CONGRESS, U. S. 



307 



to put a stop to the debate." He said : " I 

 agree with the gentleman from New York, that 

 the reply sent to us is not an answer to the 

 resolution of the House. I do not believe there 

 was any intention to evade an answer, but I 

 believe the reply was made through inadvert- 

 ence ; and I believe further, that the House 

 owes it to itself to get a direct answer, and 

 that is all the resolution proposes. I do not 

 see upon what ground any man can vote against 

 that. The resolution asks nothing that is im- 

 proper. 



u But suppose the purpose of the resolution 

 was to get at facts for the purpose of investi- 

 gation, are we to believe in the horrible and 

 abominable doctrine of the gentleman from 

 Kentucky (Mr. Crittenden), which was nothing 

 else than that this House dare not inquire into 

 the manner in which this war is conducted, 

 and dare not inquire whether our officers are 

 doing their duty or are traitors ? Has it come 

 to that, that this body is a mere automaton to 

 register the decrees of another power, and that 

 we have nothing to do but to find men and 

 money ? 



" I solemnly protest against that doctrine as 

 having no shadow of foundation in the genius 

 of our institutions or in the Constitution itself. 

 These arguments will be profitable. Much elo- 

 quence has been displayed here. Some things 

 have been said which strike sadness to my 

 heart. I have seen what I have sometimes 

 suspected, that at last many distinguished men 

 of the border States would rather see the Con- 

 stitution and the Union go down than to see 

 slavery abolished, if it came to tbat alterna- 

 tive. Sir, we have just given twenty thousand 

 men to defend Kentucky, and to support sla- 

 very, I suppose, in preference to the Union, if 

 that alternative is presented. I do not wonder 

 that gentlemen hold that doctrine. They have 

 a perfect right to hold that doctrine. It is my 

 right, however, to repudiate it." 



Mr. Mallory, of Kentucky, demanded : 

 " "What gentleman from Kentucky has avowed 

 the doctrine the gentleman speaks of? " 



Mr. Stevens : " I could put no other con- 

 struction upon the reply of the gentleman from 

 Kentucky over the way (Mr. Wickliffe), to the 

 question of the gentleman from Illinois. I do 

 not wonder that those inhabiting the border 

 States hold such a doctrine with their attach- 

 ment to slavery ; I do not wonder that gentle- 

 men across the lines in the Free States hold very 

 much the same doctrine." 



Mr. Dunn, of Indiana, immediately rose and 

 asked : " Does the gentleman impute to me 

 any such doctrine ? " 



Mr. Stevens said : " I thought from what 

 the gentleman said he had a tenderness for the 

 negro." 



Mr. Dunn replied: "The gentleman from 

 Pennsylvania imputes certain sentiments to one 

 of the Representatives on this floor, from the 

 State of Kentucky (Mr. Wickiffe), saying, as I 

 understand him, that that gentleman preferred 



the preservation of slavery to the preservation 

 of the Constitution and the Union. He then 

 intimates that I, living also on the border, sym- 

 pathize with the gentleman from Kentucky in 

 that feeling. I am glad of the opportunity of 

 saying to that gentleman that I do not exalt 

 slavery above our Constitution ; that I would 

 make no sacrifice of our Constitution to pre- 

 serve slavery, and that I regard the preserva- 

 tion of the Union and the perpetuation of our 

 present form of Government as far more import- 

 ant to me, to the people of my day, and to the 

 generations yet to come, than the preservation of 

 slavery. But I do not believe this Government 

 is to be perpetuated, or that these institutions 

 can be handed down to posterity, if, instead of 

 adhering to that policy which we proclaimed 

 to the world at the commencement of this con- 

 troversy, we now cut loose from our moorings, 

 and, instead of struggling for the preservation 

 of the Government, make this a war upon sla- 

 very. I tell you tliat if the general emancipa- 

 tion of slaves is to be our policy, our Union is 

 forever gone, and there is no redemption for 

 it." 



The vote was then taken on the resolution, 

 and it was adopted : ayes, 79 ; noes, 54. 



The reply of the Secretary of "War to the 

 resolution, was as follows : 



WAR DEPARTMENT, January 9, 1862. 

 SIR : I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt 

 of the resolution adopted by the House of Represent- 

 atives, on the 6th instant, to the effect that the answer 

 of this Department to the resolution adopted by the 

 House on the second day of the session "is not respon- 

 sive nor satisfactory to the House, and that the Secre- 

 tary be directed to return a further answer." 



In reply, I have respectfully to state that " meas- 

 ures have been taken to ascertain who is responsible 

 for the disastrous movement of our troops at Ball's 

 Bluff; " but that it is not deemed compatible with the 

 public interest to make known those measures at the 

 present time. 



Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 



SIMON' C AMEROX, Secretary of War. 

 Hon. GALCSHA A. GROW. 



Speaker House of Representatives. 



The state of the Union was a subject which 

 presented a broad field for the discussion of the 

 measures which should be adopted to put an 

 end to the institution of slavery, and save the 

 life of the nation. It became a subject of discus- 

 sion incidentally, and as a part of various ques- 

 tions which came before the House at this time. 



On the 15th of January Mr. Corning, from 

 the Committee of "Ways and Means, reported 

 the following joint resolution : 



Resolved, ttc., That in order to pay the ordinary ex- 

 penses of the Government, the interest on the national 

 loans, and have an ample sinking fund for the ultimate 

 liquidation of the public debt, a tax shall be imposed 

 which shall, with the tariff on imports, secure an an- 

 nual revenue of not les i than $150,000,000. 



Mr. Yallandigham, of Ohio, urging the im- 

 portance of preparing immediately a proper 

 financial system for the Government, said : 

 " The war must come to an end sooner or later, 

 and in one way or another our foreign compli- 



