Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1864-02-18
Ssth Congress---First Session.


The House went into Committee Of the
Whole on the bill amendatory ofthe En-
rollment bill. H wv
The pending amendment was that Of Mr..
Stevens, that all able bodied male persons Of |
African descent, between the ages Of 20 and |
and As, whether citizens or not, resident in |
the United States, shall be enrolled accord
ing to the provisions of the act TO (Which this |
bill is a supplement, and form part of the
national forces, and when slave is drafted |
and mustered into the service, his master
shall receive certificate thereof for $500,
aud the drafted man shall be ffae; prorsded,
the slaves Of loyal men only shall be paid
Mr.. DAVIS (Un., Nd. made the sugges-
ton that the $500 feature be omitted in the
above, to which Mr. Stevens assented.
5 rMrI DAVIS i(Md) offered the following
amendment tothe above amendment:
The. Secretary of War shall appoint
resented in Congress, charged to award
just compensation, not exceeding $500, to
each loyal ewner o., any, slave who may vol
unteer into the service Of the United States,
payable ont of the commutat alton money when
the master frees the slaves.
Mr.. DAVIS, said he moved this amend
ment not because he believed compensation
was due the master of the slave, but because
in Maryland the President and Secretary OF
War, in execution OF the law of 1862, were
organizing persons of African descent to
suppress the Rebellion, and had seen fit to
appoint Commissioners for the purpose of
estimating the value aud awarding reasona-
BILE compensation for the slaves who might
volunteer. =, He believed that the Govern
ment ought to take slaves for military pur-
pose, because they owed such services to the
Government ..,.... ...,...t t...
Mr.. ANDERSON (Un,, Ky.,( thought the
amendment did not 90 tar enough. In his
district tie people were differently situated
from those in any other; large majority OF
the young men, following the perniclous
counsels Of traitors, had joined the Rebel
army; an this was the reason why the dis
, trict had not filed its quota. When the
; next draft shall take place that district will
! owe 900 men. Now unless the slaves oi
! Rebels in that district shall be taken, resor,
; will have to be had to the poor young men
the loyal population, while those who have
induced enlstments in the Rebel seryic,
will be allowed to enjoy their property il
peace. He was in favor Of putting the slaves
, of all Rebels and of their sympathizers il
D the army, but was oppo>cd to thus appro
q priating the slaves of Union men.
) The question being taken, the amendment
| of Mr.. Davis was agreed to, Messrs. Davis
, Thomas. and Webster, of Maryland, votin,
t in the affirmative. and Mr.. Harris Of tha
0 State in the negative. ...
n Mr.. WEBSTER (Uu., Nd. said we had n
+ trouble about taking slaves for military SCI
i vice. The Government took them as boil
: persons and property. Slaves were so cor
i sidcred by the Constitution, aud had bee
4 a a \
y the (,onst;tution to the nresent day, |
= slaves I are taken "a nroner,y compensati O
= mnst he made The black man haviu
n o,,cc becn a soldier should he f,es. II
h won ii give comnensa,ion 10, tho master an
a freedom 10 he slave Fnrmerlv he thong /
Il ,ha uhite man were sufficient to nut dow
n the Rebell;on. bnt now dutv To our oounl,
Il raon;re5 hat we sbould make use of ali tl
means in orr nower to snnnlant The attenu
.. 70 % des,rnv % our % Government. ~
?. Mr. KEIIy iJJn'. Pa. remarked that "
! Ali M, g,va the Markham tather comnens
~ ,;on tor b;s son. wa did mo-, rive the Wi
If com nensatiou for her husband: we did n,
Or give the orphan children compcnsation /;
AT having withdraw from them their suppor
n when the draft took The husband ar
is father without conversation. He did M
4. sec that the relation between the sIaveht
he der and the slave was more sacred than tn
se between iather and son, wife and husbau
a child and parent. Slaves were persons: tn,
were never named in the Constitution
n property. Every man owed military Sc
" Vice to the country. He was ready to a
Il proprate money to nay for the slaves OF 10
rd al owners and whose masters shall conse
H. to their volunteering in the service.
N Mr.. HARRIS, (Bor. State, Nd. conten
,t ed that slave-owners were entitled to con
,h =, alton for their slaves. But to his a
Nv tonisnmeat he found that his colleague
ee (Msssrs. Davis and Cresswell representa-
ed slave-holders, were willing to depreciate Il
er rights and property OF shareholders, and
air favor of turning these dependents up,
he them for support to starve. He look
ne more for justice fiom the two gentlem
ii. from PENNSYLVANIA (Messrs. Stevens al
,lv Kelley) than from his two colleagues, w
~ had addressed the House, He (flarris) d
,er MED the right to enlist or enroll slave.
ed the Government chose to take slave at o
to. they could take him only as property,
M. which they would be bound to maxi col
mr. pensation. He was opposed to omploy