Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1840-02-21
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1910.

M. Pickcns said that, if he UNDER
stood The memorial which had now been
called up, it came from convention or
meeting on the subject of the Cumberland
road, and the object of the gentleman
from Illinois Mr.. Casey) was to move
this resolution by way of Instructions to
the Committee of Ways and Means.
Now, he (Vr. P.) submitted to the
House whether discussion ought to be
brought up, at this period of the session,
on the subject of the Cumberland road ?
If it was intended by the gentleman from
Illinois to press these instructions to
vote, and the vote should be in favor of
them, it would be noting more nor less
than equivalent to the passage of the
Cumberland road bill. Was the House
prepared now to march up blindfold to
this question, without understanding it in
all its bearings Was the House prcpa-
red, at this early period of the session, to
vote for such indiscriminate appropra-
tons He maintained that to pass these
Instructions now, would be equivalent to
making an appropriation of Sl5O,OOO for
each of the States mentioned therein.
The gentleman from Illinois mr.. Casey)
was too good parliamcnarian net to UNI
dcrstand thoroughly the effect of these
Instructions, if they should be passed.
He hoped the matter would be disposed
of promptly, and with that view he mo-
we'd to lay the Instructions on the table.
After some further discussion the qucs-
ton was put upon Mr. Pickcns motion to
lay upon the table, and decided in the
ncgative-yeas sc, nays 1l2.
The debate was then resumed, and Mr.
Biddle proceeded at some length to I'M
mask the policy Of the administration in
this matter. As we have occasion to use
Mr. BIS. remarks in another column, we
omit them here.
Mr. Reynolds, of Illinois, followed.
He observed that this subject of the Cum
berland road was one of peculiar interest
to his people, and he could not but con-
slider himself peculiarly unfortunate that
whenever it had hecn introduced, the at
tempt had always been made to mix it up
with politics. He had twice made the
attempt, but never had been able to get
at the subject itself. Mr.. II. was not
against gentlemen's asking the President
whatever questions they pleased : it was
not his desire to stlfle investigation, but
he would confnc gentlemen, if he could,
to the subject Immediately before the
House. If the President was guilty in
the omission of this subject in his Hes
sage, must the House follow his example!
Surely not He was for placing every
man on his own footing. For what the
President had said, and for what he had
omitted to say, he was answerable to the
People; but the Presidents course was
not to govern theirs. They were not de-
pendant on the President, or answerable
to him, but to the people who sent them
here as their Representatives. He en-
treated gentlemen to discuss this subject
on its merits, and to leave the Prcsidcn-
tial canvass alone. Let the committee
bring forth the bill, and then, if gentle
men considered it wrong, that would be
the time to lay it on the table but if no
instructions were given, and the commit
tee were allowed to proceed on the old
doctrine ofexpcdiency, they might go on
thinking of it and thinking of it till the
last night of the session. Let each gen.
tlcman be brought up to the mark, and
say at once whether he was for the invcs-
LEGATION Or not.