334 



CONGRESS, U. S. 



JKesolved, That our thanks are tendered to pur sol- 

 diers in the field for their gallantry in defending and 

 upholding the flag cf the Union, and defending the 

 great, principles dear to every American patriot. 



The first resolution was adoptee yeas, 98 ; 

 nays, 65. The second and third resolutions 

 were also adopted yeas, 152 and 166; nays, 

 1, Benjamin G. Harris. 



In the House, on the 7th of January, Mr. 

 Baldwin, of Massachusetts, offered the follow- 

 ing resolution : 



Whereas the organized treason having its head- 

 quarters at Richmond, exists in defiant violation of 

 the national Constitution, and has no claim to be 

 treated otherwise than as an outlaw ; and whereas 

 this Richmond combination of conspirators and 

 traitors can have no rightful authority over the 

 people of any portion of the national Union, and no 

 warrant for assuming control of the political destiny 

 of the people of any State or section of this Union, 

 and no apology but that of conspiracy and treason 

 for any assumption of authority whatever ; therefore, 



Resolved, That any proposition to negotiate with 

 the rebel leaders at Richmond (sometimes called 

 " the authorities at Richmond ") for a restoration of 

 loyalty and order in those portions of the Republic 

 which have been disorganized by the rebellion, is, in 

 effect, a proposition to recognize the ringleaders of 

 the rebellion as entitled to represent and bind the 

 loyal citizens of the United States whom they op- 

 press, and to give countenance and support to the 

 pretensions of conspiracy and treason ; and there- 

 fore every such proposition should be rejected with- 

 out hesitation or delay. 



The resolution was adopted yeas, 88 ; nays, 

 24. 



In the House, on the 29th of February, Mr. 

 Long, of Ohio, offered the following preamble 

 and resolution : 



Whereas history teaches that there never has been 

 a civil war that was not settled in the end by com- 

 promise, and inasmuch as no possible harm can re- 

 sult either to the character or dignity of the United 

 States from an honest effort to stop the effusion of 

 fraternal blood, and restore the Union by the return 

 of the States in rebellion to their allegiance under the 

 Constitution and whereas the President, with a full 

 knowledge of the lessons taught by history in rela- 

 tion to all civil wars, in his inaugural address said, 

 "Suppose you go to war, you cannot fight always; 

 and when, after much loss on both sides, and no 

 gain on either, you cease fighting, the identical old 

 questions as to terms of intercourse are again upon 

 you;" and whereas we now have an armistice, de- 

 creed by the Almighty, and executed for the past two 

 months by the snows and ice of winter, thereby af- 

 fording time and opportunity for reflection upon the 

 past three years of norrible, relentless, and destruc- 

 tive civil war with all its calamities, and a prospective 

 view of increased horrors in the approaching con- 

 flicts ; and whereas a preamble and resolutions were, 

 on the 7th of February instant, introduced in the 

 house of representatives of the confederate congress 

 at Richmond denying the statement of the President 

 of the United States "that no propositions for peace 

 had been made to the United States by the confed- 

 erate States," and affirming that such propositions 

 were prevented from being made by the President of 

 the United States, in thatlie had refused to hear, or 

 even to receive, two commissioners appointed to treat 

 expressly for peace ; therefore, 



jBe it resolved, That the President be, and he is 

 hereby most earnestly but respectfully, requested to 

 appoint Franklin Pearce, of New Hampshire, Millard 

 Fiflmore, of New York, Thomas Ewing, of Ohio, and 

 such other persons as the President may see proper 



to select, as commissioners on behulf of the United 

 States, who shall be empowered to meet a commission 

 of like number when appointed for the same object 

 on behalf of the confederate States, at such time and 

 place_ as may be agreed upon, for the purpose of as- 

 certaining before the renewal of hostilities shall have 

 again commenced whether the war shall not now 

 cease, and the Union be restored by the return of all 

 the States to their allegiance and their rights under 

 the Constitution. 



It was rejected by the following vote : 



YEAS Messrs. James C. Allen, Ancona, Brooks, 

 Coffroth, Dennison, Eden, Eldridge, Finck, Knapp, 

 Long, McDowell, William H. Miller, Morrison, John 

 O'Neill, Pendleton, Samuel J. Randall, Rogers, Ross, 

 Stiles, Strouse, Voorhees, and Chilton A. White 22. 



NAYS Messrs. Alley, Allison, Ames, Anderson, 

 Arnold, Ashley, Augustus C. Baldwin, John D. Bald- 

 win, Baxter, Jacob B. Blair, Blow, Boutwell, Boyd, 

 Brandegee, William G. Brown, Ambrose W. Clark, 

 Freeman Clarke, Cobb, Cole, Creswell, Henry Wintei 

 Davis, Dawes, Deming, Dixon, Donnelly, Driggs. 

 Dumont, Eckley, Eliot, Farnsworth, Fenton, Frank 

 Ganson, Garfield, Grinnell, Griswold, Hale, Higby^ 

 Holman, Hooper, Hotchkiss, John H. Hubbard^ 

 Hutchins, Jenckes, Julian, Kelley, Orlando Kellogg, 

 Kernan, King, Loan, Lovejoy, Marvin, McBride, Me- 

 Clurg, Mclndoe, Samuel F. Miller, Moorhead, Merrill, 

 Daniel Morris, Amos Myers, Leonard Myers, Nelson, 

 Norton, Charles O'Neill, Perham, Pike, Pomeroy, 

 Price, Radford, William H. Randall, John H. Rice, 

 Schenck, Scofield, Shannon, Sloan, Smithers, Spald- 

 ing, Starr, Stebbins, John B. Steele, Stevens, Thayer, 

 Thomas, Tracy, Upson, Van Valkenburgh, Wads- 

 worth, Elihu B. Washburne, William B. Washburn, 

 Whaley, Williams, Wilder, Wilson, Windom, Win- 

 field, and Woodbridge 96. 



In the House, on April 8th, the President's 

 message was considered in Committee of the 

 Whole on the state of the Union. Mr. Long, 

 of Ohio, took the floor and said : " Mr. Chair^ 

 man, I speak to-day for the preservation of the 

 Government, and, although for the first time 

 within these walls, I propose to indulge in that 

 freedom of speech and latitude of debate so 

 freely exercised by other gentlemen for the 

 past four months, and which is admissible un- 

 der the rules in the present condition of the 

 House. But for what I may say and the posi- 

 tion I shall occupy npon this floor and before 

 the country I alone will be responsible, and in 

 the independence of a Eepresentative of the 

 people I intend to proclaim the deliberate con- 

 victions of my judgment in this fearful hour of 

 the country's peril. 



" And now, Mr. Chairman, as we are in 

 Committee* of the Whole on the state of the 

 Union, let us inquire how stanls the Union to- 

 day. A little over three years ago the present 

 occupant of the Presidential mansion at the 

 other end of the avenue came into this city 

 under cover of night, disguised in plaid cloak 

 and Scotch cap, lest, as was feared by his 

 friends, he might have received a warmer 

 greeting than would have been agreeable, on 

 his way through Baltimore, at the hands of 

 the constituents of the honorable gentleman 

 from Maryland (Mr. Davis). On the 4th of 

 March he was inaugurated, and in his address 

 deprecated civil war, using that ever-to-be 

 memorable language : 



