prominent and able Democrats as Cox, Eldridge, Holman, Kernan, Morrison, Pendleton, Samuel J. Randall, Voorhees, and Fernando Wood.*

Hence Mr. Long not only escaped expulsion for his treasonable utterances, but did not even receive the severe censure" which, in addition to being declared (like himself) "an unworthy Member," had been voted to Mr. Harris for recklessly rushing into the breach to help him!

* The Northern Democracy comprised two well-recognized classes: The Anti-War (or Peace) Democrats, commonly called "Copperheads," who sympathized with the Rebellion, and opposed the War for the Union; and the War (or Union) Democrats, who favored a vigorous prosecution of the War for the preservation of the Union.

CHAPTER XXVI.

"THIRTEENTH AMENDMENT" DE

FEATED IN THE HOUSE.

66

66

66

GLANCE AT THE MILITARY SITUATION-" BEGINNING OF THE END" -THE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT--HOLMAN OBJECTS ΤΟ SECOND READING -KELLOGG SCORES THE COPPERHEAD-DEMOCRACY-CONTINUOUS FIRE IN THR REAR IN BOTH HOUSES -THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT ATTACKED-THE ADMINISTRATION ATTACKED-THE TARIFF ATTACKED-SPEECHES OF GARRETT DAVIS, AND COX-PEACE-RESOLUTIONS OF LAZEAR AND DAVIS-GRINNELL AND STEVENS, SCORE COX AND WOODHENDRICKS ON THE DRAFT-" ON TO RICHMOND AND ATLANTA-VIOLENT DIATRIBES OF WOOD, AND HOLMAN-FARNSWORTH'S REPLY TO ROSS, PRUYN, AND OTHERS-ARNOLD, on THE ETHICS OF SLAVERY-INGERSOLL'S ELOQUENT BURSTRANDALL, ROLLINS, AND PENDLETON, CLOSING THE DEBATETHE THIRTEENTH AMENDMENT DEFEATED-ASHLEY'S MOTION

TO RECONSIDER-CONGRESS ADJOURNS....... Pages 575 to 591.

ΤΗ

'HE debate in the House of Representatives, upon the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution-interrupted by the treasonable episode referred to in the last Chapter-was subsequently resumed.

Meanwhile, however, Fort Pillow had been stormed, and its garrison of Whites and Blacks, massacred.

Early

And now commenced the beginning of the end-so far as the Military aspect of the Rebellion was concerned. in May, Sherman's Atlanta Campaign commenced, and, simultaneously, General Grant began his movement toward Richmond. In quick succession came the news of the bloody battles of the Wilderness, and those around Spottsylvania, Va.; at Buzzard Roost Gap, Snake Creek Gap, and Dalton, Ga.; Drury's Bluff, Va.; Resaca, Ga.; the battles of the North Anna, Va.; those around Dallas, and New Hope

church, Ga.; the crossing of Grant's Forces to the South side of the James, and the assault on Petersburg. While the Union Armies were thus valiantly attacking and beating those of the Rebels, on many and many a sanguinary field, the loyal men of the North, both in and out of Congress, pressed for favorable action upon the Thirteenth Amendment. "Friends of the wounded in Fredericksburg from the Battle of the Wilderness "-exclaimed Horace Greeley in the New York Tribune, of May 31st, "friends and relatives of the soldiers of Grant's Army beyond the Wilderness, let us all join hands and swear upon our Country's altar that we will never cease this War until African Slavery in the United States is dead forever, and forever buried!"

Peace Democrats, however, were deaf to all such entreaties. On the very same day, Mr. Holman, in the House, objected even to the second reading of the Joint Resolution Amendatory of the Constitution, and there were so many "Peace Democrats " to back him, that the vote was: 55 yeas to 76 nays, on the question "shall the Joint Resolution be rejected!"

The old cry, that had been repeated by Hendricks and others, in the Senate and House, time and again, was still used-threadbare though it was "this is not the right time for it!" On this very day, for instance, Mr. Herrick said: "I ask if this is the proper time for our People to consider so grave a measure as the Amendment of the Constitution in so vital a point? * this is no fitting time for such work."

*

*

Very different was the attitude of Kellogg, of New York, and well did he show up the depths to which the Democracy-the Peace Democracy-had now fallen. "We are told," said he, "of a War Democracy, and such there are their name is legion—good men and true; they are found in the Union ranks bearing arms in support of the Government and the Administration that wields it. At the ballot-box, whether at home or in the camp, they are Union men, and vote as they fight, and hold little in common with the political leaders of the Democratic Party

in or out of this Hall-the Seymours, the Woods, the Vallandighams, the Woodwards, and their indorsers, who hold and control the Democratic Party here, and taint it with Treason, till it is a stench in the nostrils of all patriotic men."

After referring to the fact that the leaders of the Rebellion had from the start relied confidently upon assistance from the Northern Democracy, he proceeded:

"The Peace Democracy, and mere Party-hacks in the North, are fulfilling their masters' expectations industriously, unceasingly, and as far as in them lies. Not even the shouts for victory, in these Halls, can divert their Southern allies here. A sullen gloom at the defeat and discomfiture of their Southern brethren settles down on their disastrous countenances, from which no ray of joy can be reflected. * They even vote solid against a law to punish guerrillas.

* *

*
*
*

"Sir," continued he, "in my judgment, many of those who withhold from their Country the support they would otherwise give, find allegiance to Party too strong for their patriotism. Rejecting the example and counsels of Stanton and Dickinson and Butler and Douglas and Dix and Holt and Andrew Johnson and Logan and Rosecrans and Grant and a host of others, all Democrats of the straightest sect, to forget all other ties, and cleave only to their Country for their Country's sake, and rejecting the overtures and example of the Republican Party to drop and forget their Party name, that all might unite and band together for their Country's salvation as Union men, they turn a deaf ear and cold shoulder, and sullenly pass by on the other side, thanking God they are not as other men are, and lend, if at all, a calculating, qualified, and conditional and halting support, under protest, to their Country's cause; thus justifying the only hope of the Rebellion to-day, that Party spirit at the North will distract its counsels, divide and discourage and palsy its efforts, and ultimately make way for the Traitor and the parricide to do their worst."

Besides the set speeches made against the proposed

Constitutional Amendment in the House, Peace-Democrats of the Senate continued to keep up a running fire at it in that Chamber, on every possible occasion.

Garrett Davis was especially garrulous on the subject, and also launched the thunders of his wrath at the President

quite frequently and even vindictively. For instance, speaking in the Senate* of the right of Property in Slaves; said he:

*

*

than it is villanous. * * *

*

"This new-born heresy Military Necessity,' as President Lincoln claims, and exercises it, is the sum of all political and Military villanies and it is no less absurd The man has never spoken or lived who can prove by any provision of the Constitution, or by any principle, or by any argument to be deduced logically and fairly from it, that he has any such power as this vast, gigantic, all-conquering and all-crushing power of Military Necessity which he has the audacity to claim.

This modern Emperor, this Tiberius, a sort of a Tiberius, and his Sejanus, a sort of a Sejanus, the head of the War Department, are organizing daily their Military Courts to try civilians.

* * *

"Sir, I want one labor of love before I die. I want the President of the United States, I want his Secretary of War, I want some of his high officers in Military command to bring a civilian to a Military execution, and me to have the proud privilege of prosecuting them for murder.

*

*

*

I want the law and its just retribution to be visited upon these great delinquents.

"I would sooner, if I had the power, bring about such an atonement as that, than I would even put down the Rebellion. It would be a greater victory in favor of Freedom and Constitutional Liberty, a thousand-fold, of all the People of America besides, than the subjugation of the Rebel States could possibly be."

But there seemed to be no end to the attacks upon the Administration, made, in both Houses, by these peculiar Peace-Democrats. Union blood might flow in torrents on the fields of the rebellious South, atrocities innumerable

* May 31, 1864.