182 



CONGRESS, U. S. 



To these remarks Mr. Hale of New Hamp- 

 shire, replied : " I want to protest here, for one 

 of the Northern States, against the tone of the 

 Senator's speech, in which, looking to war, he 

 talks to us as if we were the war-making pow- 

 er. Have we seized upon any forts ? Have we 

 taken any arsenals, and seized upon any mints ? 

 Have we done one single act looking to aggres- 

 sion? Have we fired into any flag, State or 

 National ? On the other hand, is not the con- 

 dition of the Northern States one that subjects 

 them, in the eyes of the world, to the charge 

 of pusillanimity and reproach for wanting man- 

 liness in repelling the attacks that have been 

 made upon them ? Gentlemen come here and 

 preach peace to us as if we were the aggressive 

 party ; as if the responsibilities of- war must 

 rest on us. Why, sir, if we have any of the 

 responsibilities of war resting upon us, it will be 

 by a course of conduct which subjects us, in the 

 eyes of the world, to the imputation of cowards 

 that lies still and invokes aggression." 



The inflammable state of the feelings of the 

 Southern people had already been very distinct- 

 ly manifested. On the last day of December, 

 orders were issued from the War Department 

 for the purpose of sending troops South. Late 

 in the night, perhaps as late as eleven o'clock, 

 these orders were countermanded ; but in the 

 mean time, telegraphic despatches had been 

 sent to the South, and a number of forts were 

 taken. In North Carolina, on the day follow- 

 ing, the 1st of January, there was a similar 

 movement on foot, and a despatch went down 

 which prevented it, by giving assurances that 

 the orders had been countermanded. Not long 

 afterwards the sending of the Star of the West 

 occurred, other reports of hostile movements 

 went abroad, and the people occupied some of 

 the forts in North Carolina ; but they were in- 

 formed again that there was no purpose on the 

 part of the Government to reinforce them, and 

 they were abandoned. 



The Naval Appropriation bill next came up 

 before the Senate. One of its provisions 

 authorized the construction of seven steam- 

 sloops of war, when 



Mr. Mason, of Virginia, rose and said : " Now, 

 sir, why is the navy to be increased ? Is there 

 any demand for these steamers ? Is there any 

 such pressing necessity upon the military arm 

 of the country to be strengthened, as to induce 

 Congress to borrow money at the ruinous rates 

 we are now compelled to pay, to strengthen it ? 

 I ask Senators on the other side to state what 

 the necessity is ? Is there any apprehension 

 of war ? Is there any apprehension that this 

 Government may find itself unable to defend 

 itself on any sudden emergency, that will jus- 

 tify us in borrowing money at this ruinous 

 rate for the purpose now of increasing the 

 navy ? " 



Mr. Grimes, of Iowa, replied : "If the Sen- 

 ator will allow me, I will say that it is recom- 

 mended now by the Secretary of the Navy ; 

 and, furthermore, that since the last session of 



Congress there has been a survey of the naval 

 vessels of the United States, many of which 

 have been found to be utterly worthless ; and 

 that, I apprehend, is one reason why a good 

 many gentlemen, who were recorded as having 

 voted against the proposition last year, voted 

 as they did on the present occasion." 



Mr. Mason responded : " What is the public 

 emergency that calls for this increase of the 

 naval force when we have no war? Our com- 

 merce is not unprotected ; we hear of no com- 

 plaint there. We have no unredressed griev- 

 ances in any part of the world, that I know of, 

 that call for an increase of the navy. Why, 

 then, when we are borrowing money at a rate 

 of usance unknown to this Government, is it 

 asked that we should expend $1,500,000 for the 

 increase of the navy, and the increase of this 

 peculiar kind of naval vessels vessels of small 

 draught of water, and which are to be, as the 

 amendment requires, heavily armed in propor- 

 tion to their draught and size ? Why, sir, we 

 know from the newspapers, that a bill is about 

 to be introduced, or has been introduced, into 

 the other branch of Congress, providing for a 

 military surveillance upon those States that are 

 no longer portions of this Confederacy. We 

 have had a bill introduced into the Senate by 

 the honorable Senator from Vermont, author- 

 izing the President of the United States, under 

 circumstances stated in the bill, to discontinue 

 the ports of entry 



Mr. Collamer: "That bill has no warlike 

 purpose whatever. It is to avoid that. It is 

 to declare them no longer ports of entry, so 

 that ships will not make clearances to them. 

 It will prevent the necessity of any military 

 force there." 



Mr. Mason : " I have not spoken one word, 

 Mr. President, of the reasons that induced 

 the honorable Senator to introduce that bill. 

 I am speaking of the fact. The honorable 

 Senator has introduced a bill giving author- 

 ity to the President, under certain circum- 

 stances stated in the bill, to discontinue ports 

 of entry. Very well. I speak of the fact 

 only. What it may lead to is another ques- 

 tion." 



Referring then to the condition of the seceded 

 States, Mr. Mason continued : " Now, sir, other 

 gentlemen may shut their eyes to these facts, 

 if they think it wise to do so. I come from 

 that part of the country ; I cannot shut niy 

 eyes to the existing facts. I know that, what- 

 ever may be the design of the honorable mover 

 of this proposition, if these steamers are built, 

 they will be part of the naval armament of this 

 Confederation, to be used for any military pur- 

 poses that the public exigencies may require ; 

 and I know that the proposition of the honor- 

 able Senator from Vermont will lead to this, 

 whatever he intends. 



" It is high time, sir, for the Government to 

 take into consideration the state of things on 

 our late southern borders, and determine what 

 those relations are. They should meet it like 



