

KENTUCKY. 



503 



11,911 for one year ; 413 for nine months, and 

 1,770 for sixty "days ; making an aggregate of 

 51,538, which was almost one half of those be- 

 tween the military ages. Since the beginning 

 of the war the State had advanced on account 

 of the United States Government, in recruiting, 

 Arming, equipping, subsisting, and paying vol- 

 unteers, to November 30th, 1863, the sum of 

 $2,196,611. Of this sum $861,221 was refunded; 

 $605,000 credited as the proportion of taxes 

 levied on the State, leaving a balance of $730,- 

 390. Notwithstanding many counties of the 

 State had been so overrun by invaders and des- 

 olated by guerillas and marauders that no 

 revenue could be collected within them, the 

 state of the Treasury for four years presented 

 the following results: 



Balance in Treasury, October 10th, 1860. ..$126,548 01 

 Balance in Treasury, October 10th, 1861.... 280,111 65 

 Balance in Treasury, October 10th, 1862.... 459,708 30 

 Balance in Treasury, October 10th, 1863.. . . 808,387 00 



The decline in the valuation of property in 

 the State in 1862, as compared with 1860, was 

 over 165 millions. The largest items of decline 

 were in the value of land and slaves. In the 

 former it was over 50 millions, and in the lat- 

 ter over 30 millions. 



The institutions for education in the State are 

 eiirht colleges, three theological schools, two 

 medical schools, and one law school. The dis- 

 trict public schools of the State number nearly 

 five thousand, and are sustained by the income 

 of a fund and local taxation. The charitable 

 institutions consist of a deaf and dumb asylum 

 at Danville, a blinfl asylum at Louisville, an 

 asylum for the feeble minded at Frankfort, and 

 lunatic asylums at Lexington and Hopkins- 

 ville. 



The appropriation made by Congress for the 

 endowment of Agricultural Colleges was ac- 

 cepted by the State, and consisted of scrip for 

 330,000 acres of public lands. 



The public works of improvement in the 

 State consist of the Louisville and Portland 

 canal, 2 miles around the falls in the Ohio 

 river; the works to secure slack water naviga- 

 tion for 260 miles in Kentucky river ; also for 

 231 miles in the Licking river ; also for 175 

 miles in the Green river, and 100 miles of Bar- 

 ren river. The railroads in some portions of the 

 State have suffered in consequence of the war. 

 Tracks have been torn up and bridges and roll- 

 ing stock destroyed. The number of miles of 

 railroad previous to these disasters was 625. 



The position of Kentucky, as one of the bor- 

 der Slave States, imparted more than ordinary 

 interest to the political proceedings in the 

 State. The Legislature, elected in August, 1861, 

 commenced its last session at Frankfort early 

 in January, 1 863. The measures presented in this 

 body represented the views of the people of the 

 State. It was unequally divided, and the views 

 of each division are to be found in the resolu- 

 lutii ns which they recommended for adoption. 

 On the 27th of February, the Assembly adopt- 

 ed the following series of resolutions. They 



were subsequently adopted in the Senate, with 

 the exception of the llth : 



1. Resolved, That our institutions are assailed by an 

 armed rebellion on one side, which can only be met by 

 the sword ; ajid on the other by unconstitutional acts 

 of Congress, and startling usurpations of power by the 

 Executive, which we have seen by experiment can be 

 corrected by the ballot-box. Policy, as well as prin- 

 ciple, requires that Kentucky shall await the process of 

 reform, which is slow but sure, and refrain from all 

 unlawful and unconstitutional acts which have already 

 brought terrible calamities upon the country ; whilst 

 we invoke the aid of all patriotic men to avert the evils 

 that threaten our free institutions. 



2. Resolved, That this General Assembly declares, 

 as before it has oftentimes declared, that the State of 

 Kentucky bath ever been, and is, loyal to the Govern- 

 ment of the United States of America, and is deter- 

 mined to maintain that loyalty against both domestic 

 and foreign foes. 



3. Resolved, That this General Assembly recognizes 

 a manifest difference between the administration of the 

 government and the government itself the one is trans- 

 itory, limited in duration only to that period of time 

 for which the officers elected by the people are charg- 

 ed with the conduct of the same ; the other is perma- 

 nent, intended by its founders to endure forever. 



4. Resolved, That this General Assembly now, in the 

 exercise of its right to differ in opinion with the Na- 

 tional Executive, enters its solemn protest against the 

 Proclamation of the President of the United States, 

 dated 1st of January, 1863, by which he assumes to 

 emancipate all slaves within certain States, holding 

 the same to be unwise, unconstitutional, and void. 



5. Resolved, That this General Assembly declares 

 that the power which has recently been assumed by 

 the President of the United States, whereby, under 

 the guise of military necessity, he has proclaimed and 

 extended martial law over States where war did not ex- 

 ist, and has suspended the writ of habeas corpus, is 

 unwarranted by the Constitution, and its tendency is 

 to subordinate civil to military authority, and to sub- 

 vert constitutional and free government. 



6. Resolved, That this General Assembly declines to 

 accept the President's proposition for emancipation, as 

 contained in his Proclamation of the 19th of May, 1862. 



7. Resolved, That, this General Assembly deems it 

 proper further to declare that it, together with all the 

 loyal people of the State, would hail with pleasure and 

 delight any manifestation of a desire on the part of the 

 seceded States to return to their allegiance to the GOT- 

 ernment of the Union, and would, in such event, cor- 

 dially and earnestly cooperate with them in the res- 

 toration of peace, and the procurement of such guaran- 

 tees as would give security to all their interests and 

 rights. 



8. Resolved, That Kentucky will adhere to the Con- 

 stitution and the Union, as the best, it may be the last, 

 hope of popular freedom ; and for all the wrongs which 

 may have been committed, or evils which may exist, 

 will seek redress under the Constitution, and within 

 the Union, by the peaceful but powerful and irresistible 

 agency of the suffrages of a free people. 



9. Resolved, That this General Assembly hails with 

 pleasurable hope the recent manifestations of conser- 

 vative sentiment among the people of the uon-slave- 

 holding States in their late elections, and regard the 

 same as the earnest of a good purpose on their part to 

 cooperate with all other loyal citizens give security to 

 the rights of every section, and maintain the Union 

 and the Constitution as they were ordained by the 

 founders of the republic. 



10. Resolved, T.hat, in the judgment of this General 

 Assembly, a convention should be called for the pur- 

 pose of proposing such amendments to the National 

 Constitution as experience has proved to be necessary 

 to maintain that instrument in the spirit and meaning 

 of its founders ; and to that end we reaffirm and adopt 

 the resolutions recommending a call for a convention 

 of the United States, approved January 25th, 1861. 



