ARMY SLAVE-CATCHING PROHIBITED.

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that the alternative of conceded Dis- | Mr. James F. Wilson, of Iowa. Mr. union or constrained Emancipation Wilson, of Mass., soon reported' his might yet be avoided. His first An- bill; of which he pressed the considnual Message cautiously avoided the eration ten days afterward; but it subject; but proposed a systematic was resisted with great ingenuity and colonization-in some territory to be earnestness by all the Opposition and acquired outside of the present limits by a few of the more conservative of our country-of those Blacks who Administration Senators. Other bills had already, or might thereafter, be- having obtained precedence in the come free in consequence of the war. Senate, Mr. F. P. Blair reported to He coolly added: the House from its Military Committee, an additional Article of War, as follows:

"It might be well to consider, too, whether the free colored people already in the United States could not, so far as individuals may desire, be included in such colonization."

"All officers are prohibited from employing any of the forces under their respective commands for the purpose of returning fugitives from service or labor who may have escaped from any persons to whom such service or labor is claimed to be due. Any officer who shall be found guilty by courtmartial of violating this article shall be dismissed from the service.”

Congress acceded to this, so far as to appropriate $100,000 in aid of the colonization as aforesaid of the freedmen of the District of Columbia; which sum, or most of it, was duly squandered-to the satisfaction of cer- This bill was strenuously opposed tain speculators, and the intense, pro- by Messrs. Mallory and Wickliffe, tracted misery of a few deluded of Kentucky, as also by Mr. ValBlacks, who were taken to a wretch-landigham, of Ohio, while ably ed sand-spit, known as Cow Island, advocated by Mr. Bingham, of Ohio on the coast of Hayti, and kept there and passed by a (substantially) party so long as they could be: and this was vote: Yeas 83; Nays 44. Having the practical finale of the Coloniza- been received by the Senate and retion project. ferred to its Military Committee, it was duly reported therefrom by Mr. H. Wilson; vehemently opposed by Messrs. Garret Davis, of Ky., Carlile, of Va., Saulsbury, of Del., and supported by Messrs. Wilson, of Mass., Howard, of Michigan, Sherman, of Ohio, McDougall, of Cal., and Anthony, of R. I., and passed:" Yeas 29; Nays 9-a party vote, save that Mr. McDougall, of Cal., voted Yea. The bill thus enacted was approved by the President, March 13th, 1862.

The XXXVIIth Congress having convened for its second (or first regular) session, Gen. Wilson, of Mass., gave notice in Senate of a bill to punish officers and privates of our armies for arresting, detaining, or delivering persons claimed as fugitive slaves; and Mr. O. Lovejoy, of Ill., simultaneously introduced a bill of like tenor in the House. Mr. Wilson submitted his bill on the 23d; a resolve to the same effect having been submitted by Mr. Sumner six days before; as one of like nature was this day laid before the House by

Gen. Wilson, upon evidence that the above act was inadequate to restrain the negro-catching propensities of some officers in the service, proJan. 6, 1862. Feb. 25. • March 4. 10 March 10.