The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1853-04-03
IN CONGRESS- OF THE u. STATE
CIVIL AND DIPLOMATIC BILL.

nv appropr auns Tor the civil and dplomaic exPenSs
of The government Tor The year ending tue 3oh oI June
Is5a that il ask second conference on the dsagIeeing
votes of the houses, and that 1t had appointed hlr
HALL, Mr. EyAhs. aud Mr. FITCH committee OF confer.
eDce liz lafl.
Mr. RUSK | move ,ha, The Senate take up the mes
sage OF The House,
The moion agreed to.
Mr. RUSk | move That we adhere TO the report OIL
the committee OF conference and refuse The second con
ference asked for by The House. 10 il with no feeling
or passion upon The sablec The Senate is coordinate
branch Of The legislature, and responsible 10 the country
as much The House OF Repre- senaliyes for the dis
charge OF the duties o Legislation. AT the last session
of Congress forced in the very last days Of
long session TO act upon the appropriation bills we
were compelled to investigate these bills, and make as
had perfect right 10 do aaendnsnls 10 mem When
those amendments went 10 the House, they took them up,
and as told, they rejected them masss and asked
a committee Of Conference. And TO those committees, IN
OF the necessity OF The case, and the want
OF time 10 act upon the amendments as 'hey came before
u.s. was virtually delegated the power OF legisatng upon
some of the most important subjects connected win lhe
administration oil The government those committees,
therefore, and not The two houses Of Congress- as con
emplated made the laws.
In Inc early par OF ,his sson the honorable senator
from California [Mr GwNl introduced resolution cali
ing the attention boh the Senate and OF the House oil
Rsoresen,ayes to lhs matter. His State being new
one had suffered ty Tie course OF legislation at The last
Congress- and hence perhaps, his anxiety on the subject
Then, sir, under all these circumstances, and this being
short OF Congress- we received the most import
mt of these. the civ and diplomatic appropriation BILL
only upon the 2ls OF February, which gave just len
day5 OT snare In tEIl ItHpOuslUc "
nothing OF the other appropriation bills which were be-
hind it, As rs we received IT, we referred 1t TO the
proper committee which in two days reported IT, We in
yestgated il az we'll could the limited time which
was allowed us; and made believe hundred
amendments, acting on the best information We bad.
The House Of Representatives, as understand, rejected
seventy eighty u those amendments. and then asked
a committee OF conference on those amendments about
which the two houses could not agree That was grant
ed by the Senate, and AS understand IRON some mem
Der OF that committee appropriations which were import
ant 10 the great interests of the country, and which were
necessary for carrying on The government were welded
in spirit OF compromise, rather than to lsk the bill
When The report into The Senate we, III dIspo-
sition which think is commendabie on all OCCASIONS
without showing any stuobornGess agreed to the report
But the House OF Representatives, have chosen TO reject H.
and have ask ed now, al this late hour-neaty Twelve
o'clock ai ngh.-to put il into the hands OF second
committee OF conference, when we shall not be able Tor
the wan, OF time, 10 investigate their report The elect
will be TO allow that committee TO make laws, for which
both and the House OF Representatives are Tespons
BILE. Under such circumstances, without any feeling on
this subject if The House Of Representatives choose TO
risk this bill, have not only discharged our duly bu
we have shown magnaDimity and forbearance IN ms
matter. Sir, am not II stubborn man. | am " as mid
hammered man as ever seutied ship OF cut throat
But believe there are times when forbearance ceases
10 be virtue, and such time has now arrived Tor the
Senate. The time has arrived Tor The Senate 10 show
ha, part and parcel of the legislative authority OF
this country, and therefore, without passion or any Ill
feeling move that adhere TO the report OF The con-
mee of conference.
Mr. BAYARD. wish TO ask the senator from Texas
whether The efec, his motion, if adopted by the Sea-
ate. will not be 10 defeat the bill altogether
Mr. RUSk. No. sir; il will, in my judgment. pass the
bill in less than hour The House can recede.
Mr.. BAYARD. Can the House recede alter having
laid amotion to reconsider The vote rejecting The report
Mr. RUSK understand So
MIR. HUNTER. II the senator will permit me- think
can show him that he is mistaken. We cannot adhere
10 report oil a committee OF conference. The report OF
committee Of conference is an entirety II compro
mise which contemaies yiedlngs on both sides and we
cannot adhere 10 the report II requires acioh on 'he
part Of the House well as on our part; but we can
adhere to the amendments which the House have DIS
agreed
Mr.. RUSK. That is wha, ! propose 10 do; may
have made blnnder in words, but that is what meant
Mr.. HUNTER But if the gentleman will pardon me,
his motion goes little further The elect will be that
if we adhere. and the House adhere TO their disagree
ment, the bill will be lost
Several SENATORS That does no, follow.
Mr. HuNIER. That Is the parliamentary law
Mr. HAMLN. Allow me 10 say 10 the senator from
Virginia that think he is mistaken. This bill came 10
from the House. We adopted II with sundry amend
ments. II returned 10 The House, and tue House
has non.concurred IN most OF these amendments, and
proposed a committee OF conference II was then re-
turned the Senate and the Senate insisted on these
amendments, and agreed 10 the proposed conference
Now, if there had been conference moved, and The
Senate had merely insisted, and the bill bad gone back
TO The House, ii would have been competent Tor the
House to insist without either branch asking Tor con-
ference. and from insisting either branch could nave io
lowed il up by vote 10 adhere aud one branch adher-
ing the other branch must recede or The bill wond be
lost But when the bill came here, the Senate insisted
and agreed TO a conference We have the report OF the
committee OF conference before What - II IL ~
briefly that they recommend the Senate TO recede IRON
amendments number isur and five, and that the House
concur in amendments one, two, and three, NC lbe
Senate have agreed 10 that report OF The committee
OF conference What is that2 II is precisely eqnva-
lent 10 a vote adopting the amendments which they
have agreed upon That report has gone 10 The
House, which has refused TO concur with US 10 ac-
ceplng it. 1t now comes back TO us from the House,
which asks for another conference. insiN that the
proper moioa is to adhere and to adhere TO what 10
adhere 10 the report OF commtee oil confer
ence, which that should adopt certain amend
ments, and reject certain olher amendments. That is
what understand TO be the parliamentary law and |
will until doomsday before Will recede one inch
from the report which our committee has made would
be very glad recede from the vote agreeing to that re-
port, II could have the assurance that we could have
another committee which would demand something that
would be more iusi towards the Senate and woud IN
s, on more concessions the part OF the House.
Whle conceje tnal the last committee oil cosference
mas done everything that could do under The olrcun-
stances, Yeti we could have another committee that
ouo lnss' upon more than The previous committee m
eseu upoh, would vote to recede, and go f0r anohtf
eommit'ee ot conference. But not supposing That pos
so'e, WIZ vote here as long wsg my tongue
ference
Mr. HUNTER We should not 90 into this matter
wrong 1901 foremost Let US make mistake ques-
ton OF order which would be vital II the senator from
nsshe mao looked iurther he would have seen that !
was nght we cannot adhere TO the report of a commit
we oi conference II does not consist in merely report
ng hat 'he Senate agree 10 this and the House TO that
smehomen,; but There are also amendments amend
men's proposed. And what would be the meaning of a
vote to adhere 10 the repor That The Senate aheres 10
an amendment which the House Committee proposed
~ wusn !" ho' an amendment until Il ia adopted by