CONGRESS, U. S. 



345 



man who -will rise in his place in Congress and 

 state that he is in favor of the men who seek 

 the destruction of this land and the dissolution 

 of the Union by recognizing them as one of the 

 nations of the earth. Xay, more. You should 

 call no more soldiers into the field to endeavor 

 by the peril of their lives to save this country, 

 because it is a solemn mockery to do if from 

 this Hall shall go forth words of encourage- 

 ment to strengthen those arrayed against them 

 in an unholy and parricidal work. If we allow 

 this to pass here unquestioned and unrebuked, 

 how can we deny to others abroad the right to 

 recognize the establishment of the so-called 

 southern confederacy among the nations of the 

 earth ? Can you propose to go to war with any 

 foreign nation who may do this, and yet, by 

 opposing this resolution, justify and indorse the 

 open avowal of a similar desire in this Hall ? 



" Mr. Speaker, we have seen since this rebel- 

 lion opened the other branch of the Federal 

 Congress, at the opposite end of the Capitol, 

 expelling a Senator from my own State. What 

 for ? For sending a letter of introduction by a 

 gentleman to the rebel chief who presides at 

 Richmond. For that letter of introduction, 

 thus giving aid and comfort to those in armed 

 hostility to the United States, the Senate of the 

 United States expelled him by a two-thirds 

 vote. I have nothing to say in regard to the 

 politics of my own State, but I have this to say, 

 that a Legislature sat afterward in my State of 

 ;:ne political views with the expelled Sen- 

 ator, and they had the power to elect two Uni- 

 ted States Senators, one for the long term and 

 another for the short term. A majority of 

 that Legislature, sir, recorded their votes of 

 approval of the action of the Senate by refusing 

 to send although they had the power that 

 Senator back to his seat in the United States 

 Senate. 



One or two years ago, perhaps less than 

 one year ago, Ohio was excited by the arrest 

 of a former member of Congress for declaring 

 in strong language his hostility to a military 

 order. His friends went before the people in 

 that State on the issue of the injustice done 

 him, and by a majority of one hundred thou- 

 sand they declared their approbation of that act 

 of military authority, and the highest court of 

 judicature in our laud, the Supreme Court of 

 the United States, refused the other day to re- 

 open or review that judgment. 



"Mr. Speaker, I have but a word more to 

 say, when I will leave the floor to the gentle- 

 man from Ohio (Mr. Cox), who seeks it. If 

 this bold and frank avowal, for bold and frank 

 it was, by a member of Congress representing 

 a free district in a loyal State, if this is to go 

 unrebuked by this House, I ask you how you 

 are to close these doors against those who are 

 now sitting at Richmond in the confederate 

 congress, those who have not been in arms 

 against the L'nited States but have been sitting 

 in that congress giving aid and comfort to the 

 arms of the rebellion against the United States \ 



Their hands are s.ained with no blood, per- 

 haps ; they could come here with no blood, aa 

 soldiers, upon their skirts ; but they may seek 

 to come here, if this is to be the law of this Con- 

 iresh from the conclave of this confed- 

 erate congress, saying to us : ' We have done no 

 more at Richmond than has been done upon 

 this floor by the member from the second dis- 

 trict of Ohio in your presence, unrebuked upon 

 the floor by Congress.' 



" But it is because of its effect abroad that 1 

 have offered this resolution. If there is any 

 danger threatening our imperilled Union after 

 the valor of our soldiers has caused the area of 

 the rebellion to become ' small by degrees and 

 beautifully less,' it is the recognition of the 

 confederacy by foreign nations. On a motion 

 of the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Davis) 

 the other day, this House, by a unanimous vote, 

 in which I believe the gentleman from the sec- 

 ond district of Ohio participated, declared that 

 we would not allow any foreign country to 

 plant a nation on the prostrate rums of a re- 

 public anywhere upon the American continent ; 

 and yet, sir, when we assent by our silence to 

 a proposition to recognize this confederacy, we 

 not only assent to the planting of a foreign na- 

 tion upon the soil of this continent, but one 

 upon the soil of our own beloved Union. Nay, 

 more than that, when he has seen, when I have 

 seen, when you have seen, and every member 

 upon this floor has seen the emissaries of this 

 rebel confederacy bowing the knee to every 

 sovereign in Europe, asking an alliance with 

 them, and saying in their confederate congress 

 that they would prefer allegiance to a foreign 

 prince than to remain part and parcel of this 

 Union, do not we know that when their inde- 

 pendence is acknowledged and recognized there 

 will be an alliance, in their weakness, to make 

 them stronger, with any foreign nation, power, 

 or potentate that sees fit to enter into treaties 

 with them, and then upon that soil, once be- 

 longing to the United States, foreign armies 

 will be landed and their forces joined to that 

 of those traitors to invade our own country and 

 destroy our armies and even the liberties of our 

 people ? You have no right to pass resolutions 

 like that offered by the gentleman from Mary- 

 land, warning foreign nations, if upon your own 

 floor and by your deliberate assent and vote 

 you declare and avow the sentiments uttered 

 here yesterday by refusing to rebuke and con- 

 demn them. I have now performed my duty, 

 and leave the rest to the House." 



Mr. Cox, of Ohio, followed, saying: "I ap- 

 proach this matter with becoming seriou 

 The extraordinary spectacle is presented of our 

 Speaker descending from the chair to make a 

 motion to expel one of the members of this 

 House for words spoken in debate. The occa- 

 sion calls for more than the usual gravity of 

 deliberation. I was not present when my col- 

 league (Mr. Long) made the remarks which 

 have called out this resolution. I am told by 

 members around me that his remarks do not 



