The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1851-04-02
CONGRESSIONAL.
DErEaRED DEBATE.
MONDAY, MARCH 3, 1851.
In coSTINUATIoN.l ]


SENATE.
,# U9 RIVERS AND HARBoRs.
Mr. BELL. Mr. President, will moi say one word
upon this subject ii there is prospect OF coming TO
vos now OF u any senator in opposition desires to speak
10 the merits oi the bill desire come 10 decision
beg leave to that think the honorable senator from
Georgia lMr DAwsosl did represent the friends OF
.a.s s.n correctly and properly n stating that when i
priority was disregaTded in order TO take up; and that
the friends OF the bill declared their that
every olksr measure should fail unless this succeeded
beard no such announcement from any friend OF this
measure, upon this door or elsewhere. All they ever
aAke was, lhst there should be deliberate and fair ex,
precision okths opinion Of the Senate upon the bl Nor
was hee any disposition to preclude the offering, dis
cassaCr o and voting upon asnendents If il hnd been
their temper TO exercise such tyranny the body
they had moi the power do feel that would be do
ing justice to the members Of this body who favor the
passage Of this bill TO say that any Of them had any such
disposition II has been said that this bill made TO
overlay Other measures that had precedence What
measure was i that had precedence Of this bili Ga
Mr.. FOOTE. The civil and diplomatic bill.
Mr.. BELL, ask the Secretary to at what time
and at what time this bill reported, so that we may
know which had precedence. i want to know which
bill hadecedence according to the regular order OF the
business Of the Senate, down in the calendar
want the Secretary 10 report that and then want gentle
men 10 stand by their assertions. @ tAa
Sir, this bill and the proceedings of the majority in ia
Of have been denounced in every term that gentle
have been pleased to invent and employ, that may
characterize an improper motive and vicious measure.
wish 10 test il by facts, and if the enemies of the
measure can stand before the country in this course OF de-
nupcaion on the facts Of the case They have had
twentyiour hours to expose what they call the enorm-
ties OF this BILL and may say truly that all the friends
than two hours Of that time Some gen,lemen in oppo,-
ion have spoken three and four times, and not very
briefly either, several Of them indulgng free discussion
Of the general principles and merits OF the BILL and others
critical examination OF particular items. believe the
honorable senator from Georgia, [Mr. DAWSON, j who
speaks in tone though be acted upon higher, more
dsistersed and patriotic motives than other members
OF the body, has honored with his views upon the
subject twice or thrice. tie sometimes founded his sug
gesos and remarks upon the real facts OF the but
At Other times resored freely to his fancy and Imagination
to expose what he denomnated the enormties c0nbna
tions and coTruptng tendencies OF the easure-dwell
ing with emphasis upon the peculiar circumstances under
which II is brought forward. Gentlemen who have
spokentwo, three and four times upon the bill have been
the loudes in complaining that they have not had an
opportunity OF examining the bill Why, within the twen-
tyfourhours during which il has been discussed they
have had twenty-five hours 10 investigate the BILL not in
regard its general principles only, but in regard to par
tic ala and selected items and those which, in their opn
ion, they could make the most OF before the country
Of questionable proprety and not tit 10 be incorporated
the bill wish TO know which measure had priority
according e orders and rules OF the business and pro-
ceedngs Of this body. want 10 hear il reported from
the Chair at what time this introduced ,
and what particular of public character il has
been made TO oyerlay and exclude Let whether
we, who have been listening so patiently and voting so
consistently bring this TO the of na de-
cision, TO be justly subjected TO the denuncations
which have been heaped upon Can the Secretary re-
The PRESIDENT The Secretary will state
The Secretary, 1t appears from the minutes Of the
Senate that the river and harbor bill was reported on the
a M " BELL When was i, sent from the House and re-
ferred'
The Secretary On the 10Th OF February.
Mr. BELL When was the civil and diplomatic bill
rece from the House, and when reported from
the committee
The Secretary II appears from the signature OF the
Clerk OF the House OF Representatives that the bill
king appropriations for the civil and diplomatic expenses
of The government passed the House of Representatives
on the 25h OF February. II referred TO the Com
mitee Finance that day. and reported the 2sth
Mr.. BELL So the civil and diplomatic bill was re.
ported three days after the river and harbor bill
honorable senator from Massachusetts, fMr. DivIsI
who reported IT, that he would call il up Al the earliest
moment But for bis disposition not TO obsiruc other
important business he would have called i, up imme-
da,ey This bill had strictly precedence priority Of
the civil and diplomatic bill With what propriey, then,
be said ,ha, this has been forced upon the
Senate out oil ORDER and made 10 overay other measures
which were enttled TO be first taken upl
How can honorable senator's speak ol this as meas
ure which they have had time TO investigate and dis
The general principles OF this bill have been dis
cussed annually for twenty years in succession. be-
leye the disc commenced in 1924 that for al
most thirty years. in fact the general principles connect
ed with this BILL and their tendencies, have been familiar
10 every public in the United States. cannot speak
positively 10 all the items Of this BILL but most OF
Them are old acauanances TO the older members OF the
Senate They are familiar acquaintance of mine for the
last twenty. five years Nearly all of them have been
SURVEYED Appropriations have been heretofore made
most OF them, and the work partly executed. This is
the nature and history of the which IL de-
nounccd no, being sufficiently discussed and when
the enemies OF The bill have for twenty-five hours at this
late period oi the present session been permitted to dis
cuss lis general features, = well as lis details
Mr. CLEMENS. ! wish TO ask the senator from Ten
nessee he tell me where the harbor OF New Della
ware
Mr. BELL do not know that am sufficiently ac-
quanted with the geography OF every section TO designate
the particular locality 81 every object do not know
that there In appropriation for such harbor IN the
bill. do not think there is,
MIR. CLEMENS There is appropriation for the
harbor Of New Delaware, but my knowledge of geogra.
ply does not extend TO IT, A3
Mr. BELL There arc harbors provided for in the
bill. OF which the senator might inquire OF me the pre-
else location, and which may he unable 10 poin,
to enumerae by nameharbors on Lake Ontario, on Lake
Erie, on the lakes Of the northwest, with which am
not sufficiently familiar TO inform him OF the precise
locality, but know that nearly all of them have been
examined surveyed and reported upon by officers Of the
government and all OF them have been examined BY the
committee.
single anecdote may illustrate the wan, OF informa.
ton the part Of senators in section OF the country
with regard to the precise location OF many works other
quaerseven those admitted to be important An hon.
orabe friend Of mine from the Norhan excellent gen.
eman in every sense OF the word valuable member OF
this Senate and opponent OF this billinsis,cd that
Com nberland island was in 1he State OF Tennessee
Mr. CHASE will say that there il no appropra-
tion in the bill for the improvement NJ New Delaware
Of the harbor Of Newcastle Delaware and think every
body knows where that is.
Mr. BELL. That is a well known point
Mr.. EWING. IL was simply blunder on the part OF
the gentleman from Alabama
Mr. BELL. mean 10 say that most OF these objects
members OF the