268 



CONGRESS, TJ. S. 



position, the President might take all the men 

 and all the money he should demand, and then 

 to hold him to a strict accountability before the 

 people for the results. Not believing the sol- 

 diers responsible for the war, or its purposes, or 

 its consequences, I have never withheld my 

 vote where their separate interests were con- 

 cerned. But I have denounced from the be- 

 ginning the usurpations and the infractions, 

 one and all, of law and Constitution, by the 

 President and those under him ; their repeat- 

 ed and persistent arbitrary arrests, the sus- 

 pension of habeas corpus, the violation of free- 

 dom of the mails, of the private house, of the 

 press and of speech, and all the other multiplied 

 wrongs and outrages upon public liberty and 

 private right, which have made this country 

 one of the worst despotisms on earth for the 

 past twenty months ; and I will continue to re- 

 buke and denounce them to the ettd ; and the 

 people, thank God, have at last heard and 

 heeded, and rebuked them, too. To the record 

 and to time I appeal again for my justification." 



In the House, on the 27th of January, the 

 bill to raise additional soldiers for the service 

 of the Government was considered. 



Mr. Stevens, of Pennsylvania, proposed the 

 following substitute for the bill : 



Be it enacted, by the Senate and House of Representa- 

 tives of the United States of America in Congress assem- 

 bled, That the President be, and he is hereby author- 

 ized to enroll, arm, equip, and receive into the land 

 and naval service of the United States such number of 

 volunteers of African descent as he may deem useful 

 to suppress the present rebellion, for such term of ser- 

 vice as he may prescribe, not exceeding five years. 

 The said volunteers to be organized according to the 

 regulations of the branch of service in which they may 

 be enlisted, to receive the same rations, clothing, and 

 equipments as other volunteers, and a monthly pay not 

 to exceed that of other volunteers ; to be officered by 

 white or black persons appointed and commissioned 

 by the President, and to be governed by the rules and 

 articles of war and such other rules and regulations as 

 may be prescribed by the President : Provided, That 

 the President may forthwith proceed to raise as afore- 

 said, in the free as well as in the slave States, not less 

 than one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers of African 

 descent ; and shall accept slaves as well as freemen ; 

 and such slaves as are received into the service of the 

 Government, and their families, shall thenceforth be 

 free; and the United States shall make reasonable 

 compensation for such of them as belonged to persona 

 who had never been disloyal during this rebellion. 



Mr. Sheffield, of Rhode Island, moved, when 

 the bill came up on the next day, to refer it to 

 the Committee on Military Affairs. 



The previous question was now demanded, 

 the object being, on the one side, to adopt the 

 amendment without debate, and on the other, 

 to prevent its adoption without ample discus- 

 sion. A series of manojuvres now commenced 

 of a most exciting character, which resulted in 

 an agreement that was thus stated : 



The Speaker pro tempore : " The Chair then 

 understands the proposition to be that by unani- 

 mous consent the vote ordering the main ques- 

 tion shall be understood to be reconsidered, all 



incidental motions now pending dispensed with, 

 and the bill postponed until the meeting of the 

 House at twelve o'clock." 



The House then adjourned at twenty-five 

 minutes to six A. M. 



The subject came up on the next day, when 

 Mr. Stevens withdrew the proviso to his pro- 

 posed amendment. 



Mr. Maynard, of Tennessee, then moved to re- 

 fer the bill and amendments proposed to tho 

 Committee on Military Affairs. The previous 

 question was demanded and seconded. 



Mr. Cox, of Ohio, said : " I think there is a 

 radical difference between the law of last ses- 

 sion and the present law, although that law 

 was rather radical when it was passed. That 

 law, as it has been interpreted by its friends, 

 and as it may be now, simply provided that 

 Africans might be employed in the military 

 service. It says : 



That the PresidenJ be, and he is hereby authorized 

 to receive into the service of the United States for tho 

 purpose of constructing intrenchments, performing 

 camp service, or any other labor in the military or 

 naval service for which they may be found competent, 

 &c. 



" Now, the present pending law, as the gen- 

 tleman correctly observed, is intended to place 

 the African soldier on a perfect equality in 

 every regard with tho white soldier, and that 

 is the gist of our objection." 



Mr. Stevens said: "I have not said so. I 

 said the object was to put them upon an equal- 

 ity as to the protection which the President 

 could afford them. I do not mean to say that 

 they are to be put upon a social and political 

 equality." 



Mr. Maynard, of Tennessee, followed : "It 

 is provided in this bill that a"ny number of this 

 kind of troops may be raised that the President 

 may deem useful. Well, how large that num- 

 ber may be, of course can only be determined 

 by the success which this volunteering meets 

 with, and by the necessities of the service. If 

 they are to be officered indiscriminately, either 

 by white or by black persons as officered by 

 somebody they must be we shall not only 

 have brigadier-generals but major-generals of 

 the African race, if under the powers conferred 

 by this bill, the President should choose to 

 confer that high authority upon men of that 

 race ; and when they are brought into the samo 

 field with white troops officered by white men 

 who are outranked by such colored officers, 

 the consequence will be that the Avhite offi- 

 cers must yield military obedience to them. 

 I need not say to the gentleman from Pennsyl- 

 vania, or to the gentlemen of the House, what 

 effect this must have, whether rightfully or 

 wrongfully, whether in consequence of insana 

 and wild and unreasoning prejudice or not, [ 

 will not undertake to say. I speak to the fact'. 

 I speak to things as they are. I speak to men's 

 opinions as they have formed them, and as wa 

 cannot change them by our legislation, or by 

 anything we can say here. I ask gentlemen 



