May 8, 1866

The SPEAKER stated the first business in order to be the consideration of the constitutional amendment reported by the joint committee on reconstruction.

Mr. GARFIELD. I move that that special order bo postponed, and that the House proceed to the consideration of the tax bill. 1 do this for the reason that I believe in three or four days at the farthest we can finish the tax bill. If we enter now into the discussion of the constitutional amendment it will bring up the entire subject of reconstruction, and the debate will run on for three or four weeks. It seems to me to be almost a national calamity to delay the tax bill that long. I call for the previous question.

Mr. STEVENS. I hope there will be no such disposition made of the special order. I have no idea that the constitutional amendment will take up more than two or three days. It ought to be in the Senate at once, if it is ever to be acted on. As to the tax bill, we will not lose anything by letting it lie over. Some additions have been recently made to it which I have not had time to read. We have set apart the night sessions for the consideration of that bill.

Mr. WASHBURNE, of Illinois. I understand it was the agreement of the House yesterday that the constitutional amendment should be considered during the day and the tax bill during the evening.

Mr. GARFIELD. I do not think that was the understanding. It was not mine.

The SPEAKER. To what time does the gentleman propose to postpone it?

Mr. GARFIELD. Until the tax bill has been disposed of.

Mr. STEVENS. I move that that motion be laid upon the table.

Mr. RAYMOND. In case we do not finish the constitutional amendment to day will it be superseded by the proposition made the special order for to morrow

The SPEAKER. The constitutional amendment remains the special order until disposed

Mr. STEVENS. I withdraw my motion to lay upon the table.

I will say that the intention is not to press the accompanying bills until this constitutional amendment has been disposed of by the Senate,

Mr. JENCKES. I ask the gentleman from Ohio to modify his motion so that we may have the day for the tax bill, and the evening for voannctrnftinn

The SPEAKER. That will require unanimous consent.

Mr. GARFIELD. I am willing to agree to that.

Mr. STEVENS. I object.

Mr. GARFIELD. Then I insist on my motion and demand the previous question.

The previous question was seconded and the main question ordered,

Mr. LE BLOND. I demand the yeas and nays. I want to see whether the negro shall have preference of the finances.

The yeas and nays were ordered.

The question was taken and it was decided in the negative—yeas 01, nays 82, not voting 50; as follows:

YEAS—Messrs. Anderson, Delos R. Ashley, Barker, Bergen, Boyer, Chanler, Coffroth. Darling, Dawes, Dawson, Denison, Eldridge. Finck, Garfield, Glossbrenner, Goodyear, Gnder, Griswold, Aaron Hardmg, Harris, James Humphrey, Jcnckes, Kasson, Kerr, Latham, LeBlond, Marshall, McCulIough, Moorhead, Niblack, Patterson, Phelps, Pike, Radford, Samuel J. Randall, Raymond, Ritter, Ross, Rousseau, Shanklin, Stilwell. Strouse, Taber, Taylor, Thayer, Thornton, RobertT. Van Horn, Henry D Washburn William B. Washburn, Whaley, and Williams—51.

NAYS —Messrs. Alley, Ames, James M. Ashley, Baker, Baldwin, Banks, Baxter, Beaman, Benjamin, Bidwell, Bingham, Blow, Broinwel1 Broomall Buckland, Bundy, Reader W. Clarke, Cobb, Conkiing, Cullom, Defrees, Deming, Dixon, Dod e Donnelly, Driggs, Eekley, Eliot, Farnsworth, Ferry, Abner C. Harding, Hart, Hayes, Henderson, Higby, Holmes, Hotchkiss, Asahel W. Hubbard, James R. Hubbell, Hulburd. Ingersoll, Julian, Kelley, Kelso, Keicham, Kuykendall, Laflin. George V. Lawrence, William Lawrence, Longyear, Lynch, Mclndoe, MeKee, McRuer Mercur Miller, Morris, Moulton, O Neill Orth, Perham, Plants, William H. Randall, Alexander H. Rice, John H. Rice, Rollins, Sawyer, Schenck, Scofield, Shellabarger, Spalding, Stevens, John L. Thomas, Trowbridge, Upson, Van Aernam, Burt Van Horn, Warner, Er hu B Washburne Welker, Stephen F. Wilson, and Windom—82.

NOT VOTING —Messrs Allison, Ancona, Blaine, Boutwell, Brandegee, Sidney Clarke, Cook, Culver, Davis, Delano, Dumont, Eggleston, Farouhar, Grinnell, Hale, Hill, Hogan, Hooper, Chester D. Hubbard, Demas Hubbard, John II. Hubbard, Edwin N. Hubbell, James M. Humphrey, Johnson, Jones, Loan, Marston, Marvin, McClurg, Morrill, Myers, Newell, Nicholson Noell Paine, Pomeroy, Price, Rogers. Sitgreaves, Sloan, Smith, Starr, Francis Thomas, Trimble, Ward, Wentworth, James F. Wilson, Winfield. Woodbridge, and Wright—50.

So the House refused to postpone the special order.

Mr. WASHBURNE, of Illinois. I ask the gentleman from Pennsylvania to yield to allow me to offer a resolution.

Mr. STEVENS. I will yield if it does not come out of my time.