Year: 1862




thirteen gentlemen voted with Mr.. Vor.
hecs in the House. Now, if that is not
carrying the negro question little farther
than duty othe country requires or COM
mon sense dictates, then am greatly mis-
taken. But the most absurd feature of the
case is. that that man should come for
ward and claim to be an Union man after
refusing to vote compensation to the man
who had rendered so signal a service
to the country as the capture of vessel
and nine guns.


Another thing, in summing up the &C.
tion of Congress. and in indulging as usu-
al their disposition to find fault with ev-
erything the Government has done, these
men are always sure to refer to the recvg-
milton Of the government of Hayti. Now,
as far as that is concerned. the recognition
of Hsyti was measure Of selfish interest
to us as people. Afr. Clay said more
than thirty .jfve years ago that Hayti ought
TO be acknowledged. 1t was purely COM
mercial question. aud not in any way con.
nected with the subject of slavery. Other
nations acknowledged that government
forty years ago. and our commerce had to
suffer because we did not do the same
The question was one that deeply affected
our property interests and our commerce
What did these men do in Congress when
the question of recognizing Hay:i came
up? In the House. flor in the Senate ev-
cry man voted for the bill), they moved
to strike out the word Minister" and in
sert "Consul General before they would
vote for it. They had not the courage 10
go home and tell the people that they vo-
ted against the recognition of people
having an annual commerce Of not less
than one hundred millions of dollars; but
this they could do; they would send them a
Consul General instead of Minister


Laughter.


Now. | propose to come back to the
subject of Confscation. / have said be.
fore that as | understand it no bill was
needed to authorize the President to con-
fiscate the property Of rebels in arms. be.
cause he is clothed by virtue of his office
with power to suppress insurrection and
rebellion. and he is made the Judge oi
the means which he will use for that pur.
pose.


1t is a necessary result Of the acknowl-
edged principle that in war you have q
righ. to weaken your enemy. and choose
the means by which it is to b. accomp.
lished. No nation under heaven has any
right to call in question this power. And
l will venture to assert that there is not a
solitary man running for Congress today
in the State of Indiana who will stand up
before the people and say that he is not
willing to have black men taken to do the
labor that our soldiers would otherwise
have to perform. Some of them will talk
to you about the efforts that are being
mace to make the negro as good as the
white man, &C.. but not one Of them dare
tell you that the negroes of these rebels,
who come within cur lines. shall not be
allowed to work upon our Notifications in
order to save the strength and life of oul
own soldiers.


But | said that the President had this
power before the passage Of this bill; still,
however. as question of principle. let ME
ask: Is there anything on earth that can
be made use Of that you are not right in
using in order to save the life of this ma.
tion? Says one, II am for saving the
Constitution" Very well. sir. so am l
but you have no Constitution so long
as you have not Government. Ii in a
dark night am attacked by man with
q deadly weapon in his hand will mol
stop to pull out Blackstone to see what il
is my right to do in order to save myself
Mr.. Fessenden once said TO a gentleman
who was bitterly opposed to the employ
ment Of negroes in the service Of the gov.
ernment--"Sir. suppose your life and
property were attacked upon your farm
You have a large number Of negroes
Would you permit your negroes to inter
fere for the prcservatien Of your life?"-
"Of course. I would" "Well, thsn, the
very life of this nation is attacked, and
shall not only the negroes. but every Other
means be made use Of in order 20 save it?'
l tell you. my fellow-cisizens there is not q
thing within the lids Of the dictionary that
/ would not use to save this nation
Loud cheers. If it becomes necessary tc
uss the negroes, TO make them work upon
our fsrtifcations and military roads. ] say
let thea do it; and let every General who
refuses to do SO. be instantly discharged
[Cheers. Did it not do your soul good
when. in the morning paper. you read those
two or three brief magical lines, telegraph.
ed by Gen Halleck to General Mcclellan
"If secessionists will not furnish milk 70,
your sick soldiers. seize their cows and
milk them yourselves. Have a Military
Board to fix the price at which Unionists
shall sell, and If they won't take that price
seize from them also!" Cries of good,
good. Where can we expect to stop in
this rebellion. if we do not exercise this
power? We have already done too much
by way of "conciliation." Why look at
the order. and discipline and respect oi
property that has characterized the con-
duct of our THOUSAND Of soldiers 10 Ken
tucky and Virginia and Tennessee. When
l was in Kentucky in the month of Oc.o-
Der last. Tin the midst of the Blue Grass
region at that. was told that the Union
troops that were located there had never
touched stick of timber nor an ear of corn
belonging to anybody. Gov. Wickliffs
himself, one of the men who talked to you
the other day .sbout the s.concilistory pol
icy" which ought to hare been adopted,
spoks to me of an Indiana regiment that
remained for several weeks in the region
in which he resides. with the most perfect
respect Of the rights of property. Such
h~r L. Il