Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1846-02-07

necessarily large, and moved to reduce i 70 So. oOo
Motion negatved
substance job What need was there for appon,ins
special agent to receive the cession Of the
and public property in Texas, and hand them over TO the
officers Of the United States on the spot Why could
the surrender be made to them at once There was no need
Of any intermediate person. Mr. b. utterly samed the least
intention Of casting straw in the way of'consummatng the
annexation but he totally unwilling to throw away three
thousand dollars useless agency II provide for
dign6ed Was this agent TO hold the ships
and forts, and cusom-houses No, but to hand them all
he received hem and then put 3d. 600 into
his pocket Let gentleman who clamorons for
nomy practice little Of it on this occasion.
Mr. GRAHAM considered it absolutely necessary TO send
this agent important for to know how many
sells and Of what description the navy Of Texas contained II
had correct information TO the public property there
the ordnance arms, and munitions could cgislate in
enlightened manner. 1t desirable to know the
condition Of Texas in regard to her capacity for defence
competent agent the very person ascertain what the
public property there actually
The CHAIRMAN said there question before tho
committee open 10 debate.
Mr. MILTON BROWN then moved TO strike GU, So. 600.
and insert 000 He said there certainly necessity
whatever for the appropriation expenditure OF this money
Mr. MCKAY being asked by Mr.. BEows, of Tennessee,
the amount Of property to be surrendered, said he had no
other information the subject but that contained in the COM
muncaton Of the Secretary Of State The joint resolution
passed the last session for the admission of Texas into the
Union provided condition. that she should cede her pub
lie property the United States and 1t was necessary that
receive this property after the cesson was made Was this
to be left to few cusom-house officers Were they proper
persons receive the surrender, not only OF
but of Notifications, arms, and munitions OF war ineie
but four Of them Texas and if they received and held
this property would Congress pay them for extra service
Their fees would be compensation for such an agency
Gentlemen seemed 10 suppose that the whole OF tins
to be expended in salary to the Commissioner But
that was not the The to be Professionally Sp
propriated should be needed perhaps but very
small portion Of it would be required then the residue would
TO the Treasury Somebody must be empowered to re-
ceive the property ceded and hold it till further disposition
should be made of it. Who take charge Of these for
tficaions and the navy of Texas!
Mr. BROWN said that this bill did say that the agent
to be appointed to hold the property He was simply to
it, and Immediately hand to the agents Of the
United States, who the spot II there was nobody to
take charge Of it. then there need that this agent
should go there
Mr. MCKAY resumed If the agent went there he would
doubtless have his instructions from the Executive to appoint
proper agents have the custody Of the property but there
be somebody receive it from the Texan Government
Mr. FARAN said the gentleman from North Carolina had
observed that because this Of 49, 900 appopa
ted it did follow that the whole of must be paid out to
the agent but from Mr. Fs experience Of the management
of public money! he led to conclude and SO ne believed
would every other gentleman. at all familiar with the usual
Of things that after appropriation once made
that the last the Treasury heard OF the money be
be it less all 60. He thought the amount
much too large If there proper officer in Texas to
receive the property and hold for the United States what was
the Of sending agent there receive and hand over
There enough the spot who would be abundanty will
ling agents. without being sent from here Besides,
had officers Of the army and Of the navy who doing
nothing but drawing their pay and waiting for orders ard had
not been for years pasta Why not send OF them he
thought ST. 600 ample compensation for the duty to be
performed
Mr. JOS R. INGERsoLL said that, on the principle that
the absent always in the wrong, he thought better
the United States should be represented by proper and
petent agent provided by the BILL The House did not
know what the property was, whence what its
nraso nd uha its vain
might depend the inquiries and industry Of competent
officer TO the Committee Of Ways and Means appeared
clear case, that after having done all that necessary
for the admission Of Texas ought to carry out the pro-
ceedng by appointing receive her public property
when surrendered in compliance with the terms Of the joint
resolution for her annexation that they had not supposed
possible there would be any objection TO it in any quarter
The appropriation, made might be needed but it
proper provision toward the discovery and preservation
of our rights in Texas.
Mr. YELL spoke in favor of the BILL He would not pre-
tend whether $1,000 the proper to he aPpo
paed but certain that agent should be appointed
to receive the property There cusomhouse at the
mouth of the Sabine another Galveston besides which,
there Notifications and arsenal Maagods and at
the mouth Of the Rio Grand and other places which
were owned by Texas According TO the resolution OF
annexation all this property must be surrendered then there
number Of Of ground attached TO the fort and
tomhouse Galveston The deeds for this public property
must be made out and the title delivered Gus
tomhouse officer not competent to make survey of the
property and examine the title The agent would have to
all be duly recorded There be agent the part Of
the United Stoes either appointed on the spot
from here. Besides all this property Shore there
three public vessels belonging to the Republic Of Texas of
twenty and thirty guns apiece very well built vessels built
the United States ports These must be delivered up And
there the point Galveston hundred pieces Of al
ey, part under Sheds but most Of them exposed to the
weather Besides, there various Of munitions
Of war collected at different points Could all this be exam
ned into and transferred in few days The surveys, when
made all be recorded the United States would not
get the title
know The Government might take officer from Texas
be did not care who's Texas might keep herself till the
sitting of her Legislature, and the consummation Of her adj
mission
But Mr. Y had rather that We should cede her back the
whole Of the property That what ought to do IA
voice. What cedc the custom-h houses to a State J No;
with the exception Of the cusom-houses Of But he
would give her back all the arms and all her vessels These
were the only embems that would be left Of her indie
pendence The ships had still the holes in their sides which
had been made Mexican balls Let her have these and all
her arms calamity used in achieving her independence
and LET her them Of her courage and pa
totsm. voice State cannot have a navy the Con-
stution obids it Yes, would give her the whole OF her
little navy. The time might be coming when she would
her Moores and her Eotts and her Tods and she
ight want her gyms sead tho Rio del Noste
that the President of Mexico about TO march
his troops towards that river Mr. Y feared not say this
much for her. that she got those guns across and got
them sight Of the enemy she could drive all the Mexicans
before her with They would long before the
mouths Of these pieces Besides might want few Of
those guns Oregon They ought all 10 he oiveu