The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-03-23

gress. How could the gentleman ask him to vote
for the bill after the avowal OF such doctrine!
MIR. BROOKS replied that Congress has It's own
will and ia bound to look into the items, 10 scru
tinize them and TO take the responsibility of voting
the money. The appropriation last year was not
cut down one and half millions. but two millions
three hundred thousand dollars, and there would
have been no deficiency really existing II Congress
had done last year what it has done hitherto. The
Executive cannot take from the treasury single
farthing if Congress shall not appropriate; and he
has spent nothing without the authority OF law
Messrs. DUNHAM and EVANS made a few re-
marks; when
The question was taken on the motion of Mr..
OLDs, and decided in the negative-ayes ~ noes
counted.
MIR. OLDS moved TO strike out another clause OF
the bi-for transportation Of the army, &c., eight
hundred and ninety thousand dollars. lie said
that MIR. Webster had declared, on memoraos
occasion, that he would not vote for certain APP
preparation if the enemy were battering down
the walls of the Capitol; and that another Wing IN
the Senate, (Mr. Corwin,) when our soldiers were
suffering on the plains Mexico, invited the Mexl
ca ms to welcome them with bloody hands to nos
pitable graves Ii gentlemen on the other SIDE
were willing, like brave men, to assume the re-
spoDsbty for the Administration, instead OF seek
ing to liz it upon Congress- il would be unnecessa-
nv for him to address the committee in relation to
that subject; but when they endcavor to shield the
Administration by saying that Congress 10 respon-
sbe, then it became necessary to vlhdlcate the lie,
gislativc branch of the Government. he secuted
the cowardly cry that the Administration ID not re-
sponsble. but Congress.
MIR. HOUSTON did not how, after that
speech the gentleman could vote against this APP
preparation He and the gentleman had denounced
the expressions, to which allusion had been made
as an outrage on decency and propriety; ana ne
would ask the gentleman whether he was disposed
| to follow that bad example.
Mr. OLDS replied that if a manly avowal OF re-
! sponsibiity the part Of the Administration
should be made, he would vote the appropria
! ton
Mr. HOUSTON. II the supplies are necessary,
their % cowardly conduct as the gentleman calls
it, should not control vote, which, in his con
science, he believes to be right Defeat this bill,
! If you please but, as cure as God rules In heaven
you will have to pay the expenses hereafter If an
army Is kept up on the frontiers 1t must be sup
| ported II the Democrats come into power next
year. as he supposed they would, they will have to
| pay the debt, which he did not want them to do,
| when it can be done now.
| Mr. ORR said that, during the last Congress, he
heard gentlemen on the other side advocating the
reduction in the quartermaster's d partment with
more zeal and energy than the Democrats. Con
gress investigated the subject, and entirely and
thoroughly debated it; and determined to reduce
the estimates and half million of dollars.
And now look at the state OF facts presented by
this bill. The department have not conformed
their action TO the reduction. So far from it, they
have violated the express command OF the House.
He thought it was insulting to the American Con
gress Tor officers OF Government to come here, six
or nine months after Congress refused to make all
the appropriations called for, and say "we have
expended all the money, and you must pay the
debts We have incurred" In other words, the
House are to become the mere auditors of the Ad-
ministraon This is an impor tant principle of the
bill He would vote for it on one condition, other
wise he would take his share of the responsibility
OF defeating 1t. III the President shall cause the Of
! hcers TO be removed, commencing with the Score
tary OF War, and then every other person who has
violated indirectly the law of Congress, he should
vote for the bill under consideration, but not with
out
Mr. STANLY said that no motion had been
made, for the sake of talking, on the Wing side Of
| the House The other side had taken this respon.
sibility. Let the fact be stated. He rendered the
! homage OF his thanks to the gentleman from Ala
| bama (Mr. HoUsroN) for speaking the words of a
patriot in rebuke of the extraordinary remarks Of
the gentleman from Ohio, (Mr. Obs Here lie a
proposition to cut down the appropriations for the
support of the army, because of the remarks of
gentlemen elsewhere made; and the gentleman
talks about bloody bands" and I" hospitabie
graves" while he is willing to commit his coun-
| trymen to the bloody hands" and &c hospitable
! graves Of the Indian tribes The gentleman from
South Carolina (Mr. ORR) will not vote for the till
unless the President shall dlsmiss the Secretary of
i War and other officers, General Jesup included.
/ Now, if the President has done wrong. why did
not the gentleman bring forward articles of i'm
! parchment. Why did he not meet the challenge
of the Wings for investigation in the general de
bate! Why postpone the assault until the applica-
ton OF the hve- minutes rule, when gentlemen did
not dare to make the attack under the hour rule I,
Let the country see who stop the wheels OF Govern
ment. Let the issue be made up. The Whigs
/ challenge investigation. Let the Democrats 40
/ their worst on them rests the responsibility The
| Wings defed them.
! Mr.. ORR replied, saying that there are perhaps
fifty "A hundred ofhcers who have disregarded
I the appropriations which were made by Congress,
and Who have directed their expenditures with
/ gard TO their own estimates, aud not with refer
ence to the TO which they were limited by
Congress. Suppose that he had set about im-
parchment of them all, did not every one know that
weeks and months would have thus been consumed,
He did not believe that any officer within that grade
had ever been impeached, although, certainly,
/ there were men guilty of delinquency He could
say TO the President 'If you retain officers in your
Cabinet who wilfuly disregard the laws Of Con
/ grese, and cxpend larger sum than IL appropn
ated, and If you DO not remove those persOns, you
shall not have the money, and you must give as
surauccs TO the country that such misconduct shall
/ not be repeated" As TO an assault upon the Ad
mnistraton, all he bad TO say was that he was OPP
posed TO closing the debate early II closed
lie thought that the bill should be fully and tho
/ roughly discussed
! Mr. MARSHALL, Of Kentucky. said that he did
not intend TO vote for the appropriation until he
should know how the money heretofore voted has
| been expended. He would, in the absence Of such
information, take the responsibility Of disbanding
/ the army; and would rather leave the New Meri
cans and Texans TO fight their battles, than TO
abandon a constitutional, fundamental, vital pTin-
/ ciple Of this Government.
| MIR HOWARD adyerted 10 the debates in the
l last Congress. when the Army bill wns under
] sinfratlon. ~ WOuld be reCOUcCtcd mat MI
\ TooMBs, a member Of the Committee of Ways and
/ Means. said that they "struck in the dark He
denied that the last Congress Investigated the sub
Ject, nor did that committee. They did not asccr-
/ tain whether too much money was asked; but the
whole argument was that the Cntirc appropriation
looked too large, and therefore ought to be cut
\ down.
! After further debate. the question taken, and
Mr.. OLDs's motion dsa greed to.
| Mr. MARSHALL, Of Kentucky, moved 10 strike
out from Of the clauses Of the bill the appropri-
ton "ior rent Of quarters and Offices Of officers =;
/ whereupon debate ensued involving the ques.
ton Of extravaganza. Without taking the ques-
ton
On motion, the committee rose, and the Chair
/ man reported progress.
! THE COMPROnfsE MEASURES.
] Mr. JACKSON, Of Georgia, asked leave 10 in
! troducc the following resolution, namely
ResOlped, That we recognise the binding efficacy
! Of the compromises Of tho Constitution, and believe
| it to be the intention Of the people generally, rs
we hereby declare II 10 be ours individually, TO
! abide such compromises, and to- sustain the laws
necessary 10 carry them out-the provision for the