236 



CONGKESS, -UNITED STATES. 



people to the prosecution of this war with an 

 energy unknown to any other people; and the 

 victories of Nashville, the campaign of Atlanta, 

 the splendid success of Savannah, consummated 

 by the capture of Fort Fisher, may be as much 

 owing to the sacrifices and sufferings of our brave 

 men in rebel prisons as to any other cause. While 

 I will not for a moment on this floor apologize in 

 the least for the barbarities of this cruel foe, I 

 yet see something in the course they have pur- 

 eued to the advantage of this country, and a 

 greater reason not to imitate their example. 

 Sir, there will be no individuals or families who 

 will receive from the people of this country 

 more real respect and adoration than will go 

 forth from the whole people to these suffering 

 heroes. I believe it has been their fortune, 

 suffering as they have, to do more real service 

 to their country in this, its greatest emergency, 

 than ten thousand times the efforts of any other 

 of our citizens. I believe that if you had put 

 upon our advancing armies the strength that 

 we have withheld in our prison camps, if you 

 had put the thirty or forty thousand rebel 

 troops whom we have held as prisoners again 

 in arms against this Government and against 

 our soldiers, the result of their efforts would 

 have put back the success of this contest for 

 years, and would have produced more suffering 

 and more disastrous effects than the suffering 

 that has been brought on our heroes and mar- 

 tyrs in Southern prisons." 



Mr. Saulsbury, of Delaware, closed the de- 

 bate, saying: "The question with me, however, 

 is whether this measure as proposed, advising 

 the President of the United States to resort to 

 it now, would lead to any practical good. I 

 donbt it. 



"The question has been discussed in every 

 possible form in which it could be presented 

 except one; every suggestion possible to be 

 made but one for the relief of the suffering 

 Federal prisoners has been made. That one I 

 propose to make; and whether it be popular 

 or unpopular, whether it shall be heralded by 

 the papers as patriotic or unpatriotic, is a mat- 

 ter of indifference to me. That measure is 

 peace. If these acts of cruelty which are al- 

 leged to have been perpetrated have been per- 

 petrated, it is only additional proof that this 

 war ought never to have been begun ; but hav- 

 ing been begun, that it ought instantly to stop. 

 If these allegations be true, these enormities 

 disgrace man and reduce him to the level of 

 the brute; ay, sir, reduce him to the level of 

 the fiends. 



"I am not ashamed to raise my humble 

 voice in the Senate of the United States in be- 

 half of peace. Peace descends from Heaven 

 war springs from hell ; and when hell's agency 

 is at work, you cannot expect the blessings of 

 Heaven. It is seldom, sir, that I can approve 

 of any act of the President of the United 

 States ; but if the rumor be true which is cur- 

 rent to-day that commissioners are on their 

 way from the South to this capital to treat for 



peace, and that that is the result of an informa. 

 message from the President of the United 

 States, I will take occasion here, while approv- 

 ing but little that he has done before, to ap- 

 prove his action in that respect. Sooner than 

 resort to the bloody scenes which may result 

 from a system of retaliation, if it be true that 

 commissioners are to meet to discuss the terma 

 of peace, instead of invoking starvation and 

 death upon any set of men, any set of prison- 

 ers, either Federal or Confederate, I would, if 

 it were in my power, cause the thunderbolts 

 of the Almighty to roll and the lightnings of 

 heaven to flash one continued flame between, 

 the contending armies, until these commission- 

 ers meet to consult hi reference to the great 

 boon of peace. 



"It is peace, sir, that this country wants. 

 Give us peace, and no Federal soldiers will ever 

 again rot in Confederate bastiles or prisons, or 

 starve in Confederate pens. Give us peace, 

 and the mother whose aching heart and 

 streaming eyes you now witness, will bless yon 

 for your deed. Give us peace, and instead of 

 these acts of barbarism of which we hear, your 

 land shall again bloom and blossom as the rose. 

 Sir, hi the place of retaliatory measures, in the 

 stead of resorting to acts of cruelty to meet 

 acts of cruelty, and to prevent them in the fu- 

 ture, I propose that your commissioners meet, 

 and I invoke you, if this be the honest aim of 

 the President of the United States, lend him 

 your willing and cordial aid; and then, sir, you 

 will have no need for retaliation ; then, sir, your 

 soldiers no longer will be starved or murdered 

 or ill treated, but they shall return to their 

 homes long left, to cheer their families, to re- 

 joice again that peace blesses the land, and 

 that their country does not require any farther 

 sacrifice of life or blood upon their part." 



The motion to recommit the resolution was 

 lost ayes, 10; noes, 26. 



The question was then taken, on agreeing to 

 the amendment of the Senator from Massachu- 

 setts to the Senator from Ohio. It was adopted 

 by the following vote : 



YEAS Messrs. Carlile, Cowan, Davis, Doolittle* 

 Foot, Foster, Harlan, Harris, Henderson, Hendricks 

 Johnson, Lane of Indiana, McDougall, Morgan, Nes- 

 mith, Pomeroy, Powell, Richardson, Riddle, Sauls- 

 bury, Sherman, Sumner, Ten Eyck, Van Winkle, 

 Willey, Wilson, and Wright 27. 



NATS Messrs. Chandler, Clark, Collamer, Con- 

 ness, Dixon, Farwell, Hale, Howard, Howe, Ramsay, 

 Trumbull, Wade, and Wilkinson 13. 



ABSENT Messrs. Anthony, Brown, Bucknlew, 

 Grimes, Harding, Hicks, Lane of Kansas, Merrill, 

 and Sprague 9. 



Several otherjunendments were made, and 

 the resolution wasligreed to in the Senate. It 

 did not pass the House. 



In the Senate, on December 21st, Mr. Harlan 

 of Iowa, called up the following resolution : 



Pe*olved, That the Committee on the District of 

 Columbia be instructed to inquire into the expedi- 

 ency and propriety of requiring all residents of the 



