The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-08-03
The spEAKER then gave The aoor 10

Mr.. ASHMUN rose TO point Of order
The SPEAKER. The gentleman will state It.
Mr.. ASHMUN, The point Of order is this: that
before the House proceed TO the reconsideration,
this message must be spread at large the Journal
therefore the motion cannot be- decided to-day |
Such Is the requlsltlon of the constitution of the
United States
The SPEAKER. The Chair is aware Of the pro-
vision Of the constitution. The objections Of the
President WILL as matter of course, be spread on
the journal; the constitution requires that they
shall be But the House can act Notwithstanding
Mr., ASHMUN. Not until after after the mes
sage has been spread on the journal.
The SPEAKER BY the rules Of construction,
and by the practice of the House, the message is
considered as spread on the journal The gem
leman from Kentucky will proceed with his re-
marks,
Mr.. BOYD. do not rise to discuss this inter
nal improvement question. At this late period Of
the session II seems to me that II cannot be desirable
to enter upoE such discussion But may be per
mltted TO express my thanks thus publicly IN my
place. TO the President Of the United States for haV
ing met this question in the form in which he has
metit
| have risen for the purpose of moving the pre-
IA number of voices: No-that will not dove
cannot go that
The SPEAKER. The previous question is de-
manded.
Mr JAMES THOMPSON. If the previ Gus
The SPEAKER It's
Mr. THOMPSON. | hope the previous question
will not be sustained.
Mr. BRINKERHOFF called for tcIlers who
were ordered.
Mr. DROMGOOLE asked Mr. Borp to with
draw the demand for a moment, TO enable him Mr..
d. to say a word.
Mr. BOYD. | cannot withdraw IT,
Several voices: Never mind; we'll vote It down.
Mr. g. DAVIS suggested tina! the subigt should
be made the special order for the day after NOR
row
Several voices: Oh no; no special orders
Aud the question being taken on the demand for
the previous question, the vote stood ayes 81, noes
los.
so there was not a second.
Mr.. DROMGOOLE inquired of the Speaker If
the question was on secondng the demand for
the previous question; TO which receiving afirma-
tive reply, he said he did not rise with a view of
making any remarks upon the merits Of the objec.
TONS which the President had sent to this
House, or TO comment upon the Joy with which
they had thrilled the breasts of a portion of the
members of this House, or the extent of the dlsap
probation which 1t awakened in Others but to sug-
gest to the House to take that step which best
calculated TO enable them TO act with proper calm
ness upon a subject Of so much moment involving
as II did so much feeling, and such variety Of local
interests He had referred to the precedents of pro-
ceedinys in the House the Of yetoes from the
first veto Of Washington to the apportIonment
bill, down to the last veto of Mr. Tyler in 1874;
and although his impressions from reading the con-
sututiOn was that they must proceed at once TO
consider the bill with the objections of the PTesI.
dent, appeared that the practice had been, after
spreading the objections at large upon the journal,
as matter of course to proceed at once TO recon-
sIdeT the bill, TO assign day therefor. As the
House had determined, by its refusal TO second the
demand for the previous question, that they would
not proceed to reconsider, he suggested TO
them simply to follow the precedent adopted IN
1892 upon the return, by General Washington, of
the aPporuonment bill, with his objections; and for
this purpose he would offer the identical resolution
which was then adopted-vlz
"RroIrsd That be assigned for the reconsider
alton the said bill in the mode by the constu
ton Of the United States"
Mr.. BRODHEAD suggested that tomorrow"
be stricken out of the resolution, and forthwith"
inserted
Mr.. DROMGOOLE said if it appeared to be the
general wish of the House to proceed Immediately
49, "---~-t4--~.i~- he ~ssld modify tho rssolu
llon suggested After some conversation, how
ever, he insisted the resolution its original
form.
Mr.. DOUGLASS said he had listened to the
message, as read by the clerk, with great attention
He not sure that he understood II accurately
| all points As the House about to proceed to
vote on the question, whether the bill should become
ii law the Presidents objections to the contrary
| not wI;hsandmg, he had few words to say before
the vote should be taken. He had voted for the
oil Its passage in the House in the first Instance.
tie had voted for several similar bills at former SEES
He was, and ever had been, in favor of giving
adequate protection 10 our commerce and navigation
On all our naVIgabe Waters-the lakes and rivers as
we'll IA the ocean. lie had discovered nothing in
| the message to change his opinion in this respect
Indeed, If he had understood the reading of the
sage right, he had no complaint TO make so far It's
primer lies related to the constitutional power Of Con-
gress To establish general system of inter.
nal improvements. Mr.. d. was opposed
To such system, and had avowed
himself on various occasions at this well
former sessions Of Congress He approved Of all
the restrictions on the extent Of this power i'm
posed by General Jackson in his Maysvile road
-"ash river vetnes. He approved of the
and Wa, --oes Of Madison, Monroe, and
strlctlons IN the msss., Oh" IN 90 Ms far as
Van Buren,. He wIluns IN.
many Of them went in favor of public works "
general government. There must be some restrlc
uon, limit, to the power else the federal gov
ernment would swallow up all the powers of the
States. Mir D. agreed with the President that ours
was government of limited powers, possessing
none except those which were expressly granted, or
were necessary carry the enumerated powers into
effect. He willing to adopt this rule of con
struction on rivers and harbors well as banks,
tariff distribution, and all the other great measures
of the day. He had no fault to find, therefore,
with the rules of construction which the Presl-
dent had adopted. The principles Of the mes
sage in this respect were sound and ortho-
dox. The difficulty he (Mr. d. abored under
was to comprehend the application Of these princl
pies to the particular works enumerated IN the bill
The President approves Of part and disapprovcs
of the residue. He would he wiling to sign the
uncxcrpuonahe portion, if separated from the OBJ
noxlous items. But Inasmuch as he was called
| upon to sign or reject the whole bill in the precise
shape in which 1T presented to him, he has re-
turned it to us with his objections. Now (sad Mr..
D. desire to know what these Objectionable items
nRi President M
designated them. He has furnished us means
of distinguishing the good from the evil. Upon
this point there might be, and doubt is, great
variety Of opinion. Those works which one por-
ton Of the country may regard as the most mpor-
tant, others may regard as least useful
AS the President objects to a part, and not
to the whole bill, was due to the House
that he should have pointed out the obnoxious
items, which, in his opinion, are so hostile to the
principles of the constitution and the purity of our
! institutions There items in the bill to which
he (Mr, d. had very strong objections. There
was one in particular against which he com