Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-01-31
CONGRESS.
SATURDAY, JANUARY "a, 1857
The SENATE did not SIT to-day.
HOUSE, OF REPRESENTATIVES,.


HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
ON motion Of Mr. HOUSTON, the House went into Com
nittee Of the Whole the state of the Union Mr. JONES,
Tennessee the chair and resumed the consideration
of the bill to provide for carrying into effect In further
part the twelfth article Oh the treaty eohciuueu ~
lupe Hidalgo
viz the amendment of Mr. JOHNSON Of Tennessee to add
to the bin proyiso that the nstament be paid over to
the proper authorities Of Mexico by the Secretary OF the
under the supervision Of the President of the
United States and that of Mr. MARSHALL, of California,
to strike out all of Mr. JoHNsoSs amendment and add in
lieu thereof provso directing the President to cause the
payment to made at such time and in such manner
may be most acceptable to the Government of Mexico
Mr. MEADE being entitled to the hoor said that the
question was upon the adoption of the amendments and he
concurred their propriey though he should prefer to
have them modified Heretofore the usual practice OF the
House had been to make simple appropriations leaving
it to the discretion of the Executive to discharge It's duty
in making the payment and disbursing the money and
this course was one which to this body
not only by the practice Of the House, but also by that
which had always existed between the House and
the Executive Of the United States whether they were OF
the political party or not A departure from the
rule in this instance required that some reasons should be
given for such and he would assign 10 the House
the why he should vote for the amendment pend
ing or something similar to it. He held that nations like
individuals bound by every principle of phanhro
by and morality confer benefit upon another nation
when it could do without injury to ITSELF and man
who would act upon different principle deserved to be
expelled from society by race with the brand Of Cain
upon his forehead At the time the payment Of the last
nstament became due there different proposals made
to the Government for its payment Barring Brothers
and their associates party and the Mexican Go
vernment by its agent another II they gave the
tract Barring and Brothers security was necessary
they gave it to Mexico no security was necessary be-
cause in that event she would become paymaster to her
self and if her agent failed to perform the contract she
had nothing complain Of Previous to the appropra-
ton made ut the last Congress offer made the
part of Mexico land he assumed this fact to be true al
thouoh no
to pay this Government and half per cent for the
privilege of paying herself while at the same time Bar
ing s. Brothers profered the Government three and
half per cent. for the same privilege.
The question which of these bids should accepted
If we had consulted interest, of course we
would have selected the one by which this Government
could have made additional per cent, and il we
had regarded the feelings and wishes of Mexico would
also have acceded to the same proposition. Mexico was
them lying PROSTATE under blow given by ourselves and
bleeding from wounds which had inflicted, and he
thugh that under these circumstances the bid of Mexico
shld have been accepted, and the profits to be made
sesred to her instead Of to bankers. He did not
pAa of the Executive pre-employing agents. but he
assed that it his duty upon the mere application
of ie authorities of Mexico, to have acceded to their
wis The complaint he made against the Administration
watts political error for he would not undertake
anne into its moral delinquency. He took it for granted
thathe Administration clear of corruption that
ions paid to any Of its members for this negotiation
ritBarng Brothers; but MS political act it was
shaealled down the of the House. and that
surtshould be expressed by the restriction which,
trar to CUSTOM it sought to impose upon the
expditure of this money He believed that it the
wspf the Mexican Government that this payment should
be lde in the city of New York. and he conended that
if his should be done the treaty would be violated
II. RANT0UL did not propose to enter into the dis
suion before the committee. He would not have trou-
Bile the committee with any remarks if there had not
bee charges made large majority of the people of
Maachusetts, by member representing, in part that
Sta which it seemed to him the honor of the State of
Maachusetts, without distinction of party required
IL.
by hcoleague {Mr. DAvIs) of corruption not
As heMr understood it, upon any political leaders
of agile erty, bat upon vast majority OF the voters
of thsommonwealth of Massachusetts,. This State had
stood oh in the history this country from the time
when began to have history and he proud to be-
eve mad forfeited its rank in the standard of
PATRON and virtue Therefore he desired to reply to
the imitation which had been made by his colleague.
He wdi answer for portion of the voters with whom
he wand had been connected for than Of
yearse meant the Democratic party of Massachusetts,
themas any political party in any State in this Union
whose story placed it above the suspicion of corruption
from peculiar position, it the Democratic party of
the St of Massachusetts,, because there party
in anytate in the Union which had stood up against
such and such disadvantages such actual loss and
sacrifd This party composed Of the laboring men
of the bite; to be sure there some of talent
in the pT who were not laboring men, but they
not menf means. These men had contended against
the whohggregate of the capital of New England
concenttd in Massachusetts; and if there was corrup-
ton (anhe did not deny there had been or less
corruptid to be found, and if bribery had been
used (hed not say that it had, it in the rich who
bought tfpoor and not the poor who bought the rich
Coationxsted in other States they to be found in
MarylandOho, and New York, and other States, and
the ope Of Massachusetts not at liberty to judge
of their political well the people of other
States? had the right to manage its pot-
cal aairas any other State in the Union, and would
maintain at right ut home and abroad As for himself
he stood Re to and to endorse what called the
coalition Massachusetts and he believed he understood
what it W, He not present in Massachusetts, when
the last edition formed having been Mt that time in
the STATED New Hampshire; and not being committed
t. that aingemen and being perfectly Free he chose
to say distcty and unequyocay that the coalition
there mad was right and proper. How had the Wing
party obtnd the ascendeDcy in Massachusetts for
many yel II had been by carrying the votes of gen.
temen wise feelings towards the institution Of slavery
not very favorable kind. Such men as these
kept the hg party in power down to the time that they
went out power.
The hr Of two o'clock arrived at which time the
debate os bill to by order Of the House
Mr.. HUSTON exercising the privilege allowed a
member porting the measure under consideration, then
addressehe committee hour in support of the pas
sage of bill reported from the Committee of Ways
and Meat He contended that change could be made
in the panent of this indemnity unless by treaty,
which head could not be done before the time the
payment this nstalment should become due. He repu-
dated idea that by passing this bill they would
dorse hcourse pursued by the Secretary Of State and
said thathen charges of corruption should be made il
would TIN be proper to enter into investigation, and
he woul vote for such investigation whenever such
charges lould be preferred
On neon, the committee then and reported pro-
gress, al the House adjourned.