growing out of the act entitled "An act to provide a national currency secured by a pledge of United States stocks, and to provide for the circulation. and redemption thereof," and of all proper matters relating to the banks or ganized and to be organized in pursuance of said act; and that they report by rule or otherwise. Mr. Dumont moved that the vote last taken be reconsidered, and also moved that the motion to reconsider be laid on the table; which latter motion was agreed to. Mr. Dumont, on leave, introduced a bill (H. R. 284) to prevent the selling and circulation of counterfeit coin, and of counterfeit and altered treasury notes and postal currency bills; which was read a first and second time and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. Mr. Holman, on leave, introduced a bill (H. R. 285) to authorize the State of Indiana to apply certain lands granted by Congress to the education of orphan children of soldiers who die during the present war; which was read a first and second time and referred to the Committee on Public Lands. Mr. Dumont, on leave, introduced a bill (HI. R. 286) to extend the time for the acceptance of the act entitled "An act donating public lands to the several States and Territories which may provide colleges for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic arts," approved July 2, 1862, and to amend said act; which was read a first and second time and referred to the Committee on Agriculture. Mr. Garfield submitted the following resolution, viz: Resolved, That the Committee on the Conduct of the War be instructed to inquire into and report upon the practical operation and result of the several acts of Congress touching commercial intercourse with the States declared to be in insurrection against the authority of the government, and of the regulations of the Treasury Department, established by the Secretary and approved by the President on the 31st day of March and the 11th day of September, 1863, and of the military orders which have been made from time to time touching such commercial intercourse by generals commanding departments or other officers; also, to ascertain and report in what manner said acts, regulations, and orders have been executed, and especially whether any frauds have been committed or favoritism to individuals or localities shown by the officers or agents of the government employed under the said acts, regulations, or orders; and to inquire into all other matters touching any of the points which affect the public interest or the character of any public servant. The same having been read, Mr. Garfield moved the previous question; which was seconded and the main question ordered and put, viz: Will the House agree thereto ? Yeas.. And it was decided in the affirmative, Nays.. The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the members present, Mr. John B. Alley Mr. Ignatius Donnelly John F. Farnsworth Mr. Owen Lovejoy John R. McBride 75 43 Mr. Glenni W. Scofield Thomas Willianis James F. Wilson William Windom Fred'ck E. Woodbridge. Mr. Stevens moved that the vote last taken be reconsidered, and also moved that the notion to reconsider be laid on the table; which latter motion was agreed to. Mr. Long submitted the following preamble and resolution, viz: Whereas history teaches that there never has been a civil war that was not settled in the end by compromise, and inasmuch as no possible harm can result either to the character or dignity of the United States from an honest effort to stop the effusion of fraternal blood, and restore the Union by the return of the States in rebellion to their allegiance under the Constitution; and whereas the President, with a full knowledge of the lessons taught by history in relation to all civil wars, in his inaugural address said, "suppose you go to war, you cannot fight always; and when, after much loss on both sides, and no gain on either, you cease fighting, the identical old questions as to terms of intercourse are again upon you;" and whereas we now have an armistice, decreed by the Almighty, and executed for the past two months by the snows and ice of winter, thereby affording time and opportunity for reflection upon the past three years of horrible, relentless, and destructive civil war with all its calamities, and a prospective view of increased horrors in the approaching conflicts; and whereas a preamble and resolutions were, on the 7th of February, instant, introduced in the house of representatives of the confederate Congress at Richmond denying the statement of the President of the United States "that no propositions for peace had been made to the United States by the confederate States," and affirming that such propositions were prevented from being made by the President of the United States, in that he had refused to hear, or even to receive, two commissioners appointed to treat expressly for peace: Therefore, be it Resolved, That the President be, and he is hereby, most earnestly, but respectfully, requested to appoint Franklin Pierce, of New Hampshire; Millard Fillmore, of New York; Thomas Ewing, of Ohio, and such other persons as the President may see proper to select, as commissioners on behalf of the United States, who shall be empowered to meet a commission of like number when appointed for the same object on behalf of the Confederate States, at such time and place as may be agreed upon, for the purpose of ascertaining, before the renewal of hostilities shall have again commenced, whether the war shall not now cease, and the Union be restored by the return of all the States to their allegiance and their rights under the Constitution. The same having been read, Mr. Long moved the previous question; which was seconded and the main question ordered and put, viz: Will the House agree thereto? Yeas And it was decided in the negative, Nays 22 ....96 The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the members present, So the resolution was disagreed to. Mr. Austin A. King Frederick A. Pike William Radford Mr. Lewis W. Ross Myer Strouse Daniel W. Voorhees Mr. Glenni W. Scofield R. B. Van Valkenburgh Mr. Schenck submitted the following series of resolutions, viz: Resolved, That the present war which this government is carrying on against armed insurrectionists and others, banded together under the name of "southern confederacy," was brought on by a wicked and wholly unjustifiable rebellion, and all those engaged in or aiding or encouraging it are public enemies, and should be treated as such. Resolved, That this rebellion shall be effectually put down; and that, to prevent the recurrence of such rebellions in future, the causes which led to this one must be permanently removed. Resolved, That in this struggle which is going on for the saving of our country and free government, there is no middle ground on which any good citizen or true patriot can stand; neutrality, or indifference, or anything short of a hearty support of the government, being a crime where the question is between loyalty and treason.. The same having been read, Mr. Schenck moved the previous question; which was seconded and the main question ordered to be put. When A division of the question having been called for, The first resolution and the first branch of the second resolution were severally read and agreed to. The second branch of the second resolution having been read as follows, viz: "And that, to prevent the recurrence of such rebellion in future, the causes which led to this one must be permanently removed." The question was put, Will the House agree thereto? And it was decided in the affirmative, Yeas.... Nays. 124 none The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the members present, So the second branch of the second resolution was agreed to. The third and last resolution in the series was read as follows, viz: Resolved, That in this struggle which is going on for the saving of our country and free government, there is no middle ground on which any good citizen or true patriot can stand; neutrality or indifference, or anything short of a hearty support of the government, being a crime where the question is between loyalty and treason. And the question being put, Will the House agree thereto? Yeas It was decided in the affirmative, {Nays The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the members present, Mr. James C. Allen John B. Alley Lucien Anderson Augustus C. Baldwin Portus Baxter Jacob B. Blair Cornelius Cole Samuel S. Cox Nathan F. Dixon Ignatius Donnelly John F. Driggs Mr. Ebenezer Dumont Austin A. King Anthony L. Knapp Mr. Benjamin F. Loan Owen Lovejoy 109 none Mr. Andrew J. Rogers So the third and last in the series of resolutions was agreed to. Mr. Pendleton submitted the following resolution, viz: Resolved, (as the sense of this house,) That the military arrest, without civil warrant, and trial by military commission without jury, of Clement L. Vallandigham, a citizen of Ohio, not in the land or naval forces of the United States or the militia in actual service, by order of Major General Burnside, and his subsequent banishment by order of the President, executed by military force, were acts of mere arbitrary power, in palpable violation of the Constitution and laws of the United States. The same having been read, Mr. Pendleton moved the previous question. Pending which, Mr. Wilson moved, at 3 o'clock and 48 minutes p. m., that the House adjourn; which motion was disagreed to. Mr. Ancona moved that the resolution be laid on the table. And the question being put, It was decided in the negative, (Yeas..... The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the members present, 33 84 Mr. Thaddeus Stevens Mr. Lewis W. Ross So the House refused to lay the resolution on the table. John G. Scott Henry G. Stebbins R. B. Van Valkenburgh The question then recurring on the demand for the previous question, it was seconded and the main question ordered and put, viz: Will the House agree to the resolution? The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the members present, Those who voted in the affirmative are Mr. James C. Allen Mr. John Ganson Aaron Harding 調 Mr. John F. McKinney William H. Miller George H. Pendleton Mr. Henry G. Stebbins John B. Steele Myer Strouse John T. Stuart 47 77 Lorenzo D. M. Sweat William H. Wadsworth Chilton A. White Charles H. Winfield. |