CONGRESS, CONFEDERATE. 



Mr. Marshall, of Kentucky, was for treating 

 the resolutions of the gentleman from North 

 Carolina with becoming respect. They did not 

 represent his views more than the views of his 

 Congressional District. He thinks they are 

 proper and right, and so think his constit- 

 uents. 



' The debate soon began to be somewhat 

 stormy and personal, and, after much wrang- 

 ling, the resolutions were tabled by 62 ayes to 

 22 nays. 



The subject was brought up again at the 

 next session which commenced in November. 



On Dec. 16th, Mr. Turner, of N. C., under a 

 suspension of the rules, introduced resolutions 

 that the President, by and with the advice and 

 consent of the Senate, be and he is hereby re- 

 quested to appoint thirteen commissioners, one 

 from each of the States of the Confederate 

 States, to tender propositions for a conference 

 in order to negotiate terms of peace, and failing 

 in this, said commissioners shall use all their 

 influence to secure an exchange of prisoners 

 and to mitigate the horrors of the existing 

 war. 



Mr. Turner supported his resolutions at some 

 length. He did not believe that the United 

 States Government would listen to any terms 

 which we could offer, but believed the offer or 

 such an effort on our part, would be most 

 salutary in silencing the objections and mur- 

 murings of the lukewarm and faint-hearted. 

 He did not favor separate State action. As to 

 his State, the disaffected did not talk against 

 the war, but against the Administration. 



In North Carolina the two political parties 

 Whigs and Democrats had been kept alive 

 by the discussion of the question of secession, 

 the Democrats favoring and the Whigs op- 

 posing the measure. These party dissensions 

 had never been quieted there, but were fanned 

 and kept alive by the fact or supposition that 

 those who had been most active in favor of 

 secession, and most violent in the protestation 

 of their determination to shed their blood, if 

 necessary, in maintaining our independence, 

 were now sheltered from serving the country 

 in the field behind petty officers, under the ap- 

 pointment of the Confederate Government. 

 The belief that scarcely any except Democrats 

 had been appointed to fill the offices in the gift 

 of the Government, had so dissatisfied the 

 people that, although before the war the ma- 

 jority of the North Carolina delegation was 

 Democratic, now only a single member of the 

 delegation remains to represent that party, and 

 he holds his position by the tenure of sixteen 

 votes. 



The people of North Carolina and a part of 

 Georgia had gotten it into their heads that 

 something could be effected by peace negotia- 

 tions; and if the action proposed by his resolu- 

 t'or> had no other effect and he confessed he 

 did not anticipate any other it would at least 

 quiet the minds of many thousands of persons 

 on tlie subject. 



Mr. Barksdale, of Miss., offered the follow 

 ing resolutions as a substitute' for those pre- 

 sented by the gentleman from North Caro- 

 lina : 



Whereas, The people of the Confederate States 

 having been compelled, by the acts of the npn-slaye- 

 holding States, to dissolve their connection with 

 those States, and to form a new compact in order to 

 preserve their liberties ; and 



Whereas, The efforts made by the Government of 

 the Confederate States, immediately upon its organi- 

 zation, to establish friendly relations between it and 

 the Government of the United States having proved 

 unavailing bv reason of the refusal of the Govern- 

 ment of the tlnited States to hold intercourse with 

 the Commissioner appointed by this Government for 

 that purpose ; and 



Whereas, The Government of the United States 

 having since repeatedly refused to listen to proposi- 

 tions for an honorable peace, and having declared 

 to foreign powers in advance that it would reject any 

 offer of mediation which they might be prompted to 

 make in the interest of humanity for terminating the 

 war ; and thus, having manifested their determina- 

 tion to continue it, with a view to the reduction of 

 the people of these States to a degrading bondage, or 

 to their extermination ; therefore be it 



Resolved, That while we reiterate our readiness 

 to enter upon negotiations for peace whenever the 

 hearts of our enemies are so inclined, we will pursue, 

 without faltering, the course we have deliberately 

 chosen, and for the preservation of our liberties 

 will employ whatever means Providence has placed 

 at our disposal. 



Resolved, That the mode prescribed in the Consti- 

 tution of the Confederate States for making treaties 

 of peace afford ample means for the attainment of 

 that end, whenever the Government of the United 

 States abandon their wicked purpose to subjugate 

 them, and evince a willingness to enter upon nego- 

 tiations for terminating the war. 



Pending the consideration of which, the 

 morning hour having expired, the subject was 

 postponed. 



On the next day the question recurring upon 

 the resolutions offered by Mr. Barksdale as a 

 substitute for those offered by Mr. Turner, Mr. 

 McMullen, who was entitled to the floor, offer- 

 ed the following resolution as a substitute for 

 those offered by Mr. Barksdale : 



Whereas, According to the Declaration of Inde- 

 pendence of the United States and the Constitution 

 of the Confederate States, the people of each of said 

 States, in their highest sovereign capacity, have a 

 right to alter, amend, or abolish the Government un- 

 der which they live, and establish such other as they 

 may deem expedient ; and 



Whereas, The people of the several Confederate 

 States have thought proper to sever their political 

 connection with the people and Government of the 

 United States for reasons which it is not needful here 

 to state ; and 



Whereas, The people of the Confederate States 

 have organized and established a distinct Govern- 

 ment for themselves ; and 



Whereas, Because the people of the Confederate 

 States have thus exercised their undoubted rights in 

 this respect, the people and Government of the Uni- 

 ted States have thought proper to make war upon 

 them ; and 



Whereas, There seems to be a difference of opin- 

 ion on the part of the respective governments and 

 people as to which of the contending parties is re- 

 sponsible for the commencement of the present war; 



Resolved,, That while it is not expedient, and would 



