The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-07-22

IA as.
signed The appropriation does not belong in this bill
It's proper place is in the harbor b-where, indeed il
already and there 1t ought TO remain, and fare The
fate of all similar appropriations The House has
expressed It's opinion upon this point bill from N,
Senate is your calendar, providing for this in
,rovement, When il came from The Senate. what was
lone with it! Was it committed 10 the Committee Of |
Ways and Means, to which belongs the civil and dlpo
matte bill No. sir; bat il referred TO the Commit
Zee on Commerce by vote of this House; and ii was
hus decided by this body that It's proper place was The
river and habor BILL which that committee has in charge
Again In the Committee of the Whole il reected
BY large majority Why, then. it voted in BY "a
party vote in the House. The remarks OF the gentleman
from Massachusetts, Mr. HUDsoNl explains the reason
In the time il had become generally rumored about
that if it remained in the bill the President would veto
It Here was an opportunity Tor party movement
The passage of this BILL in every part OF the country
indeed, every person connected with the civil depart
nents of the government; and 1t was thought veto
could be provoked, great camor would be the conse
quence.
The gentleman from Massachusetts mir HUDsoNl hal
asked Mr. b IS colleague MR. MEADE] if the President
had given any intmaton that he would veto this bill
1t contained the appropriation for the Savannah river
such question as IT was impossible TO give gen
era negative But this he would say that although
he was quite the President had given private in
maton of his intentions with the view OF Influencing
the vote of members OF Congress, yet, in his public acts
in his veto messages he had given the most positive and
neluivoca lntlmations that such appropriation as
this could never meet his approval
But the gentleman from Massachusetts [ Mr.. HUDsoNl
argues that this appropriation does not stand on the
same footing as ordinary appropriations for purposes
tons in the Savannah river were placed there by the
government in the revolutionary war. The gentle.
man is mistaken They were NOT placed there by
the order of the government. On the contrary,
they placed there, if he not mislnfomed, by
the authorities of Savannah for the protection of that
town But this is immaterial. AT any rate, they
placed there before the constitution OF the United States
adopted; and our powers are derived from that in
strumen and not from extraneous circumstances exist,
ing before IT was formed.
So far from this Improvement having stronger claims
upon than any Other the reverse is the case The
State of Georgia has applied long ago to this government
Tor permission to levy tonnage duties TO remove these
very distractions. The permission has been granted
He was informed that the duties had been levied and col
lected They must have come out of all persons trading
up that river; among whom would be comprised many
citizens OF other states Under these circumstance s n with
preparation 10 effect the same object out OF the public
treasury! She had Iesored to the true constitutional
course, and let her adhere to it.
He then commented the remarks oil the chairman OF
the Committee of Ways and Means, and expressed his
astonishment that gentleman OF his age and experience
should here and he presumed the President had
therefore that his friends in this House withheld their
votes from this bill Why so far as mere funds Co. the
government would have more without this bill than
with it; for it does not propose to put money into the
treasury, but to take it out But the creditors OF the
government had right to these funds They could not
however, be paid, until this bill passed, for not
and that appropriation, which there no objection
on this side of the House, gentlemen opposite de-
termned should not be made unless appropriations
included which would inevitably bring down the execu.
MI EVANS of Maryland rose to a question of piv-
lege The gentleman from Virginia had no right to refer
to the opinion of the President OF the United States to in
fluence the action Of members of this House.
Mr.. BAYLY said the gentleman from Maryla should
have raised his question of privilege at earerperod
for reference had been made to Executive opinions on
nf thu had I'D To h
gentlemen on the other side.
Mr. EVANS denied that the first aluson to the Execu.
tive opinions had come from his side of the House
Mr.. BAYLY said he believed the first gentleman who
made such alusion was the gentleman from Massachu
Mr. EVANS said the gentleman from Virginia was
would be made he had sat with his finger the rules
which was well known to the Speaker, and he
bled say that the first reference to the Executive opn
ions came from the other side OF the House. Ii came
from the gentleman from Kentucky, [Mr CLARKE.l
Mr.. GENTRY said ii mattered not whence it came II
he did it not with any unfairness to the gentleman from
Virginia He could not bring himself 10 be guilty OF
doing But he had raised the question because it
clear violation of rule Of the House, which was de-
signed for the protection OF freedom of debate.
Mr.. BAYLY said, gentlemen opposite were terrified
by such illusions. he promised that he would not repeat
them. According to the gentleman's own admission,
others had made these illusions before he had and yet
rules in expectation of such illusions he had not called
them to order. No would suspect him of such
want of tact to refer to the opinions OF the President
with the view of influencing favoably the action of
members on that side of the House He knew the TEN.
per of that side well enough to know that such refer
would have produced the contrary effect No such
reference necessary, far this side
cerned for have already voted against the appropra-
ton The change has been on that side, not this;
The honorable chairman OF the Committee of Ways
and Means Mr. VNToN] had made other remarks at
which he was equally surprised Besides voting for this
proposition he had also expressed his regret that appro
Mississippi and Ohio rivers. It would be recollected that
early this session. the gentleman asserted that neither
himself the party to which he belonged had ever ad
vocated mourning debt for the purpose of internal i'm
provements. All that they had ever wished was, to ap-
popriate any available surplus which might remain I'M
disposed of in the treasury He would ask the gentleman
if there any such surplus in the treasury now If
these appropriations made, must not debt be contract
ed to meet them He (Mr. b. had undertaken 10
by facts and arguments the assertion OF the
gentleman the time made; but he had not anticl
pated that the gentleman himself would have
confirmed all he had then said
He (Mr b. then proceeded to comment on the vote OF
the Speaker yesterday morning. the discovery OF an
day. He knew the Speaker had many privileges; but he
should like to know by what privilege the Speaker could
vote day after any other member of this House, No
member of this House enjoyed privilege OF voting on
been present on that day: could he come in the
ceeding day and have his vote recorded To put still
stronger Suppose he had been in his seat and had
not voted could he the next day after the journal
was read
The SPEAKER explained that the course which was
pursued was justified by many precedents.
Mr.. BAYLY said he did not charge the Speaker with
any intentional usurpatOn.
Mr. BURT explained that, since he had been mem.
Der of this House. the same state of circumstances had
fhn IF Tho Hamn