Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1856-01-11
SPEECH OF HON. JOHN p. HALE,
DRLIVERED IN THE 4. S. SENATE
jan Sd, on tie Presidents MESSAGE.

| pose OF making (, personal explanation, be-
cause believe that the country thinks it of
no very great consequence what the opinion of
any individual Senator may be; but. sir,
hBve not a word to say against the propriety
| OF those gentlemen from Northern States who
voted for the Kanzas Nebraska bill, and are
still members of the Senate, making explana-
| tious; for there is not one of them that has
ever had his election submitted to the people
Of Free State, who has had chance Of
making an explanation on this floor, or will
| be likely TO get 1t very SON.. Hence, lave
not word TO say about that.
/ L have but single word to say in relation
to what has fallen from the Honorable Sena-
| tor from Michigan-Mr. Cass. Nobody en-
tertains higher respect Tor that honorable
| Senator than do. There is no State in the
| Union that cherishes his name with more pride
than the State which have the honor in part
TO represent; and there is nobody that will
defend his fame, when uniustly assailed with
mole zeal or mere generosity, than the citi-
| zens of that State. His fair fame they con-
slider part of their inheritance. But permit
| me TO tell him, with as much kindness as
entertain towards him, and certainly no man
| feels more-that there have been more tears
| shed, than congratulations expressed, at the
course he felt it his duty to take upon that
| bill.
rise now, sir, to make motion, which
| the chair notified me was in order o short
time since.
The Presideht-When the chair indicated
| to the honorable Senator that the motion was
in order, he was not aware that the order of
tt c Senate haa been partly executed-that the
! copy had passed from the hands of the Secre-
tary into the hands of the printer.
Mr.. Hale Whatever has been cone by the
| of bn
here of his constitutional right to make
| motion, to reconsidar.
The President--It is clearly within the pow
er of the Senator to make the motion, two leg
islative days not having interviewed since the
| report was agreed to.
Mr.. Hale-If the matter has got into such
state that the order which we NAV make
cannot be carried out, it is not my fault. My
motion is 10 re- consider the vote adopting the
resolution ordering extra copies Of the Pres.
dents message and accompanying documents
! to be printed, and will now state the reas-
| ons which impel me to make this motion. |
had begun to state the reasons for my propos-
| ition when it was suggested to me by the
| Chair, that | was not in order at that stage of
the matter The first reason was, that the
message, as indicated, was irregularly sent
! to the Senate, and sent to the Senatein viola
ton of an understanding which the President
understood by the feseluGCn we had sent to
| him, and by the course he had taken for four
| weeks. He knew, from our action, that we
were not III scssionrto receive messages touch
| ing our legislative capacity; and, therefore, |
think that the message was irregularly sent,
and if | had been in my seat, should have
/ voted not to receive it, for that reason. But
it has been received, and a motion has been
| made to printit. That motion has been agreed
to, and now move to reconsider that vote,
because believe the document should not re-
ceive that compliment at the hands of the
Senate; it is not entitled to it, and Twill state
some Of my reasons for this opinion.
I have no right to assign any motive to the
President for sending the message here under
the circumstances under which he transmit
ted it. l shall not do so; but, Sir there is a.
privilege which appertains to the Yankee ma.
ton universally, and that is guessing. That
we have the right to resort to, can only guess
what the object was. | am not going to I'M
dertake to say that the sending ofthe mes
sage at the time when it was sent, with the
extraordinary doctrines which it contains, had
any possible relation to the fact that several
Southern Democratic State Conventions were
| to sit about the Sth of January, and that it
eneame important TO let it be known what
were the views entertainer by Ines r resiaUnI
] Oh NSibulu JOllibS DCAOL6 llOSS SdL.
If he had any such view as that l wish to say
to the President, here from my place. that he
| spoke too late altogether. He is like despe.
rate politician, or Spectator of desperate for
| tunes, coming in just as the auction has closed,
who makesa tremendous high bid, but the
article has been struck off TO another man be-
fore he got in.
He is just as effectually scout Of the ring"
as if he had held his tongue. 1t is gnkind of
those gentlemen who are the peculiar friends
| of the President to let him labor under such
| delusion any longer There is no more
! chance of his being re-nominated, than there
is of one Of our pages receiving that honor.
| He may be told SO, and he may be hattered
into believing it, until about the time when
| the National Convention sits But wish to
suggest TO his particular friends, whether it is
not nkind, seeing that the President can
make nothing by it, to let HIM get down on
his knees and humble himself. and insult his
native State, by the insinuations with which
his message is filled, when it can do no posi-
! BILE good to any body on earth. The thing Is
| done; the matter is settled. He has been
used just as much as you want to use him,
and he will be thrown aside. In fact, he is
thrown aside already, although he does not
know it. 2
| Now, sir, | wish to say few words in re-
| gard to the doctrines of the Message. In the
first place. the President has a great deal to
| say about Central America, as if that were
the engrossng subject with the people at this
time. tell the President that there is a CEN
trail place in the United States--n Central
| America, CentralU United States--called Kan
zas. about which the people of this country
are thinking vastly more at this time than
| they are about Central America, down in the
land of iibusters; and it seems to me that
the President of the United States would have
discharged Just as appropriately his~proper
constitutional functions if he had favored us
little with that, instead of consuming so
much space upon Central America, outside of
the UnitedsSlates. / do not wish to enter the
lists with the distinguished Senators who have
| spoken on this Message-the Senator from
| Delaware, (Mr. Clayton, the Senator from
| Michigan, (Mr. Cass), and my friend from
New York LMr. Seward); because if were
to do so, though there would be no founda-
ton for snch charge in fact, public rumor
would at once say that was ambitious TO put
myself forward as the lieutenant oil compa-
ny OF gentlemen who occupy distinguished
positions before the country. 1t is fol. this
reason that touch on Central America with
great caution and great diiiidence. Central
| America, sir, is an agitating subject just at
| this Time and it is seized upon bJ those agi.
tators who do not think it prudent to take
hold of subject which viii really agitate
the people They care nothing about Central
| Amcrica--not straw the whole thing is a
! humbug exploded long ago.
wish, however, to state for the benefit