who know I have a wife and children think, when they see it announced that I have married again, and am stopping at the Neil with one of Ohio's loveliest daughters?
What a horrible reflection upon the character of a constant and faithful husband!
(This last sentence is written for my wife.)
April, 19
Colonel Taylor and I rode over to General Rousseau's this morning.
Returning, we were joined by Colonel Nicholas, Second Kentucky; Colonel Hobart, Twenty-first Wisconsin, and Lieutenant-Colonel Bingham, First Wisconsin, all of whom took dinner with me. We had a right pleasant party, but rather boisterous, possibly, for the Sabbath day.
There is at this moment a lively discussion in progress in the cook's tent, between two African gentlemen, in regard to military affairs.
Old Hason says: Oh, hush, darkey!
Buckner replies: Yer done no what'r talkin‘ about, nigger.
I'll bet yer a thousand dollars.
Hush! Yer ain't got five cents.
Gor way, yer don't no nuffin‘.
And so the de
een abler men in Congress than there were then.
Among the senators were Sumner, Wade, Chandler, Morton, Fessenden, Conkling, Morgan, Sherman, Morrill, Voorhees, Trumbull, Anthony, and Wilson.
In the House were Garfield, Colfax, Butler, Brooks, Bingham, Blaine, Shellabarger, Wilson, Allison, Cullom, Logan, Ames, Hooper, Washburne, Boutwell, Randall, and Voorhees.
Such men were earnest, thoughtful, patriotic and keenly alive to the interests of the country.
They allowed nothing to pass that wl, and others, made it one of the ablest bodies that ever convened in any country.
In the House there were Washburn, Logan, Cullom, Judd, Arnold, Singleton, Wentworth, Henderson, Farnsworth, Cook, Sherman, Schenck, Garfield, Grow, Shellabarger, Bingham, Archer, Thaddeus Stevens, Clymer, Williams, Colfax,Voorhees,Davis,Banks,Butler,WheelerWood, Slocum, Brooks, Frye, Blaine, Hale, Boutwell, Allison, Wilson of Iowa, and a score of others who were leaders of men and statesmen in every sense of the
erman, of California, was made sergeant-at-arms.
Mr. Blaine was re-elected speaker of the House, and immediately confronted a galaxy of as able men as were ever in that body.
His first duty was to solve a most difficult problem in assigning the chairmanships of the committees, with such men to choose from as Logan, Garfield, Banks, Schenck, Dawes, Allison, Windom, Holman, Brooks of New York, Williams, Orth, Myers, O'Neil, Shellabarger, Wilson of Indiana, Wilson of Iowa, Butler, Lochridge, Bingham, Stoughton, Paine, Wheeler of New York, Ingersoll, Cook, Cullom, Farnsworth, Frye, Hale, Judd, and a legion too numerous to mention.
Mr. Blaine was then young and vigorous, and probably the most promising statesman of the nation.
His administration of the speakership was, without doubt, the most brilliant in the history of Congress, spanning the most important epoch of the nation.
There were then, perhaps, more critical occasions when the great skill, knowledge, and quick perception of t
oroughly wise and patriotic, and so eminently necessary at that critical moment in averting the most appalling national danger, was adopted by a vote of twenty-five against twenty-three.
The vote was as follows:--yeas, Messrs. Anthony, Baker, Bingham, Cameron, Chandler, Clark, Collamer, Dixon, Doolittle, Durkee, Fessenden, Foote, Foster, Grimes, Hale, Harlan, King, Seward, Simmons, Sumner, Ten Eyck, Trumbull, Wade, Wilkinson, and Wilson.
NAYs, Messrs. Bayard, Bigler, Bragg, Bright, ClingmanThe vote was as follows:--
ayes.--Messrs. Bayard, Bright, Bigler, Crittenden, Douglas, Gwin, Hunter, Johnson of Tennessee, Kennedy, Lane, Latham, Mason, Nicholson, Polk, Pugh, Rice, Sebastian, Thompson, Wigfall--19.
noes.--Messrs. Anthony, Bingham, Chandler, Clarke, Dixon, Doolittle, Durkie, Fessenden, Foote, Foster, Grimes, Harlan, King.
Morrill, Sumner, Ten Eyck, Trumbull.
Wade, Wilkinson, Wilson--20. It might have been carried had the conspirators retained their seats.
The question
(Oregon), Latham, Mallory, Mason, Nicholson, Pearce, Polk, Powell, Pugh, Rice, Sebastian, Slidell, Thomson, of N. J., Toombs, Wigfall, and Yulee--36.
Nays--Messrs. Bingham, Chandler, Clark, Collamer, Dixon, Doolittle, Fessenden, lost, Foster, Grimes, Hale, Hamlin, Harlan, King, Simmons, Sumner, Ten Eyck, Wade, and Wilson--19. opinion, never will, require, etc.
This was rejected — Yeas 16; Nays 33.
Then Mr. Clingman's amendment was adopted: Yeas 26; Nays 23.
Yeas--Messrs Bigler, Bingham, Bragg, Chandler, Clark, Clingman, Collamer, Crittenden, Dixon, Doolittle, Foot, Grimes, Hale, Hamlin, Harlan, Johnson, of Tennessee, Kennedy, Latham, Polk, Pugh,ay prescribe at the time of their admission.
This was also adopted, as follows: Yeas 33--same as on the first resolve, less Brown, Mallory, and Pugh; Nays 12--Bingham, Chandler, Dixon, Foot, Foster, Hale, Pugh, Simmons, Ten Eyck, Trumbull, Wade, and Wilson.
0
7. Resolved, That the provision of the Constitution for the rendit
ith the hope or expectation of constructing a new one, are dangerous, illusory, and destructive; that, in the opinion of the Senate of the United States, no such reconstruction is practicable; and, therefore, to the maintenance of the existing Union and Constitution should be directed all the energies of all the departments of the Government, and the efforts of all good citizens.
The vote was now taken on this substitute, which was adopted, as follows:
Yeas.--Messrs. Anthony, Baker, Bingham, Cameron, Chandler, Clark, Collamer, Dixon, Doolittle, Durkee, Fessenden, Foot, Foster, Grimes, Hale, Harlan, King, Seward, Simmons, Sumner, Ten Eyck, Trumbull, Wade, Wilkinson, and Wilson-25 [all Republicans].
Nays.--Messrs. Bayard, Bigler, Bragg, Bright, Clingman, Crittenden, Fitch, Green, Gwin, Hunter, Johnson, of Tennessee, Kennedy, Lane, of Oregon, Mason, Nicholson, Pearce, Polk, Powell, Pugh, Rice, Saulsbury, and Sebastian-23 [all Democrats, but two Bell-Conservatives, in italics].
eas--Messrs. Anthony, Baker, Bigler, Bright, Crittenden, Dixon, Douglas, Foster, Grimes, Gwin, Harlan, Hunter, Johnson, of Tennessee, Kennedy, Latham, Mason, Morrill, Nicholson, Polk, Pugh, Rice, Sebastian, Ten Eyck, and Thomson-24.
Nays--Messrs. Bingham, Chandler, Clark, Doolittle, Durkee, Foot, King, Sumner, Trumbull, Wade, Wilkinson, and Wilson--12.
And then the Senate returned to the consideration of the Crittenden proposition, for which Mr. Clark's proposition, already given,
Seebe substituted for his own original project of conciliation; which the Senate refused, by the following vote:
Yeas--Messrs. Crittenden, Douglas, Harlan, Johnson, of Tennessee, Kennedy, Morrill, and Thomson-7.
Nays--Messrs. Bayard, Bigler, Bingham, Bright, Chandler, Clark, Dixon, Fessenden, Foot, Foster, Grimes, Gwin, Hunter, Lane, Latham, Mason, Nicholson, Polk, Pugh, Rice, Sebastian, Sumner, Ten Eyck, Trumbull, Wade, Wigfall, Wilkinson, and Wilson--28.
So the Senate, by four to one,
