Southern standard. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1851-1856, 1852-05-01
Correspondence Of the Mercury.


Correspondence of the Mercury.
WAsHINoroN, April 90.
| After the reffeshment of days recess, both
Houses went to work on Monday, and made some
beadyav. In the Senate the French Spollation
bill was Dassed as it has often been before, to be
loverslauuhed in the House. It is to be hoped
that better luck, or better management, may give
it fair showing at this time. 1t IS thought that
It will meet with much more strenuous opposition
in the lower House, but this is more a matter Of
speculation than Of certainty As the Mexicans
say, quien sabe Judging from outside CONVEX
sation, better spirit towards these claimants is
springing up. One great objection, that the lions
share Of the appropriation for this purpose, would
90 to those who had bought out the original hold
ers for a mere song, is obyiated by the provision
that only the amount given should be reimbursed
and not what was due on the face Of such claim
One step in the journey has been made, but the
most perilous part is yet to come-thc passage
through the House. They have broken down 50
often there before, that apprehensions. are enter
tanned By the friends of the measure Of renewed
difficulties and delays. There is a great aversion
lat present to making large appropriations, by
which no political purpose is to be subseryed and
both parties share in it. The one, because it does
i not wish to swell the amount drawn out Of the
Treasury by this administration the other, be-
cause it expects soon TO get the power and would
i
i The deficiency bill was again brought upby Mr..
Hunter, and Mr. Gwin took the opportunity Of
assailing the Administration for extraya9ant and
wasteful expenditure especially with reference to
/ the disbursements of public moneys in California.
He took the ground that this njudicious andwaste-
! full expenditure had caused an unwngness on
the-part of Congress, to make.ap appropriations for
/ that State now actually needed
/ Mr.. Hunter responded to some portion Of his
and here he Senate we soc 7rp-
sented the same curious contest between the OPP
tponents of the Administration, and the Demo
cratic officers of the Committees NJ. Badger in
troduced bill to prohibit public Executions in the
District Of Columbia which was passed.
Mr.. Gwin, agreeably to previous notice, asked
and obtained leave to introduce bill, 10 provide
! for monthly mail from San Francisco, via the
Sandwich Islands, to Shanghai, in China; which
was read first and second time by its title, and
referred to the Committee ON the Post Office and
Post Roads, and ordered to be printed.
This IS an important movement for a new steam
line.
In the House the public printing occupied the
entire day. After wrangling over it. and taking
several contradictory votes the report of the print
ling committee was finally recommitted to that
mittee, by vote Sc to 49, Mr.. Marshall of Ky.
moved asuspension of the rules enable him to
introduce the following resolution:
/ ReS0Zoed That a select committee of five be
appointed by the Speaker to whom shall be refer
red the existing laws and orders the subject Of
the public printing, with instructions to report to
! this House. by bin or otherwise what amendments
ito said laws may be expediont in order to insure
the faithful and prompt execution Of the printing
Ifor Congress.
This was resisted BY the coalitionists, but was
carried over Their heads By vote Of / II to IS.
So the House would rot consent to stifle the in
vestigation After this the motion agreed to,
and the committee of five viii overhaul the pro
ceedngs Of the Joint Committee, So sfter aweek's
incessant squabbling, the matters stands just
where it did when Mr. Brown introduced his res
olution ofinqury with the exception Of the appoint
ment of this committee of superyision--the con-
tract with the coalition is still unratifed, and the
parties kept in most interesting state of suspense,
and hope deferred. The political bearings Of this
question: and the attitude of the different wings of
each upon it, have given greater gravity and ina
portance to it than it otherwise would have had
Both the Southern Rights and Fillmore men
have shown their teeth, so have the Scott men
and the Frees oilers and the old schisms are gap
ing wider than Both of the coalition presses
have lost caste with their respective parties for
the Job was too gross and shameless to bear in
spection. They have sold out their brth-light
cheap. Mr. Clingman cuttingly said, in his strong
expose of the matter, he had heard of Esau's sell
ling his birth right for mess of pottage, but that
he never had heard that he was silly enough to-
divide with anybody, and get only half mess.
Mr.. Yenable also came down very heavily on
the whole corps of coalition compromisers on Mon
lay, in a fine speech. He cuts right and left into
them. This controversy is far from being over
and may make very important changs in party re-
lations yet. Mr. McMullen, of Va, gave notice
Of his intention to offer resolution, that the pay
Of members should not exceed $500 per annum
and ten cents mile for mileage. Nothing else of
interest.
INDIANA STATE CoNvE8rIoS-Th following isl
the primary resolution adopted by the Democratic
State Convention held at Indianapolis the 22d
ultimo:
Resolved-That the good old Democratic prin-
cipes to-wit: a strict construction of the consti
tuition and no assumption of doubtful powers no
encroaehment by the General Government on the
proper rights of the States no connection between
the Federal or State governments and banks no
connection between Church and State no tariff
beyond what is strictly necessary for revenue pur
poses; no vast system of internal Improvement
either by the General Government or by the
States, except by the purpose of urgent necessity
no grants of exclusive chartered privileges by spe-
cal legislation, to banks no prescription for hon
est opinions; simple and frugal government, Sc
curing life, liberty, and the pursuit of of happi-
ness with the least possible amount of legislation
fostering aid to public education are and must
ever remain, the true watchwords of the De-
mocratic party with which inscribed on our ban |
ners, we have often marched to victory with |