The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-02-26

the nel0. Wnen the supplies were known
to be so scarce, the slaves were to be
withdrawn from the fields, and it was pro-
posed in time to draw still more largely
upon the vital resources of the country.
From his district would be draw one hun
dred men for the army and stop two thou
sand laborers now engaged in producing
grain for the army. We had now five
hundred thousand men in the field to pro-
vide for the new law would add one
hundred thousand more, and we're it pos
sible to escape starvation when there
were none at home to provide for them ?
Where was the weak point of the enemy ?
Certainly not in want of provisions. 1t
was not probable then, that decisive VIC
tory could be fought this spring, and no
such desperate hope should be allowed to
animate us to such desperate measures as
that of putting everybody in the army.
The weak point of the enemy was in its
financial condition. It was our policy to
protract the war. Time and distance were
our great allies. We must remember
that, in reference to this State at least, our
last crops were far rom the average
Our space had been contracted, and all
now must be devoted to the production of
provisions for the new year. Take away
the men, and starvation at home and ruin
in the army would be, in his opinion, the
inevitable result.
Mr.. Conrad, of Louisiana, said that they
had ,heard of this cry of starvation now
for nearly three years. They had gotten
SO used to starving, in fact, that, like the
Irishmans horse, we will soon be able to
live on nothing. |
A Voice-When the horse died. 80
Laughter and merriment at the gentle
mans unintentional misapplication OF the
illustration.
Mr.. Conrad concluded by abiding to
the privations of the army and the people
as inevitable, and only to be surmounted
by the vigorous prosecution of the war.
Mr.. McRae, of Mississippi, believed that
the most certain way of feeding the army
was to increase its numbers in the field.
The insufficiency existed because there
were SO many of the enemy within our
borders, and We had not sufficient num-
bers to drive them out. Some had attrib-
uted the scarcity to corruption in the Com
missary Department, and though unpro-
pared for an opinion as to the truth of that
charge, he still believed that that Depart
ment was inefficient; others attributed it
to a want of transr ortation, and want of
transported on certainly had much to do
with it. We had now but one line of
railroad, the Knoxville and Chattanooga
being in the possession of the enemy, left
Us, with vast auxiliary cut off. He be-
lieved that there was no deficiency the
country, and that if we could drive the
enemy back, we could feed the army, no
matter what its numbers.
After further desultory debate, the bill
was passed by yeas Al, nays 81.
EMPLOYMENT OF SLAVES AND FREE NEGROES
On Feb. l, the House discussed the bill
reported from the Committee on Military
Affairs, to increase the efficiency of the
army by the employment Of free negroes
and slaves under certain circumstances.
An unsuccessful attempt to 20 irto Sc
cret session was made, the pending ques-
ton being upon an amendment offered by
Mr.. Baldwin, of Virginia, to add to the
first section the words: "and no free ne
gro engaged in the production of food and
forage shall be taken under this act.''
Mr.. Barksdale, of Mississippi, said that
il was no harm to say: that we needed
troops, and it was the duty of Congress to
place men in the army, and fill up those
serried ranks now so calamity maintaining
our cause in the field. The Chairman q
the Military Committee had informed the
House that the proposed measure would
bring forty thousand troops into the field.
more than had been engaged in any great
battle-without materially diminishing our
resources /; and yet We were met at the
threshold by question relative to ex-
change. Suppose these free negroes were
taken prisoners; the free negro is not q
useful ingredient of our society. He was
astonished, a few days ago, at the asser-
ton of the gentleman from Virginia (Mr.
Baldwin, that this class was q useful one
in his State. He would leave it to the
gentlemans colleagues to answer that !;
but would say that, according to his obser-
walton, the free negro was blot uDon
our escutcheon, and pernicious to our slave
population. Neither were they engaged
in agricultural pursuits.
The amendment of the gentleman from
Virginia proposed to make an unjust dis
elimination against the poorer white class
es. He says to the free negro, you shall
not bear the burdens Of this war-while
he goes to the dwelling of the humble
white citizen and says to him-you must
take your place in the army. 1t was con-
trary to the usages of the government to
regard the negro as a citizen, and yet the
gentleman proposed to discriminate be-
tween them and the poorer white classes
Mr.. Baldwin-Does the gentleman wish
to place the negroes and the whites on an
equality!
Mr.. Barksdale said that be was in favor
of the bill just az it came from the CON-
mittee. He would employ negroes in me-
NAL services in the army, and thus in
crease it's efficiency by placing able-bodied
white men now performing those services,
in the ranks.
Mr.. Atkins, of Tennessee, called the
question, which was ordered, and Mr..
Balwin's amendment was rejected.
n. W r;Uht Of Toppnscan LII l. - .-,...,