The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-03-05
NEWS M THE MAILS.

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oar WasAingssa CsvrsspssAssss.
The Last Day Of tie Ssssso~- Tx RipU ssS Har'
kU Bu-1srrlAs Fgh o. tAat Qs<sfio~-
WASHINGTON, March 3, 1851.
The most intense anxiety has prevailed in this
capital since the meeting OF the Senate this mora
ing. But the moment Mr.. Clay moved to take up
the River and Harbor bill, TO the precedence Of all
otAer balls and when that motion succeeded by q
vote Of 80 to "a, il was quite manifest that there
wss trouble behind.
The important issue depending was, whether
6eu Csss, Judge Douglas, and other democratic
sspirants for the Presidency shall. or shall not, be
compelled to fiat footed, direct vote on the River
and Harbor, bill or not--that is TO say. whether
sAey shall 60 before the country expressly com
mitted in favor OF, opposed TO the system o. IN
Hsxb0r bill.
Il wss also manifest, from thai moment, that
rAere was to be an awful tight upon the bill. Bat
for the pious oh ecti0ns OF Gen. Cas- TO egisiang
On the Sabbath, the bill might have been passed
before the adjournment. q -! Saturday : sitting
we find Gen. Cass and Judge Douglas supporting
or connvipg at all amendments calculated TO de-
feat the bill, though opposing by their votes any
direct motion 10 xiii II, thus evading the direct
sponsbility by sticking fast to the friends OF the
ALI this sort Of thing is easily accounted for IL
Messn. Csss and Douglas, by their woes, defeat
The River and Haroor bill, they are Land out in the
West, cold and suh Buff IT should pass, by their
votes, the nationality OF their democracy is conf
plctely fiabbergastea IN the South. But they can
be eaved In both sections by side blow-by stav-
ing off the bill--by sending II back TO the House
with amendments; and this 10 the struggle with
Tho minority-ts stave OFT a direct vote upon the
ball
The democrats of the South, par srcsLlesee, are
consuutonaliy and honestly opposed TO this ON
nlbus bill of Internal improvements. They believe
ihe system TO be repugIant TO the constitution,
corrupt, and calculated 10 lead to ruinous corrup
hons and extravaganza. And they are more than
halt right. The Strength of this very bill depends
upon The log rolling combinations Of different local
Jobs; but tits sireng wnIchis dtfculto be broken
up, IL John Smrhs constituents lose an item OF
tea fifteen, or twenty thousand dollars by his vote,
IL will probably be the death of him. And this is
tE great rawhead and bloodybones to Cass and
Douglas in the West
From the moment the bill was taken up, amend
ments, motions 10 postpone, to take a recess, TO lay
the bill on The table, interlarded with time-con-
sumiog speeches, points OF order, followed each
other without stunt, for several hours, until an
amendment suggested by General Cass came
within an ace OF swapping the whole concern.
The amendment proposed 10 suspend the appro-
pristions for rivers and harbors until it is ascer-
atned that there ID surplus IN the Treasury
after the regular appropriations shall be sans-
med; which was Just equivalent to proposition
70 postpone the bill till the first day Of July,
lo52 We must do General Cass the justice TO
say, that when this amendment was charged
upon him he adopted it like man; but had the
bill fallen upon this motion, what would have be-
come OF the General IN the Northwest. One vote
more and the bill would have been swamped upon
rhis proposition of General Cas-. The hot snot
between Messrs Ewing and Cass, on this point,
were particularly hot.
All the day long, till sunset, there sat Harry
Clay. Some refreshments were brought to him
during the afternoon; but at nine o'clock In the
evening there he Sal, as fresh as ever. And il was
remarkable that, notwlthstaR AIDING the speech OF
General Cass against the bill, he voted with Mr.
Clay against every motion TO lay it on the table.
This is realizing a sense Of nding, al the same
time, on both sides OF the sapling.
b. AT five O'Clock in The evening there was some
gimme mig OF daylight, and good deal Of chuck
Ting on the wing side OF the House chamber; but,
unfortunately, al that juncrure, Mr. Soue offered
IN amendment from the mouths OF the Mississippi,
and passed up to the secretary long engineers
report 70 be read on the subject. This was in-
t0leubie. question OF order was raised The
h0stlts were exasperaied. Harry Clay sounded
the trumpet 70 the charge. The battle was re-
newed; go that motion OF Mr.. Pearce, Tin behalf
OF the administration, against the expenses Of an
extra session } TO lay the til on the table was re.
lecied with scorn. Mr.. Pearce appealed; but il
was of no use. The bill was not laid upon the
table.
The scheme Of amen1ments was resumed, Mr.
Foo,e, es he had been all day, making himself par
culariy active in repeated protestant ons and lrn-
ings- lie was followed up by Mr.. Clemens who
OCCupfd an nOur and hAf IN rca1inQ from old
Congressional documents and executive mesa ges,
when, being exhausted, be gave way by offering
an anne ndmeni 10 strike out the Ark ansas river,
which, OF course, was rejected This brought
down the time 10 eleven o'clock
Another Interesting quarrel ensued upon the re-
sponsibllity Of defeating the appropriations;
Mesers Underwood and Seward coming up to the
heIp Of Mr. Clay in very clever style The squabble
continued TIL pasi twelve o'clock, when the great
-onstitu uonal question was raised, as 10 the time
at which this Congress expired, whether at twelve
O'Clock at night the third Of March, al twelve
o'clock ia the middle u the day of the fourth OF
March. The Kilkenny Cat fight on this question I
till one o'clock, when Il was formally resolved, |
after the most terrible wrangling, that the seseioa
did not expire TIL March 4, attwelye o'clock 10 the
middle OF the day. Bat il was too much for
Gen. Cass He believed the session was out.
He could not consciennously remain any longer,
and so he took up his hat and decsmped. Was
not that little the slickest way OF escaping the
final vote, II the bill should come 10 a head To
be sure; but the General il consistent with what
he has done heretofors, on another third of March,
though we believe that at that time branch OF
the negro question was on the carpet.
The sebate on the responsibility of an extra ses-
SION was resumed and kept up I'll four o'clock, A.
M when a compromise was effected, and the bill
wss Lard aside till eight o'clock, and made the
special order, in order to 60 TO the appropriations.
Mr. Clay had gone off 10 sleep little. This, we
suppose, 10 the end Of the bill.