New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-02-20
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

citing the clauses of the Constitution relative to the
amendments thereto and adding:
member. Of this House regard causes which have Io
duced the unhappy disturbances now sGins our S
ubsnce and guarding ssinst their future recurrence
R,O,d That in the Judgment of this House. the proper i6u
nal I, which all the existing disturbing questions should Dc
sno Of from the States the Union to be
called In the mode prescribed In the Constitution
Mr.. FENTON offered the above as substitute Tor
the propostionsoi the Commiteeoi ih''S t"ee' VT
The House resumed the consideration Of the bill re-
ported Yesterday by Mr.. STANTON Rep, Ohio au-
tboznp the President TO accept the services OF volun-
teers the question being on its third reading and en-
Mr.. STANTON rep, Ohio, introducing the bill,
said there was a great deal of Misrepresentation with
regard to the object il was intended TO effect II was
supposed that il was the intention Of the Government
under its provisions TO raise an army and 10 match
into the Seeding States 10 sublugae them; III was h0
the case. Ii was a mere revision OF the law OF 1872
the fret section of which provided for the calling out
of the militia by the President, for the express purpose
of suppressing instruction in any State against
the authority Of any State; the second section OF
which also provides for the calling ont OF the
militia TO aid in the execution Of the law when
resisted by combinations too powerful to be over
come by the ordinary civil process Of law In his
Judgment, that law of 1875 covers the case OF
Instruction against the authority OF the ,hlteu
States and the right to call out the militia to put down
instructions. But il appeared that the late Attorney
General Black ha, expressed the opinion that il does
not cover what is sought for by this b that the law
Of 1895 only authorizes the President to call out the
militia when the officers Of the Court, the Msrshsls
or Others resisted in the execution OF process CT
law directed to them by combinations which the ON
GERS could not otherwise overcome and did not author
AGAINST the authority of the United States In his judg
ment the law was intended 10 go this fari but 10 re-
move all ambiguity on the subject, the Committee
deemed their duty 10 extend the provsions OF the
plvf of a w.
but in all cases where resistance TO the authority OF the
United States in the execution OF any Of ite lave Is
contemplated.
he believed that one of the premises upon which the
bill was passed was that the gentleman from Ohio
believed that insunecion against the United States
actually existed.
Nr SrANIUN-Ycs. -
Mr.. SICKLES-In that case, there is 8 strange d,s-
crepancy between the grounds vi huoh pehsi Sh tue
express conviction Of the President that no such ih-ur
Mr. STANTON replied that he was acting in this
matter for the public good, 60 far as has Judgment leo
him TO adopt these measures The theory OF te rres,
dent was that while State might seceds, lhat yet
there was constitutional right Of secession and the act
of the seeding States wa revolutionary ght, ana
could lie treated in no other way by any parry tnsu N
the light of instruction or revolution: "heiher IL re-
onires the measure we provide for Its prevention OF
not ia another question. But &c 10 the nature OF tne
thing there is no difference OF opinion between the
present Administration and those on this side Of the
\ House and the incoming AuInlnlstrdtiOu.
! Mr. SICKLES-The present Admlnist ration ahked
for no such provision this, and if the incoming Ad
mnstratiOn with it, there can be no necessity
for this bill and it ought 10 be az once abandoned The
Administration asked for such law, nor had Il con
templaed the circumstances under which IT might be
brought into use whether for the purpose OF protecting
the Federal property the national archives or for the
| purpose Of snbjugating seeded States.
1 Mr.. STAGTON-No one entertained the idea OF
subugatiug body any State except by executing
| the law with the least possible show Of force.
Mr.. CURTIS Rep Iowa)-Secsssion IL revolution
II may be peaceful revolution but nevertheless, IL
revolution. Thee were the very words Of President
I Buchanan.
Mr.. STANTON said that what the existing Admins
tration would d. III was TO be continued IN oice foI
four years more he did not know in the face OF exist
ing difficulties but the fact that the exiting Admins
trstion whose Lease Of power expires in two weeks
bad not deemed il necessary in that short interval 70
call for additional powere, was no Tesson why no pre-
cautions should be taken TO provide for An emergency
which no patriotic would say, would not arite In
the next four years. They within ten days
Of the expiration Of the present Congress- and If this
bill is 20 pass at oil no unnecessary delay should be al
lowed 70 hamper ts paesage here until reached the
Senate where Parliamentary obstacles could be in
terposed such ~ existed here in the shape of previous
0uestions &C.. 10 It's confederation. The COMMITTEES
Lad in Difference to public sentiment and to avoid sny
unnecessary csuse Of excitement, delayed the ntrodue-
ton Of the measure until the very lat moment they
conceived they could delay Il without eDdaDgering it's
passage. He would proceed 10 state why he believed
the present condition Of things demanded, and explain
ed the necessity that existed for the passage OF some
such law. The incoming Administration did not desire
TO be necestaed to counter 10 the opinion Of the
late AtomeyGeneral Of the present Executive, by
exercising power which that officer decided did not
exist Therefore 1t that il was deemed advisable
70 remedy the law. Be,ides they had knowledge Of
the fact that the Seeding States were organizing
armed force to support hostile Confederacy. They
were informed that within thirty days they have
army raised numbering fifty regiments backed by
levy OF fourteen millions OF dollars. Now, iu the face
of this, one Or two things must be done.
Mr.. CRAIG Dem, N. Cl said that the Southern
Confederscy was friendly powers that they peace
fully exercised their constitutional right to secede and
they ought not 20 be regarded hostile power
Mr.. STANT0N-Secession might be looked upon as
a constitutional right, but here they had the authority
Of the United States superseded and its and
impOsts could not be collected, without some mode
ABIDE from the ordinary mode OF collection. One Of
two things mast, therefore, be done. Either this
right Of secession must be recognized, and tho laws of
the United States abandoned and the ports Of these
States must be treated Tree ports and thus all the
commerce of the country would be diverted from Bos
ton, EeW-YoTk, Baltimore, and Philadelphia either
this must he DONE else tho duties goods imported
to hOse Southern ports must be collected, ana these
ports suspended ports Of entry, and their commerce
made illegal. Some gentlemen opposed TO them cay
that the authority Of the United States over these
States should be surrendered and abandoned, and
the whole commerce Of the country be thus allowed
10 be diverted, and the country to be supplied
with imports through Southern channels. That
is about the state OF things lie had no doubt that
was the expectation of the incoming Administration,
either collect the at these ports by vesses
Of war stationed at their harbors, by some measure
to be authorized by Congress, to close the ports and
not regard them ports OF entry Then, II the South
ern Confederacy treated this hostile act, All act OF
war and should organize an armed force and make an
aggressive war upon any Of the citizens of the United
States then the Government must DO placed Ia poei-