The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-02-05
gmemtp=sspenth Congress.
IN SENATE,
FRIpAY, February A, 1912.
SECOND SESSION.

FRIDAY, February A, 1872
The PRESIDENT laid before the Senate the
reasurers account for the first and second quarters
o. the year lS4l and presented petition from the
cy oi view York, asking for an Increase oil duty on
imports, and requesting Congress to adopt measures TO
insure reciprocity of trade between the United
States and foreign powers
Mr.. TALLMADGE presented memorial from
cl'izehs OF Sacketts Harbor, in the State OF New
York. requesting the erection of Notifications at that
piace also, memorial from the city of New York,
adverse to the annexation of Texas to the United
states; and the petition of Mary z. Lawrence the
Widow oil revolutionary soldier, praying for pen
Mr.. HUNTINGTON presented the petition Of
owners and masters of steamboats,, stating the I'M
PracucaDilty of complying with the ninth section oil
e act ior the better security of the lives OF passen-
gers on board of steamboats-which requires iron
.iier roPes-and asking for alteration OF the law
| IN this particular
| Mr. WOODBURY. presented memorial from cit
lzens oil keene, New Hampshire, asking for an in
| crease OF duty ON foreign window glass.
| Mr pa ARD presented memorial from citizens
oil New York, stating the disastrous consequences
which IN The opinion of the memorlalists, must re-
SUIT IRON The operation of the Bankrupt act, and the
apparent depreciation in the prices OF property which
mas already taken place and asking for repeal OF
| the law.
| Mr. PRESTON presented petition from the city
OF New York, praying for repeal of the Bankrupt
| law.
Messrs TALLMADGE, BARROW, BAYARD,
PRESTON, BERRIEN, KING, and ALLEN, pre-
sented rcmonstrances against postponement amend
ment, or repeal of the Bankrupt law.
Mr. SMITH, of Indiana, submitted the following
resolution which was agreed to:
Resoiued, That the Committee on the District of
columbia be instructed TO inquire into the expedency
OF providing, by penal enactments, fol the suppress
sion OF the vending Of lottery tickets in the District
| of Columbia
/ in tha mniin of NJ -
solved that the Committee on Public Lands be in
structed to inquire into the propriety of authorizing
Robert Graham to locate certain lands in the Western
territory.
Mr. BARROW submitted a resolution (Which lies
over under the rue) directing the Secretary of the
Navy toinform the Senate what the amount of the
appropriations for the several navy yards for each year
from S34 TO lS4l what the amount Of the expen-
dture for the Pensacola navy yard from the time of the
first appropriation until this PERIOD why the funds
appropriated for that object not applied and
the reasons therefor; whether an appropriation
had been made for equipping vessel Of war at
Pensacola, and what is The relative Importance ofthat
yard compared with the navy yards at Washington,
Charleston, Boston, and Norfolk; also, whether
naval force could not be employed with advantage on
the Gulf of Mexico, and why the Gulf of Mexico had
been left without vessel of for its protection,
and whether sound policy did not require a navy yard
at New Orleans.
THE CREDIT OF THE GOVERNMENT.
Mr. BENTON remarked that, after the morning
business if no other subject should be brought before
them he would ask the Senate to take up the bill to
postpone the operation of the Bankrupt law. He
4 had resolution to present and before doing SO, he
would preface it with few remarks, bottomed upon
paper which was dated "CompensatioR, l94, and
which from the Office of the Secretary of the Sc
nate directed TO the Bank Of Washington, to pay
to the honorable Thomas H, Benton $l42. On
this paper he had written the words thehard pro-
test" The paper spoke well for itself, and, in the
| a.
reasons why he had directed the protest. 1t not
| from petty partisan spirit that he did this but
because what had happened to him had happened to
other citizens and that was nothing more nor less
than making forced tenders in payment by the Fede-
raj Government in time of profound peace lie
had been offered, at the Bank, hundred dollars
in Treasury notes, and the rest in specie and the
| proposition to make him loan one hundred dol
| lars to the Government. AT this moment they had
| forced payments and forced loans going by the
| Government-he did not intend to enter into dis
cusson of this deplorable and dsgraceful state Of
thngs-and they all knew the condition to which they
! had been brought in consequence of violation of
the Constitution by issuing paper money and making
it tender, and the mpossibilty of borrowing mo-
ney. All this, it well known, was the result of
the first years operation Of Wing measures, and the
result of giving away the land revenue, well as
the repeal of the Independent Treasury which Sc
cured hard money in payment of dues to the Federal
Government, and the repeal of the act of 1886,
which prohibited the Federal Government from max
ing of small paper in its transactions together
with the extravaganza of the Administration. He
did not therefore to submit to diminuton of
his pay on account of the folly of the who were
now in power, and who had committed an act of fol-
ly and wickedness in giving away the land revenue
for the purpose of gaining for themselves the applause
of the country He would resist this folly and wick
edness and, as John Hampden resisted the ship mo-
ney in the reign of Charles the First he would resist
the paper money of this Administration. In the
year 1910, certain individual, at the head of
bald nf
an empty purse, and asked them whether they saw
gold gitterng through the ntersces, and beheld that
precious metal flowing down the Ohio and up the
Mississippi rivers. Gentlemen might call the Gold
bill humbug, if they pleased and they might ex-
hibit their empty purses which, far as the nation
was concerned exemplihcation of the con-
diton to which they had brought the country in the
first ten months of their administration He would
| remind the Senator from North Carolina, who spoke
Yesterday relative to the reduction of the pay of
bers of Congress and others, that large amount Of
money had been squandered in the custom-house in
: vestieaon in the city of New York. He then sub
mitted his resolution, which is as follows:
;, Resolred That the COMMITTEE ON Finance be in
| structcd to inquire into the nature of the payments
now made or offered to be made by the Federal Co.
vernment its creditors whether the same made
in hard money in paper money whether the credit
ors have their option whether the Government paper
is at discount and what remedy, lfany,
w. to enable the Government to keep its faith with
creditors so to them from losses the Consti-
tuition from violation, and the country from disgrace
Mr.. MANGUM remarked that the Senator had
complained that the credit of the Government had
been protested but who were responsible for that 7
The Wing party were not, for they would have set
on foot measures to relieve the Government, if their
design had not been frustrated by gentlemen the
other side and their file leader, the President of the
United States And yet they to be tainted,
from day day, for inbeclly and extravaganza for
, which they not responsible. For himself, he
felt no responsibility for the acts of the President,
and he thought that such the sentiment of every
: sound Wing. From the observations of the Senator
from Missouri he understood that the order of the
Secretary of the Senate had been protested and that
forty-two dollars in specie had been offered to the