CONGRESS, U. S. 



315 



extended over the whole Union; and then I 

 would treat the slaves and their masters as I, 

 in view of the light which then appeared, 

 should deem to be just to those interested and 

 to the country. 



" Before they can be punished by any act of 

 Congress, they must be convicted by a verdict 

 of a jury from" the State and district where the 

 crime was committed. That, sir, is the form 

 and mode of trial prescribed by the Constitution 

 under which we live. How are you going to 

 convict traitors before a jury of traitors ? This 

 is a practical difficulty which gentlemen do 

 not seem to foresee/' 



In the House, on the 14th of February, the 

 following joint resolution was considered : 



Hegohed, That the joint committee on the conduct of 

 the present war be authorized to employ a stenographer, 

 who shall be paid out of the contingent fund of the 

 Senate at the same rate of compensation as that re- 

 ceived by the reporters of ihe Congressional Globe. 



Mr. Wicklifie, of Kentucky, said : " "We have 

 a Constitution which prescribes the duty of 

 each department of the Government. The 

 conduct of a war, when. such exists, is specially 

 confined to the executive department of the 

 Government. But the Congress of the United 

 States, not content with performing its legisla- 

 tive functions and furnishing the means which 

 the requirements of the executive department 

 demanded, has undertaken to take charge of 

 the conduct of the war by means of a joint 

 committee. 



" I wanted to see why it was that the Con- 

 gress of the United States committed this im- 

 portant power to a committee, which, of right, 

 belongs to the President. I confess that when 

 I saw what was done, I was struck very forci- 

 bly with an item of history, which I once read, 

 connected with the French Revolution. The 

 Chamber of Deputies was about to be overrun 

 by the Paris mob. Minot, the commander of the 

 army, was overpowered in that struggle. The 

 members were alarmed, and some one suggest- 

 ed to call in a lieutenant a young man called 

 Xapoleon Bonaparte to consult him. He 

 came, and was consulted. He was asked what 

 was his opinion as to the cause of the defeat of 

 Minot the day before. He answered, ' because 

 of the interference of the Deputies.' They ap- 

 pealed to Xapoleon to take the command. He 

 consented to it, on condition that the Chamber 

 of Deputies were to mind their own business, 

 and not to interfere with the military depart- 

 ment of the Government. They had to agree 

 to his terms ; and he saved them. 



" Well, sir, let us turn back to the motives 

 and ends which it is said this committee have 

 in view. Of all things upon God's earth, the 

 most hazardous to us at this time is to create 

 in the army, in the country, in this House, a 

 distrust of the ability or capacity of the men 

 who have charge of the movements of this 

 army, by your operations through the commit- 

 tees of this House. Men will not fight if they 

 have not confidence in th/jir leaders. You 



have a Commander-in-Chief in whom the, na- 

 tion seems to have confidence, and I have seen 

 nothing that should indicate that that confidence 

 has been misplaced. You complain of want of 

 action. Why, look at the condition of the 

 country when this rebellion commenced. The 

 former Secretary of War had gutted your arse- 

 nals and placed- your arms within the reach of 

 those who desired to destroy the Government. 

 He had scattered your loyal army to the re- 

 motest frontiers, so that it was hardly possible 

 to get a guard around this Capitol to maintain 

 peace against the insurrectionary men who 

 would, if they had the power, have prevented 

 the inauguration of a President constitutionally 

 elected by the people of the United States. 

 And, sir, but for the patriotism in the States 

 near at hand, and the promptness with which 

 the people sprang to arms and rallied to its de- 

 fence, this Capitol would last spring have ceased 

 to have been the Capitol of this Government ; 

 it would have been in the possession of the 

 armed forces of the South. The Government 

 had not left in its arsenals in the loyal States, 

 or in its forts, arms enough to have placed in 

 the hands of twenty-five thousand men at the 

 time this invasion was threatened. But. sir, we 

 did get some volunteers, and some of them 

 fought very well." 



Mr. Gooch, of Massachusetts, in reply said : 

 Now, sir. I desire to say a few words in 

 reference to the manner in which the commit- 

 tee has performed its duties. The committee 

 entered on the performance of its duties as 

 soon as it came into existence. I know not on 

 what authority the gentleman from Kentucky 

 rests the allegations which he made, and I will 

 yield to him most cheerfully that he may state 

 his authority to the House." 



Mr. Wickliffe replied : " The statement which 

 I made was, that the commander-in-chief had 

 been before the committee, and was questioned 

 as to the manner in which he carried on the 

 war. and that he made an answer which satis- 

 fied me. The gentleman from Massachusetts 

 knows whether that is true or not. 



Mr. Gooch. of Massachusetts, in continuation 

 said : "I am perfectly free to say, because it is 

 known of all men. that the general command- 

 ing the Army of the United States did appear be- 

 fore the committee, not by summons, but by in- 

 vitation ; and I am free to say still further, that 

 I think this House has too much respect for the 

 men who constitute that committee to suppose 

 that they asked him any questions respecting 

 the conduct of the war which he had the least 

 objection to answer, or that they made a single 

 inquiry of him in reference to his plans or 

 purposes, or that they took his testimony in 

 any form whatever. That they did have an 

 interview with him agreeable to both parties, 

 I believe is true ; but that they called him 

 before them as a witness, is not true. 



" Xow, sir, there was an allegation made 

 here the other day again-t the committee, that 

 it was a secret committee. So far as that 



