The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1849-02-13

yenturing upon such experiment protest against
the experiment, and against the influences which have
been brought to bear upon the minds OF members OF this
body Gentlemen upon this floor speak OF the progress
OF the sentiments OF the age venture to say that we
are no better than ancestors good Their
mode OF trealmentif they have any mode at all-would
perhaps be like that of the clergyman at the battle OF Lex
iDgton who said he was for strong measures-he was Tor
sending Tor the British officers, and talking 10 them Sc
perety. This would to be the kind of discipline
which the gentlemen who go against corporal punish
ment wonld adopt-to talk to the sailors severely
Mr. BREESE. Before the question is taken, | sup
pose we have right to move an amendment would
therefore to insert after the word navy" the
words on shore and within the United States"
My reason for the amendment is this | see how
We might abolish this punishment on shore but cannot
see how preserve the discipline OF the crews at
sea by the abolition of corporal punishment II any
this mode Of punishment will show me that this can be
done, will vote Tor the entire abolition OF hoggng.
But believe it be abolished shore by substituting
confinement fort
AS far the degra 1aton concerned sailor feels
himself degraded BY the of the cat nine tails any
more than the child who receives box the ear by his
mother, the pupil who is erruled by his schoomaster
Mr. CLAYTON. do not know, MIR President that
should have said word after the lengthy debate that
has arisen upon this subject but for what think may
lead TO mlsapprehenslon arising out OF some remarks
of the senator from New Hampshire, Mr. HALE with
gard to the severity Of the punishment and the number Of
lashes inflicted upon sailors In our navy The honorable
senator referred to document to show that in ship
than 800 lashes had been inflicted during the period
of three months. Now, sir | do not know anything
ABOUT the circumstances OF tnlS case; IL may nave
been the fact that they were mutnous crew-a
noted for INSTRUMENTATION. 1t may have been that
the punishment inflicted for descron, for muiny,
for drawing knife upon the officer, for fighting and
gambling But sir, in regard to the other cases, with
single exception, appears that there is such
number Of lashes inflicted, but only forty to sixty
lashes during the whole OF month"; and for such
crimes as have mentioned. II is not true and sup
pose the senator does not intend il to be understood that
navy will exhibit such average nine hundred
lashes for three months.
Mr. President desire 10 saw that this punishment is
Inflicted under authority Of the act of Congress of the 90
of April, 1900 1t has continued from that day to this
1t is not true that punshments inflicted arbitrarily
by the commander. He has such authority. He
is obliged by law to designate the crime committed and
the number of lashes, which must be entered upon the
log book, and reported to the Navy Department You
have fair opportunity of seeing IRON this document
whether there has been single instance OF cruel or I'M
proper punishment inflicted upon any sailor in the nayy
and defy the senator from New Hampshire, any other
senator, to point to single instance in which sailor
has been improperly punished since the law has been
made. know it has been asserted that streams OF blood
How from the back of the sailors but let il be borne IN
mind that punishment is always inflicted for crime and
IS not at the will discretion OF the commander
to punish without cause.
Besides, has been stated how you regulate the
seamen when the ship is one hundred miles at sea, with
out this punishment Can you put penentary on
board OF u man of-war! Has human ingenuity devised
other mode by which to govern crews than by means
of hogging In the British Parliament thus has been
subject OF consideration. They have had as much ex-
Perence any other country Various suggestions have
mens for if cruel punishmens have been inflicted in
any navy in the world, they have been inflicted in the
navy S have o% S to
been the result They have not succeeded in aboishng
fosgng on board their ships Their admiralty and naval
men say cannot be done Our officers in the navy
say the same thing Every Secretary OF the Navy we
have ever had has told us SO.
Now, what is it about to do' We are about to
depart from the experience of all the who have gone
before u.s. aud ldenly abolish the only Of pre-
serving order in OF the most important branches OF
the national service.
| do not desire to protract the discussion. 1t must
readily to the mind of every senator here that the
condition of things board ship at distance from the
country, is altogether different from the condition of
tribunals of law, and sent to penentiary for their
crimes. The argument to sustain the infection OF corpo
raj is, that it is impossible TO substitute any
other mode IN lis place After all that has been SAID by
the senator from New Hampshire and alter the sug
geston thrown out by him that sailors ought to muny
for punishment of this description, do hope for strong
vote from the American SeLate TO show that the sen-
meD OF this body In direct opposition to the views he
has put forth And in order that the vote may appear
upon the record demand the ayes and noes
Mr.. HALE AS the facts 10 which | have adverted
have been called in question, want to say word upon
that point The senator from Delaware, who has made
strong appeal for the yeas and nays, will allow me
TO say that called for them long ago; and though do
ask for sirong VOTE, do ask, if there is human
heart in the Senaef humanity has single friend that
dares TO stand up-that he will do now for tell him
that now is the day. and now is the hour, when humani
~ calls for those who dare stand up in her Ii she
has any friends let them stand up, though they stand
alone. | have stood alone here in the Senate, and
would not be afraid to stand alone on this question.
But tell you. sir, rally your strong hosts in this
Senate against the voice of humanity, and l will
rally stronger host among the American people. Sir
they will not tolerate this relic of barhasm. 1t is
idle to think of it, The cato'-nine tails is gone.
In lsa9 you may erect your monument, and say, Here
lies the cat O nnet tails" The funeral procession will
be marshaed and all these idle Arguments
drawn from the Wondering abuses of EnglaDd-cannot
shelter this barbary from the scathing Indignation of
outraged humanity
The senator IRON Delaware says they have not been
able to get nd OF corporal punishment IN the English
navy. Well, England has great many other things
she get rid Of She cannot get rid of her lords of
the admiralty suppose shall have TO add that 10
navy 1t has been proposed and urgei-and think
if we keep the cato tails we ought to haveou ad-
say admrals of the white do not know that they have
admras OF the white; but they have enough of the red
Sir. am heartily sick of this going back to the dusty
and dead past and digging among the monuments OF the
government that we seeded from long ago; am
sick of this searching amongst her Wondering antiquities
for abuses to bring up here and apologies for
remnants of barbarty that still lingering among
Why, sir, to hear honorable gentlemen talk would
think that the sailors not brethren
who doing The work on board ships but that
ncarnate ends of hell who marshalledforced
may be-into our SERVICE and that there other
avenue to their heas-no way of approaching their
dersandngno process of appealing to them but through
the CATO -nineails applied to their backs Have not
these men ears Have they not hearts Have they no
frends' wonder if these sailors had mothers
wonder that circle of human sympathy that surrounds
every human heart, binding it by Thousand ties to
thousand other human hearts, has anything to do with
these sailors Or have they in place of human hearts
something that can only be reached by the ropes end'
The senator from North Carolina Mr. BADeeRl speaks
n Tho lot.a