The Madisonian., 1840-02-22
DEBATE IN THE U. S. SENATE.
FRIDAY. February

IL.
FRIDAY, February :
The resolution introduced BY MIR Preston ia
quring whether the omission 10 report any sum for
the Cumberland Road was accidental or By design.
being before the Senate, was discussed at considefa
bic length. Mr.. Smith, of Indiana, had voted to sy
the motion TO take up the resolution upon the table
| On similar question the next day he voted against
it. The vote was Tie. The Vice President gave
The casting vote against laying it the table stating
that he gave the vote as a friend to the work Ia
this stage Of the question, Mr.. Allen, of Ohio
charged coalition between Mr.. Smith and Mr
Preston to defeat the Cumberland Road for political
effect He said he liked open work, not such hidden
secret underhanded conduc-thiS creeping in Tie
grass TO affect The Presidential election He was
above board He had nothing 10 conceal His
opinions and those Of his friends were open TO the
word-vsibe to all. The Senator from Indiana
had greater object than the Cumberland Road
before him he and the Senator, from South
Carolina agreed better upon that than upon the
Cumberland Road question. The fight upon the
Presidential question was 10 take place next fan
| and it was the design TO bring out Mr.. Van Buren,
on this Cumberland Road question, and inure him
with il in the West
MIR. Smith tried 10 get the floor Immediately after
Mr. Allen took his seat, but Mr.. Strange caught the
eye Of the Chair, and went into some calculations
in relation to the work in opposition 10 it.
Mr.. Smith then obtained the floor under some
feeling al The alta ck which had been made upon him
BY Mr.. Allen, which was as appeared, entirely un-
provoked. He said he would not follow The exam.
pie Of the Senator from Ohio, and lash himself up
into storm before he began. He would strive 10
recollect the position he occupied the character Of
himself and the Senate, and the decorum OF debate
but he felt himself called upon at once TO say that
he could not command language suited to his feel
ings-that decorum and respect which was due 10
the Senate with which TO express the contempt he
felt for be author Of charge as base as il was TN
provoked and unfounded. He threw back The
charge with marked Indignation. What were
the facts of the case, said Mr.. 81 On yester-
day he had voted against taking up the resolution,
to-day he had voted against laying it on the table.
He was OF the impression yesterday that the resolu-
ton would have ittle effect; but still as he had
certained that some Of the friends Of the road de-
sired the information, he felt disposed to crafty
them For himself, he had stated that il was unim-
portan TO know what was the opinion of the admi
nisration SO far as his vote on the bill was con-
cerned. Others thought otherwise, and wished TO
unmask the administration on the subject and with
out the call would moi so for The bill He desired 10
from its true friends. The motion to lay The reso.
luton on tn. table came from friend Of the admit
nisraion and an open enemy of the road The
vote was a tie, and the Vice President had given
the casing vote, friend of the work in favor Of
the resolution. large majority of those who had
voted with him (Mr. Smi,h) were favorable 10 the
work, and an equally large majority of those who
had voted with the Senator from Ohio were opposed
10 the work. Thus, sir, stood The matter when the
Senator from Ohio rose in his place and made his
attack In the face of all this that Senator had the
assurance before the Senate to charge a coalition be
tween MIR. s. and the Senator from South Carolina
TO defeat the bill for political effect, and had init
mated that he, Mr.. s., would do that indirectly
which he would not do directly. Mr.. S. appealed to
the whole Senate, 10 his course since he had been
member OF il, for the triumphant vindicalion from
such charge. Why was the charge made against
him, (Mr 81 and not against the Senator from
Illinois, and the other Western Senators, who
had voted as he (Mr s. had done why not
charge you, Mr.. President, [Mr. s. empha,ically
askedl with conspiracy 10 defeat this bill for
The purpose OF striking blow at the Admins.
raon2 You we're conspirator, if the Senators
who voted against laying the resolution on the table,
were You voted as they did You differed as
much in your vote from The Senator from Ohio, as
they did and assigned the same reason tha, they as
signed, that you were in favor OF The BILL and be-
lieved your vote was favorable to its success
Mr.. 5. had said much in explanation of his
course, not that he felt any explanation due to the
Senator who had made the charge, bu, that the facts
might be known TO the country He could not,
however, leave that Senator in the possession Of all
his boasicd candor and openness without as inge re-
mark. The Senator had boasngly proclaimed his
great candor,hS horror at conceament his great in
dependence-f he had stopped al that poin, he might
have been len TO the enjoyment of an eulogy on him
self, whichew would have pronounced on him, and
which, consequently, came properly from himself;
but he had included in that panegyric, one on the
open frankness of the Administration on all sub
jects and yet, in the next breath he said the object
of the resolution before the Senate was TO bring out
the Administration for against the Cumberland
Road 10 inure Mr.. Van Buren in, the West al the
next election Remarkable, aston ishii c ndor and
ffankneSs IL is not known, whether The Admins
traion IS for against the road except SO far as
you can Judge from the declarations OF the gentle
men, who are afraid 10 LEI il come out fearing the
effect on the election Of Mr. Van Buren in The
West. In the South, the Senator from South Caro-
lima, has said, the friends OF the Administration say
u = against the road and It's friends 50 vote in he
West, us friends say, it is for the road, and Wing
members were censured because they did no, get an
appropriation last year. II then declared, that