Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1846-02-27

session Oh The territory perhaps she is pTdcti-
caay-bu! she is no,ticortticallp. Mr.. d. was in
favor OF Notice-in favor Of all the President
had done or recommended Mr.. D. spoke until
3o'clock, and without closing gave way 10 a mo-
lion 10 go into Executive business after which
The Senate adjourned.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
After some preliminary business, the rules
were suspended and the House went into Com
mitiee OF The Whole, Mr.. Thomas Smith of In
diana, in the Chair and took up the Harbor and
River bill.
The Clerk having read portion Of The bill
MIR. MCCONNELL moved 10 lay il aside, and
lake up The one regulating the appointment Of
Clerks in public offices. This la!ler, he said,
was more important bill Than had ever before
been presented 10 Congress, and he wished now
10 see what Democrats would stand up TO il2 His
motion was put by tellers, and lost-ayes SO,
noes &c.
Mr.. MCCONNELL then addressed the Com
mlce against the bill lie moved to strike out
It's first clause, making appropriations for various
woiKs on Lake Champlain. He said his motion
was TO strike out the enactng clause As far any
Individual could be concerned, he had but obey
ed The rronptngs OF nature, in essaying to guard
his constituents interests in this matter. The
money here, be said, was 10 be taken from The
paurers. But separate and apart from all this,
there was one section ofthe billie and he did not wish
10 speak disrespecully OF the Committee on Com
merce) proposing 10 purchase the stock in the
Louisville and Portland Canal Company and pay
"such sum as may be necessary" Who knew
what the sum might be-whelher million OF dol
lars or ten millions, or hundred2 And for VIVA,
purpose? That contracts might be made with
spectators and stock jobbers and plunderers
who lie in wait 10 pounce on the Treasury of'the
Republic. He protested against the bill for thai
reason, if noihiEg else. No member had conlem.
plated The design oil this bill; but in his opinion il
! was fraudulent s,upendous outrage! Laugh
ter. He was for,Sen, it-noi opposed 10 it, but tor-
,.cntit And he found in the bill long string o.
! appropriations for improving Western lakes-as
/ long, in fact, as Long John Wentworth. fRoars Of
! laushlerj He protested against il in behalf o.
the just principles oil right and common sense, and
common honesty.
Mr. RHETr opposed the bill with spirit as
an.i-Democratic and ani-Jacksonian. He mo-
we'd 10 strike cut all after lis enacting clause FOL
I The purpose Of opening up The debate. He has
heretofore given his opposition 10 measures OF this
nature, and he should not now turn round ant
support them. Those political friends who acte6
with him formerly, should siilsadhere to he grea
/ principles OF The parry on The subIect Of nlerna
! improvements
Mr.. THOMASSON supported The item in the
bill for the purchase of the Louisville and Port
land Canal, with great animation He desired
the rcins TO b. drawn lightly, and he desired Tie
! people 10 know the iact that opposition was made
/ 10 an improvement on one OF The newly discover
ed finland seas" Of The country. Under PTes
dent Jackson, the Portland and Louisville Cana
had been The subject Of special care and appro
I priaion. But il opposition 10 il was Democrat
I ic, ne wished the people OF The West 10 be inform
I et of the TACT They would then ascertain what
Democracy is. lie gave history Of the canal
and lis cost, a nd The connection which the Govern
menl has lad with il. He said the Compa ny
! had already paid back 10 the Government all thai
4 il had invested in il.
Mr.. CROZlER mex, took the floor and ofieret
an amendment 10 The bill, approprans $3.50,
600 Tor erecting a canal around Muscle shoa.'
! in the Tennessee river, near Florence, Alabama
and addressed the Committee with decided atii
y in favor Of said amendment. He stalled lha
The President although he had not recommended
The measure in his message any more Than he
had the other measures in the bill, would proba
/ bly, be in favor Of lbe appropriation comprised
/ in the amendment now offered. because he had
wien in Congress, years ago, voted in favor Of e
7 grant Of 400, 600 acres Of land for the same oh
| jec. In speaking of the management Of The
I fund created by that grant OF land, he causef
three OF The Alabama members TO make expa
nations.
Mir. HOUSTON made some remarks in !ea
ton TO the management of said iund.
Mr.. CHAPMAN OF Alabama said that the
land sold al higher rate than the public land
in any other State in the Union The Leeis-
lalure oil Alabama had appropriated it. II j!
failed 10 accomplish the object desired, That was
another matter.
a.. No(-nNNETI o;rr :, ~.
SO tar as he was Individually concerned. he en-
/ phaicay declared, as far as The fierce Of Ian.
suage could lend expression, that the transaction
III The case alluded 10 was iou blot On the fail
esculheon OF Alabama The money was moi
equabv, fairly, honestly, periodically or chris
lianly applied as it ought 10 have been
I MIR HOUSTON made some further obser.
va,ions in regard TO the grant Of aud in question
Mr.. CHAPMAN had also something farther
10 say.
Mr.. MCCONNELL again rose. lie said
that he was in possession OF large bundle Of
facts, which, should he reveal them, would aso.
nish his colleagues, [Messrs. Chapman and
Houston He was born and raised in Tcnnes-
see near the Tennessee river, and therefore had
a sacred regard for that river. His colleague
over the way represented the L1cef ,eg,ons.-
! fLangh,er.l But he came here not TO legis-
lale for any particular section; neither for the
| North, the South, the East nor The West Birth
was the result of accident; else, instead OF hav-
ing been born of Irish parents, and bred up 10 The
honest business Of a harness maker, lie would
have lcen born, from choice, the first son Of
George The Third, or been connected with Queen
Victoria and Prince Albert, and in close fellow
ship with the peace parry. lLaueher Lands
il is true, had been sold for 81 20 or = IS an
acre; but they were boush; by the Commission
,bo, e-I, ,rd in hV la nj
For himself, he fought his battles fairly and
openly; and without hesitation, and in the full as
surance or The truth, he boldly asserted that from
the beginning OF Genesis 10 the terminus OF Revc-
auns, this bill was most ndscrirnnaely a cor
rupl, fraudulent, osroliDg, specializing dishonest,
sysematiZed attempt 10 plumber The public purse;
a grand plunierIng scheme extending from Pas
samaquodda 10 The Rio Grande! [Grcatlauehler.]
Gentlemen talked about what The President would
do or might do if this bill were 10 pass 1t was
all moonshine! Better talk about what he should
do IfJemmy K. Polk were 10 approve OF such
a BILL he had better go 10 some other party than
the Democracy for support! Let Congress pass
il and place it before him, and if Mr.. Polk did
M, come the John Tyler over il, then he had los,
all proper estimate OF the mans character why
The bill was continuous string OF unadnlerated
denominations II was worse than the hydropho-
ba! And in this connection he told an anecdole.
MIR. WENTWORTH got The floor, bul gave
way 10 Mr.. CHAPMAN, who wen, pretty fully
INFO The merits Of the bill, and also the subject Of
the grant ofland for the improvement, OF The Ten
. nesee River, which had been reverted 10.
MIR. SCHENCh addressed the committee 70. a
considerable length Of time. he attacked The
dominant party for its inconsistency upon The
question OF internal improvement. After be had
concluded the committee rose.
Executive communications were then laid be-
fore the House and ordered 10 be printed.
And then The House adjourned.
ApJur4Sr GENERALS OFFICE,
Richmond, Feb 25,h 1916.