Litchfield enquirer., 1840-03-19
WASHINGTON. March 6.

The Senate adjourned at eight O'Clock TINS
evening, after session OF eight hours. Dur
ing seven of the eight hours the budget of abb
stTaction concocted from the joint brains of
Messrs. Benton and Grundy, and known as
the Assumption Resolutions, was the subject
before the Senate. MIR. Davis, who had a
personal matter to settle with Mr.. Buchanan
for imputations cast upon him, opened the
discussion. Before closing his part of it, he
held mirror to the face OF the Senator, in
which, if he could have seen his heart as
plain as he did the image OF his face, he must
have thought himself almost anything rather
than a man of truth or honor. The report
of the mornings proceedings will give you
some notion of the origin of this dispute
What follows will give you the conclusion.
! Mr.. Buchanan commenced the attack, be-
gun the personalities, and is the author OF, all
in all, a most disagreeabie, not to say dis
graceful days proceedings. Having in
speech made by him six weeks since, made
arguments and asserted principles which he
now abandons, he is overwhelmed by the re-
turning tide OF political opinion against him.
In making speech upon the Sub-Treasury
Bill he made an argument against Banks,
and in favor of the reduction of labor. 1t
was SO understood by Mr.. Davis, and an
swered by him. 1t was SO understood by
many, if not all of his hearers, and has been
so treated by every man who heard it, and
commented upon at the time the speech was
made. 1t has taken Mr.. Buchanan several
weeks to find out he had made an unpopular
speech for his party, and today he comes for
ward, with partial recantation, and an
nounces himself the friend ofthe Banks. Mr..
Davis, quiet, mild. courteous and able Sem
ator has been the peculiar object of attack,
and for the reasonthat he made strong and
effective reply to the Senator from Pennsyl-
vania. On Wednesday Mr.. Buchanan
charged Mr.. Davis with disappearing his
remarks, Mr.. Davis, after proving to-day
Buchanan, with all possible candor, if, in
makind such a charge, he designed to i'm
pugn his motives personally. If he did not
it was very we'll. If he did, he must repel
such an insinuetion with scorn and contempt.
Mr. Buchanan chose to be considered as
having impugned the motives Of the Senator,
and replied accordingly, using towards the
Senator, the words L" tiagitious," "peculiarly
infamous" "ungentlemanly," and other
courtly phrases, we'll suited to some of Mr..
Buchanan's associates, butnot expected from
one hitherto distinguished for his smooth
tongued, soft-spoken, and gentlemanly ex.
ternal bearing. Mr.. Davis replied with be-
coming spirit and Misunderstanding home
upon the Senator the fact that he had aban-
doned his position, but that he should keep
him to it, He considered that his speech
was most extraordinary one, and submitted
to the Senate whether the Senator from Penn
sylvania was justified in using the unparlia-
mentarv language he had. He thought not,
and believed the world would brand him
with pursuing course of conduct unparlia-
mentary, ungentlemanly, and with stating
\ that which was unfrlln.
| Mr.. Buchanan rejoined with equal bitter
ness TO the speech he had first made, and
with renewed epithets. He used hard words
more dexterously, and showed as much ca.
pacity in using them as he did in his Janus
faced argument for the Banks and against
them, and against laboring men and for
them. Mr.. Davis briefly replied that Mr..
Buchanan had second time tortured and
misrepresented his second remarks as he
had the contents of his first speech. Other
personal remarks passed before the mutual
warfare ended.
Mr.. Preston said that he was rejoiced to
hear the Senator from Pennsylvania say that
he was not for destroying the Banks. He
had understood his speech upon the Sub
Treasury Bill as the Senator from Massa-
chusetts had.
Mr.. King, of Alabama, had understood it
had expressly understood the Senator from
Pennsylvania as contending for hard money
doctrines, and the Senator from Mississippi
as holding the same opinions. Here Mr.. +.
read from Mr.. Walkers speech sweeping
attack upon the Banks and the credit system.
Mr.. King said that the remark of Mr.. Walk
err for the abolition of all Banks, was but an
incidental one. His party did not hold to
any such opinions generally.
Mr.. CALHOUN at this point of the discus
sion arose to define his position. He did 1t
manfully, and announced himself as holding
opinions Numerically opposed to those OF
the Senator from Pennsylvania. He was
ready to give his opinions fearlessly IN re-
gard to the Banks. believe them, said ne,
to be the author of our calamities, and as I
sert it boldly. Again Mr.. Calhoun said, that
he differed in toto with the Senator from
Pennsylvania, who had proposed to engratt
currency clause 20 the Constitution.
Mr.. Clay arose and said, that he hardly
knew where he was. He believed he was in
the Senate Chamber, but the recantation of
some of the Senators so bewildered him that
he hardly knew where he was. He remind
ed the Senators from Ohio, from Mississippi,
the Senator from Missouri and from North
Carolina, of the denunciatory speeches
against the Banks, and said, that with the
Senator from South Carolina-"Mr. Preston
he was rejoiced to hear these recantaisons.
Mr.. Buchanan and Mr.. Brown denied tnat
they were recantations.
Mr. Clay labored to get an opinion from
Messrs. Allen, Benton and Strange, all OF
whom have publicly denounced the Banks
They were dumb. They opened not their
mouths ne
After many words the vote was taken up
on various amendments to the Resolutions
before the Senate. Two offered by Mr.. Crit
tenden in relation to the distribution of the
Public Funds, and declaring that Congress