Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1836-02-04

waited from the accustomed modes OF legIs'
lation only when we were supplicated to do
so, in order to supply bold aud garing defc-
iencies in measures which were before us.
N But now, Mr.. President. let me come to the
Fortiiication Bill, the lost b II, which not only
now, but on graver occasion, has been la
nented like the lost P'elad.
\ This bill, sir, came from the House of Rep
resentatives to the Senate, in the usual way,
and was referred to the Comnii tee on FL
nance. Its appropriations were not large
Indeed. they appeared to the committee to be
quite too small. 1t struck Il majority of the
committee at once that there were several
| Notifications on the coast, either not provided
for at all, or not adequately provided for by
| this bill. The whole amount of its approprl-
atons was 100000 or 100000 dollars. 1t
contained no grant Of three millions, and if
the senate had passed it the very day It came
! from the house, not only could there have
been no appropriation of the three millions,
! but, sir, none of these other sums which the
senate did insert in the bill. Others, beside
ourselves, saw the DEFICIENCIES of this BILL!
| We had communications with and from the
departments, and we inserted in the bill every
thing which any department recommended to
lus. We took care 10 be snre that nothing
else was coming. And we then reported the
bill TO the senate with our proposed amend
ments. Among these amendments, there
was sum Of $4,000 for Castle Island, in
Boston, 100000 for defences III Maryland,
and so forth. These amendments were
agreed to by the senate, and one or two 9th
ers added on the motion of members; and
the bill, being thus amended, was returned
to the house.
Il And now, sir, it becomes important to ask
when was this bill thus amended, returned to-
the House of Representatives! Was it undu-
ly detained here, so that the House was oblig-
ed afterward to act upon it suddenly! This
question is material TO be asked, and material
TO be answered, too, and the journal does sat
! lsfactorily answer it; for 1t appears by the
journal that the bill was returned to the house
Of representatives on Tuesday. the gath of
February, one ,Ueek before the close Of The ses-
/, sion. A nd from Tuesday the 9th Of Fcbru-
! ary TO Tuesday the I'd Of March, we heard not
! one word from this bill. Tuesday, the Sd day
of March, was, of course, the last day OF the
session. We assembled here at 10 or ll O.
clock in the morning of that day, aud sat un-
! til 3 in the afternoon, and still we were not
, Informed whether the house had finally pass
, ed the bill. As it was an important matter
and belonging 20 that part of the public busi-
ness which usually receives particular atten-
subject in my mind, and felt some solicitude
about it, seeing that the session was drawing
40 near to n close. took it for granted, how
ever, as had not heard any thing to the con-
trary, that the amendments of the senate
would not be objected tn, and that when a
convenient time should arrive for taking up
the bill in the house, it would be passed ut
once into a law, and we should hear no more
about it. Not the slightest intnation was
given, either that the executive wished for any
larger appropriation, or that it was intended
| lin the house to insert such larger appropria-
ton. Not syllable escaped from any body,
and came to our knowledge, that any farther
alteration whatever was intended IN the bill.
n At 3 o'clock in the afternoon of the Sd ot
March, the Senate took its recess, az is usual
in that period of the session, until s. At 3,
we again assembled, and proceeded with the
} business of the Senate until O'clock in the
evening: and, at o'clock in the evening, and
not before, the clerk Of the house appeared at
our door, and announced that the House OF
Representatives had disagreed to one of the
Senate's amendments, agreed to others, and
4 to two of those amendments, viz: the 4h and
9Th, it had agreed, wiM an amendment Of ITS
o,cn.
III Now, sir, these 4th and 5th amendments OF
! ours were. one, a vote Of 100000 tor the
castle in Boston harbor, and the other vote
of 100000 for certain defences in Maryland
And what, sir, was the addition which the
House of Representatives proposed to make
by way Of amendment to vote Of S75, ,OO(
for repairing the works in Boston harbor:
Here, sir, it is:
".qnd be IL further enacied, That the sum OF
three millions of dollars be, and the same Is
hereby, appropriated, out of any money IN
the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to
be expended, in whole or part, under the di-
Erection of the President of the United States,
for the military and naval service, including
Notifications and ordinance, and increase OF
the navy: provided, such expenditures shall
be rendered necessary for the defence OF the
country, prior to the next meeting OF Con-
gress."
"This proposition, sir, was thus uneXpect-
edly and suddenly put to us, at 8 o'clock IN
the evening of the last day of the session
; Unusual, unprecedented, extraordinary, ms II
! obviously is, on the face of it, the manner o
, presenting it was still more extraordinary
: The President had asked for no such grant o.
, money; no department had recommended it
no estimate had suggested it; no reason
whatever was given for it. No emergency
had happened, and nothing new had occurred
every thing known to the administration, al
that hour, respecting our foreign relations,
had certainly been known to it for days and
for weeks.
With what proprety, then, could The SEN
ate be called to sanction proceeding SO en-
tirely irregular and anomalous? Sir, recol'
lect the occurrences of the moment very well,
and I remember the impression which this
vote of the house seemed TO make oil onnd
the senate. We had just come out OF execu'
tive session, the doors were bu, just opened'
, aud hardly remember whether there was a
single spectator in the hall or the galleries.
~ Ind been al the clerks tube, and had not