Herald of the times, and Rhode Islander. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1846-1849, 1847-03-04

mistaken in that. If il is my duty to grant
Whatever the President demands, for what am
II here! Have I no will upon the subject p
Is il not placed at my discretion, understand
ing, judgemcnt9 Have an American Senate
and House of Representatives nothing to do
but obey the bidding of the President, as the
+ merccnary army he commands is compelled to
obey under the penalty of death No your
Senate and House Of Representatives were
never elected for such purposes as that
They have been modelled on the good old
plan of English liberty, and are intended To
represent the English House of Commons,
who curbcd the proud power Of the King in
olden time, by Withholding supplies, If they
did not approve OF the war. 1t was IN that
way that English liberty was preserved at one
of the most critical periods in the history of
that wonderful people. How was 1t that
II Charles the lst came to have at last his head
upon the block by the judgement ofthe Round
heads and the Puritans of England? lie had
| granted them every thing they asked. lie had
II surrendered all the kingy prerogatives save
II one, and what was that The command of that
army raised for the purpose of quelllng the re-
/ bellion in Ireland. The infamous Wentworth
/ (Straflord) had counscllcd him all along, what
ever he yielded up, to stick to the command OF
H the army.
II The Parliament men had required of him that
I and this was all the remaining difference be-
| tween them. On that depended the head OF
| him who represented an hundred kings, reign
II ing by divine right. "Givc us the command of
| this army" they said. What was the reply of
| this doomed and fatcd representative of the
! house ofStuart? "Not for one hour, by Cd"
! Why did he stick TO the command of the army?
i II had not then become the habit of the House
| of Commons to make specific appropriations of
III L.. .r.,,n., 10 tb. ,n.r
| and he could distribute them as he pleased
| Such men as Hale, and Somers, and others.
| had not vet learned the true art Of managing
| the tyrants of England While Charles could
/ command the army, he might control the Par
II lament, and because he would not give up that
command, our Puritan ancestors laid his head
| upon the block How did it fare with the others;
II 1t was on this very proposition OF controlling
/ the Executive power of England by Withhold
| ing the money supplies, that the House OF Or
| ange came in and by their accession to the
Ithrone commenced new epoch in the history
| of England, distinguishing il from the old reign
| of Tudors and PlantagenetS and those who
! preceded it. Then il was that Parliament
| specified the purpose of appropriation, and since
| 1853 il has been impossible for king of Eng
land to involve the people of England IN war.
| which your President, under your republican
| institutions and with your republican constilu.
| powerleSs. lie commands this army, and you
| must not withhold their supplies lie involves
| your country in wasteful and exterminating
| war against n nation with whom we have no
cause of complaint, bu, Congress may say moth
| ing
II d when that comes TO pass-whcn the Amer
lean Senale-when the American House OF
| RepreSenaives-Stoopto to that submission TO the
| behesls of the President who is for the time be-
ing commander Of the army, granting him sup.
plies because he had got you into war, then
| let some Cromwell come in and say-"The
| Lord has no need of you. You are barren
fig tree. You do not bring forth fruit, and the
fate of the barren fig tree is yours. Christ
| cursed il for its barrenseSs. and 1t wlihered.
II Believing that this is ofaggresSion, ,as the
Senator from Missouri had denomin@ed ii long
ago, before this came to be war of aggression
on your part, cannot support 1t. ] have no
| way LETT but to withhold the means to carry on
that war. That way | have selected, and in
| that shall continue until ! shall be satisfied
tha, have mistaken my ground on this first
grand proposition, and then ! shall be rs ready
| as any one to retrace my steps.
II a word on the proposition before you. Three
millions of money are TO be appropriated, and
i here we labor under n difficulty. The chair
| man of the Committee on Foreign Relations
| tells US that he has every reason To believe that
peace can be obtained if we grant this appro
| prlalion. What reason have you, Mr. Chair
man, for that opinion Facts which cannot
| disclose to you-correspondence which II would
be improper to name here facts which know,
| but which you are not permitted to know, have
| satisfied The committee that peace may be pur-
| chased if you will but grant these three mil
! lions of dollars" Now, Mr.. President ] wish
| To know if am required TO act on such opn-
| ions OF the chairman of the Committee on For
eign Relations, formed upon facts which he re-
! fuses to disclose to me ? Mo- ] must know
tlthe facts before can form my Judgement.
n But am to take il for granted that there must
be some prospect of an end to This dreadful war
! - for it is a dreadful war; being. rs believe IN
my conscience II is, an unjust war. is II posi-
dble that tor three millions you can purchase u
peace with Mexico7 Howl iiy the purchase
Iof California Mr. President, know moi what
facts the chairman of The Committee OF Foreign
Affairs may have had access To. | know moi
what secret agents have been whispering INTO
the ears ofthe authorities of Mexico but OF one
thing | am certain, that by a cession of Cali
forna and New Mexico, you can never pur-
chase peace with Mexico.
4 You may wrest provinces from Mexico by
, war--you may hold them by the right of the
Slrongest-you may rob her, but treaty OF
peace to that effect with the people OF Mexico,
legilimately had, you never will have thank
God that it is So as well Tor the sake Of the
:
Alabama, (Mr. Bagby) do not value the life
> of citizen of the United States above the lives
4 of an hundred thousand Mexican women and
: chdren-a rather cold sort Of philanthropy, in
my ludgement-ior the sake of Mexico, then,
. rejoice that it is an impoSSibilily that you car
u obtain by treaty from her those territories in
the existing state of things But how is it
. What do you mean
G Here comes the Senator from Michigan ant
q Il The Senator from Missouri, AT the head of thu
Is Committee of Military Affairs, and demand oi u
thirty millions of money and ten thousand regu
II lar troops - TO do what ito conquer a peace
: Of those obstinate Cells who will not give il til
: H we heat them still farther We are told tha
= y that is The way TO do il. There is a very curl
" ons and sad commixlure of things on the othe
: side of the Chamber. Scarcely have these mill
J iary geuilemep--tbeir instruments all bullets
= md guupowder- made their demands. when M
n CONES the Senator from Arkansas, Mr.. Sewer.
u with three millions of dollars ~ his hat-nothln,
't warke about him laugh the trumpet of wa
II taken from his lips, aud he comes III soii ant
10 gentle nlrasuTe aud says 10 The poor Celt, 1T
e Gods name, since YOU don't want TO be kll'e
Z aud slaughtered, let us lay aside the spear Il
Sc Achles-,here is the olive Of Minerva in ih
"A iollats accorliug Ia IN