The true Democrat., 1854-04-18
The Exciting Controversy Between Messrs. Cutting and Breckinridge.

MeSsTS. Cutt1ng and Bfecklnr1dSe.
 Mr. CUTTING rose, and this was the signal for gentlemen crowding in front of him, and it was some minutes before the anxious ones were satisfactorily seated. The galleries were crowd ed and the general expectation was that there would be something rich and exciting. What follows is condensation of the debate:-
 Mr. CUTTING said-On Tuesday last, after the morning hour had expired and the House went to the business on the Speakers table, a motion was made by the chairman of the com mittee on territories to refer the Senate's Ne- braska bill to that committee. On the other hand, for reasons then gave, submitted pro- position that the bill be referred to the commit tee of the whole on the state of the Union- The House listened to the clear and distinct argument of the gentleman from Illinois, (Mr Richardson,) against my motion. Itwas an ar gument which afterwards set the House some what on their guard, and 1 submitted, in terms by no means disrespectful, the motives which influenced my conduct on that occasion. thought 1 had expressed myself with perfect candor, clearness and frankness. 1 said there was not gentleman on this floor a stronger or more jealous advocate of what 1 regarded as a grent principle of the measures than l was. argued my objection to the bill itself, and said 1t would not receive my humble support, nor that of the majority, without essential modif- cations. In making that motion 1 am not con- sclous of havlug employed any language disre- spectful to any member of the House. more especially l have no recollection of having at tempted to make an insinuation against the mo- ral honesty of any gentleman who differed from me on that occasion. After the subject was dis posed of, and the lapse of two days. a gentle man from a slaveholding State, (Mr. Breckin- ridge,) who had no lot orpart in this discussion, came into the House as a volunteer, merely, and thought it not incompatible with his char acter as a leading member to undertake to assail my motives It is true he acclaimed any in- tention to attack them, but said that while cast one arm around the measure as friend with the other plunged into its breast the murder ous stiletto; and like Jacob with the aged patr- arch of old had practiced a cheat upon the House-but he meant not to assail my motives The gentleman who despises deceit meant no imputation on me. Oh no.-but he comes to the House with concentrated wrath and biter- ness against me, and to assail me for having stated my reasons for making the motion which l made on that occasion. 1 had proclaimed that at the north we will have to take the burnt of the difficulty and outcry, and 1 thought 1 would satisfy my constituents that an opportu- nity should be given to discuss the measure. was amazed that gentleman from slavehod- ing State, where his constituents are united, and who will take to their arms and press him for his advocacy of the measure should come here and denounce member from the north, who, though friendly to the principle, desired fair opportunity for discussion.
 tl fo;, +l IL, q : course for a leading gentleman in this House to take! He came here to stgmatize me for merely asking that privilege For more reasons than one the gentleman made favorable i'm pression on my constituents. They are men who appreciate patriotic services and there were no more prompt and efficient gentlemen to aid him than those same gentlemen who are asso- ciated with me, and who are made the victims of the gentleman from Kentucky. Let us see the ground on which the gentleman undertakes to put the matter He charges me with being secret enemy of the bill while openly profess sing friendship for it. When did the gentleman hear me declare that was friendly to the Se- nate bill? I stated that I, and believed anna ority of the House, were against it. Does not the gentleman know the difference between a principle and bill to carry out that principle? l said 1 was in favor of the principle, but not in fayorof this measure. What was the ground of complaint? That I was consigning this measure to the tomb of the Capulets by send ing 1t to the comm tee of the whole on the state of the Union. After the bill had been 50 referred, where was the need of the gentle mans making an argument subsequently, prov ing that the bill ought to pass, if he thought it never could be reached? No gentleman ac- quainted with the orders of the calendar for a moment would believe that sending 1t there was to defeat its action during the session. Did not the gentleman hear the chairman of the com mlttee on territories move to go into committee to take up the House Nebraska bill? Would he have made motion so earnestly if there was no chance to get at it? A frank, honorable gentleman, who desires to discuss the subject, comes here with speech not only iufamma- tory Tn style, but exaggerated in fact, declaring there are scores of bills ahead of 1t on the cal endar here was not one score even. There were some eighteen or nineteen bills all told, large and small, of great and little degree; all appropriation bills, nearly, subj ject to the con- trOl Of the committee of ways and means.- The gentleman said that there was a mountain on the bill which never could be removed. It was flash of the imagination of the gentle man that raised this mountain and created scores and scores of bills. Did not the gentle man know there was preconcerted understand ing to go into committee of the whole on the state of the Union, and propose amendments to the House bill and report it to the House ? What inconvenience would there have been in this? Either bill would be amended, and would have to go back to the Senate. Then, by what authority did the gentleman say un- dertook to commit the bill to the tomb for the purpose of creating false impression in the public mind?
 Mir. Richardson, (dem.) of Ill.-I deem it due to myself to state that there was no ar rangement, as has been stated in the public pa- pers and by letter writers.
 MT. Cutting-I did not say so.
 Mr. Richardson-I will state to the gentle man, and he knows it well, we had the Senate's bill on the speakers table, and we could have discussed the House bill in committee, and there perfected it.
 Mr. Cutting-Where?