nf the id