Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1835-04-02

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United States, SOC, 600 dollars.
In this agreement il was understood, that
ALL the members of both Houses on the COM
: nlltee united, and Mr.. Cambreleng among
the rest. 1t was stated that no objection was
! known 10 exist, with him or any other. lie
I has addressed the public, through the Ma
\ acknowledgements, and he has not yet de-
clared that he disagreed 10 il, while he was
\ in the committee room and before he had
/ conference with others. after the committee
separated. He probably received new and
sudden light upon the subject.
The committee reported the agreement to
the Senate, and there was no difficulty sug-
gested there. The Senate stood ready TO
confirm it. The report would have been a.
greed to, and probably unanimously, by those
who had opposed the appropriation OF The
three millions.
But the papers were in the House propo-
sition had been made there, and the Senate
could not proceed further, until the House
had acted upon the report of the committee of
conference and communicated their action to
the Senate.
: How then is the Senate to blame? Does
its agreement to all the appropriations orig
inally proposed by the Iiouse-its addition to
them Of an almost equal amount-its wiling
ness to add eight hundred thousand dollars
| more-show any reluctance 20 provide tor the
defcnces Of the country? What could 1t do,
that it did not do, except placing the three
millions at the Unrestricted disposal of the
President? But the Senate did not stop even
here. After waiting some time, for COM
munication from the House, it adopted an
unusual, but at the same time, strictly par
liamentary mode, of urging the House to act
on the bill and return it for its final passage.
The following resolution was passed, without
objection, and sent TO the House
+, Res0lrcd. That a message he sent To the
honorable, the House of Representatives re-
spcctfully to remind the House, of the report
OF the committee of conference appointed on
the disagreeing votes of the House, to the a
mendment of the Senate to the bill respect
ing the Fortifcations of the United States. !
I, After still longer delay, another message
was sent to the House informing it, that the
Sepate had no other Legislative business and
it was ready to adjourn. But the Senate, de-
layed still longer and fhen adjourned.
! Why then, it is again asked, did not that
! bill pass2 There may be quibbling and eyn-
sion Of the question, but there can be but one
open, honest, fair answer. The House of
:, Represe natives did not and would not act
! upon the subject after the committee OF con-
I ference and their agreement Why they did
not, they onght to explain to the country that
public condemnation may rest where Is
richly merited.
| The chairman of the committee (Mr. Cam
breleng.) took upon himself The extraordinary,
The a,giia responsibility Of ,oiihholding the a.
greement and recommendation Of The Confer
ence from the House. BY whom he was
prompted-by what motives governed, must
yet be known. The country will not be sat
sied until these are known. 1t has been
stated, lst. That it was after II o'clock
when the conference separated, and there
fore that the House could not constitutional
ly hear the report nor decide upon it,
Il When this assertion is made, it seems TO
be forgotten: lst. That the House was s,Il
in session, the speaker in the chair, surroun-
dcd by members, engaged in debate and the
transaction of business.
2. That it has been the constant practice
of Congress, when the public business re-
qnred it to sit and pass laws after that hour.
That it has often been so, from the very COM
mencement of the Government, under all ad-
minstrations Gen. Washington signed sew
cral laws, long after l2 o'clock, on the 3D. of
March, when his last Presidential term eS-
pred
h 3. That there has been no decision by
Congress itself or by any other authorlty,that
tUe power OI tOHpTcSS W pass Ia" uiNSi shS
precise hour of l2, was at an end.
Il 4. That it is not only difficult, but often
impossible to tell precisely when that hour
has arrived.
H 5. That on that very night, AFTER IL o.
clock, according to Mr.. Cambreleng's esti-
mate of the hour the IIousc did pass, and the
President did sign, at least, one important
bill, the appropriation for the Cumberland
Road, amounting to something like hall
million Of dollars. III
\ 8. That if it were past 12, the delay had
not been occasioned by the Senate. The
proposition came there after & o'clock. I'm
portant rs it was, it was debated less than an
hour-certainly not an hour and half
When it was returned again from the House,
it was not debated fifteen minutes. When
the conference was asked by the House, 1t
was instantly agreed to and without debate.
The committee Of conference were very
short time, but few minutes together, and
their agreement was promptly reported to
the Senate, and that Body was ready to act.
II the bill then was delayed beyond IL o.
clock, it was from no fault Of the Senate
and it will hardly do to ondeavor to offer the
delays caused by the House, as ground OF
mpntation against the Senate, and the oppo-
nents of the Administration. A This objection
to the passage of the bill, as to the hour and
quorum, was taken, not By the opponents Out
By the friends of the Administration. when
the Senate last disagreed to the amendment,
Mr.. Cambreleng is reported to have said "he
hoped the House would not rccede. " the
Senate had chosen TO take the responsibility
of defeating the appropriation. Il might re-
main with them. lie would take no part IN
it, Mr.. Bynum moved the previous qhes-
ton. To prevent debatc-and the House re-
fused by 10 to 50 to recede. This was be-
fore 10 o'elock--after the Senate adhered.