State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1831-1836, 1836-02-09
MONTPELIER, (vT.) FEBRUARY o, 1876.

| Unusual, Unprecedented, extraordinary, as
it obviously is, on the face of it, the manner
of presenting 1t was still more eXtraordina-
ry. The President had asked for no suclr
grant ofmoney /; no Department had rec
commended it; no estimate had suggested it;
no reason whatever was given Tor it. No
emergency had happened, and nothing new
had occurred every thing known to the
administration at that hour respecting our
foreign relations, had certainly been known
to It for days and for weeks.
With what propriety then could the
Senate he called on to sanction proceed
ing so entirely irregular and anomalous? 2
Sir, recolect the occurrences of the mo-
ment very well, and ] remember the i'm
preston which this vote seemed to make
all round she Senate. We had just come
out of Executive session; the doors were
just opened; and / hardly remember
whether there was single spectator in the
hall or the galleries. / had been at the
Clerks table and had not reached my seat
when the message was read. All the Sen
ators were in the chamber. heard the
message, certainly with great surprise and
astonishment; and | Immediately moved
the Senate TO disagree to this vote of the
House. My relation to the subject, in con-
| vi NY COuuCAlOu WIN tbC Sohi-
mittee on Finance, made it my duty to
propose some course, and had not mo-
ment's doubt or hesitation what that course
ought to be. took upon myself then, sir,
the responsibility of moving that the Sem
ate should disagree TO this vote, and | now
acknowledge that responsibility. might
be presumptuous to say that took lead
ing part. but | certainly took an early part,
n HoriIaH t,nr md nm p
iecting this broad grant of three millions Of
dollars without limitation of purpose or
specification of object; called for by no
recommendation founded on no estimate,
made necessary by no state ofthings which
was made known to us. Certainly, sir, |
took part in its rejection and | stand
here in my place in the Senate to-day to
defend the part so taken by me or rather,
sir disclaim all defence, and all occasion
of defence, and | assert it is as meritorious
to have been among those who arrested, ut
the earliest moment, this extraordinary de-
partlre from all settled usage, and as
think, from plain constitutional injunction
this indefinite voting ola vast sum of mo-
ney, to mere executive discretion, without
limit assigned, without object specified,
without reason given, and without the least
u control under heaven.
Sir, ! am told, that in opposing this grant,
] spoke with warmth, and suppose may
have dene so. If did, it was warmth
springing from as honest a conviction OF
duty a. ever influenced public man. II
was spontaneous, unaffected, sincere
There had been among us, sir, no consul
, tation, no concert. There could have beer
none. Between the reading ofthe message
and my motion to disagree, there was moi
time enough for any two members of the
? Senate to exchange five words on the sub
iect. The proposition was sudden and
perfectly unexpected. | resisted it, as if.
regular, as dangerous in itself, and danger
; Gus in its precedent; as wholly unnecessary
t and as violating the plain intention, if no
t the express words of the constitution. BE.
, fore the Senate, then, avowed, and before
| the country, ! now avow my part in this
G opposition. Whatsoever is to fall on thoss
4 who sanctioned it, ofthat let me have my
t full share.
Y The Senate, sir, rejected this grant by {
= vote of t,oenty nine against nineteen. Those
twentynine names are on the Journal
= and whatsoever the ExPuNGING process
o may commence, and how far soever it ma,
5 be carried, pray it, in mercy, not 10 eras
:, mine from that record. beseech il, in it
d sparing goodness, to leave me that proof o
: alta :hment TO duty and to principle. !
Il NAV draw around it, over it, and through
G It, black lines, or red lines, or any lines;
e may mark it in any way which either tn
IS most PROSTATE and fanatical spirit of man
II ,corShip, or the most ingenious and elabo
l. rate study of self-degradaton may devise
n if only ii will leave it so that those who in
n herit my blood, or who may hereafter car
It for my reputation shall be able TO behold
i where it now stands.
The House, sir, insisted on this amend
IF ment. The Senate adhered to its disagree
Al ment; the House asked a conference
e which the Senate Immediately acceded.-
e The committee of conference met, and IN
n very short time came to an agreement
g, They agreed TO Recommend to their n
= spectiye Houses, as Il substitute for til
he vote proposed by the House, the following
to "As an additional appropriation for arm
to ing the Notifications of the United State
IS, three hundred thousand dollars"
III GAS an additional appropriation for til
repairs and equipment of ships of war
is the United States, five hundred thousan
re dollars"
a Immediately reported this agreement
in the committees Of conference to the Sci
IN ate but, inasmuch as the bill was in Il
D. House of Representatives, the Senate cou
to not act further on the matter until Il
in House should first have considered the r
port of the committee, decided Thereof
n and sent us the bill. did not myself tai
10 any note of the particular hour of this pa
~ of the transaction. The honorable memb'
d, from Virginia (Mr Leigh says he conslltC
er his watch ut the time, and he knows that
I'd had come from the conference and was
e, my seat at quarter past eleven. l have !