, 1862-01-22

travel In epecial trains at the public expense, and
he shond be called npon t9 Feinnd TIE aonns am h9s
friends from St. Louis to Springfield. II be shall |
not do 80, the proper accounting officers Of tae
Treasury should ascertain; what that a1ao1nt Is;
the District Of Columbia
This is the Mr.. LaMon who is the Marshal
Of the District Of Columbia Instead OF de-
voting his attention 10 the duties of his posi-
ton, instead Of watching and protecting the
duty assigned to him, instead Of visiting the
jail Us its public guardian, and attempting TO
onlelioratc the condition of its fnm1tes, us 1t
vas his duty to do, he has been engaged in the
business described by tie Committee OF the
House Of Repres entatiyes.
Until some time during the last Admins
tration, Christian men and women in this city
were in the habit Of visiting the jail, and min
istcripg to the wants Of the inmates. Among
others, am told that good Samaritan Of
The city-Mr. George Wood-was in thc habit
Of yisiting the jill at least once week when
those who could read, and to whom It
vas supposed that they might be useful.
Suddenly, an order came Jorttddng tie adnlis-
sf1sa oT dr. Hoed to the jail, and that order
stands uDrcyoked to this day. When this bill
vas under consideration last Friday, Itook oc-
c:lsion to state to tbc Senate some Of my obser-
yations in that Jail. On the daE following, this
foreign satrnp, Mr.. I.anon made peremptorT
order that no person-not even members Of
Congress, or members Of the Committee on
The District Of Columbia, who have the gener-
al charge Of all naatters relating to the District
should be admitted to the Jail as visitor
without first supplicating and securing writ
ten permission to do so from him, orun1ess he
should be personally present. When intel1i-
gence of this order was brought to me yes
terdaS morning by member Of the House
Of Representatives, large number Of Scna-
tors around me protfered to go with
me to the President and demand the in
slant dismissal Of this uarshaI-not be-
cause Of his conduct as detailed by the COM
mittee Of the House Of Representative
because he had been strutting through the
States Of Illinois and Missouri with stars on
his shoulders, representing himself as a Briga-
dier Genera-not because lie had purloined i
regiment Of troops and brought it at great ex-
penee from St. Louis to the Potomac after It
had been transported from Chicago to st.
Louis-not because he had been travelling in
special railway trains at the public expense,
ta1though for these reasors he ought to have
been instantly dismissed,( but because Of his
manifest and ACKNOWLEDGED derelictiou Of du-
the Insulting character Of the order he had
made in regard to our admission to tue jail
Upon this repulse at the jail, I concluded to
go at once to the President Of the United
States, to state to him the facts have detailed,
and to give him some idea Of the expression
| the first time in six months, I attempted to
approach the footstool Of the power enthroncd
t at the other end Of the avenue, I was told that
the President was engaged, and his servants
| declined to convey my name to him. I allude
| to this subject, Mr.. President, not because I
! suppose that the influence Of this marshal ex-
tends so far as to exclude me from til c Execu-
| tive mansion, as well as from the jail, bnt as
t the reason why state publicly here what I
intended to state privately there.
+ 80 ~. =,
evident that they ought to be strictly regulated
| By Law. So far as the communication which
has been sent here to-day is concerned, it is
| an aftcr-thought; it has been gotten mp since
L visited the jail yesterday. The order was
then peremPtory that no man. not even the
n1ittea to enter the jai1. No permission
from the Presiding Officer would have ayailcd
me yesterday. Now, when it is known that
tho matter vas to be hrough. to the attention
Of the Senate, and it was supposed the Senate
would vindicatc itself, this Communication is
sent to us.
REMARKS OF SENATOR WILSON.
3Ir. WILSON. Mr. President, I thank the
Senator from Iowa for Introducing this bill.
thank him, too, for the speech that he has
made, and iudorse every word Of it. shah
Tote tor the bill, rs reported by the commit.
tee, without any amendment affecting its prin-
cip1e or Object.
| III tHtE, Eli L h1SH 10 JUN MY EDLNEH1uI
tion with his at the insolent conduct of the
Marshal Of the District Of Columbia YoteG
last Summer, with fourteen others, against his
confirmation. knew What bc then was, anG
what he was then doing knew that the
appointment WAS not lit 10 be made I knew
pro-s1assry men in tAss District, as his second
and that q ntgyo-eatcher had been Eu
oeer the Jail. I opposed his conirma
tion then for those appointments, but he VA:
confirmed; and his subsequent acts, and hi:
recent conduct towards the Seuatc, at1ort
early saw and condemned his action. Sir, #,
came into power with professions Of bein!
governed BY principles. I say what know
to be true that the hand Of oppression In
been laid heavier upon the colored popu}atio,
Of t1is District since VIC came into power THAI
during the last ten yeaTs-ten years Of op
preston
But, sir, it is not alone in this District tia
. | We ure permitting Wongs to be perpetratc1
have q letter from Dr.. Samuel G. Howe, con
agement Of it. Dr., Howe, in this letter t
me, says:
| "Thc samc atrocities are practieed under til
, came authority in the Jail at Alexandria which
lately inspected. The building is a wretched Ont
been built in the days when accused persons weE
t35 q public enemies and t. BE- caed lik
and the rings and staples fixed III some Of the wall
tel their own story The internnl arrangement IRA
Is thg ana l. nolsos t. IT ths lat degs
II any northern city as an intolesahle nnisanc
The system Of administ ration is dissraccful to
State claiming to be Christian and civilized. Th
jail ls rented out to an individual for 500 yea
Who hires turnkey and other assistants, an
boards the prisoners for thirty-dve cents 4 day.
| "In the case ofnegroes whn arc arrested for B.
ing without free papers passes, the board IS PAL
by the master when be comes for them. If Z
claimant appears and the poor fellow cannot prov
that he il free, be il kept untl the fees amount
suna, when he may be sold to satisfy the Claim
S ofipjusticc.
& ofense is that OF fleeing from those who claimed
= = be their masters. Some OF them have been Co
fined seycra! months; but in spite Of a1l the 10
c to their masters. because they fear being SO
Il down South saw fifteen Of these unfortuna
and sa1!t TIM to
= THE persons claiming to own theee human b
!. nge are for the most part, rebels. and have le,
the United States acts US iaitar, aud takes care
Q their chattels during their absence
Il Is it not burning shame that the natie
. should be thus dishonorcd and l1umiliateG
Is The Government should rise to a full eompr
/ hcnsion Of its duties, and teach the men vi
l. wear its uniforms that they lave no right
outrage the morl sense Of the people By ac
Of commission and omission. I have had
b. Colonel Of the army. Of the United State
l. over the river, come to me to-day, with
IT order from 9 Brigadier General to turn out
,s his Notifications 4 fugitive slave, if he r
Vt there.
- Mr: LANE Of Kansas-I would like to a
: the Senator from Massachusetts, what Brig
- dicr General?
Is Mr. WILSON, will gire the name to t
e Senator in executive session
J. ! think it is time for Us to act up to o
J. principles. II is time for us to put our rebu
I upon these men, whether III military or ci'
u u service OF this country, and let them know