CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. 



133 



ruVrs thoy nrc nctinp; under. It seems tome this 

 eoul'l lie <-orn-i-t<-<! liv n-Lranling every officer on duty 

 with (rcidiis in tlie Southern States as agents of the 

 ,n s liuivaii, und (lien have all orders from 

 flic lii'acl of tin' Imreaii sent through department com- 

 mander*. This would create a responsibility that 

 would sei-iii-e uniformity of action throughout all the 

 Smith ; would insure the orders and instructions from 

 til-- ]n-ad of the bureau being carried out, and would 

 from duty and pay a large number of em- 

 ploys of the Government. 



1 hnvo the honor to be, very respectfully, your 

 obedient servant, U. S. GRANT, 



Lieutenant-Gcncral. 

 His Excellency A. JOHN-SON, 



President of the United States. 



Mr. Snmner : " I wish to know whether tho 

 re;>ort of Major-General Carl Schurzis annexed 

 to the message of the President." 



Tho President pro tempore : " The Chair 

 understands that it is." 



Mr. Sumncr : "If it is there. I think it had 

 better be read." 



Several Senators : " It is very long." 



Mr. Sumner: "It is a very important docu- 

 ment. Tho Senate will remember that when 

 the report was made on the condition of things 

 in Kansas, every word of it was read at tho 

 desk. Now the question before the country is 

 infinitely more important than that of Kansas. 

 We have a message from tho President which 

 is like the whitewashing message of Franklin 

 Pierce with regard to the enormities in Kansas. 

 That is its parallel. I think that tho Senate 

 had better at least listen to the opening of 

 Mnjor-General Schurz's report." 



Mr. Johnson : " I have no objection, if the 

 Senate think thoy have time to listen to it ; but 

 I do not expect to hear any assault, direct or 

 indirect, upon the President at this time." 



Mr. Sumner: "No assault at all." 



The motion was. agreed to. 



Mr. Johnson : " I have seen nothing in the 

 message which would warrant a reflection that 

 any improper purpose had actuated the Presi- 

 dent in sending it hero. He does not mean, as 

 I suppose, to whitewash anybody who has of- 

 fended. His opinions upon the state of the 

 country are fairly stated, clearly stated, with an 

 absence of all passion, and I think commend 

 themselves to the attention of the Senate. But 

 I arose, Mr. President, for no such purpose as 

 that of involving ourselves in a debate in rela- 

 tion to the Executive. I only suggest that per- 

 haps it would be as well that this report should 

 be printed, instead of being road now, as the 

 Senate has a good deal of business before it; 

 but I withdraw the objection if the Senate de- 

 sire to hear it." 



The Secretary proceeded to read the intro- 

 ductory paragraphs of General Schurz's report, 

 in which he states through what portion of the 

 South he travelled, the points at which ho stop- 

 ped, his facilities for obtaining information, and 

 the order in which the results of his observation 

 would be detailed. 



Mr. Sherman : '' I would much pf efor to read 

 this document in print; and I rnovo to dispense 



with its further reading, and that it be printed 

 with the message and the other IJM|HT-.. I can- 

 not very well hear the reading whilo conversa- 

 ti'Ti i* going on in tho chnraber." 

 Tho motion was adopted. 



In the Ilonse, on December llth, Mr. Nib- 

 lack, of Indiana, moved a suspension of the 

 rules, to allow him to offer tho following resolu- 

 tion : 



Resolved That pending the question as to the ad- 

 mission of persons claiming to haver been elected 

 Representatives to the present Congress from the 

 States lately in rebellion against the United States 

 Government, such persons shall be entitled to tho 

 privileges of the floor of the House. 



Tho motion was lost. Yeas 39, nays 110. 



Mr. Garfield, of Ohio, offered tho following, 

 which was agreed to : 



Resolved, That tho President bo requested, if not 

 incompatible with the public service, to communi- 

 cate to this House any information in the possession 

 of any of the Executive Departments of the Govern- 

 ment in reference to a so-called decree, by Maxi- 

 milian, the French agent in Mexico, under date of 

 September 5, 1865, reestablishing slavery or peonrfgo 

 in that republic, and also what action, if any, has 

 been taken by the Government of the United States 

 with reference thereto. 



In tho Senate, on December 12th, the Houso 

 resolution, as follows, was considered : 



Be it resolved, ty the Senate and House of Represent- 

 atives in Congress assembled, That a joint committee 

 of fifteen members shall be appointed, nine of whom 

 shall be members of the House and six members of 

 the Senate, who shall inquire into the condition of 

 the States which formed the so-called Confederate 

 States of America, and report whether they, or any 

 of them, are entitled to be represented in either 

 House of Congress ; with leave to report at any time, 

 by bill or otherwise ; and until such report shall have 

 been made, and finally acted on by Congress, no 

 member shall be received into either House from 

 any of the said so-called Confederate States ; and all 

 papers relating to the representation of said States 

 shall be referred to the said committee without de- 

 bate. 



Mr. Anthony, of Rhode Island, said: "I 

 move to amend the enacting clause of the reso- 

 lution, which now reads as a joint resolution, 

 so as to make it a concurrent resolution, inas- 

 much as a joint resolution goes to the President 

 for his signature." 



The motion was agreed to. 



Mr. Anthony then moved to amend by stri- 

 king out the following words after tho word 

 " otherwise." 



And until such report shall have been mar';, and 

 finally acied on by Congress, no member shall be 

 received into either House from any of the said so- 

 called Confederate States ; and all papers relating to 

 the representation of said States shall be referred to 

 the said committee without debate. 



Mr. Howard, of Michigan, opposed the 

 amendment, saying: "Mr. President, I cannot 

 vote for that amendment. I prefer the resolu- 

 tion as it came from the House of Representa- 

 tives, because, whether tho concurrent resolu- 

 tion has or has not the effect of law, it certain- 

 ly contains within itself a pledge on tho par* 



