The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-01-22
0 ing hour-refused to give way for the purpose in

ing hour-refused to give way for the purpose in
dictated.
MEXICAN IHsrALMEST.
On motion of MIR. BAYLY, of Va. the House
solved itself into Committee OF the Whole on the
ate Of the Union-Mr JONES, of Tennessee, in the
chair-and resumed the consideration of the bill TO
provide for carrying into execution, IN further
part the twelfth article of the treaty with Mexico,
concluded at Guadalupe Hdalgo. 1t approprates
$3.50, 900 for this purpose.
Mr.. d. referred TO the instament bill pass.
ed during the first session of the former Con
gress. Ii received one hundred aud twenty
eight votes In It's favor, and only thirty SIX
against it Ii went to the Senate, and was there
discussed, and 1t passed that body almost without
opposition, so far the vote concerned. At
the last session the subject again brought be-
fore the House by the unanimous report of the
Committee of Ways and Means. Ii again
thoroughly discussed, and the opposition to the
bill was SO mcagrc that its opponents could not
even get the yeas and nays upon its passage.
Again, at this session, new Committee of Ways
and Means, after examining into the subject, re-
ported the bll as he WIS Informed, by unanimous
consent After these repeated decisions of Con-
gress, II would seem that further debate was super
huous. But DuH Green and his associates, on the
twenty fourth Of November last, addressed long
memorial to the President OF the United States,
ILLUMINATING the Secretary of State, the Finance
Committees of the two Houses, and, by conse-
quence, the two Houses Themselves; and, with a
| Tnodesty peculiarly his own, he asked the Prc5i.
dent to file the paper among the archives Of the Gov
eminent. He (Mf. BAYLY) took ii for granted that
the President will give the paper such direction.
keeper OF the archives is paid for different pur
poae than to preserve calumnies against Il Secre-
tary Of State, the financial organs Of the two
Houses, and, by consequence, the two Houses them
selves. Copies Of the memorial have been laid on
| the tables of members Of Congress, and as he
| found, it has made some impression on few mem
beers Of the House. This being the case, he felt it
TO be his duty to notice i'll detail its apparent state
mcnt OF facts. With it's calumnes on himself he
| Ehn hny rnth In. Il, had Hva fnr forty
| years in vain, without reproach on his character;
it was in vain that the people of Virginia and the
Legislature of that State had expressed their con-
| tdencc in him in almost every form that it could
| be done; it was in vain that the House Of Repre-
eentatives had expressed a similar confidence
which few Of his predecessors ever enjoyed, if any
thing that Duff Green and his associates could say
would affect his character IN the opinion of any
body whose good opinion is valuable.
! For the information of the House, as there were
| many new members, and as he was familiar with
this subject from Its inception, he felt that 1t was
necessary for him to recur to the payments of the
! Mexican indemnity.
BY the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo agreed
to pay fifteen millions of dollars in five pay ments
the first i'll hand, the other four in annual install
mcnts, with interest. The first yment made
by the Secretary of the Treasury, (Mr. WalkerO
with the appreciation OF the President at that time,
| (Mr. Pok) The arrangement was made with the
| Baring5, who were to pay the three millions, and
| II was agreed to pay them the actual amount at
par. At that time treasury notes bore premium;
and the administration got no premium, but paid
one. This was inevitable, these bankers having 10
work of large amount of exchange. The pay
nent OF the second instalment was also negotiated
| by Mr. Walker with the Earrings. BY this ar
rangement the money was paid to them and four
per cent. was allowed for conducting the transac-
ton. These two payments were made under Pres-
dent Polk 3 administration The third made
under that of General Taylor. 1t was entrusted
TO Mr.. Letcher, Minister TO Mexico. After
great difficulty, which Mr.. Letcher disclosed in
his dispatches TO the Governmental one time de-
spairing of making the arrangeme nts--he at last
contracted with Rowland and Aspinwall for the
! payment of one million and half of the install
ment at three per cent, and contracted to pay
the remainder, amounting to little upwards of
two millions of dollars, through the Rothscbids,
at three and a hall per cent. premium. At the last
session, the management having altered, by the
Taylor administration, from the Secretary OF the
! Treasury to the Secretary of State, Rowland
and Aspinwall, tho Barings, and Corcoran and
Riggs, contracted for three and half per cent.
At the time the contract was made, 1t was the only
offer before the Secretary OF State. The Roths
| childs had proposed TO give premium of four per
cent, but in their fret offer they limited the ac-
| ceptance 20 the twentieth Of May, and said thai,
| unless this arrangement should be made, they
would withdraw tho proposition. Subsequently
they extended the time to the first of July, without
| Mr. Clayton making any arrangement with the IN,
and by the terms of the proposition II was with
drawn. The only proposition, therefore, before
the Secretary of State, at the time he made the
! contract wa. that Of Corcoran and Riggs, How
land and Aspu wall, and the Barings
Mr.. Is. said that the arrangement made by Mr.
| Webster was more advantageous than the best one
made by Secretary Walker. lie then noticed the
proposition of Duff Green, by which. he remarked,
| the Government would have been required to pay,
IN effect, eight per cent. The arrangement would
have been the worst for Mexico Of any that
proposed; and not only the worst, but the Govern
ncnt could not have agreed to il without new
| treaty. The proposition came before the Execu-
tive with suspiciOns upon it, the darkness Of which
! increased from the hour that il was made to the
/ mr. d.U MI had 10 N, th,sh ayi
can government more advantageous proposition
| than that which their government rejected. Why
! did they propose, through MIR. Green, TO effect
| what had been declined? He then made some re-
| marks rejecting upon the honesty of u. +. Green,
but did not wish To ego through with the anged
| web OF fraud and imposition" He concluded by
taying that the abuse Of Duff G. reen resembled the
dews OF heaven in this, and this alone: that his
censure fell equally on the just and unjust, and
:hat IL noursb ed all upon whom il fell. His praise
| was like the shirt OF Ncssus, consuming all whom
Il covered; and, finding him the traducer Of the
beet men Of the country, lac (Mr. b should be
hattercd by being found in the same category, lift
were not that some Nerc too high 70 be reached by
| his malignant shafts, and none too low that he
must stOop 10 heap his cnumnes upon them. lie
should be conplimented il bright marks only were
aimed at
Mr.. JOHNSON, Of Tennessee, obtained the floor,
but yielded to
Mr.. GRAY, who read a letter addressed 10 him
by Duff Green, defending his son, benjamin 4.
Green, from charges which, he understood, Mr..
BAfLE intended 10 mako aRalnBt nun, involving
| the question Of bis honesty in financial trans1c-
tOns for the Government while lac was Secretary
Of Legation in Mexico. And tho gentleman stated
his understanding Of the subject.
Mr.. BAYLY replied, maintaining the positions
which he had advanced in his speech before the
/ committee.
After explanations by these two gentlemen
Mr.. JOHNSON, Of Tennessee, resumed the floor
! and replied TO Mr.. BAYLY, saying, among other
things, that the sccncs which they had Just Wit
messed, and those Of yesterday, extraordinary.
| They saw witness after witness introduced, and
the attorney general, the jury, and the judge,
hibitcd IN the same character; and DUH Green and
his son we're dragged as criminals into this discus
sion. And the gentleman from Nirgnia said that
he had sent persons to the pcntentiary on far
weaker testimony than he had adduccd against y.
| r. Green. Did it become statcsmcn Occupying
high positions to take up an individual. and de-
nOuncc him in such strong language as that which
bad been employed, But 1t was not biz (Mr.
JoHNsoNs) purpose 10 meddle with tho controversy.
General Green and General BAYLY may fight IL
out This il violation Of all organic Jaw An
individual has a right to be heard and to have an
impartial Judge. But, on this occasiOn, ma ho had
already remarked, the prosecutor was also the
Judge and tho jury; and Green war condemned
and "scnt 10 the pcnitcntiary."