The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1853-02-25

troops he may deem Necessary II puts the army OF
ration. The honorable senator from Texas shakes his
head should like TO be corrected il am not right
| Mr, RuSk. i leaves the army precisely where II IS
LETT by the constitution and laws they now exs-st
the disposition OF the President 10 protect These and
| the settlers. if he deems il necessary JN
MIR. MASON. | say il puts the army OF the United
States al the disposition of these for although
It to be done through the President, he is only the
dun An order is contained in this bil-an order of
the legislatuethat the army shall be placed at the dis
posa OF these contractors protect them in their work
The President is required TO do it,
Mr.. KUSk. The President may do it-that ia the
language of the bill
| Mr. MASON Let me tell the honorable senator from
Texas that in law ''may" is construed 'shall;" and
when you impose upon the Executive duty, and
say he may exercise il, if il his duty, he is required
to execute it. The mandate is an imperative one-as
imperative as II The word .'shaiP were used Who be-
ieves that the President of the United States will
send body OF engineers or body OF contractors into
that county, without sending portion of the army with
| them? My proposition is this: If this bill imposes a
Duty and says to officer he may execute il, it is
mandatory upon that officer, aud he is required 10
cute it. How much OF the army ia TO be required for this
from two thousand TO three thousand miles from the Mis-
slsspp to the Pacc through large portion OF which
you are to meet predatory and hostile bands of Indans
you allow five soldiers TO every ten miles, you have
large army employed al once. The military OF the Uni
ted States will moi be equal to the duty unless the army
be increased for the purpose Of protecting this body Of
corporators The honorable senator from Illinois fMr
DoUGLAs said the other day that the woIkmen on this
lne-lhe lrishmen with their spade and shovels. will
il you sent body of workmen, especially If they
be foreigners unaccusomed to Indian warfare, at the
very first appearance Of the Indians they would throw
down their shovels and spades and fly from the enemy
But If these men do protect themselves by their mple
ments OF labor, what becomes OF the work How i 1t
to be carried on, while the operatives defending
themselves against Indian incursons No, sir, the bill
knows better for has provided that they shall be pro-
ec,sd in tn their work BY the army Of the United States
OF this bill il it becomes law! The President il
CURED to the work at early day And there
another clause in the bill nsgatng him to lose time
in the commencement of the work. This horde OF
tractors eager for the expenditure of public money, will
be around him, like vultures urging him on, misleading
him. bringing every earthly influence TO bear 10 induce
him to begin the expenditure OF the money DE we not
here every day! Are not the halls OF legislation
beseged by contractors and the solicitors OF contractors
eager TO get at the treasury Does anybody doubt that
there ten thousand insidous
ones plausible onesadduced here constantly to induce
Congress to act upon involving expenditures OF
money when il little reluctant little difident.
Where them will be this army of contractors and the
mense capital which will be at their back, urging the
President to comply with the terms Of the law and begin
the work at an early dayl Yea, sir to begin II before ii
| is known that II can be completed.
Who knows that this work can be done Who knows
that it is physically practicable by railroad to
the Pacific and Atlantic across the Rocky mountains
Nobody You may conjecture it. Some may say il can
be done should be done, but all have is the most
vague, Wild and idle conjecture. What will be done in
the time The great thing with the contractors
VIII Dc to get at the money to begin to expend II that
the public money. Ten thousand arguments will be ad-
duced whether the President will them not,
know not; but ten thousand arguments will be adduced
to him the work the Mississippi border,
and the Pacific border and to push your surveys the
mean time II may result. and there is high degree OF
probability that II will result, that they will make two
ends OF the road and never join them together Mighty
your treasury may not be ia the power OF money
TO do that That may be the result, and you will then
have this ilmitabe expenditure Of money without any
certainty that the ultimate object will be attained.
| Mr. President, who doubts how this bill will be con-
strued if it become lawi Who doubts how it will be
matters the tremendous collateral pressure OF capital that
is every day at the doors OF the Senate Capital
power potent that are told monarchs reel be-
fore IL upon their thrones. We told every day that
the strongest monachs OF Europe powerless before
the Rolhschilds and the Barngs-and it is true. How
do we stand in this couatry We have no Rothscbds
or Barings but we have who aspire TO be such;
who WELD capital potentially, who it may be. without
actual bribery and corruption, bring thousand inhu-
ences TO operate. which not kn)wn until thew
felt Yes, SIR pass this bill into law, and you will be-
gin the work, utterly ignorant whether you will be
able to finish il and that is TO be the character Of the
legislation OF an American Senate at thus early day OF
our republic
Mr. President If this bill become law the fear which
the senator from Texas expressed few days ago-hat
it might have the effect OF reading him out OF the demo-
cratic party-wl never be realized. IL this bill become
law there will be no longer parties in this cosn,ry ey
cep the party in power and the party in opposition 1Aa
whole character OF the government will be changed.
Yes, sir the whole character Of this government will be
changed, be reclaimed aud will have been
done governments have, after been put up
and thrown down by goldand, than all, by gold
cratic party then Least of ALL will there be that party
TO which the honorable senator know belonged and 10
which beong-ibe republican pariy--the party under
whose banner you appeal from the people 10 the const
tuition. The constitution will be gone. There will be
appeal to that and the government will be one OF un
limited power.
Sir, this bill, with its appropriation OF hundred mil
lions, will make a breach in the constitution through
which everything will pass IL will be perfectly idle, a
ter such power, to talk about the enets OF party AT
ter that the ony parties will be the party in power and
the party in opposition, and the party in power will have
no restraint or control but the will OF lawless major
ty. would recall TO the Senate the vaticinaons OF
one OF our greatest men and most gifted siaesmen-a
statesman TO whom at his death the honorable senator
from Texas paid beautiful tribute OF feeling and sensi-
bilIty refer 10 the ilusrous Calhoun when the or
der was given by the President OF The United States TO
march an army TO the frontier OF Mexico. Mr. Calhoun
said N ms friends " dropped curtain between and
futury could moi see beyond that" II was, in his
view The first aggressive march taken by American
army; and, said that prophetic man, "n dropped
tain between and the future" 81 told my friends"
said he tba here closed the first book OF the history OF
this republic; the second book is unwr,en and un-
known Mr. President. if that man were here now, he
would find the curtain lifted. He would something
written which TO go into the next book OF American
history and Il ~ written the pages Of this bill II
s measure forced upon the country. Honorable seDa-
tors may say that It forced upon the country because
we have these Pacific and get TO them
without it,
have said this is the opening page OF the second book
OF American history, and II that ustrous statesman 10
whom have referred now here he would nnd ,ne
curtain lifted Here the government is now cahed upon
appeal ng from the constitution TO the States sepaaey,
to enlarge its powers, and The appeal Is maze ns