The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-02-24
THIRTY-FIRST CONGRESS.
SATURDAY, FEBRuARy %, 1851.
SENATE

SECOND SESSION.

The Hon. ROBERT RAsTouL, jr. Senator elect
from the State of Massachusetts,, to fill the vacancy
Webster, and which was temporarily hlled by the
appointment Of the Hon. h. c. Winthrop, appear
ed, qualified, and took his seat.
THE APPROPRIATIONS BILLS.
The CHAIR stated that the first business in order
was the motion of the Senator from Kentucky to
refer the Presidents message TO the Committee on
the Judiciary.
Mr. RUSK moved that the subject be postponed
till Monday
MIR. CLAY hoped the subject would not be post
poned he knew of no public business more impor-
tant than the maintenance OF the laws.
MIR. HUNTER said there were several bills on
the table from the House, among them two Of the
general appropriation bills. II would expedite the
public business very much if the Senator from
Kentucky would allow this question TO be postpon
ed and these bills referred to the committees. The
subject could be then resumed.
MIR. RUSk said there were several bills, amongst
them the post office bill, nearly ready for final
ton; and if this business could be postponed till
Monday these bills could be acted on and then this
subject could be taken up and disposed of. He was
aware of the Importance of this subject, and was
interested in the discussion. He thought it a
profitable discussion; but, while the subject would
not be prejudiced by the brief posponement, other
important waters could be disposed Of.
MIR. CLAY had no objection to a temporary post
ponement of the matter to take up and refer the
bills the table, if such could be done with gene
raj consent.
Mr. RUsK withdrew his motion TO postpone.
The CHAIR stated the question was on referring
certain bills from the House
Mr.. SEWARD desired to present some petitions.
The CHAIR said it was not in order. The ques-
ton before the Senate had by unanimous consent
been passed to allow these bills to be referred.
Mr.. SEWARD then objected to taking up the
bills
Mr. RUSK again made his motion to postpone.
He desired action on the Postage bill.
MIR. HUNTER hoped the subject would be post
poned till Monday, to enable business to be trans
acted.
MIR, CLAY could not consent to postponement.
He knew subject more important than that in
volved in the message. 1t was question whe-
ther the laws or are not to be enforced.
Mr. RUSK said if this subject could be disposed OF
to- day, he would not press a postponement, for he
supposed there would then be no objection to take
up the Postage bill on Monday and dispose of it.
Mr.. SEWARD said his objection was to expedite
the action of the Senate on the public business,
amongst others the postage bill. But, as the Sena-
tor from Texas acquiesced in the postponement OF
that bill, he would not further object to taking up
the bills on the Speakers table.
The bill from the House making appropriations
for the current and contingent expenses Of the In
dian department, and
The bill making appropriations for the payment
of naval pensions, and various private bills, were
taken up and referred.
The bill granting land to Missouri, to aid in the
construction of railroad from st. Louis to the
western limits of the State, was passed.
Mr.. HUNTER, from the Committee on Finance
reported back the bill making appropriations for
the payment Of Revolutionary and other pensions,
for the year ending June 80, 1852, and it was
passed.
Also, the bill making appropriations for the sup
port of the Military Academy at West Point, for
the same year, with an amendment appropriating
S 900 for riding hall; which amendment was
agreed TO-, and the bill was then passed
RESISTANCE TO THE LAW IN BOSTON.
The Senate resumed the consideration of the mo-
ton to refer the Presidents message relative to
the late resistance to law in Boston, to the Commit
tee on the Judiciary
Mr.. DOWNS resumed the remarks commenced
by him yesterday. He maintained that the
Fugitive Slave law had been executed and had
been carried out in as efIcctual manner as the
most sanguinc Of its supporters had anticipated
He enumerated the several instances and cases in
Indiana, New York, Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania,
and Michigan, in which the law had been execu-
ted and the fugitives reclaimed. These cases, he
argued, evidence that the law could be car
ried into execution. Wherever it had been at
tempted, with the exception Of Boston, it had been
successfully executed.
He defended the Compromise Of the last session
Of which this law WINS most important feature
which had been pronounced rs having failed alto.
gether in its objects. He considered it had been
eminently successful He alluded to the state of
feeling existing at the North before the passage OF
the Compromise acts, and said that since then a
great change in popular sentiment had taken place.
At the last session resolutions in favor of the Will
mot proviso and kindred measures wero present
ed by every northern State except one; at this
sion such resolutions were presented. Illinois,
Indiana, and Wisconsin, had reversed their legisa-
ton, and the two former had openly declared their
appreciation of the Compromise Pennsylvania also
had undergone change and resolutions in favor Of
the Compromise were now pending before her Leg
isaure, and it evident that the people of that
State determined to stand by and carry out
that Compromise. Indiana had elected to the SEN
ate one OF the bodest advocates of the Compromise
In New York the counter feeling had gone SO far
hat ott ,ph had ,,i, -,
the Legislature, they cannot elect any man to the
Senate who ia adverse to the execution of the laws
The Senator from South Carolina said something
omnous to the South, in the fact that the President
applied to Congress to enable him to employ mil
itary force in the execution of the laws He saw
nothing ominous in it. He thought it, on the con-
trary, an omen OF good, an omen of that great and
beneficial change in the sentiment OF the northern
people. towards the South. The President and his
chief Cabinet officer both from the North, and
they evidenced by this action their high and patr-
otto intention to execute this law and to execute it
among their own people, even If it required the
power of the army and navy to effect it.
IL the Senator from Virginia thought this law
was dead letter, would the Senator give up the
law? would he vote for bill to repeal this law
which he said had produced no fruits? The Sena-
tor would do no such thing
MIR. CLEMENS was not one of those who had
voted for the Compromise acts of the last session
but he was one Of those who were disposed to give
those acts a fair trial before condemning them.
There was but one of those acts capable Of repeal
and that one the one now before them II he
believed this law, the Fugitive Slave law, dead
letter on tue statute book, he would say that the
time for the dissolution Of the Union had arrived.
The people of Alabama had no particular imme-
diate interest in this law for they did not lose more
than one negro in five years; but they had an in
terest in the execution of the Constitution. They
well know that ii one provision Of the Constitution
could be disregarded and set aside, that another
and other provisions could be treated likewise, and
that there would be no safety or dependence to be
placed in the Constitution. He did not regard this
law as dead letter. He considered that it had
been carried into execution.
II had been executed in Ohio, in Indiana in New
York, and in Pennsylvani in the latter State it
had been. the Senator from New Hampshire said,
ver-executed by sending freeman into slavery.
In this the Senator was in error First, the man
was not sent into slavery for he returned and,
in the next place, he was not free man. The
mistake in the was, that he was cent to the
wrong master, for he WAS actually slave Such
a mistake was apt to occur, and the Senator from
New Hampshire should be charitable to the mis-
takes of others. There tale abroad that q
negro once called on distinguished statesman Of