316 



CONGRESS, U. S. 



change goes, we plead guilty. There have been 

 present at investigations of the committee only 

 the persons necessary for the carrying on of 

 its business. The committee deemed it its duty 

 to keep secret whatever was communicated to 

 it by witnesses. They did not suppose that 

 they should make revelations to individuals or 

 to newspapers, or that the members of the 

 House should be called upon to read the pro- 

 ceedings of one of its committees in the news- 

 papers, in advance of their report to the body 

 which constituted it. 



" Now, sir, there is still another allegation 

 against the committtee, and also against the 

 Senate and the House. It is, that the commit- 

 tee or Congress had usurped, or intended to 

 usurp, the prerogatives of the Executive. I 

 know of no such intent on the part of the com- 

 mittee or of Congress. Every man knows that 

 while the different branches of this Government 

 work together energetically and harmoniously, 

 it is the strongest, most powerful form of govern- 

 ment on earth. But, sir, when the legislative 

 branch does not cordially and earnestly support 

 the Executive, or when the Executive fails faith- 

 fully to execute and enforce the enactments 

 of the Legislature, or when the Judiciary uses 

 its power to defeat the legitimate action of the 

 other branches, it becomes weak and impotent. 

 Legislature, Judiciary, and Executive are each 

 parts of the common whole ; and while each 

 is to a certain extent independent in its action, 

 the concurrent action of all is requisite to the 

 exercise of the powersof the Government." 



Mr. Crittenden, of Kentucky, followed, say- 

 ing : " I do-not rise for the purpose of entering 

 into any debate in connection with the policy or 

 propriety of our constituting this committee, 

 although I am entirely opposed, not on account 

 of any objection to the gentlemen composing 

 it, but on account of graver and higher objec- 

 tions, to the organization of any such committee, 

 constituting a little imperium in our own body, 

 whose proceedings are necessarily obliged to 

 be secret, and contrary to the spirit of our Con- 

 stitution. At best, I am totally opposed to the 

 committee, and think it ought to be abolished 

 as soon as the House can do it, and that for the 

 very purpose of preserving that harmony and 

 concurrence of action which the gentleman 

 thinks is necessary to the efficiency of the Gov- 

 ernment." 



Mr. Thomas, of Massachusetts, said : " I was 

 among the members of the House who voted 

 against the appointment of this committee. I 

 should so vote again to-day. I think the ap- 

 pointment of the committee wrong in principle. 

 I think it is useless for any wise purpose." 



Mr. R. Conkling, of New York, said : " If the 

 gentleman will allow me, I should like to in- 

 dulge in one remark. I am one of those who 

 voted to raise this joint committee, and I can- 

 not agree that it is useless, as was said by the 

 gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Thomas). 

 On the contrary, I believe the action of Con- 

 gress, and, among other things, the creation of 



this committee has been instrumental, with 

 other kindred agencies, in bringing about valu- 

 able reforms reforms which have inaugurated 

 beneficial changes and a vitalizing policy, with- 

 out which we might not have had even the vic- 

 tories which to-day millions applaud." 



Mr. Crittenden, of Kentucky, observed: "I 

 have been under a great misapprehension, as 

 it seems, as to whom our gratitude was properly 

 due on this occasion. I believed it was gener- 

 ally supposed that we owed these victories to the 

 valor of our army and the skill of our generals." 



In the House, on the 17th of June, the bill 

 for the issue of Treasury notes was taken up. 



Mr. Spaulding, of New York, the Chairman 

 of the Finance Committee, upon introducing 

 the resolution said: "The largest latitude is 

 given to the President, Secretary of War, and 

 Secretary of the Navy, in carrying on the war. 

 They have full discretionary power to contract 

 all the debts which they may deem necessary 

 to amply supply the Army and Navy 1 . All 

 parties loyal to the Government are united in 

 urging a vigorous prosecution of the war ; all 

 parties, therefore, ought to be willing to 

 furnish all the means necessary for this pur- 

 pose. "We must, at any rate, pay all the debts 

 contracted by the Executive in the progress of 

 the war. If we knew how much this would 

 amount to, we could easily figure up the 

 amount of the bonds and notes which Congress 

 must authorize the Secretary to issue. No 

 man, not even the President, the Secretary of 

 War, the Secretary of the Navy, the Secretary 

 of the Treasury, or the chairman of the Com- 

 mittee of Ways and Means, or all of them to- 

 gether, can give even an approximate estimate 

 as to the whole cost of this war, because they 

 do not know the number of years it will con- 

 tinue, nor what will be the final solution of the 

 grave questions involved. We are working out 

 a great problem, the result of which no man 

 can know. Slavery was the cause of this war; 

 and until the solution of the slavery question 

 is arrived at, and the cause of the rebellion re- 

 moved, we have no hope of permanent peace 

 and tranquillity. This will take a long time; 

 but how long no man is wise enough to deter- 

 mine." 



Mr. Wickliffe, of Kentucky, followed, say- 

 ing-: " I came here pledged to my people, 

 pledged to my conscience, and determined to 

 vote all the men, means, and money necessary 

 to defend the Constitution and Government 

 from the assaults of its enemies ; to do all that 

 I could to put down this rebellion ; to maintain 

 the Constitution of our fathers as it was given 

 to us, and to leave the State governments, 

 when you have overcome the rebellion, in the 

 possession of all their constitutional rights and 

 privileges, and with all their constitutional 

 obligations resting upon them. I was told by 

 the secession party opposed to me, that this 

 war would be waged and turned into a war 

 for the subjugation and destruction of the State 



