The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-01-24


pie Whatever. havs no right 70 presume, how.
ever that other senators have not more ia(ormn.
ton than have had upon the subject.
Mr- HAMLiN. Mr.. President, d. not know
the dssien the ssnator from New Hampshire may
have had 10 offering this Amsndm mont, nor would !,
adoption, intsrposs i,c,ion 70 Il I, d;ree,.
the COMMITTEES on a lice 10 INQUIRE into he
practical effect Of the existing laws in relation 70
the slave trade To what good to what point
~ u not novel procedure that. any ssastor
should enlist the attention OF committee, to make
= demand upon lis time, for the purpose Of inSes-
tieatins the practical suit Of any lawi have
known no case Of the adoption Of resolution OF
similar import. Nor do | see any practical
result that would follow from report upon the
practical operations Of law. Theresoluiion, a.
y was originally introduced by the senator from
Kentucky, Mr.. Carl has point in i. We
have submitted 10 consideration the CORES
pondence that took place with. our minister in
Brazil, that has referred TO the Committee on
Commerce. There have been also memorials pre-
scented relating 10 the tame subjec and these two
classes Of papers present two distinct points for
their consideration. The desgn Of the original
resolution 10 also TO embrace what il contained in
these two classes Of papers; and il we are to con-
suma the time Of committee 10 investigating the
practical results Of law, hardly know where
we would commence, or where we would end, or
For these reasons, hope The senator from New
Hampshire win deem il advisable to withdraw the
amend ment, and let the original resolution be
submitted II will be time 10 discuss the pro-
priety Of what should or should not be done when
the report has been made.
Mr.. HALE. Thought the senator from Ken
lucky, Mr.. CLAY, had accepted the amendment.
Mr.. CLAY. II il depended upon myself, l
should accept il; but for ~ reasons given by the
gentleman over the way, who thinks it devolves
upon the committee an unnecessary duty, shall
with him vote against it.
Mr.. HALE called for the yeas and nays; which
were not ordered.
subject. confess am little surprised ut the
opposition to this inquiry. It seems to me that il
there is an inquiry upon earth we ought TO make,
this is the one We propose to go into the sub
ieet of our laws upon the slave trade. The reso-
luton looks to inquiry about some alteration or
modification Of these laws in regard to which we
are ca>d upon to iegislate Now. sir, i seems
TO me that the first inquiry that would suggest it.
seifto any reasonable mind would be, what is the
practical operation Of the laws as they now ure'
Are they cffecting the object proposed to be ef-
fected, or are they retarding it? Until we know
that, we do not know whether they require amend
nent or not, or whether the amendment proposed
will effectuaie what we aim at or not.
II seems TO me there is no possible object Of L.
inquiry. What is the existing state Of things ,
what IL the practical effect of existing legislation
upon the subject upon which an amendment is
commended Are the existing laws sufficient !
Do thsy remedy the evil Ifthey are insufficient,
in what particular nre they insufficient IL the
amendment proposed sautary 4 not sautary'
in what respect Is it the reverse Of thatf Now, sir,
am 70 be told that tie committee have not time J
What are the committee about What earthly OBJ
iect 10 there which ought to command the atten-
tiou of Congress and Of its committees, it this
shall not Il has been designated as the great
QUESTION Of the age. 1t is question upon which
we have foreign treaties. u is question upon
which we have legislated from the commence
meus Of the Government to the present time. II
il question which has engaged the attention of
the strongest heads and the best hearts the world
has ever seen. 1t lisa question which engages the
attention to-day Of more men than any possible
subject Of human legislation that can be brought
before this body. And shall we pass it over
Are we to neglect to inform ourselves about the
existing state Of things concerning this great OBJ
iect, because the committee have not time to in
qure into it Then, sir, let US put it off until we
have time. 1--we do not have time for ten years,
let US delay our legislation until we have time to
inform ourselves fully upon the existing state of
thiags upon which we propose to legisIate. Are
we to act in the dark lie the committee to make
report, and tell US they do not know what the
existing state Of things is that they do not know
what the laws elfectnate that they do not know
whether the provisions heretofore enacted for this
end have or have not entirely failed IL that the
state Of things upon which we are to legislate
npon this great question trust not can as
sure my friend from Maine, (Mr. HAmLIN,) and
everybody else, that this amendment is offer
ed in no factous spirit. 1t feems to me to be
fair and legitimate object ofinquiry, il there is to
be any inquiry at ali submitted by the Senate to
the committee. When the amendment was first
submitted heard general murmur-Let Il go.
The honorable mover himself consented. But II
seems that we have not time to make the inquiry
upon that upon which we are to legisate. IL we
have not time to make the inquiry, We have not
time to legisate at all. am utterly opposed to
any action until we take such measures as may be
necessary to advise us OF the state Of the case
that we may legisate, if there are existing evils
under the present laws, to provide remedies for
those evils.
Mr.. FOOTE. One remark, sir, merely TO give
my reasons for voting against this amendment.
/ have not scrutinized the amendment thoroughly;
and when first heard it, thought it had certain
slight hearings at least, and ought TO be scruti-
nized before any favorable action accorded To
it. am still more satisfied of it, after the speech
the senator has Just offered. think the amend
ment will renew agitation; and as am opposed
to agitation, ! shall vote against it.
The question beirg taken upon the amendment,
il was rejected.
The question then required upon the resolution,
and, being taken by yeas and nays, resulted
yeas As, nays Gas follows:
YEAs-Messrs Atchison, Badger, Baldwin,
Bell, Berrien, Bradbury, Cass, Chase. Clarke,
Clay, Davis of Massachusetts,, Dawson, Dayton,
Dickinson, Dodge Of Wisconsin, Dodge of Iowa,
Douglas, Downs, Ewing, Felch, Foote, Greene,
Gwin, Hamlin, Houston, Hunter, Jones, King,
Mangum, Miller, Morton, Norris, Pearce, Pratt,
Rusk, Seward, Shields, Smith, Spruance, Under
wood, Upham, Wales, Walker, Whitcomb, and
Winthrop--45
NAys--Messrs. Benton, Borland, Butler, Davis
Of Mississippi, Hale, Rhett, Soule, Turney, and
Yulee-9.
So the resolution was agreed to.
ADDRESS