Mr. CRESWELL. The gentleman is mistaken. The negroes volunteered, and many of them were Snood in the Army by their masters themse ves, expecting to receive compensation under this clause. Somo gentlemen seem to entertain the idea that every slave holder is a barbarian, but that is altogether s. mistaken notion. Although I was nevera slaveholder myself. my father and grandfather were both slaveholders, and Iain sure in many respects they were better men than I am. They were honest slavcliolders, just as there were other honest people; and there are men in Maryland to pay who, notwithstanding their ownership of slaves, have stood by this government in every emergency, and who have aided to the full extent of their influence in bringingrabout the grand result of emancipation. here are men in Maryland today, loyal men, as loyal as any in the land, who if they do not receive from the Government the pittance which is pledged to them by this 24th section will be pennilcss, although at the beginning of the war they perhaps could have counted their possessions by 1000s. I have a report in my hand made by the Secretary of ar to the Senate some time ago in reply to a resolution of inquiry which I had the honor to offer, in which he makes these statements: “1. That commissioners were appointed in the States of Maryland and Delaware and that in the other slave States.by the President's direction, no ap"pointmentshave beenmade.:1. That the sums awardedby the commissioners in Maryland and Delaware, and the amount paid thereon, are setforth in thereport of Asst Adjutant GeneralFoster. hercto annexed. The order of the President suspendingfurther appointments, in the absenceof any limitation of time in the act of Congressrequiring them to bemade.was the reason of the SecyWar for not appointing commissioners in other slave States. The necessityof providing for the payment of troops and the pressing (fllfifnflfis of the war, requirednl the funds furnished byt 0 Treasury to beapplied to thosepurposes and for that reasonpaymentson awards have beensuspended." After saying that the amount of the commutation fun in the Treasury on the date of the approval of this act by the President, to Wit, the 24th of February, 1864, was $7, 439,035 20, he proceeds as follows: “The amount was subsequently increasedby additional payments 810, 438E,) 2.5. Portions thereof were app led to the purposesset forth in the accom panying report of the Provost Marshal General. amounting to 58.352611.The Provost Marshal general reportson hand, subjcct to the provisionsofsaid net. the sumof $9, 514, 92435, beingnowover twomillions more than wason hand at the date of the appropriation. February 24, 1664." So that, according to the showing of the Secretary, there are now in the Treasury liable to claims under this 24th section more than $0, 500,000. But this amendment of the Senfrom Massachusetts does not ask for an appropriation of any more money than may be absolutely necessary for the payment of these claims. To the Maryland oard, composed of entle men who examined into these claims with perhaps as keen a scrutiny and as much rigor as was possible under the circumstances, there were submitted claims to the number of 3,860"SBYEQ. '