The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-02-24

remarked that he would, at another time, state the
reasons which had induced him to submit this resou
ton, among which would be one to show that the
Senate by closing its doors, annuled its power under
the Constitution of advising with the President OF the
United States.
THE STEAMBOAT CAROLINE.
The following resolution submitted by Mr. ALLEN
on Monday, was taken up for consideration, VIZ
Resolred, That the President of the United States
be requested to inform the Senate it, IN his opinion,
it may be done without dermen to the public interest
what proceedings if any, have taken place between
this and the British Government relative 10 the mat
ter of the Caroline and the arrest and demand OF Nc
Leod, since the date of his last communication on This
subject, and to lay before the Senate copy Of the
correspondence which may subsequently to that date
have passed between these Governments relative to
the same matters.
| Mr.. RIVES doubted the propriety of adopting this
resolution. The President in his annual message,
adyerted to this subject and said that the correspon-
dence between the two Governments would, at flu
ture day of the session. be submitted to the consldera
ton of Congress. Besides agent had been sent to
this country from Great Britain with view to bring
about friendly termination of the difficulties now
existing and he thought under this state of things
that it was due to the Executive department. which
is charged with this subject not to press the resou-
ton and he suggested to the Senator from OHIO
whether, under our particular relations with Great
Britain it proper to persevere IN this call at the
present time. He would open the door at all times
for any proper information but he did not think that
this could be done without detriment to the pub
lie interest and therefore, he felt it to be his duty to
move that the resolution be laid upon the table. lie,
however, withdrew his motion for few moments,
at the request of
Mr.. ALLEN, who said hat the resolution made
the response of the President conditional, VIZ il 1t
should not, in his opinion be to the prejudice OF the
public interest; and that it seemed to him, suf-
icien answered. the Senator from Virginia. Ger
tany there could be nothing improper in that inquiry,
the country had already had the facts communities
ted the sub in relation to which the negotiation
was going One of these facts the invasion
of our territory by the British the burning Of the
Caroline, and the murder of an American citizen;
and, Notwithstanding the crime was unatoned for and
no apology had been made for the act they had actu-
ally seen proposition made to give up Mcleod to
the British Government and this whole matter,
! from beginning end, had been treated with inde
renceby this Government, which, in his opinIon, the
people ofthis country were not disposed to tolerate
much longer.
Mr. LINN suggested to his friend from Ohio TO ap-
pend to the resolution inquiry into the facts grow
ing out of the Brockvlle affair An American
sci, it appeared, left Oswego for Ogdensburg, with
piece of artillery on board for volunteer company al
that place, but she boarded by British soldiers,
who torcb!y seized the cannon. This became sub
ect ofcontroversy between the two Governments, and
correspondence was carried on, which, If made pub
c would be found to be the most extraordinary
respondence that took place Colonel Worth
| of the army, went and made demand for the
cannon, but his Conduct 1eprobated by the Cana
dian Government; and the correspondence would
show that he told that if the Americans would not
preserve neutrality the British soldiers would come
! within our territory to do it for t EN-.
Mr.. ALLEN said that the mixing up of the two
subjects would produce Con uson. tie was, however
quite anxious that the matter suggested by the Senator
Missouri should belaid before the Senate, and he
would vote for uon calculated to effect that
suit but he desired that the vote othe Senate should
be taken on his resolution as 1t now stood
Mr. RIVES remarked that the Senator from Ohio
did not want the facts, because the country was al
ready in possession of them, but he wanted to know
the manner in which the negotiation conducted
and thereby it implied that he Senate of the Uni
ted States should take out of the hands of the Execu
tive the conduct of foreign negotiations. He hat
not been inaentivc to the condition under which the
l call in the resolution made; but there
sons enough, known to the whole country why the
inquiry should not be pressed at this time. There
aquestion of a delicate kind now under negotiation
and they were at the crisis of it; yet the Senator
from Ohio came forward and asked for information
not with regard to facts but to know in what manner
the negotiation conducted, or, in other words
TO take the whole negotiation from the Executive, and
vest it in the Senate, the functions of which, such
matters, did not commence until after the action Of the
Executive He would tell the Senao that the Ad-
ministation had taken the proper steps, and had also
spoken of the affair of the Caroline in tho strongest
terms of condemnation. The Senator talked of SUI
pineness and the want spirit but did he not know
that the preceding Administration slept upon the sub
ect for four years Where the Senator then 7
He surely did not come forward and break open the
doors of the State Department. The county cannot
have forgotten the date Of this transaction it was
in the month Of December 1887. More than four
years had elapsed, during the greater part of which
time the Administration was IN the hands OF the party
to which the Senator was attached; and he hoped
that the Senator would with him IN the pro-
pricy of laying the resolution upon the table.
Mr.. ALLEN said that he had spoken Of the tard-
ness Of the Government; and he could give the Sen
ator from Virginia an answer to the question as to
his (Mr. Allen's) course under the preeXistng ad-
minstration. Under their administration the British
Government never took upon themselves the respon-
sbiity of the act but on the overthrow of the Demo-
cratic party, and the of that fact,
the British Government changed their tone, and took
upon themselves the responsibility of the invasion and
the murder. The whole matter then assumed ma
tional aspect, which it had not worn prior to that
time.
The question recurring the motion to lay
the resolution on the table, and the yeas and nays ha-
wing been ordered,
Mi. CALHOUN said that as it appeared to be the
impression of those who represented the Executive
upon the subject, that the resolution calculated to
embarrass the pending negotiation, he should feel
himself compelled to vote against 1t, at all events
to vote that it be laid upon thu table
The question then taken, and decided in the
afirmative-yeas "a, nays 3D. as ollows:j
YEAS-Messrs. Archer, Barrow, Bates, Berrien,
Calhoun, Choate, Clay, Clayton, Evans, Henderson,
Ming, ManguiDi HeTFlck, NtOTeneau, ToTteT,
tss, Preston, Rives Simmons, Smith, of Indiana,
;Southard Sprague Tamadge Woodbridge-M.
| NAYS-Messrs Allen, Benton, Fulton, Linn,
McRoberts, Pierce, SEWER Smith, of Connecticut,
Sturgeon, Tappan, Woodbury., Wright, Young-6
| So the resolution was passed.
| THE BANKRUPT LAW.
The amendments heretofore submitted by Mr.. BEN
TOM to the Bankrupt law, made the order of the
day for Friday next.
AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION.
Mr.. WOODBURY. addressed the Senate in oppo-
sition to the resolution of Mr.. CLAY to amend the
lit,,tio