Year: 1863

In SENATE.


Mr. GRIMES offered resolution instructinp the Sec
reary Of the Navy to report to the Senate whether any
officer Of the Government has liberated prisoners captured
any naval officer of the United States and restored any
captured property on the payment to him them of any
money other valuable consideration, and if so under
what circumstances and by what authority such release
has been made and that be report hereupon the Senate
and whether in his opinion any action proper
sary to remedy this proceeding. Adopted


THE NATIONAL MILITIA BILL


Mr. WILSON, of Massachusetts,, called up the bill to
enroll and call out the national forces


Mr.. BAYARD proceeded to state his objections to the
bill, act not within the power confded by the Con-
sttution to Congress and it it it is not only Pc
dent but dangerous to the Liberties of the people. 1t is


bill TO allow the President to enroll into the regular
army every ablebodied in the country it is bill to
increase the regular army at the discretion of the Pres
dent 1t entirely destroys and Oberates the militia of
the States and thus destroys that check which the Con-
stitution wisely provided against the power of central
zed Government Only despoc Governments require 10
be centralized; but free Government must always de-
pend upon decentralized power Such act never
passed this country, in utmost need and Eng
laud with her many and often scarcity of men,
resorted to this despoc 1t is mode Of raising
armies only used by depotsms but by republican
Governments. This pri9cpe if adopted, would induce
large standing armies which almost inevitably lead to DIS
potism In Government of delegated power and which
rests upon the consent of the governed such s
inc xpeiient and unnecessary.


Congress has power uader the Constitution to thus
destroy the militia of the States which the Constitution
provided for force of the Union; if this
carried out there would be check the
tralized power He would pot say that the President
would make bad of this power but it the prn-
cpe he objected to- 1t was always dangerous to central
ize such immense power in any Under amb-
tous man. might not the fate of France be that of this
country Our forefaihers the dangers, and wisely
placed these checks upon the too great Capitalization of
power 1t has been said that the life OF the nation is
stake He believed that the liberties OF free people were
of importance than any thing else, and If he
choose between imperial government stretching
the whole country including Mexico and Canada and two
or three separate republics would hesitation in
choosing the latter He bad been opposed to this from
the beginning and in favor of peace aud favor Of
peace no if had to submit to separation. The
war, if carried under the present policy of conf cation
and emancipation, only be success in the entire sub
jugaton of the South and then what becomes of the IL
bery of the people He was not willing to sacrifice the
liberties of the people for extension OF territory We
existed Republic and free and happy people when
had not twolths of present territory. Under the
present policy he believed it midsummer madness to
attempt restore the Uuion by the sword He moved
postpone the bill indefinitely.


Mr.. TURPIE, Of In Llama, said he should vote to post
pone not because he would decrease ot the power
put down the rebellion but because he thought this egis
laton unnecessary and 0ncons itutonal. The bill pro
poses to oberate step which had always been taken
to raise troops they have always been raised by rquis
tons States In 1872 certain New England States
refused furnish their quota and in this Kentucky
and Missouri had also refused to furnish their quota
These facts, the merits Of which be would not
discuss.


Mr. HOWARD, Of Michigan, asked il the Senator was
willing to continue this and allow States
perhaps not loyal, to refuse to furnish men.


Mr.. TURPIE said the Inconvenience simply lack Of
power He was not willing to give the national Execu,
tive the power to violate the Constitution take any step
not contemplated by those who formed the Government
The bill gives the President power to raise armies which
power is con6ded to Congress.


Mr.. HOWARD, Of Michigan, asked him how Congress
could raise armies without agents Would the Senator
have recruiting office opened in these halls of Congress-


Mr. of nd Thera WON hat its
if they did, Mr. T. further contended that the bill would
take away power of the States and make the President


dictator he chose to receive the power There no
provision the bill to limit the quota Of any district and
he charged that the bill would be used for political pur
poses to political victories and avenge political do
ieats He said have had all sorts OF bills to put down
rebellion but the Senator from Massachusetts, (Mr. WILL
SOM had taken the most Ingenious and unique method OF
putting down rebellion by Boosting of his own loyalty and
impugning the oyalty of others II the rebellion was to
be put down by vapd and stale voceration Of the loyalty
of Massachusetts then would be put down surely. That
Senator talks about Jackson and Douglas and about the
Democrats who have gone into rebellion The moment q


man ceases TO obey and the Constitution and
laws of the United States then he be Democrat
Had the Seuat from Massachusetts been in the Senate
in the days of Jackson he would have opposed him and
every sander uttered against that old hero would have
come from the lips of the Senator though he might have
had some for Washington Had he lived in the
days of the Revolution he would have been tory aud talk
ed ppanty OF rebels and offered rewards for the heads
Of Sumter and Marion; and he would have betrayed his
country Arnold did Had he lived n the days of L
ther, hs would have sided with the Pope aud easted
the ashes of the martyrs, and lighted the fires OF Smithed
He might have had some for that DEITY who
to the world, and in his he would have
burned Luther Had he lived in the days of Christ the
Senator from Massachusetts, would perhaps hgva obeyed
himhe certainly would have followed him TO the garden
of Gehsemane through the streets Of Jerusalem and
the bar Of Pontus Plate, and then his voice would have
been heard but he would have said Release unto Bar
rabas, but as for this Jesus let him be crpc6ed,"


Mr.. WILSON of Massachusetts, said he bad no reply
to make to the personal illusions of the Senator from In
diana He did not know what he might have been had he
lived in former days but he knew that now he was no
traitor or sympathzer with treason His associates
those who labor day and night to assa every
and every that is supporting the country He thought
the Senator had not the right speak for the soldier as
regards this BILL Soldiers every day expressing their
delight at this and the Senator also assaed Mas
sachuset for failure to respond TO the ca for troops