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CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. 



cisely similar or very nearly similar to the pro- 

 vision which the Senate has stricken out, only 

 applicable to the House alone. I merely give 

 that notice now. I cannot move it as an amend- 

 ment to this resolution, because that would send 

 the resolution back to the other House, which 

 is not desirable." 



Mr. Raymond, of New York, said : " I wish 

 to inquire, not being versed in the usages of the 

 House, or its rules, whether this clause of the 

 Constitution does not apply. It is the seventh 

 section of the first article of the Constitution : 



Every order, resolution, or vote to which the con- 

 currence of the Senate and House of Representatives 

 may be necessary (except on a question of adjourn- 

 ment) shall be presented to the President of the 

 United States ; and before the same shall take effect, 

 shall be approved by him, or being disapproved by 

 him, shall be repassed by two-thirds of the Senate and 

 House of Representatives, according to the rules and 

 limitations prescribed in the case of a bill. 



" I do not understand how that can be evaded. 

 It is possible that the usages of the House may 

 dispense with it." 



Mr. Stevens, of Pennsylvania, replied: "Un- 

 der the usage of the House, a resolution in this 

 form is never sent to the President, and it is 

 not desired that this resolution should be. I 

 know it has not been the practice heretofore to 

 send such resolutions to the President." 



The amendments of the Senate were then 

 agreed to. 



In the House on December 14th, the Speaker 

 announced the following members of the joint 

 committee on the part of the Houe : Messrs. 

 Thaddeus Stevens of Pennsylvania, Elihu B. 

 "Washburne of Illinois, Justin S. Morrill of Ver- 

 mont, Henry Grider of Kentucky, John A. 

 Bingham of Ohio, Roscoe Conkling of New 

 York, George S. Bontwell of Massachusetts, 

 Henry T. Blow of Missouri, and Andrew J. 

 Rogers of New Jersey. 



In the Senate, on December 21st, the follow- 

 ing members were announced by the President 

 pro tern,. : Messrs. Fessenden, Grimes, Harris, 

 Howard, Johnson, Williams. 



In the Senate, on December 19th, Mr. An- 

 thony, of Rhode Island, offered the following : 



Resolved, That until otherwise ordered, all papers 

 presented to the Senate relating to the condition and 

 title to representation of the so-called Confederate 

 States, shall be referred to the joint committee upon 

 that subject. 



It was laid over until January 16th, when it 

 was considered. A debate arose on the ques- 

 tion whether the resolution embraced the cre- 

 dentials of Senators. Mr. Doolittle, of Wis- 

 consin, moved to insert the words " except cre- 

 dentials," and the debate was not concluded. 



In the Senate, on January 12th, Mr. Fessen- 

 den, of Maine, offered the following, which was 

 agreed to : 



Resolved ly the Senate (the House of Representa- 

 tives concurring), That the joint committee appointed 

 to inquire into the condition of the States which 

 formed the so-called Confederate States be authorized 

 to send for persons and papers. 



The same resolution was agreed to in the 

 House on January 16th yeas 125, nays 35. 



In the Senate, on January 30th, Mr. Fessen- 

 den, of Maine, offered a joint resolution, appro- 

 priating $10,000, or so much thereof as might 

 be necessary for the expenses of the committee, 

 for witnesses, travelling expenses, etc., which 

 was passed. It subsequently passed the House 

 on February Yth, and was approved by the 

 President on February 10th. 



In the Senate, on February 1st, Mr. Brown, 

 of Missouri, offered the following resolution, 

 which was agreed to : 



Resolved, That the joint Committee on Reconstruc- 

 tion be directed to inquire into the expediency of 

 amending the Constitution of the United States so as 

 to declare with greater certainty the power of Con- 

 gress to enforce and determine by appropriate legis- 

 lation all the guaranties contained in that instrument, 

 and more especially, first, that which recites the peo- 

 ple, without distinguishing them by color or race, as 

 those who are to choose Representatives; second, 

 that which assures the citizens of each State all privi- 

 leges and immunities of citizens in the several States ; 

 third, that which enjoins upon the United States the 

 guaranty to every State in the Union of a republican 

 form of government. 



In the Senate, on February 10th, Mr. Wilson, 

 of Massachusetts, offered the following resolu- 

 tion, which was agreed to : 



Resolved, That the Committee on Reconstruction be 

 directed to inquire into and report how far the States 

 lately in rebellion, or any of them, have complied 

 with the terms proposed by the President as condi- 

 tions precedent to their resumption of practical rela- 

 tions with the United States, which terms and con- 

 ditions were as follows, namely : 



1. That the several State constitutions should be 

 amended by the insertion of a provision abolishing 

 slaverv. 



2. tfbat the several State conventions should de- 

 clare null and void the ordinances of secession and 

 the laws and decrees of the Confederacy. 



3. That the several State Legislatures should ratify 

 the amendment to the Federal Constitution abolishing 

 slavery. 



4. That the rebel debt, State and Confederate, 

 should be repudiated. 



5. That civil rights should be secured by laws ap- 

 plicable alike to whites and blacks. 



In the House, on December 14th, Mr. Wilson, 

 of Iowa, offered the following resolution : 



Resolved, That all papers which may be offered 

 relative to the representation of the late so-called 

 Confederate States of America, or either of them, 

 shall be referred to the joint committee of fifteen with- 

 out debate, and no members shall be admitted from 

 either of said so-called States until Congress shall 

 declare such States or either of them entitled to rep- 

 resentation. 



Numerous points of order were raised, which 

 were overruled by the Speaker, and the resolu- 

 tion was adopted yeas 107, nays 56. 

 - On December 18th, Mr. Baker, of Illinois, 

 offered the following preamble and resolution, 

 which was referred to the Committee on Recon- 

 struction : 



Whereas, class rule and aristocratic principles of 

 government have burdened well-nigh all Europe with 

 enormous public debts and standing armies, which 

 press as a grievous incubus on the people, absorbing 



