The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1853-02-15
THIRTY-SECOND CONGRESS.
SECOND SESSION.
MosDAr, February ID, 1858.
SENATE

On motion OF Mr.. SEWARD, the Senate .ooA
up the bill granting register to the snip fees0'u'e
and it was passed.
THE prFIclrsoY SILL.
The Senate proceeded to the consideration of the
All the amendments reported by tine Committee
on Finance, and heretofore published In this paper,
Other amendments were agreed to; among them
One thousand dollars for temporary clerk hire
in the Auditors office OF the Post Office Depart
ment
square south of the Presidents house.
Twenty. five thousand dollars for the custom
house at San Francisco.
Also provisions for the leasing renting Of
buildings in San Francisco, California, for assay
ing gold in bars, &C., and for the appointment
Of assayers and other officers, and fixing their
salaries.
Mr.. GWIN moved an amendment, appropriate
ing $500 000 to be paid to California out Of the
fund collected in that Stale as duties on imports
previous to her admission into the Union
Messrs. GWIN, PEARCE, and RUSK supported
the amendment; and Messrs. BRODHEAD,
BRIGHT, BORLAND, BADGER, and BUTLER
opposed it.
The bill was then postponed.
SENATOR FROM KENTUCKY.
Mr. UNDERWOOD presented the credentials
of the Hon. JOHN B. THOMPSON, Senator elect from
the State of Kentucky for six years from the 4th
of March next.
Mr.. HALE submitted the following resolutions,
which were laid over:
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Navy in
form the Senate whether code of rules and regu-
laiions or instructions for the government of the
navy is now in course of preparation, or has re-
Gently been prepared by board of officers acting
under his authority; and if that be be request
ed to communicate the same to the Senate for the
consideration and approval of Congress before
taking effect
Resolped, That the President of the United States
be requested to inform the Senate if any complaints
have been made by the Mexican government to
this Government of violation of the provisions
of the 18th article of the treaty of Guadalupe Hi
dalgo, or Of any neglect on the part OF this Gov
eminent to perform the stipulations of that article
of the treaty relative to the suppression of savage
incursions into the territory of Mexico from the
territory of the United States.
CUBA-cENTRAL AMERICA-THE MONROE DOCTRINE.
MIR. CAss's joint resolution affirming the Mon
roe doctrine and applying 1T to Cuba, was taken
Mr. DOUGLAS said he regretted the necessity
which compelled him to postpone the deliberations
of the Senate on the Deficiency bill, to engage in
debate this subject. Thirty years ago Mr..
Monroe made his memorable declaration on the
subject of European colonization; since then it had
been the topic which orators, patriots and states
men had delighted to speak. 1t had seemed to be
the part of all politicians to profess the Monroe
doctrine. And whenever there was opportunity
10 enforce that doctrine, they seemed to be most
in favor of il, and whenever there was oppor-
tunltY OF doing, 1t was always abandoned.
Such had been the history of the nation upon it..
The Oregon treaty was case in point. Previous
to that treaty there British colony west of
the Rocky mountains; the Hudson Bay Company
were restricted to certain rights within certain
limits; Canada did not extend there and there was
right in existence by which e colony could be
established there. The title to the country was in
allegiance, and there treaty with Great
Britain of non- occupancy. By the Oregon treaty
we terminated this non occupancy, and estab
lished 40 the northern boundary Great
Britain consented that the United States should
occupy south of that line, and we consented she
should occupy and colonize north of it.
In 1850 the Clayton-Bulwer treaty was made,
every word, every line of which in absolute
negation of the Monroe doctrine. Since then.
even that treaty, which was violation of the
Monroe doctrine, had been violated by the colon-
cation of the Bay Islands. Ia the face of these
open violations of the doctrine the Senator from
Michigan lays before the Senate his resolutions
affirming that doctrine, recognising existing
rights but declaring that henceforth no new Euro,
pean colony shall be established. Before voting
for that resolution he desired to know whether it
was intended to bury tine past in oblivion, and the
declaration of this doctrine 70 be for the future
alone. He desired to know whether 1t was intend
ed to acquiesce in the colonization of the Bay
Islands in violation of the Monroe doctrine and the
Clayton and Buwer treaty. Such would undoubt
eddy be the construction which would be placed on
il by Great Britain If the resolution be passed,
and the President should protest against these vio-
lations of the doctrine, he would be met by Great
passed by Congress, clearly and upon their face,
intended to apply to cases henceforth to arise
II this be the intention OF these resolutions, it
would be far better to say nothing of the Monroe
doctrine. We have proclaimed it for thirty years,
and in each and every instance where it might
have been asserted and maintained, it has been
violated, and we have suffered the contempt to pass
unrebuked.
Our retreat this time is to be covered With terri
Bile threats of what will do in the future The
resolutions say that the United States, in future,
will be free to adopt such measures an independ
ent nation may adopt. Are we not now free to act
as an independent nation ought to act when it's
doctrine and treaty are violated openly? Why,
then, not meet this colonization of the Bay Islands
at once-it presents practical issue on this doc
trlne-and act as free and independent nation
may act? This doctrine was announced thirty
years ago, and again within the past eight years.
Are we to submit again to have it treated with
contempt, with no action On our part but terrible
threats for the future! Where when will there
be better to test our courage on the en-
forcement of this Monroe doctrine than the pres
ent one Of the colonization of these isands It was
in direct contempt of the Monroe doctrine and an
open violation of the express terms of the treaty of
1850 He voted against the Clayton-Bulwer treaty,
because it was in violation of the Monroe doctrine.
The United States had shortly before acquired
California, and a communication with the Pacific
highly desirable and necessary. American
citizens at the time in possession of the exclu-
sive grants Of transit by canal railroad by the
way of Panama, Tehuantepec, and Nicaragua
MIR. Polk sent Mr.. Hise to Central America to ne.
gotiate for exclusive right for communication
across Nicaragua to the United States Hse made
a treaty with Nicaragua, by which the United
States secured in the exclusive right to con-
struct railway canal across that country to
the Pacific, with the liberty of terrifying at either
end, to continue to the United States forever
This convention sent to the State Depart
ment by Hise in September, l849, and Mr.. Clayton
never sent it to the Senate. Upon coming into
power, the administration of General Taylor su-
perseded Hise, and sent out Mr.. Squer, with in
structions to negotiate treaty, with exclusive
rights in the United States but to be open to the
world; and that if Hise should have negotiated
treaty by which the United States had acquired
such an exclusive right, the government OF Mica
ragua was to be informed that Hse had no autho
rity to act, that his course would be repudiated
and that he had been superseded. Any treaty ne.
gotiated by Hise for an exclusive right in the Uni
ted States to be modified by Squier 30 as to
give such right to the world. Thus the partnership
with Europe was commenced Squier Sc informed
the Nicaraguan authorities, and be succeeded in
negotiating new treaty, opening this right Of
way to all Europe, and enabling them to interfere
with affairs on this continent. Both treaties were
in the State Department when Congress met in
December, l849. MIR. Clayton suppressed the one
negotiated by Hise, and sent the Squier ons to the
Senate 1t was not ratified, and the consequence
was that We bad no treaty with Nicaragua on this
subject of the capal The excuse given by Mr..
CLAYTON for this conduct was that the government