Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-02-15

WAsHINarS, February Is.
SENATE.

hABHINGIAt teoEuAlg To-
SENATE.
Resolution of thanks to General Sherman, his
officers and men was passed, on motion OF Mr..
| Wilson.
The Senate resolution equalizing the pay OF
| soldiers, was taken up.
| adopted, equalizinR the pay Of cOlored troops.
and extending the bill to give them an additional
| IS per month from Jan. lst, 1854.
An amendment offered by Mr.. Dool1ttle,
| deducting st1 dollars per month from their pay
for supprting their families and friends,is under
discussion.
Areport of the Secretary of War wss received
| in answer to 8 resolution relative to officers
commutstiOn Of food, quarters and fuel. It
shows that there are Of 5S7 officers here drawing
! such communication now Major Generals, Is
| Brigadier Generals 81 Colonies, Is Lieutenant
Colonels, "a Majors, l26 Captains, 43 Leutsn-
] ants, 26 Surgeons, Il Assistant Surgeons and 70
paymasteTs.
Mr. HogelI presented & memorial from the
that within few months mote than SIS, ,OOO, ,0OO
have been raiged and are waiting egress and ask
ing aid in the construction Of wagon road, with
military protection, through Central Minsesota.
Referred.
on motion of Mr.. Wilson, the Senate proceed
ed to the consideration Of the bill equalizng the
pay Of United States sOldiers.
Mr. COnness Withdrew his amendment eonhn-
ing the benefits to those in service st the time Of
the passage of the amandment.
Mr. Sumner offered an amendment providing
that in cases where the Secretary Of War shall be
satisfied that persons Ofcolor have been muster
ed into the service Of the United States at the
rate Ofsl5 per month, they shall be paid at that
rate for previous services
Mr.. Grimes hoped the Senator would Withdraw
his proposition, and that from this time forward
every soldier was to receive the same pay. He
hoped the bill might be allowed TO stand on It's
merits, without makingit retrospective.
Mr.. Wilson moved to strike out the clause in
the bill of the Committee, giving colorsd troops
the same psy, &c, except bounty, during the
whole time they have been ia service, and in
sert, " after the Ist Of January, 1854 "
Mr., Sumner would not withdraw his amend
ment without explaining that its proV.iOns
would only apply to few regiments aud there
would be no great draft on the Treasury.
Mr.. Fessendsn here claimed the floor, and
from the Finance COmmitte reported eertsin
amendments to the House Deficiency Bill He
asked that theyhe over til Monday
Mr. johnson, in reply TO Mr. Sumner, said If
the black men Of Maryland we're ss good as the
black men enlisted elsewhere why make excep-
tons. II justice were done according to tha
views Of the Senator from Massachusetts, some
eight hundred thousand dollars would he taken
from thoTreasury, or as he understood il, about
one million five hundred thousand dollars. All
should be paid alike. Why did not Massschu-
sets pay the troops herself
Mr. Fessenden said he understood that the pay
had been offered put The eolored troops refused
to receive it.
Mr.. Wilson explained the circumstances under
which the cOlored troops from Massachusetts
mad refused to receive their pay. They held out
pay of thirteen dollars per month or asked to be
| discharged from the service.
Johnson said, then they we're eo!ored gentle
man Of extraordinary sensi5ilities.
Z Mr.. Grimes said that from the very outset, he
and MS coiesgus, tAIr. Harisn) were in favor Of
putting negro troops OF an eqUsiity with the
white he was on TIE recU-d N this respect be
fore the Senator rom massachusetts (SDmneE)-
Mr. SumnsT said that N a public speech he
| had said that While he was in favor Of carrying
the war into Africa he wss more in favor Of car
41,sa nj n no rygr Z
| Mr.. Grimes Was not only N favor Of carrying
| the African into the war, bu! for paying him
thirteen dollars per month, and for placing him
on footing with other soldiers. II we were going
back to pay these cClOred troops from Massa-
cbusetts, 6c.s why not pay those from Ternes-
| see He was informed that there were some
thirty regiments OF these troops there. he
thought there was trouble II the future to be ap-
pretended from making the retro zPectve char
seter Of this bill indlscrminate. He sympa-
thized with the gallant and patriotic young men
of the B4th and 55th Mas -achusetts eolored
troops, bnt ne could not help believingit was on
account OF their action that the colored men of
she South Carolina regiments refused to receive
their pay.
Mr. Cowan said il we we're going back for these
eoloTed men, he was also il favor Of going back
in favor OF the white men, who were our earliest
volunts srs, and who had berne the heaviest bur-
den of the day He was uOt IN favor OF awaiting
ths statute 70 do justice to these negro troops,
until equal and exact justice had been done to
the veteran white soldiers. When the country
Sn0utQ De T5stoF5u 70 It's WOQL6u prosperity We
could do justice to all. Now it is exceedingly
dangerous.
The amendment ofBIr. Wilson was then adopt
ed.
The amendment Of Mr. Doolittle, providing
| that from the monthly pay ofcOlored troops mus
tered into the service in InsuTrecionsry districts
| the sum ofthree dollars per month shall be re-
| served to reimburse the United States IN feed.
/ ing and clothing the widows, children and tsm-
lies of deceased colOred troops,Was then brought
up. This wss rejected after some debate.
| NJ. Sumner proposed a prOviso that in all
cases of past services Of coored troops, where it
shall appear to the Satisfaction Of the Secretary
of War from the actual papers OF enlistment, that
| the troops were enlisted under the act Of July
! 1861, they shall be allowed the pay promised BY
that act This was rejected by ayes l6; nays
| p,
Mr. CoWan offered substitute for the bill as
amended, that from and after the passage of this
act all soldiers OF the United States, of the same
arm of the service, shall receive Ike compensa-
/ ton.
Mr.. Cowau supported his syaeudment at some
| length, claiming that the negro must be regard.
ed as 9 citizen under the Constitution, as he re-
| cejyed the protection of the laws.
| Mr.. Salisbury said that if It was the basis ol
the Senator's (CoWan's) substitute, it was sbhor-
not support It. The Old=fsshioned term was ne
| gro; now they we're cOlored citizens.
| Mr.. Howe would ask if the negroes were not
| colored in DeaWarei
| Mr.. Salisbury doubted if they we're as eoIored
| in Delaware as they were in some other place s.
| He would never consent to equality, either po-
| litical or social, with the negro.
Mr.. CoWan asserted that the negro had legal
status under the Constitution which protected
| him.
Pending action oD TIE aHeDdmsnt of Mr.
CQWEn, The senate adjourned TO Monday.