The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1856-08-27
Revolution in the Senate.

'"''Sh ahu seStlonai TeckleSsfleSS mas Oeen
so strikirgfy exhibited nowhere as in the
debate in the Senate on Thursday, on the
Army Appropriate ton bill. The Commit,
tee OF Ways and Means in the House,
composed of a majority of sectionaisls, re-
ported the bI! in the ordinary form, aud
making the usual appropriations for the
support of the army. The sectional ma
jorty Of the House, on the motion of Mr..
Sherman, amended the committees bill
10y attaching the proviso to which wehave
several times before referred as n revolu
tionary proceeding. In the Senate, the
Finance Committee reported the bill, With
motion TO strike out the Sherman
amendment, ard recommend its passage
Iust rs 1t was reported by the House Com
mlttee. In making this report, Mr.. Hun
ter stated that the Sherman amendment
was an attempt to introduce n subject of
general legislation into an ordinary appro
prlation bill TO which it had no proper or
necessary re elatiouship; that it undertook
10 legIsla,e in this irregular mode on q
question on which there was a known an
tagonism in the country, and on which
The two hodses Of Congress were known
TO be at issue. If the House persisted.
and thereby the army appropriation was
defeated, it would be revolution, bv STOP
plng the wheels OF government if til
Senate and Executive yielded to the usur.
patton on the part Of the House, it would
I've revoIut!op, because the Constitution
contemplated that both Houses shuold
act freely and without constrant. In ei.
ther alternative, he said, the House would
b. Irresponsible for the consequences. But
T. avoid such an issue, Mr.. Hunter arru.
cd that the House might well abandon
Shelr position, on the ground that the leg
i:iaiIon proposed did not properly belong
TO an appropriation bill. lie therefore
asked the concurrence OF the Senate. with
out touching the merits OF the Sherman
provso.
When this reasonable and conservative
suggestion Was made, we hoped that the
republican side of the Senate would at
once accept it, and thus manifest their dis.
sent from the rash and fac,cous course Of
their friends in the House. But so far
from having our hope realized, the leading
republicans not only rejected Mr.. Hunters
conservative suggestions, but entered ND
en- debate in support of the Sherman
amendment aud III justification and en-
oouragement of the action Of their friends
of the House, which lasted for eight
hours. Messrs. Wilson, Wade, Trumbull
and Seward, exhausted all their ingenuity,
and expended no inconsderable amount,
OF tantical sectionalism, in trying to Justify
the amendment and in furnishing reasons
why their friends in the House ought to
persevere even though the wheels of gov
ernment should be- stopped. They insis-
ted that the House represents truly the
sentiments of the people, and that thew
aavc clear right to require the Senate
and the President to submit to their die.
tatIon, or to let the consequences of revo-
luticn come and they did not hesitate to
proclaim that in SAGA an event, the res.
possibility would rest upon the Senate and
the President This is the boldest dis.
union doctrine that has yet been ayowed
in the Senate. 1t is simply and nakcdlv
+he assertion Of the right of one branch of
Congress to resort to the appropriation
bills as medium through which to make
its will supreme over the other branch and
over the Executive-and If the other de-
partments refuse to submit, that the revo-
luton and disuniop .hus brought about
are justitiable.
These startling doctrines called forth
from Messrs. Thompson, of Kentucky Jones,
ofIenncssee, Hunter, Butler Douglas, and
Stuart a succession of the aLIest and most
eloquent speeches delivered during the
sess'on. In no debate have The dangerous
tendencies Of sectionalism been so forciblv
and so eloquently expos ed. The result
was the striking ont Of the revolutionary
provso by vote Of more than three 10
one.
The bill now goes back to the House,
and If the council of the Republican Sena-
tors prevails in that body, the fate of the
army appropriation bill is sealed and in
dstnuch as the civil and diplomatic bill
contains the SAME proviso, and others equal.
ly revolutionary, that bill, too, may be
considered as defeated. The republican
Senators, led on by Mr.. Seward, have
avowed their Willingness to meet the re-
sponsibility Of defeating these bills, and
thus putt'Ug stop TO the operations Of
government. 1t is no longer TO be denied
or doubted that the overthrow of the Un.
ion j. .ho end to which sectionasm is
drifting with rash precipitancy that may
bring about the catastrophe in the next
ten days. As was most eloquently and
solemniy declared by Mr.. Butler, the
proposition Of the House is The most un.
constitutional and revolutionary proceed.
ing ever attempted TO be enforced in Con
gress. That proposition is openly and
boldly advocated by the acknowledged
champions and leaders Of the sectional or
ganization which seeks to elect President
by the exclusive vote of the North, and to
secure majorities in Congress composed
exclusively OF northern members. If this
he not revolution and disunion, then these
terms have lost their true meaning.
Washington linton.