Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1836-02-18

stated 10 The Senate HAT ngtt, before the
TO adhere put II fully stated hy YOU sir said
MIR. B., addressing himself Ia MIR KING ct Alabama who
then in the Vice Presidents GUAR This vote To nd.
here, coupled with the violent speeches denuuncing the
President, aud 10y Implication c.suu, the o,sS,. oil Re-
presentnves, mud coupled wIh . fatal of the
Senate To ASK ior c"ucrruc- se.d To- Indicate fatal
purpose 10 destroy the Sill aud lost would have been
upon the spot IL the House at re forget
ting the dsrespect with which il had been treated and
passing over the implicitly east npan it, had not
humbled itself TO aud ask for conference The
House huuibled itself; but il was u patriotic and
noble humiliation; ii was to serve their country -
The conference was granted, and an was
agreed upon by the conerccs by which the amount
was reduced and the divided and 300 900 dol,
lars allowed to the military, and 100000 dollars TO
the naval service. This done last after all
the irritating speeches, and irritating conduct of Sc
nate; but the precious time gone. The hour of
midnight was not only COME but members were dispers.
ed-quorums were unsttauable-and the bill died for
want OF action. And now, said MIR. b., return To INV
question. resume and maintain my position upon il
ask how 1t came to pass. 1t want OF specification was
really the objection, how came pass that the Senate
did not do at first what did last. WHY il did no,
amend by the easy natural obvious, aud paramen tary
process VI osageens insisting and asking tor
inittee of conference?
MIR. B. would say but word on the new calendar
which would make the day begin in the middle Ii was
sutcienttto state such conception 10 expose TO rdi
Guile "A farmer would be sadly put out ii his laborers
should refuse to come until midday The thing
Their too fancliul for grave deliberaon Suffice il To
say, there are no fractions of days in any calendar
There is no 3 Id, l-2, and 81 Of March, or any
other mouth. When day ends, another begins and
midnight is the turning point both in law and in prac.
tice All our laws of the last day, dated the third
OF MARCH and IN point Of fact Congress- for every 5ene-
hciai purpor, is dissolved at midnight. Many mem-
bers Will not uct and 90 away; and such was the prac
tice of the venerable Mr.. Macon of North Caroua who
always acted precisely as President jackson did. He
put on ms hat and went away at midnight; he went
away when his watch told him il was nidnrbt: ac
ter which, he believed, lac had authority to act as
legislator, nor the Senate to make him such This
was President Jackson's He siaid in the Ca.
pitol until quarter after sign all the bills which
congress should pass before midnight He stad until
eun1o,,
able He staid in the Capitol in u room conve nient 10
the Senate to act upon every thing that to
him, and did not have TO be walked up as WASHINGTON
was to sign after midnight; unior tunate refer
ence TO Washington who by going to bed at midnight
showed that he considered the business OF the DAY
ended and by getting up and putting his nightgown
aud signing bill ut two o'clock the mornIuo of the
4th showed that he would sign at that hour what had
passed before midnight and does that bear date
Mr. b. said that when he first spoke on this subject
he had advered TO some collateral proceedings the Sc
nate as subsidiary arguments in favor of his man pro-
position de had shown other proceedings adverse to
the defence OF the country and hence drew an inference
an support OF his proposon that the Senate the re-
sponslbe party Tor the loss of the three millions and of
the ratification bill These collateral proceedings were
4 The rejection OF the S5000OO recommended by the
Military Committee; . The refusal to consider The mo
ton which he had made for information on the suhec Of
national defence; g. The impending motions to divide
the surplus revenues among the States He would brief
y touch these points again, which seemed TO have been
misunderstood by some gentlemen and show that they
were entitled to the deepest attention. as showing the in.
de
of the country.
l. The $5OOOOO. This had been agreed upon in the
Military COMMITTEE OF the Senate, with three other
Items, and direction given 60 him chairman of The
committee to move them ndmens TO the forti6ca
ton BILL then in the hands of the Finance COMMITTEE
Inc Senator from Delaware (alr. Cayton) had moved
the item OF hall million, and the committee was
nous IN IT. 1t was the Odd CT February that he MIR
D., moved these items. The minutes OF the Senate
show the proceedings fully than the journal and
from those minutes the proceedings shown to be
these; FIRST, The Chairman of the Committee of F
nance, lMr WebsterD who had the custody of the bill
under reference to his committee moved three addi-
tiona appropriations, which adopted by the Senate
These amendments made in quasi Commttee of tb.
Whole. Mr. B. offer his amendments bnt IL was
suggested that he should wait until the amendments
made IN quasi Committee of the Whole should be re
ported to the Senate, and concurred in He MIR Il
then withdrew all his amendments for that purpose md
The instant the amendments of the Finance Committee
were concurred in he offered serian the four amend
inents reported from the Military Committee Upon
these amendments the minutes show the following pro
ceedings
"Mr. Benton, for fort Mfiin, $4,000. (agreed)
Increase Pea Patch tortitication Sl5OOOO (apre,d1
For armament OF fortIhcations additional SiOO 600
(agreed. -
For S500O00, (reieeted)"
Thus, the motion for the $1,000 900 for increase and
armament of Qualifications was made and rejected N
not withdrawn, but rejected and the Senator from
delaware (Mf CnytonD had correctly stated the cir
cumstances oil the rejection. IL pressed upon b.
Senate; and why pressed, For the two precise
mentioned by that gentleman. Because the debate ON the
$loO0OO appropriation for Pea Patch fort Delaware
which carried with difficulty and after prorac,ed
dscussion brought out the of the Senaie against
the SoUo,OUOIteI, winch II was then would stand
no chance ut all Secondly, because the Chairman of
tue committee oil Finance Informed the Senate that tho
Finance Committee would produce a substitute for
II, which substitute never came unless IA The Seno
tor from Delaware [Alr Clayton suggests The amend
fnent from the Conference Committee on the last nih
OF the session. could be considered as that substitute
The Senator does not intimate that il can he so consi
deTed; and certainly nobody so consider il m.
$oOpOOO wac then rejected by the Senate: and this re-
Jecilon az pregnant illustration of the conduct ~ b
mi a. drrafrs 49,
Iorthcatlon olj for here is rejection on the 23d of
February, which was moderate ia amount spec6c in lis
application, reported by the Senates own committee
and expressly sanctioned by the Secretary at War. an
appropriation free trom every objection taken to lie
tnree hOnsi ana yet rejected the very week before the
three millions. $3.50 ~
Mr.. b s second collateral argument WINS the ref,s,l
OF the Senate to adopt his resolution for infornotnn
preparatory TO The defence of the country and which
was lald upon the table, OH the motion of a opposton
senator Senator from Ohio, (Mr. Ewing0 seems 10
o loss 10 ma and to understand this proceedings but
i67 and l6S OF the Senate Journal of The Iast 800
ana under The proceedings of February 10Th and viii
this brief history of lis ate "Oa mofiou of NJ Po,y
DEXTER, ordered, That be laid on the tq6iS So tLnt
The SeRAt hfteen days before the rejection on the three
million contingent appropriation for the defence of line
county refused To adopt resolution calling uDon The
President to cause iRformaon relative To lie deGsnce
To be laid before the Senate '
Inc third collateral argument on which Mr. b. relied
TO show the Indlsposition ct the Senate TO cote nnue
for the national defence, was the existence oC lie -
Poslons TO take the Pablc money for distribution among
tne states This was matter Of history and he voud
not irtoeT remark 1Pen IT. than remind line Senate
nat so song las becsEe as disposition TO hoard money
for disrbUtiop that only the defence aC tLe ct
"a cuff,r p. 81