meet in the several counties of the State, and
pass resolutions and appoint committees to
.wait upon the authorities at Washington with
a view of having this matter investigated,
Mr. SCHLEY, Like the gentleman from
Prince George's (Mr. Berry,) I have felt a
great deal of interest in the matter of the
impending draft, and like him, too, I thought
that perhaps much injustice had been done to
various sections of Maryland by a failure to
credit on their quotas the number to which
they were entitled by reason of negroes en-
listed and credited to other States.
But upon speaking of the subject on my
recent visit home, I was credibly informed
that on the previous drafts, to cover and more
than cover nil such complaints, we have been
credited with upwards of eight thousand men.
I deeply regret that I have not the exact fig-
ures of the table which a friend showed me,
so that I could present them to the convention
here. But I did not anticipate any necessity
for it. That number, however, has been
struck off the amount which Maryland was
called upon to furnish. Now I think it would
be more advisable to institute an inquiry into
the facts, for the information of the conven-
tion instead of our sending forth the state-
ments contained in this preamble and resolution,
with the authentication of our adoption
of them. The facts can be very easily ascertained
by any gentleman who will inquire of
the provost marshal of the State, at Baltimore,
Mr, MILLER. I understand the gentleman
from Frederick (Mr. Schley) to say that there
bad been a credit given to the State of eight
thousand men ?
Mr, SCHLEY, Eight thousand of the defi-
ciency has been stricken off.
Mr. MILLER. Was that credited to the State
at large, or was it credited to the several
counties from which they were supposed to
have been taken ?
Mr SCHLEY. I would not undertake to
answer that question without knowing more
of the facts than I now do. But that that
much of the deficiency of the State has been
stricken off have no doubt is the fact. And I
know it as well as I can know anything that
1 do not know of my own knowledge. I shall,
therefore, urge upon the convention to pause
before it adopts this resolution, that it may
not commit itself to any erroneous statement,
Mr. PETER. I will not pretend that we
have a legal right to demand this at the hands
of the government. But if justice entitles us
to it, it is certainly not going too far to have
this matter investigated, if our several coun-
ties have furnished more than their quotas,
and if by the acts of parties representing other
States they have been unjustly deprived of
that to which they are entitled, is it fair, is it
right, is it honest, that we representing the
people of Maryland should sit idly here and
see our constituents imposed upon? I do not
say that we should send a committee to Wash- |
ington and demand this thing, as a matter of
legal right, from the President and the Secre-
tary of War. But I do say that it is but fair,
it is but right, it is but doing our duty to our
constituents to send a committee there to fully
investigate this matter, and to ascertain what
has become of the number of slaves that have
been taken from the State of Maryland,
I know that an immense number have gone
from the counties, the most of whom are in
Washington, employed in some way or other
in the several military departments. If they
are not in the army as soldiers, they are act-
ing as teamsters, or in some way engaged in
the service. And if they are thus represent-
ing our counties as able-bodied men, for it
takes able-bodied men to perform the duties
that they perform, is it not right that we
should have credit for them ?
Another important point which suggests it-
self to my mind is this: in the late draft that
was made in this State, many negroes were
drafted who are now lounging about the streets
of Washington, the officers not having thought
proper to go and arrest them and force them
into the service as they would other drafted
men. Is it not right that we should appoint
acommittee to investigate this matter? And
if we can show the government that numbers
of drafted men from this State are now hang-
ing about the streets of Washington, is it not
right that the government officers should take
those men, or else give us credit for the defi-
ciency occasioned by their failure to report.
1 cannot see this tiling in any party light
atall. If we represent our constituents here,
and can rightly be of any service to them in
relation to this matter, why not do it? Why
should we not aid them, so far as we can just-
ly do so, by having this matter investigated?
If these slaves are now hanging about the
streets of Washington doing nothing, though
their names have been drawn in the late draft,
why should we not ask the government to
place them in the service and give us credit for
them, or strike that much from our deficiency?
"i believe that if our county could have this
matter fairly and fully investigated, it would
be found that more able-bodied negro men
have left that county (Montgomery,) than
would fill its quota, and I further believe that
agreat majority of those who have thus left, are
now in the employment of the government of
the United States.
1 do not ask gentleman to take my mere as-
sertion here that such is the fact. But I ask
them to appoint a committee to investigate the
subject, and to ascertain if what I say be true
And if it be true, are we not fairly entitled
to credit for them? Again, what harm can
result from an investigation toy a committee
of this character? Suppose upon a full and
fair investigation of the facts as they really
exist, what we believe to be true is found to be
without foundation. Certainly it could do no
harm to the interests of the government, and |
