its life, and that the powers of your
Government are given for its preservation. Let it be remembered that
one portion of your republic has fallen into a state of rebellion, and
is still in a state of war against your Government, and that the
powers of the Government are to be exercised for the purposes of the
protection and the defense of the loyal, and the disloyal too, in that
part of the republic; and that, for the purpose of that defense, you
are authorized to suspend the privilege of the writ of _habeas
corpus_, and to exercise such extraordinary powers as are necessary to
the preservation of the great life of the nation. Let these things be
remembered; and then let it also be remembered that the law-making
power of the Government not only controls the President, but controls
the purposes and the ends and the objects of war, and, of course, the
movements of the armies that are to be employed in war. Let these
things be remembered, and it seems to me that all the difficulties
with which it is sought to surround this measure will at once
disappear."

"What carried our elections overwhelmingly?" asked Mr. Hotchkiss. "It
was the story of the Southern refugees told to the people of the North
and the West. They told us they demanded protection. They enlisted the
sympathy of Northern soldiers by telling that the very guerrillas who
hung upon the skirts of our army during the war were now murdering
Southern soldiers who fought on the Union side, and murdering peaceful
citizens, murdering black men who were our allies. We promised the
people if we were indorsed we would come back here and protect them,
and yet not a step has been taken."

Mr. Griswold regretted to vote against a measure proposed by those
whom he believed to "have at heart the best interest of the whole
country." "It seems to me," said he, "that the provisions of this bill
will lead us into greater danger than is justified by the evils we
seek to correct. It is, Mr. Speaker, a tremendous stride that we
propose to make by this bill to subject to military control ten
million people who have once been partners of this common country, and
who are to be united with us in its future trials and fortunes. This
bill proposes to place all the rights of life, liberty, and happiness
exclusively in the control of a mere military captain. This bill
contains no provisions for the establishment in the future of civil
governments there; it simply provides that for an inde