The life and public services of Abraham Lincoln ... together with his state papers, including his speeches, addresses, messages, letters, and proclamations, and the closing scenes connected with his life and death. By Henry J. Raymond. To which are added anecdotes and personal reminiscences of President Lincoln, by Frank B. Carpenter.

STATE PI'AI'i; OF ABn\AII. M LAINCOLN. 2

)01

the Judiciary Committee, and reported back w-ith an amendment, providing that whenever any slave slhould )h
required or permitted by his master to take up a;ms, or
be employed in any fort, do(k-yard, or il any lliilitary
service in aid of the rebellion, he should become liititled
to his freedom. Mr. Vickliffe and Mr1. Burnlltt,,f Kentucky, at once contested the pIassalge of' t]ll( bill, onl the
ground that the Government llad no right to intlerfere;' in
any way with the relation existing between a nlmaster and
his slave; and they were answevred by the North llcrt1 I llnimbers with the argument that the (,v'ernmllent ce(rtainly
had a right to confiscate- prroperty of any kind e'lmpl)lyed
in the rebellion, and that there was no mole r1eason f;)r
protecting slavery against thlle conse qu11nc's of exercising
this right, than for slielding any otilwr interest that milht
be thus involved. Tlie advocates of the bill de(.iedl tlat
it was the intention of the law to emancipate tlhe slves,
or that it would bear any such construction in tile (ourts
of justice. They repudiated tlhe idea tlhat men in aimnls
against the Union and Constituti(-n,co-uld (';lill tlhe pr1 -tection of the Constitution, and thus derlive frmll thlat
instrument increased ability to secure its destruc'tion; but
they based their proposed confiscation of slav1e pr(Iporty
solely on the ground tliat it was a ne(:essay I;mea1ns to the
prosecution of the war, and not in any stense tlle object
for which the war was waged. After a protracted debate,
that section of the bill which related to, this subl) ject was
passed-ayes sixty, noes forty-eight-in the following
form:
That whenever, hereafter, during the present insurrection against the
Government of the United States, any person claimed to be held to labor
or service under the laws of any State, shall be required (ir lerinitted by
the person to whom such labor or service is claimed to be due, or by the
lawful agent of such person, to take up arms agaist the Uniledl States,
or shall be required or permitted by the person to whoml such s.rvice or
labor is claimed to be due, or his lawful agent, to work or to 1e emnploye(l
in or upon any fort, navy-yard, dock, armory, ship, or intrenhltment, or
in any military or naval service whatever, against the Government and
lawful authority of the United States, then, and in every snch c:ase, tlio
person to whom such service is claimed to be due, slhall forfeit his claim