The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-02-26

| MI VINT0N rose and said that in pursuance
Of the notice he had given, he would now offer an
amendment TO the rule yesterday adopted in rela-
ton TO taking the yeas and nays on any bill making
appropriations for works of internal improvement,
so TO provide for It's application TO all bills ma
king appropriations for lighthouses and fortified
tons, and 10 bills imposing duties on imports.
The SPEAKER. No such notice Of motion has
been entered by the clerk.
Mr.. VINT0N. Will it be in order to give that
notice nOwI
The SPEAKER was understood TO say he pre-
sumed there would be no objection.
Mr. VlNToN accordingly gave the notice;
And It was ordered TO be entered on the jour.
nal.
PRIVATE BILLS.
Mr.. MCCONNELL asked leave to introduce
resolution providing that no member should be al
lowed to speak for moro than ten minutes on any
private bill
Mr.. BRINKERHoFF objected.
The notice is entered on the journal.
EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATION.
The SPEAKER laid before the House sundry
communications:
|. letter from the Secretary Of War, transmitting
in obedience TO the resolution of the House of the
10Th instant, reports numbered from to inclusive,
as TO whether any officer Of the army or navy, or
any person or persons connected Herewith, who
are or have been receiving a salary wages such
ohcer or person, are employed in any office, clerk
ship, or occupation, in, or about connected with
the War Department, &c. which letter and reports
were laid upon the table.
ii. A letter from the Secretary Of War, trans
hitting, in obedience to the resolution Of the House
OF the 2lst instant, report, relative to the removal
Of the Miami Indians, in Indiana, the amount Of
money paid upon the contract for their removal to
whom paid also whether said Indians have been
removed; and, if not, the cause why, &c; which
letter and report were laid upon the table.
Ill. letter from the Secretary Of the Navy, stat
ting, In obedience 10 the resolution of the House Of
the 10Th instant, the Of the officers employed
in his department., and that they receive only the
pay allowed them by law, and appropriated by
Congress for their mpensation as bureau officers;
which letter was laid upon the table.
HARDoRs AND RIVERS
On motion of Mr. MCKAY. the House resolved
itself into Committee of the Whole on the state OF
the Union, Mr.. THOMAS SMITH Of Indiana in the
chaiT,) and resumed the consideration Of the bill
making appropriations for the improvement Of GER
tain harbors and rivers.
MIR. McCLELLAND was entitled TO the floor
and addressed the committee during the hour, (nol
having concluded when cut off by its expiration, }
in defence Of the bill, and in vindicarion Of the
course Of the Committee on Commerce in report
ing il.
Mr.. RHETT said he had no doubt but the areu-
msnts of the gentleman from Michigan [Mr. Me
CLELLAspl were the arguments on which this
House would act, and that this bill would pass NJ
the bill Of the last session had passed. which the
gentleman said was the prototype Of this. And he
thought that there went along with this bill the
great principle Of the republican party to be buried
not by its ancient enemies, the federaliss, but by
those who profess TO be its friends And a mourn
er, no wished to say few words to show that il
existed not without ilusrious paternity, and that
after years Of valiant fighting, it fell not by the
wounds Of its enemies, but by the hands Of its
friends.
He proceeded to say that he objected not 10 any
Of the items of the bill; but his position was that il
OVERRIDE the constitution OF the United States. The
constitution Of The United States was not merely
worth all the improvements this bill contained but
all you could accumulate from this time forth to
endless generations. He stood up to fight for the
constitution of the United Ststes-for the great
principle Of the republican party, beginning in the
convention which framed the constitution Of the
United States, descending through subsequenttime,
and sgnazed by the last veto Of the very last Pres
dent of the United States
Mr.. r. promising (by way OF clearing away the
miss which had been thrown around this subject)
that these western waters stood in respect diff
erent from the other waters Of the Union, and re-
ferring to decisions ofthe Supreme Court, express
W declaring this doctrine, entered at length into
constitutional argument in defence Of the position
which he took, that western rivers and harbors and
all rivers and harbors were unconstitutional objects
Of appropriation by the general government. This
he maintained was the true and ancient republican
principle.
The democratic party of the West and Northwest
he said might go for internal Improvements with the
wings and be federasts that far the democratic party
of the North might 90 with the wings in favor Of a
high tariff for protection, and be federaliss that far
For his part, occupying the true republican ground,
he stood with the constitution Of the United States
and when that was buried under the weight Of this
SYSTEM it would be glory enough that he, and those
who remained with him, were entombed with it.
He contended that the railroads of the country
might with equal and greater propriety be taken
under the fostering care of the government. They
equally within the pale fthe constitution, and
infinitely more efficient as means Of military de-
fence and INSTRUMENTATION.
This system would necessarily bring with it the
heaviest taxation upon the people, and with it ami
hilation and scorn to the democratic party.
Mr. HUDSON next obtained the floor Refer
ring to the report of the chairman of the committee
Yesterday when the committee rose, that the Commit
tee the Whole the state ofhe Union had "had the
state of the Union generally under consideration"
&C.. (Which he considered true report) he said he
should take the liberty of selecting for himself out
Of the variety Of subjects which opened in this
wide field the particular one to which he wished to
address few remarks, viz: the commerce Of the
country.
He was in favor Of the bill under considerations
because it went To protect the commerce of the
country. And devoting but few words to the bill.
he proceeded to speak Of the subject which he had
with the limitations which we had had within few
weeks rast, that is the design Of Great Britain to
open her ports to breadstuffs entering largely
into the value of the English market for agricul.
tural productions, Gin case it were thus opened,)
which he considered far less than it generally
computed at-and branching out into the general
subject of the tariff and of commercial relations
with Great Britain.
Mr. LEAKE raised the question Of rrelevaney,
and objected to the gentlemans attempt to steal
march upon the an-tarf party a bill appro-
prating for rivers and harbors
The CHAIRMAN pro tenn, (Mr. SAwYrR) over
ruled the point of ORDER sustaining himself by refer
ence to the general practice of allowing an almos,
unlimited debate in Committee Of the Whole on
the state of the Union.
Mr. HUDSON resumed, and had proceeded but
little further in his general course of remark on
the subject Of the tariff when
Mr. HOPKINS renewed the. point of order
against the genteman's proceeding, on the gro und
of irrelevancy.
After little conversation on the point of order
The CHAIRMAN (Mr SMrTH) again overruled
the point Of order, declining to mark out lines for
the restriction Of the gentleman under the general
precedent, and especially after the wide range the