242 



CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. 



Noell, Phelps, Kadford, Samuel J. Randall, Hitter, 

 Rogers, Koss, Rousseau, Shanklin, Sitgreaves, 

 Strouse, Taber, Nathaniel G. Taylor, Nelson Taylor, 

 Thornton, Trimble, Andrew H. Ward, Winfield, and 

 Wright 46. 



NOT VOTING Messrs. Conkling, Culver, Dixon, 

 Driggs, Eckley, Garfield, Haie, Harris, Hogan, Asa- 

 hel W. Hubbard, Jenckes, Jones, Latham, Marston, 

 Morrill, William H. Randall, Stilwell, and Elihu B. 

 Washburne 18. 



In the Senate, on the same day, the amend- 

 ments of the House were considered. 



Mr. Williams, of Oregon, moved that the 

 Senate concur in the amendments of the House. 



Mr. Sherman, of Ohio, said : " The first clause 

 of the addition to the fifth section is a proper 

 one, I think. It simply applies the constitu- 

 tional amendment in fixing the qualifications 

 of delegates to a convention. I think there is 

 no great objection to that. I do not think it 

 wise to prevent the persons excepted from vot- 

 ing at the election; but it is a small matter, 

 and I am not disposed to stand upon a difference 

 in regard to it. The recital in the last section 

 is merely a repetition of what is contained in 

 the preamble, and therefore certainly no one 

 of those who voted for the preamble can object 

 to it. It simply declares that the existing 

 State governments in the rebel States are pro- 

 visional. That is precisely the theory upon 

 which the preamble is founded. I therefore 

 certainly shall not object to the amendment on 

 that ground. The only material objection I 

 would have, would be to that clause which dis- 

 franchises ten or fifteen thousand leading rebels 

 from voting at the elections ; hut for one I am 

 perfectly willing to agree to the amendment." 



Mr. Grimes : " Only at one election." 



Mr. Sherman : " It does not prevent them 

 from voting on the ratification of the consti- 

 tution. I shall therefore vote for the amend- 

 ment." 



Mr. Sumner, of Massachusetts, said: "I dif- 

 fer from the Senator from Ohio, when he char- 

 acterizes that as a small matter. It is a great 

 matter. 



" I should not say another word on this bill 

 but for the singular speech of the Senator from 

 Ohio yesterday. He made what I may call an 

 assault on me, because I required in this very 

 bill the amendments which the House have 

 now made ; and yet he is going to support 

 them. Very well ; I am glad that the Senator 

 from Ohio has seen light; but. I hope that he 

 will revise his speech of yesterday. The Sen- 

 ator shakes his head. What did I ask for? 

 What did I criticise in this bill ? It was that 

 it provided no safeguards against the rebels. I 

 did not say how many rebels I would exclude. 

 I only said you must exclude some of them, 

 more or less. You do not exclude any. That 

 is what I said yesterday, and I brought down 

 upon me the cataract of speech which we all 

 enjoyed from the Senator from Ohio, who pro- 

 tested with all the ardor of his nature, and he 

 invoked the State of Ohio behind him to oppose 

 the proposition of the Senator from Massachu- 



setts. And now, if I understand the Senator 

 from Ohio, he is ready to place himself side by 

 side with the Senator from Massachusetts in 

 support of that amendment which has come 

 from the House. I am glad that the Senator is 

 so. disposed. I am glad that he sees light. 

 ' Live and learn ! ' To-morrow I hope to be 

 able to welcome the Senator to some other 

 height." 



Mr. Cowan : "Excelsior!" 



Mr. Sumner: "'Excelsior!' as my friend 

 from Pennsylvania says, and I hope it may be 

 applicable to him also?' 



Mr. Wilson, of Massachusetts, said : " This 

 great measure is in advance, far in advance of 

 any position heretofore taken by the Congress 

 of the United States. The pending amend- 

 ments of the House of Representatives im- 

 prove the measure, and I am grateful to the 

 Eepresentatives of the people for this action. 

 I thank the House and the country, well thank 

 it, too, for this distinct declaration that these 

 rebel State governments are mere provisional 

 governments, and that the freedmen shall pos- 

 sess and exercise the right of suffrage while 

 these State governments remain provisional 

 governments. I am especially grateful to the 

 Democratic members of the House, who un- 

 wittingly contributed to this glorious declara- 

 tion. 



" By this grand act we assure protection to 

 loyal men, to the enfranchised millions menaced 

 by lawless bands ; we proclaim as the will of the 

 nation, from whose verdict there is no appeal, 

 that the people of the rebel States, ere their 

 representatives shall occupy seats in these Cham- 

 bers, shall accept the constitutional amendment, 

 modify their own constitution and laws in ac- 

 cordance with its provisions, and secure equal 

 and impartial suffrage to all men, without dis- 

 tinction of color or race. The enactment of 

 this measure settles forever in America the 

 great contest for the enfranchisement of the 

 emancipated bondman. Tennessee, admitted at 

 the last session, has gloriously redeemed the 

 pledges made by her loyal representatives, and 

 her loyal governor. She has given, by a great 

 act of justice, suffrage to her freedmen, and as- 

 sured the triumph of patriotism, freedom, and 

 justice in the years to come; When the act 

 shall become the law of the land, as it will he- 

 come the law of the land in spite of opposition 

 here or elsewhere, three million freedmen will 

 be clothed with the full right of suffrage, never 

 to be taken from them. The passage of this 

 great measure forever puts at rest the distrust 

 and apprehension of cautious or timid friends, 

 who feared that the nation might shrink from 

 demanding of the States lately in rebellion the 

 acceptance of manhood suffrage, as an indis- 

 pensable condition of restoration to their prac- 

 tical relations." 



Mr. Buckalew, of Pennsylvania, said : " Mr. 

 President, I am of opinion that the exclusion 

 from the right of suffrage, under the first clause 

 of the House amendment, is much more exten- 



