202 



CONGKESS, U. S. 



ments touching the import duty upon foreign 

 cotton ; but, as to the subject-matter which the 

 conference really met to dispose of, there was no 

 proposition on the part of the managers of the 

 House, except that we should accept the House 

 bill precisely as it stood. In that view of the 

 case, and regardless of the private convictions of 

 the managers on the part of the Senate, it was 

 thought that we were not at liberty to part 

 with the whole question, and sacrifice the posi- 

 tion which had been taken by the Senate twice, 

 upon a vote by the yeas and nays, by a decided 

 majority ; and, indeed, a third time, by order- 

 ing the conference." 



The motion was agreed to. 



On the 23d the committee of conference 

 reported, and recommended that the Senate re- 

 cede from their amendment to the bill, and 

 agree to the same with an amendment as fol- 

 lows : Add to the bill the words, " And cotton, 

 imported from foreign countries, on and after 

 July 1, 1868, shall be exempt from duty." 



The report was concurred in by the Senate, 

 but rejected by the House. 



The Senate, on January 28th, resolved to in- 

 sist, and agreed to a further conference, to 

 which the House also agreed. On January 

 30th, the committee made the same report as 

 the previous one, excepting the date of importa- 

 tion, which was changed to November 1st. 



The report was concurred in by the Senate 

 and House. 



Many measures of less importance than 

 those discussed in the preceding pages, re- 

 ceived the attention of Congress, among which 

 were some that became laws. 



The reduction of the currency, by retiring or 

 cancelling United States notes, was suspended. 



Eight hours was declared to constitute a 

 day's work for all laborers, workmen, and 

 mechanics, in the employ of the Government. 

 By an opinion of Attorney - General Evarts, 

 subsequently expressed, a correspondent reduc- 

 tion of wages was not inconsistent with the 

 provision of the act. 



In case of a vacancy in the office of Chief 

 Justice of the Supreme Court of the United 

 States, the senior Associate Justice is directed 

 to discharge the duties until the vacancy is filled. 



The Commissioner of the Freedmen's Bu- 

 reau was requested, on January 1, 1869, to 

 cause the Bureau to be withdrawn from the 

 several States within which it has acted. The 

 educational department of the Bureau, and the 

 collection and payment of money due to 

 soldiers, was continued. 



The right of expatriation was declared, and 

 that all naturalized citizens while in foreign 

 states shall receive from the Federal Govern- 

 ment the same protection of person and prop- 

 erty that is accorded to native-born citizens 

 in like situations and circumstances ; and that, 

 when any citizen of the United States has been 

 unjustly deprived of his liberty by any foreign 

 government, it shall be the duty of the Presi- 

 dent to demand of that government the reasons 



CONNECTICUT. 



for such imprisonment; and, if it appears to be 

 wrongful and in violation of the rights of 

 .American citizenship, the President shall de- 

 mand the release of such citizen, and, if the 

 release is unreasonably delayed or refused, it 

 shall be the duty of the President to use such 

 means, not amounting to acts of war, as he 

 may think necessary to obtain such release. 



It was provided that, whenever any person 

 engaged in the late resistance to the authority 

 of the United States, from whom all legal disa- 

 bilities had been removed by an act of Con- 

 gress, by a vote of two-thirds of each House, 

 should be elected to any office under the Fed- 

 eral Government, he should take the following 

 oath, or affirmation : 



"I, A. B., do solemnly swear (or affirm) 

 that I will support and defend the Constitution 

 of the United States against all enemies, 

 foreign and domestic; that I will bear true 

 faith and allegiance to the same ; that I take 

 this obligation freely, without any mental 

 reservation or purpose of evasion ; and that I 

 will well and faithfully discharge the duties of 

 the office on which I am about to enter. So 

 help me God." 



The session of Congress was concluded in 

 August, so far as relates to the transaction 

 of business, and that body adjourned subject 

 to a call of a special committee, to meet, if it 

 appeared to such committee to be expedient, 

 either in September or November ; otherwise 

 the adjournment was to continue until the day 

 of a new session in December. No subsequent 

 session was held. 



CONNECTICUT. The movement of politi- 

 cal parties preparatory to the State election, 

 which is held early in April, commenced soon 

 after the beginning of the year. 



The Republican State Convention assembled 

 in Hartford on January 15th, and nominated 

 Marshall Jewell for Governor, and adopted the 

 following series of resolutions : 



Resolved, That it is the highest duty of our Gov- 

 ernment to maintain the integrity of the Union, and 

 to protect to the fullest extent the rights of the cit- 

 izen ; and we do cordially approve the determination 

 of Congress so to guard the interests of the nation in 

 the reconstruction of the States recently in rebellion, 

 as to secure permanent union and enduring peace on 

 the basis of justice, freedom, and equal rights to 

 every citizen of the Kepublic. 



Resolved, That in all public expenditures, both State 

 and national, the most rigid economy should be ob- 

 served, and that, in collecting the necessary revenue 

 to meet the current expenses of the Government, the 

 industry of the country, engaged in producing staple 

 and necessary commodities, should he left unembar- 

 rassed, and all industrial products of prime neces- 

 sity should, as far as practicable,, he exempt, and all 

 taxes should he levied on luxuries and other sources 

 less burdensome to the people : and all the burdens 

 and taxes, hoth State and national, should be so ad- 

 justed as to hear equally and justly on all. 



Resolved, That the national faith, pledged for the 

 redemption of the public debt, must be kept inviolate, 

 and we denounce repudiation in every form ; and de- 

 clare that the national debt, created to save the na- 

 tion, must he fully paid in good faith and according 

 to its tenor. 



