New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-03-04
The Last Sands of the XXXEst Congress
Rivers and Harbcrs, sc.

Rivers and EHarbors, sc.
Editorial Correspondence.
WASHINGTON March ?, 1851
Yesterdays struggle in the Senate was
one of the most interesting of the Session.
For ten long hours, the mass of the Opposi-
ton Senators, aided by two or three intensely
National" d" Union Wings from GeOr-
gia and Florida, fought the River and Har-
Dor bill with arecklessness rarely witnessed
in a legislative body. 1t was perfectly
we'll understood that the bill would pass if
the Senate could be brought to vote upon
it; consequently its enemies determined
that it should be killed by amendments or
talked to death. They knew that several
Senators, (Gen. Cass among them,) who
must vote for the bill on its passage, would
vote for amendments calculated to kill it
amendments of which the sole object was
its destruction. This proved to be the fact.
An amendment limiting the expenditure of
the money appropriated to the improvement
of the Tennessee River to the lower por-
ton of that River was in this manner fasten-
ed to the bill in Committee by twenty-sev-
en- to twenty-three-Cass, Douglass Il Co.
voting for it. Unless this amendment shall
be disagreed to when the bill comes out OF
Committee, fear the bill will be defeated,
as it must go back to the House for con-
currence, and the Tennessee resolution will
ALLEVIATE some friends of the original bill.
listened to a good share of this long
debate and some part of it was hard to
bear. For instance, Hon. Hop. Turney,
talking against time, by the hour together,
complained that no time t0as aLLOtOed for
discussing the bill! He offered, if the bill
were allowed to go over, to debsteit amonth
at the next Session-an offer which ought
to have passed the bill forthwith. He
also complained that the bill was sprung
upon Congress so late in the SesslOn-knOw-
ing perfectly we'll that its friends have
pressed it steadily and earnestly from the
first, and that it has been thrown over to
the heel of the Session, by just such enc
mics as he is, and just such devices as his
speech. And the day was given up to just
such speeches as his, intersPersed with mo-
tions to adjourn, to lay on the table, post
pone, &c, &c, &c.
The friends of the bill stood up to the
work nobly. Honest JOHN DAVIS an
swered all cavils ably, lucidly, cogently
he only erred in treating them with too
much respect, considering their object.
Mr., CLAY spoke more briefly, but with
commanding power. He went straight to
the mark at the outset, exposing the game
Of caviling shutting and delays by which
its enemies sought to defeat it. Mr.. Ew-
ING made one of his very best fifteen
minute speeches; and yet thought those
friends of the bill, who sat still in their
seats, only responding 'Ay' or No as
their names were called, gave the bill the
most effective support. AS the Senate has
no Previous Question and no means of
stopping a debate in Committee, | do not
see what they could have done that they
did not. But that Tennessee amendment
must be rejected ON coming out Of Commit
tee OF the bill is in great danger of being
lost on going back to the House.
The House concurred with the Sc
mates (Rusk's) substitute for the Cheap
Postage bill, with an amendment in favor
of Magazines and other Periodicals not
Newspapers. 1t was done in moment
after passing the Naval Appropriation BILL
and presume the Senate will concur with
equal. promPtness; so that the bill will be
a law to- morrow nj ght.
The Mail Steamships and California Dry
Dock were knocked every way in the
House. The necessity for Retrenchment
is obvious and potential. l trust the next
Congress will take hold Of the Army and
NAVY with a determined purpose to re-
trench their cost materially. Yours, H. G..