Mr. HOWE. I have hesitated to recall the attention of the Senate to this resolution. The threatening attitude of the Senate on a former occasion led me to feel that the ComLibrary might have made a mistake in rec oinmincnding the passage of the resolution; but, however that may be, the resolution is here. It must be adopted or rejected, and the world must know it. I am sure the Senate cannot afford to put such a slight upon the memory of Judge Pettigrii as to reject it. I shall attempt no eulogy upon James L. Pettigru, but I would like, if it were possible, to rescue him from the weight of the encomium bestowed upon him by the Senfrom Maine, who said 0 him that, notwithstanding he had, adliered firmly and resolutely to the cause of the Union, afler all, he had done only his duty. I admit that Pettigru did no more than his duty. Who was there on the side of the Republic, in that season of darkened counsel, who did do more than his duty? The voice of the 1st mag istrate was heard proclaiming that, although it was a pity the nation should perish, yet the nation was helpless to save itself. The voice of the lo 'iil Democracy was heard. eXclaiming, “ We told you the election of a sectional President would dissolve the Union, and now you see the Union is dissolved.” The voice of loyal Ken; tacky was heard protesting that she would be neutral between the friends and the enemies of the nation. The voice of loyal Maryland was heard beseeching the President to march the troops of the Republic around her metropolis lest the sight of the flag should disturb the peace of the city. The voice of loyal republicanism could not be heard at all; at least, above a whisper. A Senator on this floor, and subject to your control, taunted on that your flag had been fired upon in the harbor of Charleston, and that you dared not present it. He said, in his place that he owed no allegiance to the Government whose Senator he was and upon whose pay he lived. When you hesitated upon an order to clear the galleries for some in ec orous demonstration, he told you, from his place, that you would be lucky if the alleries did not soon turn you out; and when or those offenses it was proposed to expel him the senate refused. But while we, panoplied as we were in the authority of the nation, crouched thus under the responsibilities of the hour, there was in the city of Charleston one man, already more than 70 years of age, animated b no ar tisan love or partisan hate, for he iad ong ceased to belong to any party; fired by no ambitious hope, for he never had one; a citizen clothed with no authority whatever and armed with no power whatevergtood up alone, with the prerogatives of a traitor State frowning upon him in1,000 forms, and heard threatened admonition thundering at him from 500,000 throats, and with judgment iindimmed by all the sophistry and spirit wowed by all the terror which surrounded him, and giving utterance to no impulse excited by the fervor of the hour, but speaking freely the convictions of his whole life, he said the national authority must be obeyed, the national Union must be preserved, and the troops of the Republic must replant its ensign through out all its borders. so. these were the convictions of his lifetime, or he was not truer or braver or more self sacrificing in 1861 than in 185L In 1861 he was called upon todemon strate his love forohe Union. The evidence of that I wish to lay before the Senate in the shape of a letter from Millard Fillmore, who was then POTUS. It is very brief, and it bears this testimony: “Your favor of the 27th ultimo making inquiries as to the circumstances which led to the appointment onfeyMr. J. L. Pettigru to the officeof district attor for SCarolina during my administration, cameduly to hand; but a domestic affliction which has enqromed my time and thoughts has prevented an earlier reply. This eyent occurred some 12 or 13 years spirnecses, inagmid the anxious cares of perplexing and my memory ic Wiuilll deuntaiebsle.amnedtIocgaivnentohte beei receurmtasintatnhcaets correctly' and I regret to finil.on looking at my letters an letter books. that I have but one of Mr. Pettigru’s lettersto me.(the rest probably onfile in the Dept.)and a copy of but one of mine to him. of both which I iiiclose you copies. "But accordingto the bestof my recollection the district iittorncy of SCarolina resigned about the time I came into office and knowing Mr. Pettifiru by reputation. I tendered to him the office which I declined. but recommended another man whom appointed but he declined or resigned and after considerable inquiry no man wasfound who had the moral courageto accept the appointment.so stron was public sentiment againstmy administrationan the mon. I then madea personal appeal to Mr. Peeyttigru, insisting that I must have a istriet attor for in the then feverish state of the country no onecould tell how soonthe sernces of such a noffieer would be indispensable to the administration of nationand the maintenance of, law and order; and urged him from patriotic motives to waive his objections and submit to the sacrifice for the goodof the country, and as an act of personal fricn ship to me; and on this a pool he reluctantly consented to dtaukreintghe office.DIN was appointed and held the office “ I my administration regardedit then and do new as an act of moral heroism such as very few men are capable of performing and which justly entitled him to my thanks an"d the gratitude of his country. lie was. indeed. a truly nobo man and we shall scarcely luck upon his like again." "’Tis for this wegive him honor. That be ranked amongthe few Who. amid the reignof error. Dared ublimely to be true." In great crises like that which tried Pettigru no man ever does more than his duty. It is only the very highest type of manhood that achieves so muc. Jesus, himself, when He went stag gering under the wcight of His cross to Calvary and died upon it, on y did His duty. He did His duty, it is true, as became a God; and Pettigru did his as only the noblest of men can do it. You have yonder the likeness of John Han cock, chisseled in marble. It cost the nation $6,000. What did John Hancock ever do to earn this distinguished tribute to his merits? When did Hancock ever do more than his dut '3 Sir, I shall not seek to stri Hancock of is laurels to make a wreath or Petti ru. The Republic has accepted John Hancoc for one of its deities. Until the Republic has own beyond its present stature I think he wi i an swer for that purpose. But until the republic has thus grown it will not comprehend etti gru. I undertake to say there was patriotism enough in Petti ru at 70 to encow a brigade of Hancoc s even at 35. The latter was but little more than 30 ears of age when he 1st came in collision with, the Crown, and when his vessel was seized by its authority. I shall not stop to inquire how much of his devotion to the cause of the colonies was fairly attributable to his love of colonial liberty, or how much to his love for the schooner Liberty. But Hancock did not stand alone. He was buoyed up b all that was chivalric in 13 colonies. He was a chieftain among them. The eyes of the world were upon him. A great party in England encouraged him. the honors to be won in giving life to a new nation lured him on. Under such circumstances one would be afraid to be a coward. Nevertheless youhave done well to applaud his courage. Iii another hell you have a statue of rank ‘mies amomg whom Petti lin. I believe the greatest of his achievements were in drawing lightning from a cloud and kissing the Queen of France. I amnot prepared to admit that either of these exi oits was beyond the reach of the genius of iidge Pettigru. Ona bill near Boston a granite column springs up 221 feet from the earth. What excellence was exhib ited on Bunker Hill save that of courage and constancy? But there was not more of courage or constancy displayed on Bunker Hill than in spired Pettigru with eve breath he drew. One who knew him best and new him longest has said that he “ never knew a single person who came so near being an institution in himself.” But you are not asked to build monuments to the memory of Pettig'ru. IfI could administer the wealth of the nation I would make the commons of that rebellious city in which he died groan under the weight of granite piled up in honor of his fidelity. You are not asked even to engrave his likeness upon marble. But he left some books. The study of them had made him what he was. He left a widow. His unselfish expenditure of his earnings while he lived had left her destitute. It was said the other day that all his children did not partake the sentiment ofloyalty which animated him. I learn that is so. The fathers are few and are deemed fortunate who, possessing great excellence themselves, succeed in impressingit upon all their Offspring. But he had one dau hter who did inherit all his love of and fidelity to his countr; one who loved him as Margaret Moore love the great Chancellor of Henry VHI, and who was as proud of her father’s constancy as Margaret was of hers. She was driven from his side, and in 1861 found her way, alone, through the lines of 2 hostile ai mics and son ht shelterin the city of newYork. It seems the desire pOssessed her that the books which her father left should be owned by the country which he loved so well, and that their proceeds should be ap lied to making tolerable the last days of the Widow he left. If it be said the idea does not become a senator and a statesman, I am sure it becomes a woman a nd a daughter. emhinroeungtly you, sir, that desire of hers was communicated to the committee, whose chairman I am, and through that committee this desire is made known to the Senate. I hope the Senate will be induced to gratify it. It has been said that we do not want the books. If that be said in the sense thatwe can do without them, I admit it. if it be said as intimatin that we have no use for them, I deny it. e have a use for them. It is said we could get the books cheaper. Upon some careful inquiry I am inclined to think that is true. I am afraid we have not proposed the best bargain that was within our reach. am inclined to think that if we had ransacked the 2nd hand book stalls we might have obtained an equal number of books and of the same character for less money. But being a little anxious to show thatwe had some regard for the former owner of these books we did not think the best way to do it was to to cheat his widow, and therefore we attempt t it well to pay what the books were worth to the country. It is said the Treasury is poor. Let that be admitted. 'After all we have a great many things we could better spare, I think, than refuse such a tribute as is asked for in this resolution. If the Treasury is absolutely too poor to enable us ‘to pay for these books, let us sell the statue of Hancock and pay for them; let us sell the picture that we have recently bargained for at a cost of $25,000 to illustrate the part of the Republic; let us sell the bronze doors which open the way to the other House of Congress; et us work out by the day; let us do anything rather than advertise to the ene wru died that the loy alty which so distinguished him is held so cheap by us. Ihope the Senate will not issue that advertisement.