Weekly national intelligencer., 1864-04-07
CONGR ESSIONAL.
ENLrsrMENrs IN THE Seeded STATES.
In SENATE, APRIL A, 1864.

The Senate as in Committee Of the Whole proeeeae,
to consider the bill FROM the House to provide or
gntary enlistment Of any persons, tss rssloon'' y
This bill provides that any persons resident ~ '
of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina;
Florida, Alabama Mississippi, Le0sshh a ,hs military SER
Arkansas, who may Voluntarily enlist III Ino nisaiy -
vice of the United States for the term OF three years
during the war; shall be entitled to the benents anu
leges of existing laws, aud such persons sna pc
into the regiments other organizations OF sa0
State thew NAV elect or in the OF colored Ioops
shall be assigned provided BY law and the otalos
or subdivisions of States procuring such enstmon
to receive credit for such persons in WIN n
laws in other cases but ensmeDts az are authorxed
in any State under the provisions Of this act are 70
continue until such State shall have been made 10
call for troops and enlistment is to DO made OF any
soldier either in or out of any State except those enume.
rated in the act unless full credit gwen 10 tne oa'o
which the enlisted soldier belongs
Mr., GRIMES. Mr. President, il TINS OIL naa Dsea
submitted to the consideration Of the Senate TO receive
final vote when it from the Committee on mtary
Affairs apprehend that very few votes would nave oeep
recorded in its favor suppose that at this tme " viii
probably pass know the amount OF persuasions ana
opportunities that have been addressed TO members OF the
Senate in order to induce them to assent to re oeng
passed and indeed strong and persuasive nave Deon
the political and personal arguments which have Deen ad
dressed to me- that there have been moments when al
most felt inclined to let the bill pass BY default But sr
believe it to be my duty to put myself on record on TINS
subject that IL may be known hereafter when tne eVs
that to spring from the passage of this bill shall be
patent, that had no part or lot in 1t.
Now, Mr.. President what the bill call was made
originally upon the States in proportion to the people, and
now proportion to the number Of men who are capable
of bearing arms to rally to the standard OF the country
in its defence All the States have patrotcaly respond
ed but have been able to I'LL up their quotas com
petey while others not been successful in doing IT,
This bill proposes that those States which have not thus
been successful in filling up their quotas under the Prcs-
dents precamatons shall be permitted to go into certain
States in rebellion and there secure the enlistment oi
colored men who have hitherto been slaves induce them
by bounes otherwise enlist in their behalf and aP
ply the thus enlisted upon their quotas That Is
what the bill under consideration is, and 10 that
have great many insuperable objections i.
In the fret place. if you pass this bill you VIII demor-
slize, great degree, your army and you Will render
confusion worse contounde6 10 every one OF your
along the line Every State that is now in arrears, and
many that not in but who anticipate future
draft will send their agents into those several States for
the purpose of recruiting in anticipation OF future drafts
to be applied upon the quotas that anticipated In those
States You will have cloud Of men rushing into your
army lines they will be the representatives of States,
subordinate TO their States but not subordinate to the
military authorities within whose Jurisdiction they may
be- The prices paid for these enlisted will be run up
to exoban figures precisely as the competition OF your
various agents raised the prices of during the first
twelve months of this war, when they went to foreign
countries to buy them and suppose in the end propo
siton will be made here, and doubtless at some time or
other will pass to have the National Government
the payment of all the bOuntes that to be paid
by the States for the purpose of filling their respective
quotas.
We have acknowledged the belgerent rights of the
rebels One OF the rights incident to that condition Of
things understand is to recruit within their limits
We have denied them the power of recruiting within
limits and hung two OF their men because they were en-
gagged in recruiting within the lines of our armies Now,
what is to restrain the agents of Massachusetts low
Connecticut any other State from going beyond
lines If they happen accidentally to be caught beyond
those lines and hung by the rebels n the Federal Co.
yernment to become responsible for it and to establish
system of eprisa and retalation7 Who TO have
troll of these agens2 How is it possible that youwll be
able control them yourselves This bill had not passed
the House of Representatives fifteen minutes before two
citizens Of my State to and desired to assist
them in procuring permission to go down into the rebel
States to recruit IN behalf Of my State and if
had not told them hst utterly opposed to the bill
and did mot believe il would receive The sanction of the
cool judgment OF majority of the Senate presume that
even from that State, although its quota b than full
cloud of men would have sought TO be agents to down
South to recruit in the anticipation Of any draft that might
hereafter be made.
Now let us see how fair this is to the States Under
the calls they now Standard only the States
which shall name by way OF ilustraton-under the calls
that have hitherto been made the State of Iowa has
than filled its quota, not counting the re-ensted So
has the State of Vermont has the State of
several other States Now suppose that the large
States Of New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio have not
lied their quotas by thirty thousand EACH making gross
Of ninety thousand the Government discover that
they want ninety thousand more men. You allow New
York and Pennsylvania and Ohio to go down South and
recruit these from this reservoir which we have in
reserve with which TO meet that call for ninety thousand
men, and then there will be call upon the State OF Vermont
for three 6usaDd Of that ninety thousand upon the State
Of Connecticut for four thousand and upon the State of
iowa for thousand But it, the other h,nd you re-
quire Of the States Of New York Pennsy and Ohio
fill up their quotas they best may and the States
Vermont Connecticut and Iowa have filled ND their quo
ta then here n which the National Govern
men come, and from which they can supply the ninety
thousand that may be necessary to meet The require
mens Of the Government Is il just that these States
should permitted TO down and pend their eath
and recuperae their quotas by drawing into their forces
hese coored men that belong properly to all Of US jointly
j think not.
by the State Of Massachusetts only because the chairman
of the Committee Military Affairs is right before
and represents that Staesuppose the State OF Massa
chusets behind hand in her quota of twenty thou
sand men, and with her immense wealth she goes down
into South Carolina and Louisiana aud there fills up her
quota from coored do not know how well the
troops Massachusetts, reenst but suppose the men
who enlisted less than year and half ago. and who have
not had opportunity 10 reenis do not reent when
the opportunity is offered them, and Massachusetts,
tinues TO Gil up her quota by enstng colored to
suppy the places Of these outgoing who fail to
enlist what will be the condition OF it's troops before the
end Of two years Why, cir Massachusetts, will be found
fighting for the Union III armed body Of colored
by the side cf my State furnishing many troops she
does If not more, but not ored man. over
few hundred and they all raised at home Decs any body
suppose there would be very amabe and aternal
diion # sentiment in the army when il is known that
State Represented entirely Almost entirely by colored
troops bought up to disadvantage WITHIN the country
that ia in nsurrection against while fighting
with the bert blood that have within our jurisdicon7
Mr. COLLAMER If the gentleman will indulge me
for moment, Massschusets may FL up as he calls it
that is obtain black troops to replace the white troops
who 70 out but those troops will pot be Massachusetts,
troops They will be ocered by the United States Gov
eminent and placed in the United states colored regiments
IN L.. ~. k.kx., -. -