The Middlebury galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1848-1850, 1848-02-08
CONGRESS-.
BIZ Telegraph to the Tribune.
WASHINGTON, Jan. %.


SENATE. Mr. Rush of Texas reported I
bill authorizing the President to increase tn
Naval establishment ofthe United States which
was referred to the Committee on Naval AT
fairs.
Mr. Westcott presented petition to Con
gress, in favor of purchasing the Mount Yer
non estate, which was laid on the table to a
wait its turn with other petitions for the sam'
object
MIR. Pearce. of Maryland, was opposed II
any bill authorize the purchase.
Mr.. Pearce, from the Liberty Commute, re
ported bill to authorize the purchase Of thu
Hamilton papers.
The House bill making further provision TO
the surviving widows and soldiers Of the Rev
olution, was read third time and passed.
The bill, to extend the Patent of Jethr'
Wood was taken up, amended and postpo
ned.
Mr.. Phelps of Vt said he had felt great re
luctance to speak. and the only apology he hat
to offer was, that he considered the subject al
most inexbaustible. He should conhne him
self to few additional remarks regarding thu
inadeauacy of Treasury Notes TO afford an!
substantial relief, and that issuing them, witt
the adoption of other similar expedients, woult
lead ultimately to direct taxation. He always
regarded the revenue in Mexico as chimeri
cal How could that country. with industry s
everything else deranged, and the people high
" exasperated, the enemy would succeed IL
starving our army. He considered that in
demnity by territory amounted to nothing, thai
the political jurisdiction of the MexicanS who
maintained only perpetual war would be still
worse. To hold the Mexicans States as SC
many provinces would result in certain annex
ation,t which he was utterly opposed, and pro-
ceeded to condemn in the strongest terms. If
said he, thirty new States are to be added from
that vast domain of country, it will be beyond
our power to hold the Union together. He
agreed with Mr.. johnson that if military glory
was indemnity we had had enough Of that al
ready. If military renown were the object, ii
surely should have been satisfied ere this, by
the wholesale butchery at which he reyol-
ted.
lie said that the real object was developing
itself, and that was, to conquer Mexico, and
whether permanently to holdit, supposed must
be left to farther decision.
Mr.. Cass said the object was to conquer a
peace
Mr.. Phelps replied, that if it were only to
conquer peace by conquering the country,
the President should have asked Congress and
the people, whether it was undertaken for con-
quest, before commencing it. Failing to do SO
was little short of treason. By pursuing the
conquest by his self-will, he said that the Pres
ident at this time was welding absolutely SOW
ereignty unauthorized as it was astonishing and
misunderstanding assumption Of power
must be resisted. The Presidents levying
,ol
try had advanced with unprecedented rapidity.
1t had passed through national youth, and was
rapidly passing through successive stages of
maturity, and would soon reach old age and
decay; but he hoped that the last would not
soon be realized. Show Mexico that we are
not disposed to destroy her nationality, or to
dismember the Confederacy of her States. Do
this, and he predicted that the war would soon
be terminated.
When he had concluded and taken his scat,
Mr.. Douglass of Illinois, signified his desire to
speak to the bill, which was informally passed
over, when the Senate went into Executive
Session, and after short time spent therein
the doors were opened, and the Senate adj
journed.
HOUSE. After the ordinary routine of bu-
siness had been gone through with, the House
went INTO committee OF the W hole Union,
IN reference to the Presidents annual mes
sage. Several members rose Immediately to
speak, when on motion the usual number of
the Presidents annual message, and accom-
panying documents were ordered to be prin-
ted
Mr.. McCeland of H., reported bill to es-
tablish a Government Armory at Fl Massac,
Ill. which was referred to the Military Com
mittee.
Various communications were received from
the Departments of no great interest
Mr. Duer, of n. Y. reported bill to alter
the terms of Courts for the District Conrts in
the Northern District of New York.
The judiciary Committee reported the Sen
ate bill to amend the act regul ating the exer-
else of appellate jurisdiction in the Supreme
Court Of the United States, which was consid-
cred amended and passed.
Mr. Slingerland Of n. Y. gave notice of a
bill providing for the removal of distractions
in the Hudson River, near Albany
Mr.. Hengley, of Ia. moved that the House
70 into Committee of the Whole Union on the
Presidents message, in which he refused to
the correspondence between the
Government and Mr.. Slidell, which was disa-
greed to.