CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. 



purpose which they <h-iiv ; that it 

 ..iiimeiiciiig at Appomatiux CYmrt-Hou-e, 

 u 'here (Jeiieral (irant left off. The gentleman 

 would have more truly expre-st-d the tart, in 

 my judgment, il' lie liatl declared that it was 

 commencing exactly \vhcro Robert E. Lee left 



And tin- gentleman from Pennsylvania 



(Mr. Steven-), is bold enough to declare that it is 

 .: poso to concur in the revolution which 

 ..indurated by secessionists and carried on 

 by them against the Government of the United 

 j, and whirh he says ho hopes to see per- 

 fected in making this a true and perfect Ku- 

 pnblio. 



But the effect of this bill is to abrogate the 

 Constitution of the United States, to overthrow 

 all government, and commit all the rights, all 

 the vast interests of the people of those States 

 subject to the supremo will and pleasure of a 

 military despot. I cast no reflection upon any 

 particular man or officer who may bo deputed 

 to hold position and exercise power under this 

 bill ; I make no charge against any one, for I 

 know not who may be appointed. But I do say 

 that whoever he may be, he will, he must of ne- 

 cessity, be a tyrant. Ho cannot fill the posi- 

 tion and bo any thing else. The work prescribed, 

 the power to be exercised, can only be performed 

 and exercised by tyrants. And yet gentlemen 

 atl'ect to believe this is a restoration of the Union ; 

 this is the preservation of the Republic ; this is 

 the constitutional guarantee of republican form 

 of government ; this is the consummation of all 

 our hopes, the reward for all our sacrifices in 

 the fearful struggle through which we have 

 passed. "What good can gentlemen expect from 

 this measure ? what protection of the rights, 

 interests, lives, and liberties of the people not 

 secured by your Constitution ? What laws do 

 you expect are to be administered ? Has your 

 constitution of government proved itself in years 

 gone by so defective and inefficient that to-night, 

 in the presence of the civilized world, in this 

 American Congress, you we going to declare 

 that it U a sublime and miserable failure ? You 

 declare nothing less than this ; you declare even 

 more than this, that in the last four years you 

 have become so much in love with military rule 

 and military authority that you will now sub- 

 stitute for your written Constitution, the best 

 the world has ever seen, exclusive military 

 authority. 



"Do gentlemen expect that the people, on 

 whom this despotic, this tyrannical measure is 

 to be imposed, will submit tamely ? That they 

 will bear uncomplainingly this kind of rule for 

 an indefinite period of time? Do you expect 

 that quiet, good order, peace, and amity will 

 come out of such laws and impositions as this? 

 I tell you, gentlemen, that if blood does not. 

 flow again, if war does not again rage in this 

 land, it will be no fault of this measure or of 

 those who support it." 



After an extended series of speeches, the 

 House refused to concur in the Senate's amend- 

 ment by the following vote : 



TKAS Messrs. Alley, Alliton, Ames, Andf-rsoo, 

 DcloH K. A-lilcy, Baker, Baldwin, ! amin, 



Kichvi II, liiirjliiim, 111 HIM-. lUuw, J!u'-kl. MI. Kuntlv, 

 K.-.i-liT \V. Chirk.-, 1'imk, <'iill(iln. D DttVU, 



Dawes, Defrees, IMaim, I). ,-!.in^, l>..i|/ 



Farnswnrtli. .-s\..l.l. II. .M Hill 



Chester D. Hubburd, James H. Hul.MI, Hulburd, 

 Kasson, Ketcham, Laflin, George V. Lawrence, Wil- 

 liam Lawrence, Longycur, Marvin, Maynard, ilcln- 

 doe, McKue, McKm-r, Miller, Moorhead, Morris, 

 Oitli, I'utu-rscin, Hunts, Pomeroy, Price, Raymond, 

 Alexander II. Kice, John II. Kicej Boffin*, Rousseau, 

 SchiMick, Spalding, Stilwcll, Nathaniel 0. Taylor, 

 Tliuyer, Francis Thomas, John L. Thomas, Upson, 

 Hurt Van Horn, William B. Washburn, Welker, 

 Whaley, James F. Wilson, and'Woodbridge 73. 



NAYS Messrs. Ancona, Arnell, James M. Ashley, 

 Banks, Baxter, Beaman, Bergen, Be utwcll, Boyer, 

 Brandagee, Bromwell, Broomall, Campbell^ Chanlcr, 

 Sidney Clarke, Cobb, Cooper, Dawson, Denison, Don- 

 nelly, Driggs, Duraont, Eldridge, Eliot, Farquhar, 

 Finck, Goodyear, Grinnell, Aaron Harding, Abner C. 

 Dunlin*;, Harris, Hawkins, Haves, Henderson, Higby, 

 Hi-.-, Ilogan, Holmes, Hotchkiss, Dcmas Hubbard, 

 John II. Hubbard, Edwin N. Hubbell, Humphrey, 

 Hunter, Ingersoll, Julian, Kelley, Kelso, Kcrr, 

 Koontz, Kuykendall, Latham, Le Blond, Lcftwich, 

 Loan, Lynch, Marshall, McCullough, Mercur, Moul- 

 ton, Myers, Newell, Niblack, Nicholson, O'Neill, 

 Paine, Pcrham, Phelps, Pike, Radford, Samuel J. 

 Randall, Ritter, Rogers, Ross, Sawyer, Scofield, 

 Shanklin, Shellabarger, Sitgreaves, Sloan, Starr, 

 Stevens, Stokes, Taber, Nelson Taylor, Thornton, 

 Trimble, Trowbridge, Van Aernam, Robert T. Van 

 Horn, Andrew H. Ward, Hamilton Ward, Warner, 

 Wentworth, Williams, Stephen F. Wilson, Windom, 

 and Wright 98. 



NOT VOTING Messrs. Conkling, Culver, Dixon, 

 Eckley, Garfield, Glossbrenner, Hale, Asahel W. 

 Hubbard, Jenckes, Jones, Marston, McClurg, Mor- 

 rill, Noell, William H. Randall, Strouse, Elihu B. 

 Washburne, Henry D. Washburn, and Winfield 19. 



The House then asked a conference, and ap- 

 pointed Messrs. Stevens, Shellabarger, and 

 1 Maine, a committee. 



In the Senate, on February 19th, the non-con- 

 currence of the House was considered. A mo- 

 tion to insist, on the part of the Senate, was 

 made. 



Mr. Conness, of California, said: "Now, sir, 

 what is the difference between the House of 

 Representatives and the Senate upon this ques- 

 tion ? I undertake to say that it is a funda- 

 mental difference, npon which at this time a 

 conference committee can give us no additional 

 light, cannot aid us in arriving at a correct 

 solution. Besides, Mr. President, I am im- 

 pressed that as I shall call it, without intend- 

 ing to reflect upon the action of the other 

 branch of the national legislature the unfor- 

 tunate decision arrived at there is in part the 

 result of not the best faith on the part of pro- 

 fessed advocates of this great measure. I say 

 this because the importance of the subject, as I 

 have before observed, demands the utmost can- 

 dor as well as the 'most serious contemplation. 



"TVhat will be the result, if we commit this 

 measure to a committee of conference? Are 

 they to agree to strike out the provision which 

 requires, as a prerequisite, that the franchise 

 shall be conceded, and provisions to guarantee 

 it incorporated in the constitutions of the States 



