The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-08-20
lHIRTY-SECOND CONGRESS.
FIRST SESSION.
THuRsDAy, Angus; l9, 1852.
SENATE.

SENATE.
The CHAIR laid before the Senate a com mum
to a resolution Of the Senate calling for int'rma
ton to the extension Of the Coast Survey service
to the coasE Of California.
Also q report from the stmaster Generai, In
compliance with the resolution calling for the
names, saa ries, and duties ii the clerks employed
in that Department.
WHEELING BRIDGES.
The bill from the House declaring the Wheeling
bridges to be lawful structures taken up, and
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
CIVIL AND DIPLOMATIC APPROPRIATIONS BILL.
Mr. HUNTER moved that Tor the balance OF the
morning hour the Senate take up the Civil and Di
pio,natic Appropriation bill. He felt confids mt
that ualess that bill were considered now it would
not receive the deberaton necessary and proper
Mr. HALE HOPED that motion would not prevail,
for one reason. That reason was, that he desired
on the HOmesiead bill He thought this morning
appropriate occasion for having that vote
If the Senate should vote the Homestead bill down.
lie would not pre-s the subject again this session.
Mr.. ATCH1SON said that if the Senator from
New Hampshire would agree ~ keep silent for the
remainder OF the session, he would do ell in bis
power to aid the Senator in getting up his bill.
Mr.. HALE could not agree to that proposition
1t would be doing injustice both to the Senate and
cuuutry-iujusticc ~ the country by his keeping
silent and Justice to the Senate by requiring the
Sena.or from Missouri to be SO busy "a he pro
missed TO be.
Several Senators debated the motion, and con.
tended that it was unjust thus to occupy the morn
ing hour to The exclusion Of reports and other es
Mr.. DOUGLAS represented the necessity for
ton the Territorial bills.
Mr.. HUNTER urged that the Civil and Diplo-
matte Appropriation till was Of far more import
ance than any other business 1t was the only
chance the appropriation bills would have, as they
had been thrust aside for bills OF local character
He only asked Tor them the morning hour, aud IN
doing felt it his duty to Insist on bis mo
ton. If the Senate fused to consider those bills
the respons hiIity should not rest upon him. Some
time since Senator'S lavish in their complaints
OF the delay vi the House with to these very
appropriation bills. aud that the bills were
here, hey were postponed for ali and every other
busints
The motion agreedto-yeas 81, nays las
follo@s:
YEAS.-Mcssrs Adams. Atchison. Bell, Brad
bury, Brudhrad, Brooke, Butler. Charlton. Chase
Clarke, Davis, Dawson. Desaussure, Fish, Foo,
Cwin, Hunter, Jones Of Tennessee, King, NAL
lory, Mangum, Mason, Merrwether, Morton,
Pearce. Pratt. Smith, Sprua nee, Sumner, Under.
wood and Upham-3i.
NAYS -hieas,s BorIand, Bright, Cas-, Dodge
Of Wisconsin, Dodge Of Iowa. Douglas Fetch,
Geyer, Hale, iatnlin, James. Jones OF Iowa. Rusk'
Sebastian, Shields. Wade. and Walker--l7.
The bill was then considered a. in Committee of
the Whole.
The first amendment, increasing the appropria-
ton ior the contingent fund Of the Senate 10
900 wac agreed to.
An amendment appropriating $4,000 Tor the
Congress was agreed to.
The II. xt am. ndment reported was in the follow
ing Words:
ton of the work Ike u the Exploring Expedition, in
GLIDING the expense OF the gree n buuse, and for
the settl. OF due the r.ction of said
green house, S25 600"
MIR. BURLAND desired Information as to this
appropriations; It had been annually made for 4
long tiue, and he thought it ought now to be ter
minated.
some years since. dir ected the preparation and pub.
LEGATION Of thcse works, and had gone as Tar to
direct tn manner in which they should be exc.
cuted. Under that law the work had prog ress.d
under the direction OF the Committee on ihe Libra
ry. Contracts had been male for the works, and
it was rather late now, when the works were near
ly completed to reconsider the action heretofore
bad
MIR. BRODHEAD read list of the appropria.
tuns made since lS45 for the preparation and pub
l,ratiun Of this TX, which amounted to lS5. 743
no, including the p e4ent appropriation
Mr.. HALE said he had resisted this matter for
years. He Considered the exploring expedition
and the publication Of its results by persons not
engaged in II as a most signal humbug.
impurtaE.e and utility IF the ~o ks already pub
l'shed, and referring to the high character they
sus,ained abroad ne works Ut science.
Mr.. BkODHEAD moved to add to the amend.
rnent proviso, that the aforesaid shall com.
plstc the pre- ration and publication OF the wor ks
Of said az, led ton
After considerable debate
The PROVE" was re 'cted-ycas IT, nays 80
Several other amendments vi no pubic iHpur
lance were considered and agreed to.
RIVER AND HARBoR BILL.
The hour OF one bavlpg arrived, the bill was
ostPoned till tomorrow al halt.past eleven
O'Clock, and made the special order the Gay; and
the senate sutIied the consideration OF the River
and Harbor bill
The question pending was on tho amendments
reported to the bill by the Committee ON Com
The first Of these to strike out the words in
italics in the following item:
For opening q ship channel OF sufficient capacity
to accommodate the wants OF commerce. through
the most convenient pass leading from the Mlsss-
sippi river into the Gulf OF Mexico, $1,000. And
it shall be the duty of the Secretary ol War to ap
ply said moneys to the opening OF said ship chan
mel by Contract, and at an early day in the mex!
session OF Congress TO rrport s0,d CONTRACT the pro-
gress Of said tco'k. and esfimate If the annual
costs Of kfsping said channel open, to insert
lieu thereof the following ~orc-:
$50 report the progress OF tue work, the amount
necessary TO complete It., and an estimate OF The
annual cost oil keeping said channel open, and any
contract shall Be hunted to the amount here
by appropriated
And the question being taken, the amendIncn,
was agreed o-yeas 81. nays ls-as foliows:
Bell. Bradbury, Brodhead, Butler, Chase. Clarke,
Davis, Dawson, Desaussure. Dodge OF Wiscon-
sin, Douglas, Fish. Foot, Gwin. Hunter, Jones
of Tennessee, King, Mallory, Mangum Mason.
Shields, Smith, Sou'e, Spruance, Sumner, Toucey,
Underwood, UpEam. and Wade-37.
NAYS.-Messrs Badger, Borlaud, Bright, Cass,
Dodge Of Iowa, Downs, Fetch, Geyer, James.
Jones Of Iowa, Pratt, Sebastian. and Walker-l3
The next amendment was reported by the
Committee on Commetc e. appropriating three
thousand dollars tor the survey of the Rappaban-
mock river, Virginia.
Mr.. CAsS opposed the amendment. He opposed
all the appropriations for specific surveys. He ur-
ged that they should all be stricken out and
in grcss should be appropriated for surveys to be
made under the direction Of the topogt aphcal bu-
Mr.. SEWARD replied. sustaining the amend
ment.
Mr.. ADAMS followed in argument against
the bill, the ground that Congress had no consi-
tutionsl power to make appropriations for works
Of internal improvements. In speaking OF the
veto by Mr.. Polk Of a similar bill, he said that he
did not expect TO toe like hrmness again.
While be had great Confidence in Franklin Pierce,
and believed thai were he in the Senate he
would vote against this bill, sll he did not think
that after all the prec. dents this subject, and
the course Of Legislation pursued, that ne would
veto such a bill.