ing these men to the counties from which
they came; for, had the counties desired to
have them so credited at the time, there was
not a particle of impediment in the way of
their enlisting them. There was no motion
on the part of any one in those counties so to
aid the government. On the contrary, the
right of the government to take those negroes
was in all cases declaimed or inveighed
against. The representatives of Maryland, in
Congress, denied the right of the government
to take them. Those counties, so far as I
know, have never admitted the right of the
government to take those negroes. And if
they are to be credited to the State. I think
they should be credited to the general quota
of the State.
But I think the practical question for us to
consider, is that before the 5th of September,
it would be impossible for the government to
do anything in this matter. There is but
about two weeks now to the time fixed for
the draft. And if it should be decided that
we are not to furnish the number we have
been called upon to furnish, then the quotas
of all the States of the Union must be re-
vised to make up the number for which
Maryland would be deficient.
Mr. JONES, of Somerset. The gentleman
from Baltimore (Mr. Cushing) has most ex-
traordinary ideas of logic and of justice.
Because the people in the counties do not
admit the right of the government to take
their slaves and put them in the army, when
they are so taken and put in the army, the
counties are not entitled to any credit for
them. Why, sir, every man who is drafted
goes unwillingly, and the same objection
might there arise. He does not go willingly,
does not admit the justice of being taken from
home and put in the army; therefore, the
county from which he is taken should receive
no credit for him.
I think it seems to be generally conceded
that there has been great injustice done many
portions of the State, in not giving the proper
credit for persons who have been taken and
pit into the army of the United States. I
saw in the newspapers gome time ago, the
statement that representations had been made
by the governor, authorities, and some of the
leading men of Kentucky, to the administra-
tion at Washington, that. a very large portion
of their population had actually left the State,
and gone into the service of the Confederates,
and therefore a araft upon the residue, based
upon the entire population as if these men
were still there, would be most unjust to
those remaining. For those men who bad
left the State and had gone into the Con-
federate service bad expatriated themselves,
and were no longer to be considered a part of
the population of Kentucky, supporting the
government of the United States, and from
which a draft should be made. And the
authorities at Washington, upon these repre-
43 |
sentations, allowed a credit of twenty-five
thousand to Kentucky upon the draft.
It has been stated that a great many have
left this State and gone away. Who is re-
sponsible for that? They have taken their
lives in their hands; they have left the State;
they are no longer citizens of this State. We.
admit the right of expatriation; we admit
that a man may leave the State and go else-
where, to Great Britain, to France, to any
European country, and if their laws allow
he may become a citizen of those countries.
if they are gone, is it proper and just that
they should be considered as still here and
liable to the draft, and their absence made up
by the heavier draft upon those who remain.
And besides, the gentleman from Frederick
(Mr. Schley) states that he has been in-
formed that a lumping credit of eight thou-
sand men has been made upon the deficiency
of Maryland, by the authorities at Washing-
ton. Now, if that credit is on the score of
the slaves that have been taken away from
the several counties, then I submit most re-
spectfully that such a credit operates most
unjustly to the counties that have furnished
these eight thousand men. The people of
Frederick, and Washington, and Allegany
and Baltimore city, and nil those populous
portions, of the State that have furnished very
few colored recruits to the army of the United
States, would get the benefit of this credit, in
precisely the same manner and in a greater
ratio than the counties that have furnished
them.
Mr. SCHLEY. We have furnished white
men.
Mr. JONES, of Somerset. I apprehend that
all the counties have made efforts to raise
their men. And I know that more than a
thousand negroes have been taken from Som-
erset county, and very few have been credited
to that county. My friend from Dorchester
informs me' that of two regiments enlisted in
the city of Baltimore there were a great many
men from his county, and from my county,
who had gone to the city of Baltimore and
enlisted there, and that city has the credit for
them. Now that is not just.
There ought to he an inquiry into this mat-
ter. We have suffered injustice enough al-
ready, in a variety of ways. I have no doubt
that the governor and the adjutant general
have been doing and will do all they can to put
this matter right. I trust they will push ibis
investigation, which more properly belongs
to them, and endeavor to ascertain how many
have been taken from the several counties, in
order that the proper credit may be given to
those counties which have furnished the
troops. I trust that the difficulty which has
existed with Col. Bowman will be disposed
of in some way, and that the government will
see the justice of having the authorities of the
State furnished with correct lists of those who
have been mustered in the service of the Uni- |
