Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1848-03-11
SPEECH OF Mr. thompson OF IL.
Delivered ia "a F'.,, ~ Representatives.
M.rch IND.

in re Chair J auj having under -on.ids r 10
:Ie DILL 10 pm'ii- for jelciene,es in the ep-
propria ions Ter the cu. eat fiscal yesr.-
ME. TH1NrspS, OF la iaa4. sid that no.
thing wss .urjher from his " ,sh or design
than to max a 5, a.h %peltIng the co isiis-
ration Of this bill; nor sioulI he now h. now
d. 50. were Il not rendered necessary by what
was said on vester lay b. the gentleman trom
Maryland. (Mf. McLane) That gentleman.
remarks had 50 direct a reference TO him Mr.
T. that il he passed them By without notice
it nigh, be supp ,Sed that he intended to treat
hin uncourieousiy. Nothing WAS further
from his wish.
The sen,le,nan from Md. (Mr McLane) See
medic think that he (Nlr T. } was his risal on
this hoor; he understood him TO say thai il
bad been 81 asserted ia the Baltimore dis.
trict. He claimed neither to be the rival Of
the genllemin iron Mar, land, nor of any o.
ther memoU 81 THIS house, nor to be The es-
pecisl defender OF the truth OF history. He
protested only TO be d pain nin the repre-
sentative OF a plain people, VI whom he was
proud, and no had codlided TO his hands a
trust which he should endeavor TO PERFORM
truly and faithfully. They had charged hiln
with . participation IN the duties OF This
House. aud he could assure the gentleman
tat, without reference 10 the superinrity of
any one member here over another, he should
discharge those duties with a lust aud iull
sense oi ali his responsibilities. He came here
not to enter the llcld Vi glaiia,urial combat
with the gentleman from Maryland, nor aav
other meImDer OF the Hp1s-, nor to shrink
from the task OF defending his position or
the interest Of those who sent him, Or To de-
frud the truth OF history, whenever. in his
own Jutgm ut, II became necessary aud pro-
per. The people OF hs district knew tall
well, before he came, OF The desire on his part
10 ~exercis-, SO Tar a. hrcould, every degree of
iastrumentalI'y 10 bring the Government back
to The true pnhcip.rs ul G. { Constitution. and
terminate successfully, speedily andhoaorably
the present unnecessary war, into which the
country had oreH unconslI utlonallv plunged
b. an smoitiJus aud im5ecile Executive.
These duties he trusted he should perfor a Ia
a manner becoinl ( TO himself as an individ-
ual aad rs d member oi ihls House.
The gentleman from Mlryiaa I'd (Mr McLans)
had also toll the committee that he (Mr +.
was in the Baltimore district supposed to be
his nval. not only IN those things which were
understood TO be essential 10 a public debster
but was als1 his nvai IN personal beauty,
With the most modest aud b. coming pretcu-
sions 10 pefs nal confines. he would say to
The & 'ntl.mal that IN that too his positl n vas
wholly inlsVuncclycd. For MS own part. he
could not Imagine now by possibility the
personal appearance either OF the een}it man
or h,msr,t c'Iif aave any collation. to p bic
qaestions yeniiaS I-tAf- ne House, uules,it
Was that Ia the district tue gentleman r.nre-
sented the prfsoHa Appearance OF a member
OF Congress Was devmed 70 De Of the Greatest
importance. Il suaa'u the fact, h. now
he now irau.iva aud wilt ,,ty yielded the palm
10 The sentiem -, ana il hereafter a doubt
mould auy "here ekist whether the gentle
man VI hIhiseil was tne htus1mest maa, ne
desired LIE Ii1s.toI slOL' * forever st,ltrd
that the gea.!eGldA .t.u Nlarylali W., WIN
out disputs the h-as,aest man in the pre-
sent Congress. tL1ng1ter
Mr. T. sail he .onld nlN proceed briefly 10
notice what the g-atlea-a from Maryland
called the Issue OF tne lac, D tween them. lie
trusted that the gentleman did not reg tri az
= question OF v%eracity, Tor, as ne un lerslood
II, 1t was SIMPLY one oil construction, iavol-
Wing merely the Interpretation OF d certain
Language. Ia the meaning to b. attached 10
this lsnguaSe the gentleman sni him sell had
differed, and that difference had led TO his
debate. lie thousat that before he should
close be should b. able TO convince tn clm-
miitee, and perhdns the gentleman himself,
That AL the material paris OF his speech, 10
which the gentleman had on Yesterday at
tempted d reply, 50 Tar fro II being weakened
by that reply had been fortified aud slreng-
thened; and he thought that he should be able
TO show that the gentleman had in fact re-
piled 10 his own speech, heretofore made, aud
had refuted some OF the main positions he had
taken.
What was the original poiut of controversy
TO which the gentlemen returned on yesler-
dayf In asPeech 10 Which his { Nj is
former one was d reply, ii had been asserted
that II was communicated TO Congress ia Dec.
lS45, that Gen. Taylor had been "assignei to
the defence ut the country west OF tae Rio
Grande.' lie had said and he should now
repesti II, although not necessary 10 ms pre-
seat design, that nn sIca c1mmuaics tlon mad
been male 10 Congress. lie thea sho wed by
reterence 10 the Presidents message OF Decem-
Der. lS45, that the President did not coHmu-
nic.te it; that he merely informed Congress
that General Taylor had been ordered 10 take
p 'sitioa between the Nrlces aud ih- Rio
Grande. AMI that eterybJdy knew at thdttime
that The p llnt uccdpie Oy him was Corpus
ChTist. No"hcre waa II said by The Prsl-
dent that Gel, letlpr had been order u 20 he
Mo orsni~, or 10 miiltalu It as the baundiry
oil Texas hul. that tue lmIulsrrdliou might
have the Tall osntIl of tne adni.siD ~. II il
were.in iact, al aini,s4pn al all, h. had iut.
ther stated tndl the Srcr. tdry ui wa. la mn
c'mfuunichi tOn 10 C'u-r-ss IN December.
1910. dit ar"w that has al mate putp ,se uas
The defence Of The tefnlor, Of the RI Gnnie
and The nalltsnsncriot thlt river as the bonn
Diary OF Texas. liz dit not thea pretend to
quote tbs words ol ,he S.cretar, OF Wa: he
merely undertook to state The ) distance . his
Tephtupon That pariculir point, ami 10 show
that even tIil evcu the secretary had inform
ei Cjagrrss OF a. sIch idct as that General
Taylor had al thitun- b.rn assigned 10 lie
10 ne d .irnee OF The Country west to Ih- Rio
ufanie.. The gentleman from Maryland,
vi AcL'h) dil, however, insist that he Mr.
IL Wa guilty nl both The SIN OF omission
ani oil e1n q ssl1n Ia mist ling som portion
Oh Tue history oi these events. aud in ldilinx
10 slAse "ihr PORTIONS pi IL aud. ia orI.rt 20
MAKE sood hl' 'h.t,e, ne had found u n-c4s.
sary 10 assert that tr- Secretary of W. ia
not report to Congtes,, a. he (at 7 IA
at'nitied winch admission h- hsi ma3- yi,h
the sole view, that h. should ds no iniu.ti.e, "a
the administration. Now it was moi inoor-
tant 10 his (dr 81 ougtnal atgunept M,
was II now important to him, uheth.f An.
Secretary 81 reported or not; tor il he dfi M,
30 report. and the President did not 30 feno,,
Thea Coasrrss was not informed, as Inc gen.
Lelnsn hAd ssscftcd, that Gen Taylor h,I -,
'assigned 10 The d 'lente OF The Rio Grsnd. ("
Does not the gentleman see, therefore. IN,
bis sgument o. yesterday lisa complete relu-
.ffa. II 81. ...a. IN k.-..s.