Year: 1861

TIIIRTY-SlXTn CCNGRESS---SEC0ND SESSION


SENATE


WASHINGTON, March l.-Mr. KING presented the
petition of the German Republican Club of SYRIA
cuse for the Union and against making any com
promise. lie also presented number of other
petitions of the same character.--Mr. TEN Eyer
and Mr.. TRUMBULL presented petitions for the
Union and the Constitution it is and the enforce
ment of the laws.-Mr. BIGLER presented peti-
tions in favor of the Crittenden resolutions Mr..
WILKINSON presented large number of petit
tions for the Union and against any compro-
mise with rebellious States, and against any
extension of slavery. He also presented
petition for the relief of Kansas.-Mr. CRIT
presented petitions from the citizens
of several States, asking the adoption of
measures to insure peace and for the preserva-
tion of the Union.-Mr. WILSON, from the
Committee on the District of Columbia, reported
a bill to incorporate the Metropolitan Gas Compa-
ny of Washington, which was passed. The SEN
ate then passed number of private bills-The
resolution auth orizing Commodore Paulding to
receive sword and grant of land from the Re-
pubic OF Nicaragua was taken up-the pending
question being to strike out "grant of land. =
Mr.. Seward and Mr.. Mason supported the amend
ment, which was adOpted-yeas 25, nays l6.-
The resolution as amended was then adopted
yeas "a, nays 7.-The Senate then took
up and passed a bill for the relief
OF Commodore Paulding, paying his ex
penses in certain suit against him by one of
Walkers men.-At 1219 O'Clock the CHAIR
called up the special order, the report of the Select
Committee on the propositions Of the Peace Con-
ference and the amendment to the Constitution
proposed by the Committee of Thirty-three The
last proposition being under consideration, Mr..
MASON said it should go to a committee as in its
present form it was not intelligibe.-Its consider
alton was objected to, and it was laid over.-The
PREDATORY resolutions accompanying the commit
taa a3C Nnrf,y 81 IL. 81. -


The special order was then taken up and read 1t is
the report of the Select Committee on the amend
ments proposed by the Peace Conference.-The.
SEWARD offered as an amendment his
resolution of yesterday for a national convention
MIR. DOOLlTTLE offered his amendment as re-
ported in Yesterdays proceedings.-Mr. HUN
TEX moved to strike out the first article and to
insert in lieu thereof the proposition of Mr. Crit
tenden upon the territorial question.-Mr. COL
LAMEk objected to all amendments upon point
OF order.-Mr. HUNTER thought the point of
order not well taken.-Mr. BIGLER thought
they should treat these propositions as an en-
tlrety, and either adopt reject them as a whole
mat was the view taken in the committee, and
therefore no amendments were entertained.-
Mr.. SEWARD said the amendment of Mr..
Hunter would change the whole character Of
.he article. The conference had submitted these
propositions as a whole. If they were altered it
would not be the recommendation of the conven-
real position of the question was that they had only
It before them by the report of the select commit
tee, and they had right to amend it. The Peace
Conference had no power to submit propositions
to them. The conference never voted upon it as
whole, and it was before them Just as an ordinary
bill, and could be amended section by section. The
question was one of propriety and not of order.
MIR. TRUMBULL said the proposition came
before them first a mere petition, was
referred to a committee and reported upon in the
usual way. The question of order therefore could
not stand, and, like any other BILL this was open to
amendment BIGLER said he had only
raised question of proprety, not point of order
The CHAIR ruled that the resolutions were open
to amendment, and said the first amendment was
that of the Senator from Virgna.-Mr. HUN
TER said he had examined the first proposition of
the Peace Conference, and it did not meet with his
appreciation. He had offered the Crittenden reso-
lutions in pursuance of the instructions of the Le-
gisature of his State The propositions of the
Peace Conference would put the South in a worse
position than 1t now occupied under the Constitu-
ton and the Dred Scott decision. 1t prohibited
slavery north of 36 80, and gave the South the
chance of another law suit as to their rights in
the Territory south of that parallel. 1t provided
that the status of persons held to service should not
be changed. The status of such persons va
ried in the different States, and vet could not be
changed when they reached the Territories Thus
Shareholder might not be able to emancipate his
slave it the law of the State from which he came
prohibited it. This use of the word status was an
attempt to evade the plain and manly propositions





adopted, the question of the right of a master to
his property would have to be ad Indicated before
Territorial Courts, without appeal to the Su.
preme Court of the United States The Judges of
these Courts would be the appointees of party
which asserted that the normal condition of
the Territories would be that of freedom. He
objected to the proposition further, because it
made no provision for future Territories The
provision that no territory should be acquired
without the consent of majority of the repre-
canta ttT-nc nf hnth i
clude the South from any more territory, for it
was not to be supposed that the twenty eight or
thirty free States to be in the Union
would allow the few remaining slave States to
control their wishes as to the acquisition of terri
tory. The clause making it the duty of Congress
to pass laws prohibiting the importation of
slaves from beyond the limits of the United States
would prevent the interchange of slaves be-
tween the border States and the Southern Confed-
eracy. The clause that Congress shall provide
by law for securing to the citizens of each State
the privileges and immunities of citizens in
the several States, would give Congress the
power to interfere in matters belonging to
e States, and would open the slave States
to the intrusion of abolition emissares -
lie thought they should enter upon no new exper-
iments. The propositions never We're passed upon
as whole by the Conference, and he knew that
the majority of the Virginia delegation were deci-
dedly opposed to them Many of the States had
declared for the Crittenden resolutions and he had
therefore offered them as an amendment-Mr.
CRITTENDEN again raised the point of order that
the amendments were not in order. The question
was not whether they would propose amend
ments to the Constitution, but whether they would
propose the amendments recommended bv the
Conference. He defended the report as satisfactory
to all sections of the country. Now was the time
for mediation and paciicatiOn. The provisions in
regard to the acquisition of territory would suf-
hciently protect the South. At any rate he wished
to settle the difficulties of the present and would be
willing to meet the futura when II NJ
MASON said he could not agree to one of these pro-
positions. Before he could assent to any amend
ments to the Constitution he wished to understand
them clearly. He went into a history of the ap-
polntment OF the Conference Convention and ex-
pressed his great respect for the gentlemen COM
posing 1T. But he was bound by his obligations to
the Constitution not to concur in their action
These propositions gave no security to the rights
Oh the South, but took away what little they now
had. lie examined the details of the propositions
at length, and condemned the whole project "A
discussion on legal points ensued between Messrs
Mason and Crittenden, IN which Mr.. Bragg parti
cipated- The latter thought that constitutional
amendments ought to be clear and if it was the in
tention to recognize slavery it should have
been stated in plain terms.--Mr PUGH ar.
gued the law points as to the effect of the clause


that the rights of the shareholders should be sub


ect to Judicial cognizance in the Federal Courts ac-
cordlng to the course of the common law-Mr
BAKER said he intended to Vote for these amend
ments just as they were and without change.
He felt that in SO doing he was only submitting
these propositions to the action of the people
The country was in great trouble. Six States had
seeded and others were trembling in the balance.
He was told the adoption of these measures would
heal the differences in the country, and he could
not go wrong in sustaining them. He had yo-
ted against the Crittenden resolutions because be
did not believe the people would ratifv them. He
was not willing to give protection to slavery any
where. ButtwentyStates appealed to them to submit
certain propositions to the people, and he was will


ling to do So He could not close his eyes to the fact
that the Union was in danger of permanent dissou-
ton and that the Republican party though in a
constitutional, was not in actual majority He
was ready to meet the conservative men of the
South half way. The Senator from Virginia did
not approve OF the resolutions and for that reason
he liked them. IfVirginia, represented as she now
is, approved them, he would have his doubts as to
their propriety. The Senator from Virginia had
said these propositions were worse than the old
Constitution. What, then, did they complain of
under the old instrument? Ifthese measures would
satisfy the border States he would sustain them at
the polls; if not, and they chose to rush into the
embrace of secession, he would not. He stood
now in the presence of peace and war; and he
would violate the Chicago platform to save
the Union. Applause in the galleries.) If he
yielded something, SO did those gentlemen on
the other side who, opposed to the prohibition of
slavery by Congress, now consented to it. These
propositions would prevent the foul blot of slave.
ry being ext6nded to one inch of terpitorv tn m