Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1862-07-25

| given US by the Almighty to prosecute this war
/ to a successful termination. The necessity for
action has arisen. To hesitate Is worse than
/ criminal. We are expending tho money Of our
citizens; almost daily losing by sickness
and otherwise thousands Of lives, and at the rate
at which tha. has been going on tor the last few
! months, IL will take bat Few months longer 10
reduce our army so that it will be worthless, aud
to reduce the wealth of the country TO such ox-
tent that credit will be worthss, also.
l admit that at one time | was not in favor Of
| employing the blacks. did not believe it was
! good policy; but had no conscientious scruples
on the subject. But, sir, the example vas set as
| long ago aud has been continued for years by
! Great Britain. She has kept in the Canadas one
] or more regiments Of blacks for years, upon our
! frontier. in sight Of the American flag; aud who,
] North or south, has ever raised question as 90
her right 10 do so, to the moral effect II had
! upon the community We ali acquiesced ia il;
no one said it was wrong; and if il not wron.
! for Great Britain to have regiments of armed
! blacks to protect her frontier against us, Is il
wrong for Us to employ the same means to put
down rebels2 Especially when they resort 20 in
feTna machines. to torFedoes to assassiGationsto 70
poison shall we, from any sickly motives Of deli
| oacy and mistaken tenderness, hesitate We have
/ not men enough on the Potomac to authorize an
! advance, and unless we get them soon We must
cease our exeTt0ns to maintain the int gritty o TIC
Union. God knows We can employ no means
worse than they have employed; but I would not
follow their bad example; l would, however re-
sort TO all the means that known in civilized
warfare 90 suppress this rebellion and punish tho
rebels. ! would not hesitate for d mamcut. /
Will vote for any measure 70 that eni
Mr.. WILSON Of Massachusetts,. Mr. President
the Senator from Maine has said justly that this
bill couIcmplatcs drafting from the body a. the
militia Of the country force TO support the couu-
try. This bill contemplates calling ont the mill
tia in case We fail 70 obtain the number of men
required by the present system Of volunteering .-
Ii simply provides that the President II the Unit
ed States, if lie calls out the militia shall
not be limited by the rules specified IN
existing Jaw, but that he may fix the
time in the call during which the militia sh,ll
serve and he discharge them sooner If the ox-
igencies Of the country will permit. The second
section simply provides that when the militia Is
called into the field its organization shall be the
same as is now proyld for the volunteer forces.
think that necessary provision.
1t may be asked why is it that We mood ~ this
time to call for this largely additi nal force. II
will be remembered that at the called session ot
Congress last summer VIC authorized the Govern
ment 10 raise half million of men. An amend
ment put in a subsequent bill, intended 20
limit the number raised to half a million, but IL
could be construed and was construed hy the Gov
ment to give the privilege 10 raise half a
million more men. When Congress assembled m
December, the Secretary Of War reported that the
Government bad raised ESQ 600 more than was
provided for by the acts Of Congress construed As
Congress intended they should be-
Il will be remembered that we wore often called
upon TO state the number Of troop enlisted by the
Government. The best examination that [ could
give 1t led me to believe that the Government had
over estinstcd by at least $50, 900 the forces they
professed 10 have raised, and here in the Senate
maintained that the number Of troors raised did
not exceed So, coo or $50, 000 / maintained that
0,0O0 or $4,000 well-crganized and active men
I -.ff
needs Of the Government, and that If the toyern-
! ment had ESQ 600 men in the field. 1t had more
men than were necessary, although l denied that
| We had so many men by at I asst 50 600. / never
| believed that the Government had an effective
| force in the field larger than SIS 600 men, and
now believe that it did not even have that force
! that the number Of effective did not exceed
! half million. did not then believe, l 10 not
now believe, that the Government had actually
raised more men than it needed. ami l am sure /
| never said So The Senate viii BE- me witness
| the Senator from Minnes ia upon the Committee
| on Mii.ary Affairs will bear NE witness, that
] whenever the Government OF the generals in the
] field have asked Of Congress OF Of the Military
] Committee any thing 10 carry on tLis W4r 1 have
been swift to obey their wishes.
Mr.. RICE. That is so.
| M Wusoy, Of Mass. Every senator. l am
sure will most cheerfully respond to the words of
| thl honorable Senator from N me sofa. Every
Senator viii, l an confident, bear Nitnc-s thai
/ have ever been pgOTpt 10 r-Ise. organize, sni
pres INTO action the military Resource Of the na-
! tinn. And yet, sir, while upon q bed of Eckne
/ / had the modification Of seeing in a lsld.n.
press in the country a staten nt holding ne per
soually re ponsible for the Governments MT hav-
I in- mere troops in the field. IL was 51id tn
] had maintained that we hal more troops than we
] wanted. have never maintained that we had
more effective men than we wanted. ! maiutaiued
that the Government had not ss many men as Il
h.ra hrru dol I
! thousand and that if it bad as many as it claim
| cd, it was more than absolutely necessary at
| that time. That is the distinction | made. and
/ Senators will all remember that my position
| and the distinction made. | have ever pressed
| upon the Administration the importance Of giving
| to General McC lellan and other generals all the
! forces required to meet and crush the enemy
| Now, sir, word in regard 10 the action OF the
1 Government in stopping recruiting. The fact as,
| that for thirty days before the order issued
| closing up the recruiting stations, the re-
cruiting had ceased altogether, and we had not
raised Eve hundred men for month before that
| order was issued; but the machinery existed, the
recruiting stations existed, the expense existed,
and it was necessary to close them up, and to de-
wise a system Of recruiting less expensive to the
country; for, in carrying on this war, every man
| of intelligence knows that while We calling
| men and arming men, we must keep our eyes upon
the expenditures Of the Government, and guard
the credit Of the nation.
The Senator from Maine has spoken, and l was
glad to hear him speak, OF the manner in which
We have carried on this war. trust that the expe-
rience Of the last few weeks has taught the Gov
ernment and taught cur military leaders a lesson,
and that they Will be swift to comprehend that
lesson. Sir, the country is flooded to day with the
letters Of your brave volunteers, men among the
living and the dead, depicting their suiferings in
swamps and bitches, toiling to build up fortifca-
tions and their suferings in guarding rebel prop
erty and protecting those who were ready 10 as
sassinate te-them or smite them down at any
hour. say that the Government of the country
and many OF the leaders of our armies in theIi
excessive zeal to conciliste rebels and to protect
the property of rebels, have dealt hardly with
the brave soldiers who are upholding the cause o
the country hold in u'y hand a letter writer
to a member Of the other House, place. in my
hand to-day-a letter from a gentleman whom
well know. He says, writing to a member Of th,
House Of Representatives:
" Tell Senator Wilson that if he will look int,
the matter, he will fni his regiment using coz
sheds and pig styes for hospital purposes whit
large buildings filed with rebels protected bl
them, thus degrading our own men below tia tor 5
1 have seen four Of the soldiers Of that regimen
die in these places. when there were residence
all around them where they could have had com
Portable quarters
Sir, l would not ellow our VOLUNTEERS 10 sles
, Ell property. Their Own good requires that OF
, der and discipline should prevail in ths Army
: even in rebel regions; butI would take and us
for the comfort Of gallant soldiers rebel prop
= erty.
have in my possession a correspondence be
tween a Mr.. BrOdhead, quar- terlnaster appointe
D in the volunteer service, and quar- ernaster owe
g him in regard 10 the White House, Of which :
: much has been said. Mr., Brcdhead said that th
| White House ana the grounds about it ought