The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-12
THE SOUTHERN PRESS.
MONDAY, March 10, 1851.
PERSONAL EXPLANATIONS.

this morning | have not often troubled In,
Senate in that way--never, indeed | believe
but ! must trespass on its indulgence at thi
time. Before doing so, will read an editoria
from the Republic" of this morning, heade,
General Cass ON the River and Harbor Bill !
GAS it is somewhat difficult to ascertain iron
the course Of Gen. Cass in the Senate whether o
not he is in favor of appropriations for the i'm
provement Of rivers and harbors, and as we desir
TO throw all the light we on the subject, WI
copy the following letter, addressed to the edito
Of the Allegan Record, which appears in the Yves
tern papers
:" WASHINGTON, January 25, 1851.
"MY DEAR sra l have just received your let
ter, and hasten to reply to it. l think the appro
priation bill for the improvement OF rivers and har
bors will pass; and if it does, the appropriation
for our friends, the Hollanders, will certainly sue
ceed there is no doubt of that. or course II vii
receive my vote and support heartily, my Chicag.
letter to tie contrary notwithstanding. | know o
no improvement more just and necessary, and you
may depend upon it that it will receive the entir,
support OF our delegation
''' am, dear sir, truly yours,
"'LEWIS CASS.
"'JonN r. KELLoG, ESQ.,
"This letter, be it remembered, was intended
for the West, and may, therefore, be presumed
TO come as near TO a declaration in favor Of the
1t might fairly enough be considered ms pledge
to support the bill and yet there is an ambiguity
about il which, after the exhibition of senatorial
lodging which the general has recently given us,
it is easy to believe was designed.
'iThe noise and confusion which prevented
General Cass from being heard at Cleveland the
circumstances which prevented him from at
tending the Chicago Convention, the religious
scruples which prevented him from voting at one
time, the constitutional scrupes which prevented
him from voting at another, and the strange lack
of perspcuity which characterizes all that he has
said or written in regard to internal improvements,
have placed the country in glorious state Of UNI
certainty to his opinions on this subject, from
which we hope that it will some day be relieved.
Mr. President, the late senator from Ohio,
[Mr. EWING, whom have in my eye at this
moment, is somewhat in the same situation as
myself He has almost sanctioned as classical
the word Solitude" and | have almost sane
toned as classical the words "noise and confn-
sion" Laughter. | received private letter
from respectable citizen of Michigan, inquiring
about certain Improvement in Black river, on
Lake Michigan; to which ] sat down at my
desk and wrote hasty answer, and which has
been published in the newspapers. So be it; |
have no objection to it. This paper quotes that
letter of mine to show my Inconsistency, in
which say that will vote for the Improvement
of Black river, notwithstanding my Chicago
letter. and these words are UNDERSIGNED, appa-
renty to call public attention especially to their
Importance rs though the writer did not know
it was but sportive allusion Of mine-a mere
joke. These words are UNDERSIGNED, and thus
sent out to the world, as though my Chicago
letter, which never said word on the subject
of internal Improvements, was declaration on
my part that | would never support a bill fol
the improvement Of rivers and harbors.
The writer of this article says that | was
pledged to support the bill which was before II;
few days ago Why, he knew very well that
the bill which came here was not in existence
when wrote this letter of January 25th. The
writer of that article knows, and every senator
knows perfectly well, that the bill we had be-
fore us was substituted for that in the House OF
Representatives on the very eve of its passage
within three or four days, ! believe, of the ac-
ton of the House. A half million of dollars,
including seven or eight objects, was added to
the amount originally proposed to be appro-
prated, and without one word from the depart
ment on that subject If | was pledged to sup
port the original bill, which | utterly deny, was
pledged to support this bill, which contained
many enormous appropriations, unknown in
their mode Of introduction, without saying any
thing of their principle? | suppose the writer
would contend that if it appropriated all the
revenues of the government, | would be like
wise pledged to support it. There was not the
slightest pledge on the subject What ! said in
this letter was that | would vote for the i'm
provement of Black river and that the delcga-
ton from Michigan would do the same. No
man with particle of candor and fairness can
doubt that that is the whole purport of the
letter.
Certainly ! believed a moderate bill would
have passed. hoped it would. Like my friend
from Illinois, Mr. DOUGLAS if kept within
reasonable bounds-if kept, as he says, within
the estimates of the departments--l should have
been willing to take it, unless there are objection
able items, which have not accurately examined
But $4,000 were added for old improvements,
and 100000 for new improvements-(I speak
from recollection, and therefore not accurately y
half million was also added for which the de-
partment never estmated--which they never
saw. Who is to be responsible for this The
Executive, knowing what the probable receipts
will be, can make estimates that we can afford
so much for fertilization, so much for this. so
much for that, &c. But if you 90 on doubling
and trebling these appropriations what security
have you that you will not throw the country in
debt So much for my pledges.
MI icoiotut, sthu tuc otutT Jay liial ~ WAS
hard to overtake falsehood. 1t travels faster
and further than its refutation Mr.. Jefferson
said it was better to live il down than write it
down. Perhaps it is. Here is the old charge,
that sheltered myself behind "noise and con-
fusion"---and, by-the-by, ! cannot use the words
without laughing. Notwithstanding my solemn
contradiction in my place Observation-Disclosures
ing the solemn contradiction of Governor Wood
who was the chairman, who put the question TO
me out of which this story arose--here promi-
nent administration paper comes out, and in the
face of these facts, repeats this old story, with
no other view in the world but to iniure me -
Here let me do justice to distinguished man
who is not in his seat to-day, and whose name
will go down with honor upon the page of his
tory, Mr. CLAY. After had concluded my
speech on this subject he came up to me and
said, with that spirit which belongs to him
"Well, you have cleared yourself from the
charge of inconsistency" Now, ask any SEN
ator on this floor if he believes ! ever sheltered
myself under the words "noise and confusion,
TO prevent giving my opinions at Cleveland, or
III he lucnuaiEtann, hof,x deslo-