Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1846-05-02

THE SESSION OF CONGRESS


in public business during the remainder Of the time
before them. AT length, however, at the close Of
the Fifth Month Of the Session, we have arrived,
not at sloPping-place, but at starting point, at
which the ordinary and usual business Of the SEES
sion may be said to be about to begin.
That point was not reached, and can hardly be
said TO have been in sight, until the great stumbling
block OF the Oregon question had been removed out
Of the way OF Congress-, il has been by the pass
ing OF the Joint Resolution ON that subject. That
Resolution it gives pleasure to understand from
the government paper will receive the signature of
the President as soon as the forms Of legislation
will allow it to be placed before him so that the
measures which it proposes of cessation Of joint
occupation and intermediate amicable adjustment of
boundary between the United States and Great Br-
tain may be regarded as the settled policy of the
United States, and of course for the present no
longer matter for debate controversy at the Capt.
tol. Nor do we expect the subject to be kept alive
during the remainder of this session, still further to
distract and divert the attention of Congress from
the proper duties of legislation, in any other form
in which it may be presented. We take it for
granted that after the recorded appreciation of the
policy Of peace by more than three-fourths Of both
Houses of Congress, we shall hear no more of
adopting in anticipation measures which only the
termination of the joint occupation Of the Oregon
territory afford any sufficient reason for, and
which could, in the mean time, if sanctioned by
Congress, do nothing effective but what might be
also mischievous.
We sincerely congratulate Congress on being re-
l.o.a al: Il. Il
legislation as the general interest and the various
wants and grievances Of the different classes of in
dustry and the different regions of our country in
wife and require. We only repeat what we have
said before, when, rejoicing do in this result,
we know that we express sentiment which will
find response in the bosom Of the great mass of
the people of this country, of every degree.
Nor is there, as the government paper is pleased
to imagine, any inconsistency in our having, as it
says, ever since the appearance Of the Message
condemned the policy Of the Executive as policy
of war;" and now declaring the late decision by
Congress to be "a vote highly suspicious to the
preservation of peace" The Union" mistakes,
in the first place, position in regard to the
Message. We never for moment have supposed
since first deliberate perusal of the Annual
Message of the President, 1.-THE message" to which
that paper REFERS, that the policy of the President
was a policy Of UW. We said, on the contrary,
and maintained against the government paper ITSELF
that the President intended Peace which we infer
red from the terms of the Message, and from the
utter absence from that paper of any recommends
ton of preparation, either financial military for
impending war. We did believe, and we do yet
believe, that the measures recommended by the
President in his Message literally followed out,
would have tended to bring war, if they had
not rendered il inevitable Most decidedly, there
fore, were we opposed to the giving naked " no
tice," which, though not in itself cause Of war; nor
even Of offence, would have become so by the
measures with which it was proposed to accompany
it, and which in all probability scould have accom-
panied it, had majority Of both Houses been found
ready to take that desperate hazard. But, happily,
most happily, things took different turn. The
Joint Resolution thanks to the Senate) avoids the
hazard, and, whilst it seeks early termination of
the controversy, seeks it in the spirit of concla-
ton, and with the expression Of full confidence in
an amicabie settlement Of the difficulty All
honor for this TO the wisdom and enlarged patriot
ism of the Senate Nor let us withhold from the
House Of Representatives the honor due for having
at last yielded with good grace that assent to the
Senate's modification, which there is every reason
to believe II opposed from the first only for FORMS
sake, and was at any time willing to have given
had the members felt at liberty to indulge their in
clinations.
To come back, however, to the /" starting point"
Beginning upon its regular business so late, would
be difficult to say when this Session, which has so
long detained the Members Of Congress from their
homes and their affairs, may be expected to close
Judging from the experience Of many years. we
should say that il is quite possible that the dog
days will find them still at their posts. We found
this probability upon the supposition that there is
serious intention the part Of the Administration
party in Congress to persevere in the purpose Of
revision and reduction of the Tariff, and in other
measures Of kindred character, intended to effect
radical change in the Domestic policy Of the coun-
try. The Previous Question is, we know, in the
House Of Representatives, powerful engine in the
hands of an assured and disciplined majority. II
has already been made effective in the suppression
Of debate upon the Subtreasury bill, Zone Of the
measures referred toy just it six years ago.
But the Previous Question will fail Of its usual strn
gency when it comes in contact with the Tariff