Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1864-01-28
THE EXCHANGE OF PRIS0NE Frs.
White Men Imprisoned for the
Sake Of the Negro!
8 = Z Il Q Fl
OF
HON. GARRETT DAVIS,
Of Rentucly IN the United States
Senate, December Is, 1863
On the Sth inst. Mr. Davis introduced in


authorities to exchange negro soldiers, or
their officers, or any class of prisoners from
the United States army, should not prevent
or suspend exchanges by our military au
thorities for any other class ofprisoncrs; and
justice, policy and humanity demand that
as fast as it can be done, our brave and suf-
fering countrymen should be delivered from
their captivity.
On the 18th inst, Mr.. Davis arose to adj
dress the Senate on his sresolution. He said
the Secretary of War, in his report, had
spoken upon this subject, but not explicitly
as to some points He says;
"When the government commenced or
ganizing colored. troops, the rebel leader
Davis, by solemn and official proclama
ton, announced that the colored troops and
their white officers, if captured would not be
recognized as prisoners of war, but would be
given up for punishment to the State au-
thorities.
As [ understand, continued Mr.. d. G|
here lies the chief difficulty between the
United States and the rebels in relation to
this matter of exchanging prisoners; they
are required to treat negroes, captured by
them with arms in their hands, and their
officers, as prisoners of war, and to exchange
them for white soldiers of their army cap
tured by ours.
Aftcr REFERRING to the mowers which the
l,.i....et NJ.
CONSTITUTION graii'S' W.T. DaNiS Pfoceeus Us
follows:
BY the Constitution Congress, and Con-
grcss alone, has power ITO raise and support
armies, TO provide and MAINTAIN navy,
to provide Tor calling forth the militia to
execute the laws OF the unlon, suppress IN
sunectlons, and repell invaslon;s. To Con
gress exclusively, and not to the President,
belongs the authority TO recognize state OF
resistance to the execution OF the laws, OF
insmrrectlon, or INVASION, winch requires the
calling forth OF the military power. 10 de
wise measures ana pohcy 10 meet clthef OF
those conditions belongs 70 congress, and
not TO the PRESIDENT. lie mas no authorlty
to recognize even the existence OF those
States IN case, ana TO put military, force
IN motion to meet them, without a law &C o.
| Congress vestlng hlln with that power. 10
Congress also belongs the authority to de
ternlne when the resistance to the e%ecu-
tion OF the laws has ceased, when the IN
surrection has been suppressed and when
the invasion has been repeiled. The Presl,
dent cannot take cognizance OF either ol
those questions without the authority OF
law CT Congress, and IN relation TO lnsurrec
tons, 1t has not passed such law. :,
lhe questions whether congress coulo
employ or authorize the raising OF any othel
forces TO suppress the EXISTING lnsurrecti0I
than militia, ana whether negroes coulo .
properly constitute part Oh that lniiitla
mlght well DC mace numerous tiioes o.
Indian savages OF great aggregate mum
per, at the tlme Oh tile auoptioh OF 'he Coh
Stltuti0nl resided, ana sun reside IN th'
Imted states Wcula II Dc competent 1o'
congress to authorize tne organization o
those savages as part OF tne military pow,
er to suppress the existing lnSnTrectionI
hold that the true principle oil the ConStltu
ton IS that lnsurrecuons are to be put dow
by citizens alone, ana tnat negroes are no
and cannot be made citizens' "hlte mel
alone maze our government, ana are th'
only parties to It, All our political part
ners are equal, ana negroes caiihot ne ad
mltted to that equality, The colonies haC
all held Africans as slaves and propert.
from about 1850; and those that wer
brought from their country were imported
and sold principally by New England ira
ders in that traffic The rebellion agains
George III was first to resist aggression OF
the rights and liberties of the white man
and ultimately for his independence ant
self government, and not of the negro, Th
old articles of confederation were made b.
the white man for his own defense and pro
lection; the negro took no part in the work
nothing was assured to him by it, nor wa
he in any way its subject, or even though
of by the men who preferred it.
When independence was declared, all th
, colonies before, and States afterwards, sti
held slaves; and that great transaction wa
by white men, related in and was for tn
benefit only of white men, and the status
: rights, and privileges of no negro in Amer
lea, slave or free, was conferred, enlarged
or in any way affected by it. When tn
Constitution was formed and adopted, n
movement had been made by the States, ey
cept two, to abolish slavery and it W;
formed by white men alone, as their Go1
ernment, to secure only their rights and Ill
critics, without conferring or intending I
confer or recognize any in the negro, {
, touching in the remotest degree the cond
tion ofany one bond or free, OF that race
The negro slave Is recogn1ized by the Cor
stitution as property, and provision is mad n d
by 1t Tor his rendition when ne e,capes Iroi
his owner INTO another state. Inc whol
subject OF slavery ana the mahunissioh
slaves was retained by inc people Oh III
j.. several states as a matter ol 'nelI uoliieSi
, ana local poiicy, pe reSuiaIe1 exclusively I
their own governments ana themselves; an
:, IN thelr primary repositories the ConStlt'