Key-Notes of American Liberty Part 12

NEUTRALITY LAW OF THE UNITED STATES,

AS AMENDED AND APPROVED BY CONGRESS, JULY 26, 1866.

A Bill more effectually to preserve the neutral relations of the United States.

_Be it enacted, &c._, That if any citizen of the United States shall, within the territory or jurisdiction thereof, accept and exercise a commission to serve a foreign prince, State, colony, district, or people in war by land or by sea against any prince, State, colony, district or people with whom the United States are at peace, the person so offending shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall on conviction thereof be punished by a fine of not exceeding $2,000 and imprisonment not exceeding two years, or either, at the discretion of the Court in which such offender may be convicted.

SEC. 2. _And be it further enacted_, That if any person shall, within the territory or jurisdiction of the United States enlist, or enter himself, or hire or retain another person to enlist or enter himself, or to go beyond the limits or jurisdiction of the United States, with intent to be enlisted or entered into the service of any foreign prince, State, colony, district or people as a soldier, or as a marine or seaman on board of any vessel-of-war, letter-of-marque or privateer, every person so offending shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall upon conviction therefor be punished by fine not exceeding $1,000, and imprisonment not exceeding two years, or either of them, at the discretion of the Court, in case such offender shall be convicted; provided that this act shall not be construed to extend to any subject or citizen of any foreign prince, State, colony, district or people, who shall transiently be within the United States, and shall be on board of any vessel of war, letter-of-marque or privateer, which, at the time of its arrival within the United States, was fitted and equipped as such, enlist or enter himself, and hire or retain another subject or citizen of the same foreign prince, State, colony, district or people, who is transiently in the United States, to enlist or enter himself to serve such foreign prince, State, colony, district or people, on board such vessel of war, letter-of-marque or privateer, if the United States shall then be at peace with such foreign prince, State, colony, district or people.

SEC. 3. _And be it further enacted_, That if any person shall within the limits of the United States fit out and arm or attempt to fit out and arm, or procure to be fitted out and armed, or shall knowingly be concerned in the furnishing, fitting out and arming of any ship or vessel with intent that such ship or vessel shall be employed in the service of any foreign prince, State, colony, district or people, to cruise or commit hostilities against the subjects, citizens or property of any foreign prince, State, or any colony, district or people with whom the United States are at peace, or shall issue or deliver a commission within the territory or jurisdiction of the United States for any ship or vessel to the intent that she may be employed as aforesaid, or shall have on board any person or persons who shall have been enlisted, or shall have engaged to enlist or serve or shall be departing from the jurisdiction of the United States with intent to enlist or serve in contravention of the provisions of this act, every person so offending shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished by a fine not exceeding $3,000, and imprisonment not exceeding three years, or either of them, at the discretion of the Court in which such offender shall be convicted; and every such ship and vessel, with her tackle, apparel and furniture, together with all materials, arms, ammunition and stores which may have been procured for the building and equipment thereof, shall be forfeited to the United States of America.

SEC. 4. _And be it further enacted_, That it shall be lawful for any Collector of the Customs who is by law empowered to make seizures for any forfeiture incurred under any of the laws of Customs, to seize such ships and vessels in such places and in such manner in which the officers of the Customs are empowered to make seizures under the law for the collection and protection of the revenue, and that every such ship and vessel, with the tackle, apparel and furniture, together with all the materials, arms, ammunition and stores which may belong to or be on board such ship or vessel, may be prosecuted or condemned for the violation of the provisions of this act in like manner as ships or vessels may be prosecuted and condemned for any breach of the laws made for the collection and protection of the revenue.

SEC. 5. _And be it further enacted_, That if any person shall within the territory or jurisdiction of the United States, increase or augment, or procure to be increased or augmented, or shall knowingly be concerned in increasing or augmenting the force of any ship of war, or cruiser, or other armed vessel, which at the time of her arrival within the United States was a ship of war, or cruiser, or armed vessel in the service of any foreign prince, State, colony, district or people, or belonged to the subjects or citizens of any such prince, State, colony, district or people, the same being at war with any foreign prince, State, colony, district or people with whom the United States are at peace, by adding to the number of guns of such vessel, or by changing those on board of her for guns of a larger calibre, or by addition thereto of any equipment solely applicable to war, or shall have on board any person or persons who shall have enlisted, or engaged to enlist or serve, or who shall be departing from the jurisdiction of the United States with intent to enlist or serve in contravention of the provisions of this act; every person so offending shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall upon conviction thereof be punished by fine or imprisonment, or either of them, at the discretion of the court in which such offender shall be convicted.

SEC. 6. _And be it further enacted_, That the District Courts shall take cognizance of all complaints, informations, indictments, or other prosecutions, by whomsoever inst.i.tuted, in cases of captures made within the waters of the United States or within a marine league of the coasts or sh.o.r.es thereof.

SEC. 7. _And be it further enacted_, That in every case in which a vessel shall be fitted out and armed, or in which the force of any vessel of war, cruiser, or other armed vessel shall be increased or augmented, in every case of the capture of a ship or vessel within the jurisdiction or protection of the United States, as before defined, and in every case in which any process issuing out of any court of the United States shall be disobeyed or resisted by any person or persons having the custody of any vessel of war, cruiser or other, armed vessel of any prince or State, or of any colony, district or people, or of any subjects or citizens of any foreign prince, State, or of any colony, district or people in any such case, it shall be lawful for the President of the United States, or such other person as he shall have empowered for that purpose to employ such part of the land and naval forces of the United States or of the militia thereof, for the purpose of taking of and detaining any such ship or vessel with her prize or prizes, if any, in order to the execution of the prohibition or penalties of this act, and to the restoring the prize or prizes in the cases in which restoration shall have been adjudged.

SEC. 8. _And be it further enacted_, That it shall be lawful for the President of the United States, or such person as he shall empower for that purpose, to employ such part of the land and naval forces of the United States, or of the militia thereof, as shall be necessary to compel any foreign ship or vessel to depart the United States in all cases in which, by the laws of nations or the treaties of the United States they ought not to remain within the United States.

SEC. 9. _And be it further enacted_, That offences made punishable by the provisions of this act, committed by citizens of the United States, beyond the jurisdiction of the United States, may be prosecuted and tried before any court having jurisdiction of the offences prohibited by this act.

SEC. 10. _And be it further enacted_, That nothing in this act shall be so construed as to prohibit citizens of the United States from selling vessels, ships or steamers built within the limits thereof, or materials or munitions of war, the growth or product of the same, to inhabitants of other countries, or to Governments not at war with the United States: provided that the operation of this section of this act shall be suspended by the President of the United States with regard to any cla.s.ses of purchases, whenever the United States shall be engaged in war, or whenever the maintenance of friendly relations with any foreign nation may in his judgment require it.

SEC. 11. _And be it further enacted_, That nothing in the foregoing act shall be construed to prevent the prosecution or punishment of treason, or any piracy or other felony defined by the laws of the United States.

SEC. 12. _And be it further enacted_, That all acts and parts of acts inconsistent with the provisions of this act or inflicting any further or other penalty or forfeiture than are hereinbefore provided for. The acts forbidden herein are hereby repealed.

POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES.

STATES. 1850. 1860.

Alabama 771,623 964,296 Arkansas 209,897 435,427 California 92,597 380,015 Connecticut 370,792 460,151 Delaware 91,532 112,218 Florida 87,445 140,439 Georgia 906,185 1,057,327 Illinois 851,470 1,711,753 Indiana 988,416 1,350,479 Iowa 192,214 674,948 Kansas ... 107,710 Kentucky 982,405 1,155,713 Louisiana 517,762 709,433 Maine 583,169 628,276 Maryland 583,034 687,034 Ma.s.sachusetts 994,514 1,231,065 Michigan 397,654 749,112 Minnesota 6,077 162,022 Mississippi 606,026 791,395 Missouri 682,044 1,173,317 New Hampshire 317,976 326,072 New Jersey 489,555 672,031 New York 3,097,394 3,887,542 North Carolina 869,039 992,667 Ohio 1,980,329 2,339,599 Oregon 12,093 52,464 Pennsylvania 2,311,786 2,906,370 Rhode Island 147,545 174,621 South Carolina 668,507 703,812 Tennessee 1,002,717 1,109,847 Texas 212,592 601,039 Vermont 314,120 315,116 Virginia 1,421,661 1,596,083 Wisconsin 305,391 775,873

TERRITORIES, ETC.

Colorado .... 34,197 Dakotah .... 4,839 Nebraska .... 28,842 Nevada .... 6,857 New Mexico 61,547 93,541 Utah 11,380 40,295 Washington 1,201 11,578 District of Columbia 51,687 75,076

Total 23,191,876 31,429,891

SLAVE POPULATION IN THE U.S. IN 1860.

STATES. 1850. 1860.

Alabama 342,844 435,132 Arkansas 47,100 111,104 Delaware 2,290 1,798 Florida 39,310 61,753 Georgia 381,682 462,230 Kentucky 210,981 225,490 Louisiana 244,809 332,520 Maryland 90,368 87,188 Mississippi 309,878 436,696 Missouri 87,422 114,965 North Carolina 288,548 331,081 South Carolina 384,984 402,541 Tennessee 239,459 275,784 Texas 58,161 180,388 Virginia 472,528 490,887 Nebraska (Territory) .. 10 Utah " .. 29 New Mexico " 26 24 District of Columbia 3,687 3,181

Total 3,204,077 3,952,801

STATISTICS OF SLAVERY BEFORE THE REVOLUTION.

AMERICAN SLAVERY IN 1715.

In the reign of George I., the ascertained population of the Continental Colonies was as follows:

White Men. Negro Slaves.

New Hampshire 9,500 150 Ma.s.sachusetts 94,000 2,000 Rhode Island 7,500 500 Connecticut 46,000 1,500 New York 27,000 4,000 Pennsylvania 43,300 2,500 New Jersey 21,000 1,500 Maryland 40,700 9,400 Virginia 72,000 23,000 North Carolina 7,500 3,700 South Carolina 6,250 10,500

Total 375,000 58,550

SPEECH OF HON. STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS.

DELIVERED AT CHICAGO, MAY 1ST, 1861.

MR. CHAIRMAN: I thank you for the kind terms in which you have been pleased to welcome me. I thank the Committee and citizens of Chicago for this grand and imposing reception. I beg you to believe that I will not do you nor myself the injustice to believe this magnificent ovation is personal homage to myself. I rejoice to know that it expresses your devotion to the Const.i.tution, the Union, and the flag of our country.

(Cheers.)

I will not conceal gratification at the uncontrovertible test this vast audience presents--that what political differences or party questions may have divided us, yet you all had a conviction that when the country should be in danger, my loyalty could be relied on. That the present danger is imminent, no man can conceal. If war must come--if the bayonet must be used to maintain the Const.i.tution--I can say before G.o.d my conscience is clean. I have struggled long for a peaceful solution of the difficulty. I have not only tendered those States what was theirs of right, but I have gone to the very extreme of magnanimity.

The return we receive is war, armies marched upon our capital, obstructions and dangers to our navigation, letters of marque to invite pirates to prey upon our commerce, a concerted movement to blot out the United States of America from the map of the globe. The question is, Are we to maintain the country of our fathers, or allow it to be stricken down by those who, when they can no longer govern, threaten to destroy?

What cause, what excuse do disunionists give us for breaking up the best Government on which the sun of heaven ever shed its rays? They are dissatisfied with the result of a Presidential election. Did they never get beaten before? Are we to resort to the sword when we get defeated at the ballot box? I understand it that the voice of the people expressed in the mode appointed by the Const.i.tution must command the obedience of every citizen. They a.s.sume, on the election of a particular candidate, that their rights are not safe in the Union. What evidence do they present of this? I defy any man to show any act on which it is based.

What act has been omitted to be done? I appeal to these a.s.sembled thousands that so far as the const.i.tutional rights of the Southern States, I will say the const.i.tutional rights of slaveholders, are concerned, nothing has been done, and nothing omitted, of which they can complain.

There has never been a time from the day that Washington was inaugurated first President of these United States, when the rights of the Southern States stood firmer under the laws of the land than they do now; there never was a time when they had not as good a cause for disunion as they have to-day. What good cause have they now that has not existed under every Administration?

If they say the Territorial question--now, for the first time, there is no act of Congress prohibiting slavery anywhere. If it be the non-enforcement of the laws, the only complaints that I have heard have been of the too vigorous and faithful fulfilment of the Fugitive Slave Law. Then what reason have they?

The slavery question is a mere excuse. The election of Lincoln is a mere pretext. The present secession movement is the result of an enormous conspiracy formed more than a year since--formed by leaders in the Southern Confederacy more than twelve months ago.

They use the Slavery question as a means to aid the accomplishment of their ends. They desired the election of a Northern candidate, by a sectional vote, in order to show that the two sections cannot live together. When the history of the two years from the Lecompton charter down to the Presidential election shall be written, it will be shown that the scheme was deliberately made to break up this Union.

They desired a Northern Republican to be elected by a purely Northern vote, and then a.s.sign this fact as a reason why the sections may not longer live together. If the disunion candidate in the late Presidential contest had carried the united South, their scheme was, the Northern candidate successful, to seize the Capital last spring, and by a united South and divided North hold it. That scheme was defeated in the defeat of the disunion candidate in several of the Southern States.