Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-02-18

sion DILL -, nos,;on NJ
order-lbat the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr.
Dodoe) was entitled to the floor, on the bill ior me
Improvement Of the Fox and Wisconsin rivers,
and TO connect them by canal. ms oe'ng .ne
subject under consideration when Inc coiiiiii"ee
rose yesterday. Finally .a t,u,
Mr.. DODGE, of Wisconsin, submitted lew
remarks on the subject as did also
Mr.. OWEN, in favor OF the bill
Mr.. C. JOHNSON moved that The bill DC la ae
aside: but the motion did not prevail-ayes 90
noes ga.
The bill being still under consideration,
Mr.. COLLAMER spoke in opposition TO the
proposed measure.
Mrs G. JOHNSON submitted an amendment 10
the bill, which was agreed to.
And the bill was laid aside TO be reported 10 Inc
House.
took up the bill making appropriation Tor Inc
payment of Navy pensions for the year endins
limo 40 ls46 and it was laid aside 10 be report
ed to the House.
The bill making appropriation for The support
of the Military Academy at West Point having
been read,
MIR. MCKAY proposed an amendment, TO re-
duce the pay OF the Cadets 10 twenty-ionr dollars
month in place Of the money and rations now
allowed. =.
Mr.. HUNGERFORD moved to amend the
amendment so as 10 reduce the amount to twenty
two dollars. The Committee on Retrenchment
had had this subject under consideration al me
last session, and had thought twenty collars
was sufficient Other gentlemen, however, hau
thought il should be twenty-five dollars.
Alter word in reply from Mr. MCKAY,
The question was taken, and the amendment
10 the amendment was rejected.
The question recurring on the original amend
ment of Mr. Mckay, was taken, and Inc amehu-
ment was agreed 10.
The other necessary amendments conforming
10 the latter adopted, were agreed to-
The bill was laid aside TO be reported.
Mr.. G. w. JONES moved that the Committee
rise.
Which motion being agreed to
The Committee rose, and reported TO the House
the above several bills passed in committee
MILITARY ACADEMY.
Mr.. MCKAY proposed that the bills be Ia
ken up 10 be disposed Of by the House, ana
On his notion the bill approprialing Tor The
Military Academy was first taken up and scVe-
raj of The amendments of the Committee were
concurred in without debate or opposition.
The main question was put on agreeing 10 Inc
amendments made in the Committee Of the Whole,
| and decided in the affirmative.
The bill was then ordered to be engrossed for a
! third reading.
Mr. REDINCi called for The yeas and nays on
The massage of the bill; which were ordered.
Mr. MURPHY moved call OF The House
rejected.
The question was then put on the passage of
the bill, and decided in the attrmative-yeas 80
nays az.
| NAVY PENSIONS.
On motion OF Mr. MCKAY, the bill making
appropriations for Navy pensions was read the
third time and passed.
The House then adjourned.
WASHINGTON, Feb. I5 1916
CONGRESS- ..Satnrdays Proceedings.
The Senate, to-day were enlightened BY
speech of more than three hours in length from
Mr.. Rives, in opposition 10 the joint resolution OF
The House for annexing Texas to the United
States. EIe declared himself in favor OF annex
! ing Texas il il could be done by what ne con-
ceived to be the only constitutional mode, through
the instrumentality OF the trcaty-makns power
He maintained that the power given by the Con
stiiuton TO Congress TO admit new States INTO the
Union never contemplated the admission of Fo-
reign States, but had reference exclusively 10
States out Of the territory then belonging to, or
which might be acquired By, the United States.
| Mr.. Woodbury. will address the Senate on Mon
day on this subject The debates upon this i'm
portant question have been withheld from the rea
ders OF the Globe 10 enable the speakers TO revise
them before publication.
The first business in the House, this morning,
was The reception of reports from the standing
committees, among which were a number of bills
that were appropriately referred. The Post Office
and Fertilization Appropriation Bills, returned
from the Senate with amendments, were taken
M. and referred TO The Committee OF Ways and
Means The House then resolved itself into
Committee of the Whole on the state of the
Union, (Mr Hopkins Of Virginia, in the chair,)
and took mp the army-appropriation bill. After
spending some time in discussing and acting on
the various amendments that were offered TO that
bill, il was laid aside, and the committee took up
the bill 10 regulate the pay of the army. After
adoptngseveral amendments this last mentionei
bill, the committee rose, and reported ii 10 the
House, as amended; when the amendments made
in committee were concurred in under The opera
ton of the previous question. Pending the ques-
ton OF cngrosSment, the House adjourned.
Globe.
DEBATE IN THE SENATE.
The Senate had another speech to-day, 10
prove that the plain language ofle Constitution,
saying that Congress "may admit nee States tn'o
The EniOn," does mol mean what is 50 simply and
positively expressed. but on The contrary, means
that the President and Senate are exclusively |
clothed with this function, through The implica-
tons of the treaty making power. This was Inc
drift OF Mr.. Rives's speech which consumed the
sitting 10 day. The reasons assigned for this in
depreciation Of the Constitution against lis terms
were very curious. Mr. Rives could MOI possibly
believe that when the Constitution required two.
thirds Of the Senate and the President 10 make
treaty about even small matter OF money, II
should coniidc 10 Congress the august power
of adding new States 10 the Conederacy. MI.
Rives assumed that as the Senate and executive
were net intru,ted with the treaty making power,
without requiring the twothirds majority IS Sc
CURLY TO the people against the abuse oi The pow
er, ii was impossible that it ever could have been
designed TO commit the authority of admitting |
States 10 the Representatives OF the people, The
Senate, and executive combined. one would
have supposed that the assent OF the great repre-
sentative body of the nalon-ille real personlhca-
ton OF the popular sovereignty-migh have stood
with the country as a protection, for quite as
much as that fraction Of the Senate which IS re-
quired to make up "a twothirds majority, &C.
The whole of Mr.. Rivcs's effort turned upon |
this pivot. II was simply TO argue away The plain |
est. The most certain, the most unettered faculty
oil Congress, 10 avoid The import OF words which
can mean but one thing. There is not line in
The ten commandments which may not be as
easily argued out of existence as The right OF
Congress 10 admit new States into the Union"
can be ont Of the Constitution.
And yet il seems that Whiggery has set about
this business in earnest, and, We fear in the only
way which can prove successful-that is, by ar
guing Congress out OF existence. There are
now but little more than dozen days OF Con-
gress; and Whiggery has two dozen orators IN
The Senate. If each of them insists on follow
ing suit 10 Mr.. Morehead and Mr. Rives, and
takes whole day each, it is clear the present
Congress- and its power TO admit new States,
is TO be spoken out of life, without being allow
ed TO act When We saw the procrasnaion OF
the Senate's committee which swallowed all
The propositions for the admission of Texas, the
repeated. postponements, and then the setting in |
OF speeches day in and day out, like fall rain,
and the refusal TO permit the Senate 10 meet be-
lore II O'Clock, we thought we could not be de-