The copy of the Constitution of the United States is believed to be strictly accurate in text and punctuation, which, it is understood, can be said of only one other copy in print—that in the work known as Hickey's Constitution. The statement of the differences between it and the Rebel Constitution has been made with extreme care. The common index to the two instruments shows, at a glance, wherein they differ, and will be found both interesting and convenient—the whole chapter possessing special value to large classes of persons. In presenting the facts upon each subject of legislation, the general plan has been : first, to state the result reached, with the final votes; and, then, such proceedings, in the intermediate stages, as are of adequate importance, or necessary to explain the position of Members. This preparation involved constant selection, concerning which there may be differences of opinion-some thinking that too much detail on one subject is given; others, too little of another. In all cases the rule stated, governed. As far as it has been possible to obtain the Rebel legislation on the same or corresponding subjects it has been added, with such of their orders and proclamations as were connected with them. A comparison of the two, and the dates of enactment or issue, will prove of service in dispelling delusions and correcting general misconceptions. Besides the legislation proper, the volume contains, in a classified form, all the Messages, Proclamations, Orders, Correspondence, and Addresses of the President; the Diplomacy of the Secretary of State; valuable letters and papers from the Secretaries of the Treasury, of War, of the Navy, of the Interior, and from the Postmaster General; Opinions of the Attorney General upon permanent public questions; those of the Orders of Commanding Officers which are within the scope of the work; the Decisions of the Courts; and such other data as properly belong therein the whole forming a multitudinous mass of facts, to any one of which the classification adopted, and the copious index appended, will, it is hoped, make it easy to refer. The votes by Yeas and Nays have been carefully compared with the Official Journals of Congress. In preparing these lists, the names of those persons have, for comparison's sake, been italicized, who were elected by, or were at the time generally co-operating with, the Democratic party. All others are in roman. Under “Our Foreign Relations" will be found much of permanent value, as well as of current interest and dispute. The chapter on the “Conspiracy of Disnnion” contains several very interesting documents, chief of which are the extract from U. S. Senator Maclay's journal of 1789, recording, probably, the first threat of disunion uttered in Congress, and upon a subject which remained a matter of complaint in some quarters down to the period of Secession; and the Minutes of the Proceedings of the Police Commissioners of Baltimore in 1861, one of the most flagrant as well as one of the latest outbursts of treason. Other portions of this chapter will richly bear examination. I greatly regret that want of space has required the omission of many other facts, gathered from our political history, tending to reveal the true character of this foul conspiracy against Liberty, this crime against Humanity. The lists of the organization of the Rebel “Provisional” and “Permanent” Government have been made up from every accessible source, and, though not complete, are more nearly so than any other yet published north of the Potomac, and as nearly so as present facilities afford. They are the result of careful and extensive examination. As a matter of interest, the names of those of the conspirators who vere once members of the Congress of the Union have been put in italic. This work was undertaken a few months ago without a realizing sense of the labor it involved. I can scarcely hope to have escaped errors, both of omission and commission, but have striven to make it fair, impartial, and truthful. It deals with the most momentous events of this Century, which will be studied while civil Government exists. I trust that the volume will be of service to those consulting it, and that its general effect will be to help strengthen the purpose of the American people to maintain their Unity, their Freedom, and their Power. EDWARD MOPHERSON. August 11, 1864. TABLE OF CONTENTS. Page. Pago 1 Continued. tilities against the United States, and Why The “War Power” called out-Call for 75,000) Men, and all subsequent Calls arranged in Chronological Order-National Legislation on Military Affairs-"Confederate" Legislation and Proclamations and Orders—The Thirty- Seventh Congress-President's Message of July, 1861, December, 1861, and December, 1862-Ther Thirty-Eighth Congress-Annual Message, 1863) -Amnesty Proclamations, and Circular of the Attornoy General-Proclamations concerning? the Blockade, Non-Intercourse with States in Ro bellion, and declaring Boundaries of the. Res bellion. 150 The Seward-Lyons Treaty-Vote in the Senate upon bill to give it effect-Action of the “Con- federate" Congress on Slave Trade-Jefferson Davis's Veto thereof - Intercepted Despatch from Judah P. Benjamin to L. Q. C. Lamar. ARREST OF CITIZENS, THE WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS, AND SUPPRESSION OF NEWS, PAPERS....................... 153 Arrest of Members of the Maryland Legislature and of the Baltimore Police Commissioners Orders of Gen. McClellan and Secretary Camo ron-John Merryman's Case and Chief Justice Taney's Opinion-Attorney General Bates's Opinion on the President's Power to Arrest andi to Suspend the Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus-Views of Horaco Binney and Theophilus, 48 Parsons-Case of C. L. Vallandigham; Decisiom of the Supreme Court therein; his Letter om Retaliation; his return to Ohio, and Speech at Hamilton-Proclamations of the President Sus. pending the Privilege of the Writ of Habeas) Corpus-Indernnification of the President-De cision of the New York Supreme Court in the Case of George W. Jones vs. W. H. Soward “Confederate” Legislation upon the Suspension of the Writ-Suppressions and seizures of News papers, with the Proceedings of the Courts, Congress, and the Post Office Department 195 The Confiscation Bills, and Amendatory Joint Resolution, and Special Message thereon- Emancipation in the Thirty-Seventh Congresso Proposed Repeal of the Joint Resolution afore, said-Sequestration in the Rebel States Judi- cial and Military Proceedings under the Confis- cation Law-Proclamation thereon-President's Message, March, 1862, recommending Compen sated #mancipation-Congressional Proceedingas 91 thereon-Interview of Border State Congress men with the President-Emancipation in the District of Columbia-The President's Ap- peal to the Border State Congressmen, and thein Reply-Extract from the President's Annual Message, December, 1862--Emancipation in Maryland and Proceedings of the Constitutional Convention thereof-Emancipation Proclamam mations-Votes thereon and Resolutions con- cerning them-Interview betweon the Chicago Deputation and the President-Address of the Loyal Governors–Mr. Boutwell's Statement, concerning the issue of the Proclamation-Lets ters of Charles Sumner, and Owen Lovejoy. REPEAL OF TIDE FOGITIVE SLAVE LAWS, "CON MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS AND SPEECHES OF Message of May 29, 1862–Remarks at Union Meeting in Washington City, August 6, 1862- Response to a Serenade, July, 1863—Speech at the Philadelphia Fair, June 16, 1864-Letters to Horace Greeley, to the Springfield Mass Conven tion, to Col. A. G. Hodges, of Kentucky, and of Slaves in Government Dock-Yards, &c-Rom to the Grant Meeting in New York, June cognition of Hayti and Liberia-Robert Small- Proposed Removal of the Disqualification of OUR FOREIGN RELATIONS..... The Trent Affair-Monarchical Intrigues in Cen tral and South America—Allegod Foreign En- listments-Foreign Mediation, being Letters from Secretary Seward to Governor Hicks and M. Drouyn de l'Huys, and from Lord Lyons to Earl Russell, with his Views on those of New York Democrats respecting Foreign Mediation- The French in Mexico-Congressional Action thereon-The Arguelles Case. Summary of Financial Legislation from Decem ber, 1860, to June 30, 1864_Special War Income Tax, and Votes thereon-Thé “Legal Tender" Question-Loan Bill of 1864-National Currency Acts-Internal Revenue Acts-Proposed Tax on Slaves—Tariff Acts of 1862 and 1861_Taxes in Insurrectionary Districts—The Public Credit in 1860 and 1861-Statements of Public Debu lame Congress—Bureau of Freedmen's Affairs. from June 30, 1860 to June 30, 1861-"Confed- erate" Finances, with their Tax, Funding, and LEGISLATION, ORDERS, PROCLAMATIONS AND PROPOSITIONS, RELATIVE TO THE WAR, The President's Views on Colonization-Incom The Enrollment Acts of 1863 and 1864, with the patibility of Civil and Military Office-Fishing Bounties--Acts to Prohibit Polygamy; declaring certain Persons ineligible to Office; and to pun- ish Conspiracy-Letters of Marque-Enabling Act for Nebraska-Admission of West Virginia - Opinions of Attorney General Bates on Citizen ship, and on the pay of Colored Soldiers- -McClellan's Letters recommending a Polit- ical Policy in the Conduct of the War, and favoring Woodward's Election in Pennsylvania -Proposed Censuro of President Lincoln and Ex-President Buchanan-Censure of Repre- Service-Negro Enlistment Act of the Tennes- see Rebel Legislature—“Confederato" Legisla- tion upon the Treatment of captured Colored THE CONSPIRACY OF DISUNION...... Troops and their Officers-Homesteads for Solo Threats of Dissolution in the First Congress 1789–Prophetic Utterances of Jackson, Benton, and Clay-Southern Disunion Congressional Caucus in 1835-Early Hopes of the Rebels Ex-President Pierce's Letter to Jefferson Davis, 1860—The Disunion Programme-Letter of D.. L. Yulee, January 7, 1861 -- Douglas's Last Words-Progress of the Conspiracy in Maryland -Minutes of the Baltimore Police Commission- ers during "the Reign of Terror"-Report to the Baltimore Councils on Expenditure of the Legislative Action thereon, and other Proceed- Governor Bradford's Proclamation of 1863, and ings by the Maryland Legislature of 1861-Sun the President's Letter to the Governor-Orders in Delaware, Kentucky, and Missouri-Orders THE REBEL ADMINISTRATION......... concerning Impressment of Property-Proposed Legislation upon Military Interferonce in Eloco The Provisional President, Cabinet, and Con gress, with Memorandum of Changes - *Permanent” Administration-The First Con- RECONSTRUCTION OF STATES........... 317 gross,, and Changes, therein-The Second Can- The Reconstruction Bill, with the President's Proclamation thereon, and Statement of Senas NATIONAL POLITICAL CONVENTIONS IN tor Wade and Representative Davis-Electoral Vote of Rebel States Proposed Commission ofl Inquiry-Senators from Arkansas—Process of The National Union Convention and Letters of Reconstruction in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Vir- Acceptanco by President Lincoln and Andrew ginia-Resolutions by sundry Senators and Rep Johnson-The Cleveland Convention, and the resentatives concerning the Relations of Rebel Letters of Acceptance of Fremont and Coch- States to the Government-Rebel Views of Recon rano-Col. Cochrane's Address to his regiment, struction, being Resolutions by the First Con- federato” Congress, and Legislatures of Rebels |
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