The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1849-01-25

country, city presses and ALL if they mean to assert the
rights OF the people well Their rights TO put
members OF Congress upon the alert and to make them
rerench The external expense, in order to enable us 10
curial the internal expense. Ii they want Tree olrcu
lauDn, they must take hold of the subject Two thou
sand newspapers, lifting up the voices OF 100000 OF
men IN this country, will make themselves heard II mo-,
so soon as these polished gentlemen behind our bar,
still they Will make themselves heard, for there rs 10
every day hereafter; and member OF Congress who
Will vote against tins proposition now sustain, and then
vote TO Keep up these contracts that member, whoever
he may be, has 10 the great tribunal OF that
day OF reckoning You vote to keep this upon the
intelligence OF the community, and upon the priv-
ilege OF reading, and then you vote 10 sluander our
taxes in the distant margin OF the world, to carry lew
letters for few OF the weathlest OF our ciuzens-he
great moneyed men OF New lork-,he men who can
pay and who, before this system OF obbng entered
nio did pay and paid without grumbng, Tor the trans
mission of their letters
Il is but just TO the merchants, then, TO say that, as
body, never heard that they ever complained OF having
TO pay the postage OF their letters the Atlantic any
more than of having 10 pay for the transportation OF their
merchandise. This not thing got up for the bene-
tit OF the merchants OF New York. They would have
scorned the baseness OF asking any such boon OF the
government OF the United States 1t for the benefit
OF the lobbers II was ouad that il for their inter-
est to connect the Navy and Post Office establishments.
The government wanted excuse, for their sakes, to
augment the navy, to provide cribs and cradles Tor
the new born nobility. The obbers wantel 10 connect
the mail system with the defensive system, in order to
get enormous Jobs, and to make fortunes. This is the
great corpDg feature OF the British govenmentand il
is this which renders ii by far the most corrupt govern
ment IN the wogld-hat the arisocracy, who WELD the
political power OF that government, always have III
teres concen with that OF the stock obbes and these
interests are therefore always united
Well, sir The trick was found out in New York.
They knew full well that il woa aid not to ask MIR Mason
to recommend that the navy should be increased because
navy has already increased IN expense during the
last fourteen years. from four millions per to nine
millions; and that, too, without firing single gun, ex-
ceptng at the only place in the world where there
occasion to fire one and that was at Vera Cruz We
had doubled our expenses on the navy and they knew Il
would not do 10 ask for still further increase 1t would
require too much brass-too much hadlhOod of feature
to come here and that the government ought TO
augment the navy They applied first to the Postmaster
General, and the result that general law was
passed. He made contract under It, and there stop
ped That the Bremen contract. His idea to hold
some little communications with the popuous countries
OF the Old World from which many of our citizens de-
rive their origin. Having established one line under
this law he said " Now | am done"
Congress at the next session repealed the act But,
it was like the original sin. The first fall had left IFS
buse and the brnise spread although Congress repealed
the act and by the repeal of that act denounced the whole
SYSTEM and showed their determination TO put an end
to it. argued against this system when 1t was started
succeeded in exciting some little attention to it, and The
next Congress repealed the law and cut oil the power TO
prevent its growing into system. There one shoot,
but they intended it should have no branches.
But what slgnifed the intention OF Congress Nothing
whatever. The Postmaster General threw himself into
opposition to it They got the JOB from the Post Office
Department, in fact Taey simply changed the venue.
They went to the Navy Department, and made the Secre
ary OF the Navy believe that the Post Office Department
and the Navy Department might be united upon the Eng
sh plan. They wanted foundation for nobility here.
We had great many gentlemen who wished to live
without labor and they thought it would be the most
convenient thing in the world If We could only Gre
ate partnership between the government and the
stockholders They went, therefore, 10 the Secre-
tary of the Navy, and made a contract with him
for carrying the nails leaving the POSTMASTER ter G ,s
course the shoot which was TO be stayed where was
sprouted up system in another place, connected itself
with the pubic service and made The nation believe tha
their salvation depended upon the agency CT few stock
obbers of New York Before that, the people believed
thai the navy the great arm OF the public defence
that our capacity to pay taxes was equal to our need o
taxes but ali at once new system was introduced.
They thought that vessels which had been worn out IN
carrying wheat and corn, and -four could be converted
into steam vessels, and would be very useful some
twenty five thirty years hence, when 1t might be
convenient to stretch out our arm over Canada: IN such
event it anticipated that these vessels would be
of great use For the sake OF that distant and doubtful
contingency 10 go 10 expense OF 81 1884 900 pei
annun to keep up these steamers; to let them rot o
| the privilege OF rotten seamers to do that which we
the wo Seween
different ports OF the United States is expressly forbidden
by the constitution. But what is the constitution, sir
when job is 10 be done' 1t will do as barrier &c
but il is barrier when it isa matter of comfy and o
gentGy between the government aud the gentlemen be
bend the bar. No constitution then stands in the way
A, some time or other, sir, this will be changed.
| But | had no iiea sir, that | had been speaking s.
long have yet something to say, but will not SPEAK
! further upon The subject at this time.
! Mr.. DAYTON. VIII the senator 1--WE way 10 mo
| ton to aiioun?
| Mr. ALLEN. No, sir; have cold; and will re-
serve what further have TO say for some one OF 'hes'
Jobs that are behind.
Mr. NILES | have listened to the remarks Of tn:
gentleman from Ohio with great interest viii not, a
this late hour review the whole of the genemans ar
gumen,s They have been very much TO the point Sc
much so as 10 remind me of a story have read OF ;
lawyer that in the habit of making very long argu
mens, who, certain OCCASION was told by the Judge
that time precious and that necessary for hin
to make his remarks brief possible The lawyer &C
cordngly commenced somewhat in the following man
ner: MAY il please your honor before the foundation
of the world there was chaos. | propose, in ordN tC
illustrate this case trace down events from that time
to The present"
Now my friend did not go quite as far down az that
but he went back to the days OF Greece and Rome lie
Stated on the platform of the constitution, and adducet
arguments upon that platform which all our nsu
lions rest in favor of the circulation of newspapers with
in thirty miles free OF postage ll.augher.l Wen, SIT
believe his arguments have been pretty strong and pretty
correct, and probably carry conviction to the minds Of
many senators. ,
! am somewhat surprised that my friend should object
to these lines of steamers Why, sir, can demonstrate
think that of all the in the Senate he is pre- emf
nentIy responsible for this whole station 1t has al
originated from his views spoken IN this body why
sir the carrying of the mail by these lines Is TO be at
trbued to the supposed to be necessary augmentation OF
the naval force OF the United States Now, SIT, who has
done most to get up this spirit of war in the Senate
Who has done most to inspire The Senate and the coun
try with the glorious ambition of humbng the pride
| of England upon her element? why, SIR, u
was but veal or two ago that the honorable senator
made speech here OF two days lengh-and great
speech wasupon the Oregon resolution, TO prove that
we could crush England easily as my friend could
| crush Gan Ton, 1humh We'll the gentleman undOubt.