The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-10-17
FRIDAY MORNING, OCT. H. 1862.
Confederate States Congress.
WEDNESDAY, October LIST, 1862
SENATE.


SENATE.
The Senate met at II o'clock. A. NJ.
Mr., HUNTER, Of Va, in the Chair
RETALIATION.
Mr.. Semmes, from the judiciary Com
mittee, to which was referred a resolu-
ton in reference to the question Of retail
iaton under Lincoln's late proclamation
Of emancipation, presented the following
as the report generally concured in by
the committee
Whereas, these States exercising
right consecrated by the blood of our
revolutionary forefathers, and recognized
as fundamental in the American system
of government which is based on the
consent of the governed, dissolved the
compact which united them to the North
ern States, and withdrew from the Union
created by the Federal Constitution; and
whereas the Government of the United
States, repudiating the principle on which
its founders, in their solemn appeal to
the civilized world, justified the Ameri-
can revolution, commenced the present
war to subjugate and enslaye these States
under the pretext of REFRESHING rebellion
and restoring the Union; aud whereas,
in the prosecution of the war for the past
seventeen months, the rights accorded to
belligerents by the usages of civilized ma
tions have been studiously denied to the
citizens of these States, except in cases
where the same have been extorted by
the apprehension of retaliation and by
| the adverse fortune of the war; and
whereas, from the commencement of this
unholy invasion to the present moment
the invaders haveinhicted inhuman mis-
cries on the people Of these States, ex-
acting of them reasonable oaths, SUBJ
| jecting unarmed citizens, women and
children to confiscatiOn, banishishment
and Imprisonment; burning their dwell
ing houses, ravaging the land, plundering
| private property; numbering men for pre-
tended offences encouraging the abduc-
ton of slaves by government officials and
atgovernment expense promoting servile
instruction by tampering with slaves
and protecting them in resisting their
masters; stealing works of art and de-
stroying public Libraries; encouraging
and inviting brutal soldiery TO commit
Outrages on women by the uurebuked
orders of military commanders, and at.
tempting to ruin cities by filling up the
entrance to their harbors with stone.
And whereas, in the same spirit of
barbarous ferocity the Government of the
United States enacted law entitled Gan
act TO suppress instruction and to pre-
vent treason and rebellion, to seize and
coniiscate the property of rebels, and for
other purposes /" and has announced by
a proclamation issued by Abraham Lin
coin, the President thereof, that in pur-
suance of said law, I" on the LIST daV Of
January, 1863, all persons held az slaves
within any State or designated part of a
State, the people whereof shall be in re-
bellion against the United States, shall
be thenceforward and forever Free" and
has thereby made manifest that the con-
nict has ceased to be a war as recognized
among civilized nations and on the part
OF the enemy has become an invasion Of
an organized horde of murderers and
plunderers, breathing hatred and revenge
for the numerous defeats sustained on
legitimate battle fields, and determined If
possible to exterminate the loyal popula-
ton of these States, to transfer their
property to their enemies, and to eman-
cipate their slaves with the atrocions
design OF adding servile instruction and
the massacre of families to the calamities
OF war; and whereas, justice and hu-
manity require this government to en-
deavor to repress the lawIess practice
and designs of the enemy by i1Aicting
severe retribution:
Therefore, the Congress of the Confed-
Grated States of America do enact, 1st
That on and after the LIST day of anua-
ry, 1868, all commissioned and non COM
miHsioned officers of the enemy, except
as hereinafter mentioned, when captured,
shall be imprisoned at hard labor, or
otherwise put at hard labor, until the
termination Of the war, or until the re-
peal OF the act of the Congress Of the
United States hereinbefore recited, and
until otherwise determined by the Presi-
dent
I'd. Every white person who shall act
rs a commissioned or non-commissioned
oihceE commanding negroes or mulattoes
against the Confederate States, or who
shall arm, organize, train, or prepare ne
groes or mulattoes for military service
or aid them in any military enterprise
against the Confederate States stall. n
captured, suffer death
I'd Every commissioned or aoa-e9m-
missioned officer OF the enemy wa0 shall
iacite slaves % rebellion or pretend g,