XXXIXth Congress—First Session. WASHINGTON, March 17th, HOITSE.—The proceedings of the House were confined to general debate in Com mittee of the Whole on the -President's xtual Messuage. f ( Mr. Hill (ind.) addressed Ilie"Hobse - On the question of reconstruction. He deemed it of no practical importance to discuss the point whether the States that went into seces7 Lion aninvitr:were or T.'were not 'out of -the'' Union., The,: goverflqents elf. those States, , were. certainly impaired *end were not .during the war in relations with the general government. Those relations had to be re stored now. The President's power` in the matter could only be the war pciek and .that could not be held to extend Aci the '.restoration of civil and political rights.. It therefore devolved upon the legislative de partment of the government to restore the- Unpaired or deranged functions of the rebel • States, and the duty of considering and de vising the best means of doingeo.had,„ been. • intrusted by Congr&stolriijoint ! colintuttee of both houses. He had still some hope • that that committee would recommend, and that Congress would adopt, suoh.,a...,system as would reestablish the relatkabi- or the `.seceded States with the general government in away that would harmonize the whole country, and maintktirithe principles, of the. DeclarationrbUndependence.- Mr. Burnout (Ind.) next addressed the House, reviewing, in a humorous and sar castic style, the reconstructicelipolicy of the President He prayed'. :PociFter i :bless the President for what he had done, and to `stiffen his backbone against backing down. The President had been faithful in the-past, and he trusted that he would not;be, faith: less in the future. As to the - ` -President's'' elicy, he deemed it unwise ruinous. and us,and protested that he entertained no feelingl4 revenge against the South, and word 3 / 4 1 , 0XItOttnofhtag..with a view of its Before the Southern States could get into Congress, by his consent, :they up, to all . reasonable qtdrements, and send Reliresentitives ) *ho oath weie lOYelouldwhcrecnitdinketheiron.clad. MrAnderson - -- • . the' ' next speeker;_and'he • also took grotmd 'against the'Premdent'sreoonstractionirolicy:"ln:re; garl. ix:l,lhp statue of - the•freedmerr;' - he ' de clariLtff 'that he . never would 'yield - to - the doctrimxthat .they were. not entitled, to the best protection of the government. He be lieved they were now citizens of the United States,'The•.Constitution.was to • be.• inter preted to-day-from .the..stand-point of free dom, and not.o.tala.very. He did not believe that a Freedmen's Bureau bill was. broad " - enough to'bttild. a political platform upon, no.rdid - he think that the Democratic party cotdffritake a successful race on the Presi dent's veto. Both platforms were on too narrow a gauge for the American people to stand upon. The great, the living, the vital question of the hour, was the extension •of suffrage to the negro in the Southern States, with a view to the negro's own protection 4' and to the maintenance of the loyal supremacy of the Union. He declared him-. self in favor of restricted negro 'suffrage in .the. Southern States. . _ The Speaker presented .9, letter from the Secretary of the Treasury, transmitting a statement of the-amount now in.the ;United States Treasury:, including all sums, in, the ham&