314 



CONGKESS, TJ. S. 



the subject, until tlje last two or three years, 

 has admitted that whether a State is to be re- 

 ceived into the Union or not, one thing is cer- 

 tain, she can only come in as an equal ; and as 

 Massachusetts might establish slavery if she 

 thought proper to do so, as she once recognized 

 it, as she once, if there could be any enjoyment 

 in such an institution, enjoyed it, as some of 

 her citizens sold the slaves which went out to 

 the South as she could now establish African 

 slavery within her own limits, it followed that 

 if you prohibited it to Arkansas or to Tennes- 

 see, or to any other States, they would not be 

 on an equal footing with Massachusetts. I 

 trust in God the Union is destined to last for- 

 ever ; but it cannot last when once it is under- 

 stood that each State in the Union is not the 

 equal of every other equal in every thing, 

 equal not only in the power to do right but 

 equal in the power to do wrong ; I mean mor- 

 ally wrong. My friend is for blotting out all 

 these State lines which were so valuable to us 

 in the past, around which so many associations 

 that cling round the heart of an American are 

 to be found ; associations the result of inter- 

 course, the result of marriage, the result of 

 blood relationship, the result of joint glories 

 and joint trials in the field. He is for blotting 

 them all out and considering these States mere- 

 ly as territory, to return to the United States 

 as territorial acquisitions ; or, if the honorable 

 member refuses to admit that that word prop- 

 erly illustrates his own view, to get them back 

 into the United States as Territories, stripped 

 of State power and unprotected by the Consti- 

 tution of the United States, except so far as 

 that Constitution deals with and protects the 

 Territories of the United States. 



" The difference between the honorable mem- 

 ber and myself is as wide as the poles. I con- 

 sider the war now being carried on against the 

 citizens of those States as being carried on 

 against them individually; that each man is 

 just as much a citizen of the United States in 

 those States now as is each man in the loyal 

 States ; but as those men for the most part are 

 now in arms against the United States, trying 

 to destroy the United States, they are not to be 

 represented in the electoral college because they 

 are criminals, traitors, whom it is the duty of 

 the United States to prosecute as such, and to 

 punish as such. If the President thinks proper 

 to pardon them all, and he has pardoned a great 

 many, or if Congress should thing proper itself 

 by some legislative act, with the consent of the 

 President, to wipe out all their sins as against 

 the United States, and they should organize 

 their Government again, and come here, they 

 have a right to come ; but until they do that 

 they are the enemies of the United States. 

 But that is not the case made by the Presi- 

 dent." 



Mr. Howard, of Michigan, said : " Mr. Presi- 

 dent, I shall vote against the reference of this 

 subject to any committee of the Senate. I 

 shall vote against the reference of the joint 



resolution which is the Srst in order, because 

 I think the time has not yet come for us 

 to take into consideration the propriety of sot- 

 ting aside the President's proclamation declar- 

 ing certain States of the Union to be in insur- 

 rection ; and I shall vote against it, because I 

 think that, fairly and properly speaking, at the 

 present time the State of Arkansas is in insur- 

 rection. It is not at peace. So far as the reso- 

 lution relates to that State, I shall treat it as a 

 State in insurrection." 



The joint resolution was adopted to refer the 

 credentials to the Committee on the Judiciary, 

 together with the following resolution offered 

 by Mr. Sumner : 



JResolved, That a State pretending to secede from 

 the Union, and battling against the national Govern- 

 ment, to maintain this pretension must be regarded 

 as a rebel State, subject to military occupation, and 

 without title to representation on this floor until it 

 has been readmitted by a vote of both Houses of 

 Congress ; and the Senate will decline to entertain 

 any application from any such rebel State until after 

 such vote of both Houses of Congress. 



The committee subsequently reported that 

 the Senators were not entitled to seats. The 

 report was approved. 



In the House, on April 4th, Mr. Davis, of 

 Maryland, received permission to report from 

 the Committee on Foreign Affairs a joint reso- 

 lution relative to Mexico. It declared that the 

 Congress of the United States were unwilling 

 by silence to leave the nations of the world 

 under the impression that they were indifferent 

 spectators to the deplorable events transpiring 

 in the republic of Mexico, and that they there- 

 fore thought fit to declare that it did not accord 

 with the policy of the United States to ac- 

 knowledge any monarchical government erect- 

 ed on the ruins of any republican government 

 in America under the auspices of any European 

 power. 



Mr. Brooks, of New York, asked : u What 

 does the gentleman propose to do with the 

 joint resolution ? " 



Mr. Davis replied : "I propose to put it upon 

 its passage." 



Mr. Brooks said: "I have no objection to 

 the joint resolution if it be not a mere paper 

 fulmination. I do object, however, to paper 

 thunder. If it means any thing I am in favor 

 of the resolution ; if not, I am opposed to it." 



Mr. Davis further added: "Mr. Speaker, 

 whether it be a mere paper fulmination or not 

 depends upon whether the Congress of the 

 United States shall adopt it, and whether it 

 represents, in adopting it, the opinions of the 

 people of the United States. It is a declaration 

 simply as to what our policy is to be respecting 

 events which touch our interest very nearly. 

 I take it that it is not a subject which anybody 

 desires here to discuss ; and I suspect that if 

 there be a dissent in this House, it is about_the 

 only dissent that can be found in the United 

 States on this subject." 



