Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-01-29
WASHINGTON.
Liberty and Union, now and forever, one aud
iMseparable.0
rHrSLAsr WEEK INscoNGRfss.
]. MONDAY, JANUARY "a. 1853.

:. ss1s-
The most Indifferent observer Of the doings in
Congress cannot fail to have remarked in the votes
and debates of both Houses in the last week. indi-
cations of the highest import to the honor, the
peace, and The welfare of the country
The first Of these, the passage by unanimous
votes, in both Houses of Congress, of concurrent
Resolution to carry out an act of the Continental
Congress, (in 1889 which had lain dormant for
seueaty years, for the erection of an Equestrian
Republic, we have already noticed with suitable
congratulaton upon event glorious to Congress,
and SO honorable to that sense of justice which,
though it had slept long, has thus finally redesm
ed this sacred national pledge.
The most important feature, however, of the week,
of the Session, and indeed of the Thirty Con-
gress, is, in estimation, the vote in the House
of Representatives upon the proposition to place at
the discretion of the Executive ten millions of dol
lars, to meet such exigcncies may present them
selves, " from hour to hour" in the foreign rela-
tions of this country and the Debate which has be-
gun and is going on, in the Senate, involving ques-
tions cognate to it, The vote in the House of Rep
resentatves only can be considered conclusive, the
debate in the Senate being yet in progress. But
that vote, of one hundred and fifty members to
twenty-six refusing to entertain the portentous pro-
position referred to, must be regarded auspcious
to the hope of peaceful and conservative adminis-
tration of the Government for some time to come
That trust may indeed he disappointed; but this
vote leaves room for hope, for which hardly room
would have been left had this proposition under the
Al D.
presentatives of the People.
In charactcrizing this q dangerous proposition,
no reflection is intended upon the mover, or upon
those who sustained it by their votes With their
known opinions of the proper policy of this Govern
ment in its foreign intercourse, and of the primary
objects Of good government generally, the PROPOSE
ton is a perfectly natural one for them to have
brought forward.
To us, who entertain very different views as well
of the constitutional powers of Congress and the
President of the United States as of the proper
be not unnatural merely, but entirely foreign to
the spirit of the Constitution.
In the first place, its adoption would have con-
stituted an anomaly in legislation, of which ex-
ample is to be found in the history Of this Govern
ment the one or two cases of supposed precedent
differing from it in the very material fact that they
were based on crsting exgencies, and not "on such
exgencies as NAY arise out of the relations Of this
country with the other Powers of the earth, and
which are no more likely to arise now than they
have been during the last four years, within which
not only no such extravagant appropriations have
been deemed by Congress- but the requisite
appropriations for the support even of The Peace
Establishment of the country have in many instances
been fatty refused, or reduced far below the ac-
tual wants Of the public service.
In the next place, as is most apty remarked by
one Of our contemporaries (the Boston Journal the
" Constellation has thrown around the public purse
the most careful and jealous defences, to guard il
from the discretionary Of official men and last
Of all should the PRESIDENT, who is an executive
officer, having nothing to do with the disburse
~nent of the,public moneys except the sanctioning
Of appropriation bills as he does all other laws, be
allowed to hold in his own hands any discretionary
fund The Constitution says no money shall be
drawn from the treasury but in consequence oi
appropriations made by law and enumcrates the
particular duties Of Congress- by authority of which
such appropriations are to be made. In voting
money out Of the treasury, specific purpose j
designated in the law and nothing but iRect
toote and stringent necessity will or ought to per-
NIT any departure from the established custom
NO other reason can be assigned for this extraor.
binary measure just now than such as has existed
since the foundation of our Government, and such
as will continue to exist while the world stands
= jealousy of foreign Powers, the rumors of uncer
tain wars, territorial acquisitions, or Governor
tai interfercnces, &c, which any nation, strong IN
it's integrity and confident in It's own strength
would allow to pass by like the idle Winds
The circumstances under which the nronos;s;o,
for this grant of money was presented to the
House Of Representatives we're well calculated
to excite disrust and alarm in all reasoning or re-
Aecting minds. On the 23d Of last month occurred
in the Senate brief but memorable debate. which
wo had occasion to note at the time, in which
Mess, >. MASON, CAss, UNDERWOOD, and others took
part u on the relations Of the Spanish territory Of
Cuba to the United States; which debate was made
the subject OF an elaborate article in tract issued
from the Office Of the Democratic Hsvicw, publish