Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1836-02-11

act upon il suddenly This question is material
10 he asked, and mctcral Ia be answered. too, and
the journal does satisfactorily answer it, tor II APP
pears hy the Journal that the bill MAS returned To
the llonsc of Representatives on TUESDAY, the
2ith al February, one reek bcforc the eiaSc Of
The SESSION. And from Tuesday. the 2ilh day OF
February, to Tuesday, tie Sd day of March, We
heard not ono word from this bill Tuesday, the
81 day OF March, WAS OF course, the las, day OF the
session. We assembled here at 10 or O'Clock in
the morning OF that day. and sal until three in the
afternoon, and still We were not informed whether
the House had finally passed the bill. As ii was
an important matter, and belonging TO that part Of
i the public business which usually receives particu-
/ lar attention from the Committee on Finance, |
bore the subject III my mind and felt some solicit
tude about II, seeing thai the session was drawing
so near 10 a close. | took it for granted, howc,e
err, as | had not heard any tnng 10 the contrary
HAT the amendments of tie Senate would not be OBJ
ectcd 10, and that whcli convenient time should
arrive for taking up the bill in the House ii would
] be passed a, once into law, and We should hear
no more about il. No, the slightest intmation was
given either that the Executive wished for any
larger appropriation, or tina, it was intended in the
House TO insert such larger appropriation. Not a
syllable escaped from m, body, and came to our
knowledge, tia, any further alteration was intend.
ed in the bill.
At 3 clock in the afternoon of the Sd Of March,
tie Senate took It's recess, is usual in that peri
cd of the session, until ,. At ;, again assem-
blcd, and proc ccdcd with the business of the Sc
nate until So'clock in the evening and, NJ s o.
clock in the evening, and not before, the Clerk of
the House appeared at our door, and announced
lbat the House of Representatives had disagreed
to one of the Senate's amendments, agreed 10 9th
crs and to two Of those amendments, VIZ. the
I'll. I'll, Il IurD pt
its owa.
Now, sir, these 4,h and 9th amendments ours
were, one, a vote of SIS, 900 for the castle in Bos-
tom harbor, and tie other, vote OF 100000 for
the defence of MARYLAND. And what, sir, was
the addition which the House OF Representatives.
proposed to make, by way Of - amendments to a
vote of SIS GOO for repairing the works IN Boston
halbor Here, sir, it is:
" Ind be ii tWther 1notfcd, That the SUM Of
three millions OF dollars be, and the same is here
by, appropriated, To be expended, in whole or III
part, under the direction OF the President Of the
United States, for the military and naval service,
including Notifications and ordnance, and increase
of the navy: Prmidcd, Such expenditures shall
he rcnd. red necessary for the defence of the coun
try prior 10 the next meeting Of Congress"
This proposition, sir, thus unexpectedly
and suddenly put To us, at o'clock IN the evening
OF the last day Of the session. Unusual, unprecc-
deutcd, extraordinary, as ii obvious IS, on the face
of it, the manner 81 prcseninE II WAS still moro
extraordinary. The President had asked for
such grant Of none, no Department bad recon-
mcndod il; no estimate had suggested it no rca-
son whatever nas given for II. NJ emergency
had happened, and nothing new bad occurred c,
cry thing known to the Administration, at that
hour, respecting our foreign relations, had certain
" been knownto it for days and orwccks.
N ~ ul tbpp coulI he H.
called ON to sanction a proceeding so entirely II
regular and anomalous Sir, ! recollcct the oc
curicncc OF the moment very well, and ] rcmcm-
Der the impress sion which this vote OF the House
seemed to make all round the Senate. We bad
lust GENE out of Executive session: the doors
were but jus, opened and | hardly rem, mbcr
whether there was single spectator in the ball OF
the galleries. had been the Clerks table, and
had not reached my seat when the message was
read. Al the Senators were IN the chamber. J
heard the message, certainly with etca, surprise
and establishment and | Immediately moved the
Senate to disagree to this vote of the House. My
relation 10 the subject, IN consequence of my con
noxion with the Committee on Finance, made il
my duty To propose some course, and had not n
moments doubt hesitation What that course
ought To be. ! took upon myself, then, >If, the
responsibility of moving that the Senate should
disagree to this vote, and now acknowledge that
rcsponsibilitv.-It might be prcsumptuous 10 say
that took leading pant but certainly took an
early part, Il decided part, and an earnest part, IN
rejecting this broad grant Of three millions of dol
lars, without limitation of purpose or specification
of object called for by no recommendation.
founded on no estimate, made necessary by no
state of tbiurS which was made known to us. Ger
tany sir, took a part in lis rejection and
stand here, in my place in the Senate to-day, rca-
DIV to defend the part so taken by me-; or, rather,
sir disclaim all defence, and all occasion OF de-
fence and assert 1t as mcritOrous TO have been
among those Who arrested, at the earliest moment,
this extraordinary departure iroma settled usage,
and, as lnk, from plain constitutional inlnnc-
tion-this Indefinite voting OF q vast sum ii mo-
new to mere Executive discretion, without limit
assigned, without object specified, without rea-
son given, and without the least control under llea
ven.
Sir, am told tlat, in opposing tins grant, !
spoke thwarmih, and suppose may have done
So III did it was a warmth sprneIng from as
honest a convection of duty as ever influenced a
public man. 1t was spontaneous, unaffected, SIN
ccrc There had been among us, sin, no consnlta-
ton, no concert. There could have been none.
Between the reading OF tie message, and any mo-
ton TO disagree there was not time enough for any
two members Of the Senate To exchange five words
OH the subject. The proposition was sudden and
/ perfectly unexpected | resisted ii, as irregular,
as dangerous in ITSELF and dangerous in its precc-
dent ; as wholly unnecessary, and as violating tho
plain intention, lie not the express words Of the
+ CONSTITUTIONS Before the Senate then, avowcd,
and before the country, | now avow my part in