Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1848-08-26

the Senator whether General Zachary Tay.
lor will withhold his veto, in case Of his cleo.
ton, TO any bill for internal improvements
tina, may happen TO pass both houses of Con.
gress!
Mr.. CLAYTON. However vague the an.
swer, or the question addressed 10 me, re-.
ply promptly that do not believe the case
will occur Of the deliberate and well. con.
sidered passage of bill for any internal
improvement by both houses of Congress
which out to be condemned by the Ameri.
can Executive. General Taylor, while
pledged to abide by the will Of the people,
is also free to restrain any hasty or ncon.
siderate legislation.
Mn. FooTE. The question is not whether
such or such case may occur, but whether
General Taylor would SO act in certain cir.
cumstapces.
Mr.. CLAYTON, (smiling) 1t is impossi-
bic for me to state my opinen as to what
the action of General Taylor in a given
case might be, unless the case be stated with
precision. You might suppose case in
which Congress, having gone raving mad,
would vote twenty five millions out of the
Treasury when there were not FIVE millions
in it, and ask me whether General Taylor
would veto that. But am now looking,
as practical man. to the cases which are
likely to occur, and have not the most dis.
tant idea that any circumstances will actu.
ally exist in which Gen. Taylor will apply
the veto 10 bill for internal improvements
But how stands the candidate of the other
side of the chamber with respect 10 this
question? Perhaps, as his pathway still re-
mains obscured, the honorable gentleman
from Illinois can Inform me. Does he be.
lieve that Gen. Cass will veto bill for in.
ternal Improvements!
Mn. BREEsR. / will answer the Senator
very frankly. If l did not believe that Gen.
Cass would veto such bill, | would no,
vote for him.
Mr.. CLAYTON. believe that the gentle.
man fiom Illinois as well as General Cass
twice voted for the river and harbor bill,
and against the veto on that bill. Does he
believe that such bill would meet with a
veto from President Cass?
Mr.. BREEsE. l do not suppose that it
would. And with all frankness, permit me
to say. that, as understand the PRINCIPLES
of the Democratic party, pal pable distinc-
ton has always been made between a gen.
eral system of internal improvements and
mere appropriations out Of the Treasury
for the improvement Of rivers and harbors.
Reasonable appropriations for the latter
purpose would no doubt receive the sane
ton of Gen. Cass and The democratic party.
But appropriations for vast and expen.
sive system Of internal improvements,
hope never will receive the sanction of
either.
Mr.. CLAYTON. We see, from these
vague answers, how difficult it is to ascer-
tain what Gen. Cass does or does not mean
about these times. know that he has vo-
ted in favor of every internal improvement
bill, and against every veto of them. Now,
have always heretofore looked 10 a mans
acts in order TO ascertain what he meant 10
do; and have hitherto regarded Gen. Cass
as high ultra internal improvement man.
have always believed that he could 60
further on that subject than ! could myself
and that there were some things besides
Mexico which found very difficult to take,
which he swallowed with great ease. 1t is
apparent that there are two Senators who
have very different views of Gen. Cass'
opinions upon the subject of internal i'm,
i provement. | am apprehensive that we
one part Of the Union, and differently in
another part. He was called upon by one
of his friends al Cleveland, mr. Woody
to state his opinions on this subject, but we
are informed that the noise and con-
fusion were SO grea, that he could MOI,
make any reply, although he was able TO
tell the audience very audibly, much abou,
his early history, and how he had risen
from comparative obscuri,y to become the
candidate of the great Democratic party.
l am very much afraid, Mr.. President, that
"the noise and confusion" will continue
throughout the campaign, and that we shall
never be able to ascertain the opinions OF
Gen. Cass upon this important subject
He has written letter approving Of the
whole Baltimore platform. Let me read
portion Of that platform which was not
expunged:
"Resolred, That the Constitution docs mol
confer upon the General Government the power
TO commence and carry on general system Of
internal improvement"
1t seems. then, from the light before US
that the Baltimore Convention held, the
Government could no, carry on "gener
al system of internal improvements" but
the honorable member from Illinois says /
, may carry on particular system, such al
t that indicated by the river and harbor bill
, which met Mr.. Folks veto. This was frs
reported by committee TO the Conven
S ton as "corrupting system and MIR
( Polk was, in that report, complimented TO
HI, ya,o imam n Rnt Mr. Case n nd w