CONGRESS, UNI I E8. 



Van Ili.rn. rncr, Elihu B. Waslil.nrnc, 



II. Wa-lil>urn, William H. Wjishlnmi, \\Ylkrr, 

 William*, .lann-i !'. Wil.tDii, Wiiulom, and Wood- 

 -b7. 



. ('hauler, Dawson, Dcnison, 



Eldridiri-, l-'im-k, (. i.iidrr. Aaron Harding, 



in, Li* Blond, Nihluck, Kittcr, Rogers, 

 Slianklin, Sitgrcuvc-s Spalding, Strouse, Ta- 

 bor, and TrimbU- 



In the House, on May 21st, Mr. McClurg, of 

 Mi-u:ri, o He rod the following resolution and 

 rallnl tho previous question : 



-at it is clearly manifest that the continued 

 contumacy in the seceding States renders it neces- 

 sary to exercise Congressional legislation in order 

 tcipivr tn the loyal citizens of those States protection 

 in thrir natural and personal rights enumerated in 

 tin- Constitution of trie United States, and, in addi- 

 tion thereto, makes it necessary to keep on foot a 

 -landing army to maintain the authority of the 

 National Government and to keep tho peace ; and 

 whereas the country is already overburdened by a 

 war debt incurred to defend the nationality against 

 an infamous rebellion, and it is neither just nor poli- 

 tic to inflict this vast additional expense on the peace- 

 ful industry of the nation : Therefore, 



Retained, That it be referred to the joint commit- 

 tee of the Senate and House to inquire into the ex- 

 pediency of levying contributions on the seceding 

 States to defray the extraordinary expenses that 

 would otherwise be imposed on the General Govern- 

 ment ; and that said committee be instructed to re- 

 port by bill or otherwise. 



It was agreed to by the following vote : 



YEAS Messrs. Allison, Ames, Anderson, James 

 M. Ashley, Baker, Beaman, Bidwell, Boutwell, Bran- 

 dagee, Reader W. Clark, Cobb, Cook, Cullom, Dawes, 

 DefreeSj Deming, Donnelly, Driggs, Dumont, Eck- 

 ley, Eliot, Abner C. Harding, Henderson, Higbv, 

 Holmes, Hooper, Asahel W. Hubbard, Demas Hub- 

 bard, John H. Hubbard, Hulburd, Julian, Kelley, 

 Kelso, Kctcham, George V. Lawrence, William Law- 

 rence, Loan, Longvear, Lvnch, McClurg, McKee, 

 Mercur, Moorhead, Morrill, Morris, Moulton, O'Neill, 

 Paine, Patterson, Perham, Pike, Plants, Price, John 

 H. Rice, Rollins, Sawyer, Schenck, Schofield, Sloan, 

 Scalding, Stevens, Trowbridge, Upson, Van Aernam, 

 Ward, Henry D. Washburn, William B. Washburn, 

 Wdki-r, Williams, James P. Wilson, Stephen F. Wil- 

 son, Windom, and Woodbridge 73. 



NATS Messrs. Ancona, Chanler, Davis, Dawson, 

 Denison, Eldridge, Glossbrenner, Goodyear, Grider, 

 Hale, Aaron Harding, Hogan, Edwin N. Hubbcll, 

 James M. Humphrey, Kerr, Laflin, Le Blond, Mars- 

 ton, McCullougn, McRuer, Myers, Niblack, Nichol- 

 son, Phelps, Samuel J. Randall, Ritter, Rogers, 

 Ross, Sitgreaves, Tabor, Taylor, Thuyer, Whalcv, 

 Winfield, and Wright 25. 



NOT VOTING 85. 



On the same day the following resolutions, 

 offered by Mr. Henderson, of Oregon, were 

 adopted : 



Resolved, That it is the sense of this House that 

 all just and righteous governments are intended, 

 not to confer rights and privileges upon the subjects 

 thereof, but to secure to each and every individual 

 the full, free, and untrammelled exercise and enjoy- 

 ment of all those rights which God has bestowed 

 upon him. 



Resolved, That the safety, prosperity, and happi- 

 ness of tho people require that just and adequate 

 penalties be annexed to the violation of law, and 

 that those penalties be inflicted upon transgressors, 

 not for the purpose of retaliation or revenge, but to 

 insure subordination and obedience. 



Retained fvrtJter, That wo will stand by and ras- 



!io President in executing the lawn of the 



United States upon a sufficient number of leading 



in ouch of the States lately in insur 

 against the National Government, to vindicate the 

 majesty of the law, to sustain the confidence of 

 people, and warn the refractory for all time to 

 come. 



The vote was not officially reported. 



In the House, on December 20th, Mr. Law- 

 rence, of Ohio, offered the following resolutions, 

 which were laid on the table and ordered to bo* 

 printed : 



Resolved, That public justice and national security 

 demand that, so soon as it may be practicable, Jef- 

 ferson Davis, a representative man of the rebellion, 

 should have a fair and impartial trial in the highest 

 appropriate civil tribunal of the country, for the 

 treason most flagrant in character by him commit- 

 ted, in order that the Constitution and the laws may 

 be fully vindicated, the truth clearly established and 

 affirmed that treason is a crime, and that the offence 

 may be made infamous ; and at the same time that 

 the question may be judicially settled, finally and 

 forever, that no State of its own will has the right 

 to renounce its place in the Union. 



Resolved, That public justice and national security 

 demand that in case of the conviction of said Jeffer- 

 son Davis, the sentence of the law should be carried 

 into effect in order that the Constitution and the 

 laws may be fully vindicated and faithfully executed, 

 the truth clearly established and affirmed that trea- 

 son is a crime, and that traitors should be punished. 



Resolved; That in like manner, and for like reasons, 

 such of the most culpable of the chief instigators 

 and conspirators of the rebellion, as may be neces- 

 sary to satisfy the demands of public justice and 

 furnish security for the future, and those criminally 

 responsible for the murder and starvation of Union 

 prisoners of war, should be tried and punished for 

 the high crime of which they have been guilty. 



Resolved, That justice should not fail of its pur- 

 pose, and that all who are guilty of or responsible 

 for the assassination of the late President, and the 

 great offenders during the recent rebellion guilty of 

 and responsible for the murder and starvation of 

 Union prisoners of war, as well as those guilty of or 

 responsible for other unparalleled violations of the 

 laws of civilized warfare, are amenable to and should 

 be tried, convicted, and punished by military tri- 

 bunals authorized by law, and sanctioned by the 

 common law of war and the usage of civilized na- 

 tions, whenever and so far as may be necessary to 

 secure the ends of justice. 



Resolved, That the Committee on the Judiciary be 

 instructed to inquire what legislation, if any, may be 

 necessary to provide juries for trials lor treason, for 

 writs of error, and to carry into effect the purposes 

 of the foregoing resolutions ; and that said commit- 

 tee report by bill or otherwise. 



In the Senate, on December 21st, Mr. How- 

 ard, of Michigan, offered the following, which 

 was agreed to : 



eas the Constitution declares that "in all 

 criminal prosecutions the accused shall enjoy the 

 rL'lit of a speedy and public trial by an impartial 

 jury of the State or District wherein the crime shall 

 nave been committed ; " and whereas several months 

 have elapsed since Jefferson Davis, late President of 

 tho so-called Confederate States, was captured and 

 confined for acts notoriously done by him as such, 

 which acts, if duly proved, render him guilty of trea- 

 son against the United States, and liable to the penal- 

 ties thereof; and whereas hostilities between the 

 government of the United States and th insurgents 



