The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-07-06


rying this most important financial measure to the
final stage ofacton without allowing opportunity
of subectng it to full examination.
Mr.. SEWER denied that there any lnten-
ton of preventing full examination Of the meas
ure One object of his motion was to give mem
bsrs of the Senate an opportunity to examine the
details Of the bll.
Mr.. ARCHER did not mean to imPngn the mo-
tiyes of the gentlemen who were in favor Of the
motion. He had reference only TO the direct effect
of re fusing reference TO the committee.
Mr.. DAVIS was in favor Of reference to the
committee. He referred to the great importance of
the measure, involving, as the chairman Of finance
had said, important principles OF taxation and
public liberty lie (Mr' u iGlly agreed win
that gentIeman's high estimate of the Importance
of the bill before the Senate. It's importance man
ifestly suggested the necessity Of giving 1t a.
thorough examination. But it was urged upon
them to act upon il Immediately. Why, said the
honorable chairman of the Committee on Finance,
if you fail TO act now the bill is lost. Lost how
By elaboration II the bill wss TO be thus lost he
(Mr. D was in favor Of losing it-decidedly so.
II calm deliberatioh-if careful rehecuon-If that
examination which great and important public
measure required al their hands, had a tendency TO
defeat the BILL was not the conclusion unavoidable
that the bill ought 10 be defeated 1.-THE body were
not To be trusted with opportunity Of dehberation
on the measure, priBla Jaee evidence that the
bill was unworthy OF the approval OF the body.
Was il indeed possible that the body were not to
examine all its details and canvass all its
provsonsi He did not think that the as
sumption was wanantable that such ana
such the opinions of members OF the com
mittee. Was 1t TO be assumed that gentlemen
were willing TO report that bill without the change
Of letter. That appeared To be rather extraor
binary assumption. He was not disposed to spec
uated thus upon the action of any committee III
gentlemen were afraid TO ntrust the committee with
the bill in its present organization, Il was IN their
Of fhaIr If
thinking. He concluded by insisting strongly that
the bill should go the committee, to be reported
back by them with such recommendations and
amendments az, after due delibeation, they might
| think proper TO present
| Mr. RVERDY JOHNSON remarked that he
need not dwell the important public consdera-
lions connected with this bill.
| The chairman Of the Committee Of Finance had
described this bill as involving the liberties Of the
people. He (Mr. J.) was inclined 10 think that
there large maj rity Of the community who
thought that there could be no practical freedom
without some such measure this bill sought en-
| tlrey to destroy. Now he had supposed that be-
" en- these two conflicting opinions each perhaps
carried to excess, the good sense Of Congress would
have been able to devise some measure enabling
them to stand on something like common ground,
and which would have Quoted the public mind. He
was sure that the senator from Arkansas had de-
sire to keep this subject before the public through
| all time. An election was about TO come on again
Ihgltdtlng nduon from one extremity 10 dnOlneT
and if this bill were to pass precisely as it came
from the other House, which was, he under
Stood the wish Of the chairman of the Committee
on Finance, land it not to be referred in order
that 1t might so pass he must indeed be
deaf and blind to all the Indications of the
tation will but commence the day when Congress
shall have passed, under such circumstances, such
bill. His friend from Alabama, Mr.. LEWIS l-ifl
he would permit him TO say So not that he was
tkntk Oh
mission, but if he would permit him to say so-hls
friend from Alabama was unnecessarily alarmed
about the present financial condition Of the country
If his earthly pilgrimage had commenced so far
back he would have been in state Of unnecessary
alarm from 1879 to the present hour; for If this bill
was TO pass because it involved question Of taxa
ton and freedom, the honorable gentleman, without
knowing it. would have been a slave from 1889 I'M
Ill this very 9th ofJuy one thousand eight hundred
and forty-sx. What, he would ask was the best
mode of accomplishment 1t were capable Of ac-
complishment-the composure of the public mind
with regard to this agtating subject The people
Of the South-acting no doubt honestly, entertain
ing their opinions with the sincerity with which
contrary opinions elsewhere entertained
thought for the most part that their interests were
seriously affected by the present system Of imposing
duties. The people the North and of the Middle
States generally entertained different opinion, and
| under the pledge Of the law passed by Congress,
have invested countless millions in this home indus
4
struck down by this bill. So they said; with what
| TRUTH he was not sufficiently informed to say.
| Whose fault then, was it that the bill did not
come up two months ago2 Was the Senate
to be blamed for that Were their propositions to
adjourn from Thursday until Monday the causei
The other House had just sent the bill to them;
and bythe-by, he thought it little Of time for
the chairman of the Committee Finance to rep
resent these adournments as having been in
some measure the of the delay, for if
| he recnllpctpl rphf hat had a. /
uniformly voted, except on the last few occasions,
| in favor of these ad journments. He (Mr. j. had
voted against fixing any day for adjournment,
1 chiefly because he wished that this bill should be |
perfected by its friends and come to this body, and
be with all the deliberation which the rules
| Of the body denanded Now that it was here, they
were told to pass it at Well, he desirous
to put any question to the chairman of the Com
mittee on Finance which that gentleman might not
feel disposed to answer; but he (Mr J J knew what
answer he himself would be obliged to give to
the question, "Do you know what the bill
| Isl" The chairman Of the Committee Finance
no doubt knew what the bill was, because he was
ready to go for it. He had not had time to go
through the items of the bill referred to his own |
committee, but he had had time to go through the
items of this bill, which had not been completed till
last Friday. The chairman Of the Commute on FL |
nance did not oppose the reference on the ground
stated by the gentleman from Ohio, Mr.. ALLEN, |
| that the committee was mutated concern, but be-
cause the committee were divided How did he
know that Had the honorable gentleman taken
the sense ofthe committee on the subject Who
had told him what his (Mr. J.'s) opinions wereI
Did we deal in probabilities and guess workI-and
were they about to act on great matter like this
upon the assumption that just as the locale of the
members was would be their votes' Judging in |
that way the member speaking would be in favor
ofhe BILL for he believed the ma jority of the dele
cation from Maryland voted in the other House.
The chairman of the Committee on Finance, per-
haps, reasoned thus: "There is the senator from
Maine and from his long experience and familiarity
with this subject he may be able to show that this
bill will not realize thirty millions-that it may not
from Maryland who will agree with him They
are two troublesome fellows, and am confident the
best plan is to get rid Of them by permitting the
bill to be referred at all" Where was the sub.
treasury bill He understood the chairman of the
Committee on Finance to have said that he did not
intend that it should go into operation till the first of
1 January next,