MINORITY REPORT.

The undersigned minority of the Committee on Federal
Relations respectfully submit the following report relative to
the compensation from Congress for losses sustained by the
State of Maryland by the war :

Whereas, By a joint resolution, approved April 10th,
1862, Congress resolved that the United States ought to co-
operate with any State which may adopt gradual abolish-
ment of slavery, giving to such State pecuniary aid to be used
by such State in its discretion, to compensate for the , in-
conveniences, public and private, caused by such change of
system, thus manifesting a disposition to pay the citizens of
such States for losses occasioned by the war; and

Whereas, Congress and the President both evidently be-
lieved that if the border slave States would accept such prop-
osition, it would tend to weaken the armed resistance to the
United States Government, stay the tide of war that was
then desolating our land, and by saving a large amount of
blood and treasure, fully compensate the nation for the amount
paid to the border States; and

Whereas, The representatives of Maryland then in Con-
gress neglected to urge upon the citizens of the State the im-
portance of the proposition, and the citizens of the slave-
holding counties, and slaveholders generally, treated the
proposition with indifference and contempt, denouncing Mr.
Lincoln and Congress in unmeasured terms for their stupid-.
ity in supposing that they would ever consent to'any such
an arrangement; and

Whereas, By the refusal of Maryland and the other border
slave States to accept said proposition, the war wasjprolonged
several years, causing an additional expenditure of thousands
of lives and millions of treasure by the nation, Maryland
having to furnish its part, which resulted in a loss to the
State of many of its bravest and most patriotic sons, in addi-
tion to the loss of much private property, carried away and
destroyed by tho robels during their several invasions of the
State; therefore, be and it is hereby