The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-08-04
CONGRESS-.


In the Senate, on Tuesday, Mr. KERR presented
memorial from manufacturers of New York, asking
that inventions and designs connected with their
business may be protected
Mr. CHOATE presented a memorial from Lynn
Massachusetts, asking for repealo of the law allow
ing premium exported rum distilled from mo-
lasses.
Several bills were received from the House and APP
propriaely referred.
"A communication from the Treasury Department
was read, in answer to resolution adopted by the
Senate on The 18th instant-stang that since the
peal of the Independent Treasury law the public
money held 10 the credit of the Secretary Of the Tea
sury, except the amounts previously placed in tho
Mint and its branches and sundry balances in former
repositories has been either kept by pubic officers
authorized receive the same, or by banks selected
by the SecrsiasJ Of the Treasury, &c,
The Senate proceeded to the consideration of the
bill making appropriation to supply deficiency in
the navy pension fund
Mr.. ARCHER explained, and said that it was
well known that the fund had been exhausted, and
this bill provided for the payment of the sum which,
it appeared by the report the Secretary ofthe Navy
der former law.
Mr.. CHOATE offered an amendment, in the form
of prOvsO, to the effect that all widows children
of ali naval officers, seam n or marines, now de-
ceased who entitled to pensions under
the acts of the 10th August 184l, and the third OF
March, 1887 and well after before the present
session of Congress, shall continue to receive the
same.
Mr.. CHOATE supported the amendment, as an
act of justice to the children and widows of those
who had periled their lives in defence of their
country
Mr. WILLIAMS briefly opposed the proposition.
Mr. ARCHER followed upon the same side.
Mr. WOODBURY. contended that this new class
of pensioners had swept off millions from the trust
fund, and actually exhausted it.
Mr.. CHOATE modified his amendment by adding
'sand pensioners now on the rolls
And the question was taken on agreeing to the
amendment and decided in the negative-yeas IL
nays 81, as follows:
YEAS-Messrs Bates, Choate, Clayton, Evans,
Huntington Kerr Miller, Smith, of Ia, Sprague,
Tallmadge, White, and Woodbridge-12.
NAYS-Messrs. Allen Archer, Bagby, Benton,
Buchanan, Calhoun, Conrad, Crttenden, Cuthbert,
Dayton, Fulton, Graham, King, Linn, McRoberts,
Preston, Rives Sewer, Smith, of Connecticut, Stur
geon, Tappan, Wilcox, Williams Woodbury.,
Wright, Young-27.
MIR. WILLIAMS moved to add at the end of the
bile All pensions to officers and seamen in the ma
val service shall be regulated according to the pay of
the Navy as it existed the first of January, 1885.
And the amendment was agreed to.
MIR. BENTON moved to add an additional section
to the bill, viz In all cases of application hercaf-
ter made for admission on the Navy Pension list of
the United States, the said application shall be go
verned and decided according to the law in force in
relation to the granting Of military pensions"
Messrs. BENTON, ARCHER, CHOATE, and
WILLIAMS, submitted few remarks; and the
amendment was then rejected; and the further con-
sideraton Of the snbjeet postponed until to-mor
row.
The Senate then proceeded to the consideration Of
the Revenue bill-he question pending being on the
motion Of Mr. Buchanan, to strike out the twenty
seventh section which proposes to repeal that part
the Land act which suspends the distribution of the
proceeds Of the lands in duties on imports shall
be made to exceed twenty per cent.
Mr. BAGBY advocated the amendment and, in the
course of his remarks, reviewed the course Of the
Wing party before and after the election. Although
gentlemen admitted that the revenue from the lands
was uncomfortable, they would not consent to sur
render it. because they were required to 40 So IN the
language Of the Senator from Kentucky, (Mr. Crit
tenden,D under the lash of Executive dictation.
Now, to his mind, it amounted to this. If Pre-
sident Tyler called the Wing party TO do what he
believed to be right, why did they reject his sug-
gesons2 Simply, because they might be suspected
ofExecutive dctation For his own parl, If the devil
himself were recommend to this Congress a mea-
sure which he Mr.. b. thought to be right, he should
not be SO far blinded by prejudice to refuse to do
what his judgment and his conscience dictated. Cen
tlemen had said that they could not vote for the re-
peal of the proyiso in tho Distribution law, because
thew would not submit TO the dctation of the Execu-
tive. He thought that they had had enough of dc
tatio another quarter and therefore they did well
to avoid it. 1t was sufficient for him to know shat
Mr. Tyler was President Of the United States
When he 0he PresidenI did right, he would be bound
by sacred obligations to support bi n; ba in saying
this, he did not wish it to be understood that he was
turning Wing, or advocate of Mr.. Tyler. Far
from it, Without intending any rreverence for the
dead he would remark, that the Wings In lS4O
thought that they would find General Harrison TO be
what Mr.. Tyler was not-"Clay in the hands OF the
potter or he might the expression, aud say,
the potter in the hands of Clay And because Mr..
Tyler had acted for himself, and made the Cons'itu-
ton the chart of his government, all the Wing ana
themas were applied to him and showered on his de :
fenceless head. In abiding 10
Mr. ARCHER, he gave way to that gentleman for
the purpose of explanation.
Mr. BAGBY asked whether he was correct in I'M
Outstanding the Senator to say that he was not gov
emed in his course by any value which he attached to
the public lands, but that he would not vote for the
amendment because, by doing so, Gin his own Ian
guage,) he would be succumbng to Executive die
taton
Mr.. ARCHER 1t is fairly stated.
MIR. BAGBY. The statement then, amounts to
this The Senator will not do that which he be-
eves to be right because the President requires him
to do it.
Mr.. b. then addressed the Senate for nearly two
hours
Mr. BERRIEN said that it was admitted on all
hands that the Treasury must be supplied. One
side would vote for this bill if the lands
were retained--the other side would not, even
though these several determinations would endan-
ger the bill 1t was, therefore, obvious, that
one or the other party must yield, or the admit
ted and imperative obligation to supply the Trea-
suy could not be fulfilled Under these circumstances,
it had occurred him to that by postponng this land
question until another Congress- until S44, neither
party would surrender any principle, and in the mean
time the revenue from the public domain could go in
to the Treasury. But from the rejection OF all the
amendmentssw (which had been proposed by the Com
mittee on Finance having beeh voted down, and