ainst murder and all the wrongs that rebels can inflict on loyal
men, we can not, dare not refuse to pass this bill."

Since, however, the bill did not propose any "plan of reoerganizing
State governments in the late rebel States," Mr. Lawrence read
amendments which he desired to introduce at the proper time, providing
that the laws of the District of Columbia, "not locally inapplicable,"
should be in force in the rebel territory and that the United States
courts should have jurisdiction.

Mr. Hise declared this a "stupid, cruel, unwise, and unconstitutional
measure." "If I had not been prepared," said he, "by other measures
hitherto adopted and others hitherto introduced into this House, I
should not have been less startled at the introduction of this than if
I had received the sudden intelligence that the ten States enumerated
in this bill had been sunk by some great convulsion of nature and
submerged under an oceanic deluge."

"This is not, strictly speaking, a measure of reconstruction," said
Mr. Ingersoll, "but a measure looking simply to the enforcement of
order. It seems to me clear, then, that, not only under the laws of
war and under the laws of nations, but under the express authority of
the Constitution itself, Congress possesses the rightful authority to
establish military governments, as proposed by the bill under
consideration."

Referring to Mr. Le Blond's anticipated war, Mr. Ingersoll said: "I
desire to ask the gentleman where he is going to get his soldiers to
make war upon the Government and the Congress of the United States?
You will hardly find them in the rebel States. They have had enough of
war; they have been thoroughly whipped, and do not desire to be
whipped again. You will not get them from the loyal people of the
Northern or Southern States. If you get any at all, you may drum up a
few recruits from the Democratic ranks, but in the present weak and
shattered condition of that party you would hardly be able to raise a
very formidable army, and I tell the gentleman if the party decreases
in the same ratio in the coming year as it has in the last, the whole
party together would not form a respectable _corps d'armee_."

"How about the bread and butter brigade?" interposed a member.

"I did not think of that heroic and patriotic band," replied Mr.
Ingersoll, "but I do not apprehend much danger from that source; it
would be a bloodless conflict; we would have no use either for the
sword or