CON' I Ml I'D 





AT I II not rekindle and renew tin- warmth 



. riion which ought to exist between the 

 of this whole t-ountry. (iod kno\\> 

 i>ad strii'o enough, suffering enough, 

 ini-vry enough, wrctehedne-s enough. Ami 

 A ln-ii tin- country is dis-eveivd \<\ your 

 r kept dissevered nt least, I hope that 

 ices of such wholesale denunei;ition 

 will cca-ii.'. No, sir ; rather throw open your 

 ..the halls to the representatives of a peo- 

 ple \viio are anxious to get back under the 

 of tlio old national flag ami in com- 

 munion \vith their brethren of other States. 

 Instead of these denunciations let it go forth, 

 You nre not to be taxed without representa- 

 tion, hut taxing you we open our doors to your 

 I one shout of joy will go up through- 

 out tlii- length and breadth of this land from 

 ovcry true Union and conservative man. Even 

 the little children will join with their fathers 

 and mothers in invoking the blessings of Al- 

 mighty God upon your heads. Do it, sir, and 

 where the war has caused desolation there shall 

 spring up flowers of loveliness and beauty ; the 

 aching lu-art shall he made glad ; the despond- 

 nil will take hope ; and hereafter we will 

 iimreh on together to a common destiny of na- 

 lional glory and renown, a united, prosperous, 

 and happy people. Thus united we need fear 

 no enemy from without, and if we be true to 

 ourselves we shall have no enemy from within." 

 Mr. Hendricks, of Indiana, said: "When 

 this bill was first brought to the attention of 

 the Senate, the Senator from Michigan (Mr. 

 Chandler) demanded its passage upon a charge 

 which he made against the executive depart- 

 ment of selling pardons in this city, and he ex- 

 pressed himself very strongly indeed upon that 

 subject, lie said : 



Mr. President, it is a notorious fact, as notorious 

 as the records of a court, that pardons have been 

 for sale around this town, for sale by women, and 

 more than one woman. The records of your court 

 iu the District of Columbia show this. 



And ho then went on to say that he spoke 

 upon the authority of one of the judges of the 

 court in this District. After that statement 

 had been so deliberately made by him, the Sen- 

 ator from Connecticut (Mr. Dixon) gave it a 

 very emphatic and square denial. The Senator 

 Michigan stated that it was necessary to 

 repeal the section in order to take away from 

 '.vsideiit the power of pardon, and thus to 

 remove a reproach from our Government. I 

 could not sec- in the law the reason for his po- 

 sition. I could not see, after the denial of the 

 statement made by him and on the question of 

 his authority, that the facts justified him. I>ut 

 :dy ho owed it to himself, he owed it to 

 the judges of the court, to say precisely upon 

 what authority he made the statement, for it 

 was a very grave one. 



" This section only authorized a pardon by 

 proclamation. Now, I think, when the. Sena- 

 tor reflects a moment, he will not assume that 

 any pardon by proclamation has been procured 



liy any improper mean-'. I HUppOft) he referral 

 t<> individual pardons, and meant to suggest 

 that persons luid received compel 

 their , procuring the pardon of indi- 



viduals. 1 hardly suppose- that the S 

 tended to he nnder.-tood as charging that any 

 proclamation had been procured 1 

 I never heard any thing of the sort inti- 

 mated, ami 1 never heard that any question of 

 the kind was before any court in the 1; 

 of Columbia. If any such question was before 

 the court, then, sir, I think we ought to know 

 in what case, upon what record, upon what 

 evidence it is stated that tin- J'lv-ident of the 

 United States, under this thirt -enth section, 

 ever issued a proclamation upon improper and 

 corrupt considerations. This section simply 

 provides for pardon by -proclamation, with a 

 view to the adjustment of the troubles in the 

 country, so as to hold out to the Southern peo- 

 ple an inducement to return to their allegiance 

 to the Government and their obedience to the 

 laws, certainly a very proper purpose, justify- 

 ing the action of Congres> in iN enactment; 

 but what bribery can bo charged as having 

 been committed under this section ? I think it 

 is due to the other judges of the court that we 

 should know what judge has undertaken to 

 make such a charge against the executive de- 

 partment of the Government. But, sir, I am 

 not going to discuss that at length. I had sup- 

 posed the Senator would have produced the 

 evidence, and I think it would fail I cannot 

 but believe it would fail to establish that un- 

 der this section of the law any improper motive 

 had ever governed the President of the I 

 States. 



" I Object to the repeal of this section for but 

 one reason. It wfll be understood in the conn- 

 try as an expression by Congress against a 

 conciliatory course toward the Southern s: 

 It will bo understood as an expression by Con- 

 gress of its opinion that there ought not to be 

 pardon extended to the people of the South, 

 and that the policy which was understood to 

 have been adopted by Mr. Lincoln before his 

 death, and the policy which was subsequently 

 pursued by Mr. Johnson as President of the 

 United States in extending pardons, was an 

 improper policy. I do not wish to have it 

 understood that Congress shall express any 

 such opinion. My judgment is, that annuity 

 is the proper course and policy to be pursued 

 with a view to the permanent restoration of the 

 Union, and of tho relation of the States to the 

 Union." 



The amendment was rejected, and the bill 

 passed by the following vote : 



YKAS Messrs. Cattell, Chandler, Conness, Crapn, 

 Creswell. Edmunds, Fessi-mhMi. KI-SUT, Fowler, Hen- 

 derson, Howard, Howe, Kirkwood, Lane, Morgan, 

 Morrill, Poland, Rains* i.-niiaii, Stewart, 



Sumner, Tmmbnll,Wtde, \Vilk-y, Williams, and Wil- 

 son -J7. 



NATS Messrs. Dixon, Doolittlo, Hondricks, John- 

 son, Norton, Patterson, and Saulsbury 7. 



ABSENT Messrs. Anthony, Brown, Buckalew, 



