The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-07-31
THE vIcE PRESIDENT AT HOME.
SPEECH OF THE HON JOHN c BREcKNRIDGE
AZ FIormee, 10. Llu "a. ISIS

place 20 speak To them of the prominent current pol-
cal issues He held that the people had right 20
pec that public men should be prepared 10 give their
views upon public matters at all convenient times He
held himself ready To do Ii had been two years since
he had been IN the habit OF addressing his elowctzens
on public OCCASIONS and In that time probable that
lac had lost OF the facility which he had acquired
for expressing himself before the assembled people He
did not COME however to attempt the grlces oatory
on exhibit wordy glitter of rhetoric, but to speak plain
truths IN plain terms The present be thought period
in the history of the country peculiar interest and he
proposed that his remarks should be addressed the
subject which to current affairs that interest Since
Mr. Buchanan had assumed the reins of power in the
government difficulties had been chiefly domestic
We had had but trouble with foreign power that
threatened to be considerable that with Great Britain
concerning her exercise of the right of search upon which
fought that in the last war; in the Gulf of Mexico
which might reasonably be claimed American sea-
The recent exercise of the fright of search by Great
Britain had been received throughout the land with
outburst OF Indignation confined to section party
and the question, il might believe the public prints
was speedily settled basis agreeable to American
PRIDE and conforming to American interests American
ships wherever they sailed hereafter to be regard
ed as nviolabe American dry land itself
Upon another question word There had been
raised throughout the land against the President
certed cry of progacy The administration charged
with squandering vast sums of money which had TO be
borrowed He freely admitted that the expenses of the
government recently had been unusually large The
publican House of Representatives that preceded in pow
er the administration had been extravagant in making
appropriations, and the democracy had to foot the
bills IL was very hard IT the President was to be blamed
for paying the appropriations Of the republican House of
Representatives The expenses of the Mormon expedi
tion which necessary for the vndicaton of the hon
or and authority of the government, were very heavy
and formed extraordinary item. People slow to
appreciate the immense distance from the frontiers of
Missouri to Salt Lake Did they know that 1t was fur
Their than from the Rhine to Moscow the long march that
ruined Napoleon
There was deficit in the Post-ofce Department Of
some millions occasoned by the great extension of mail
routes and the cheapness of postage. The gentlemen
who were raising cry about the expenses of the govern
ment last winter given opportunity to check the
flow Of appropriations to the Post Office it proposed
to raise the rates of postage but every of these gen.
tlemen voted in opposition to the proposition. The fault
finders with the financial management of the adminstra
ton camored about aggregates but would not to
particulars Why they themselves voted for these APP
preparations denounced prohigate 1t might be set
down settled fact that whenever there objec
tionable appropriations passed, majority of the demo
cratic votes against Them while they prevailed by
almost solid vote of the Americans and republicans
That majority of the opposition to the administration
always in favor of any really Objectionable appropria
ton that passed. and that the most Objectionable appro
prations always defeated, when defeated by demo
cratic votes might be set down ndisputable propo
stion Why during this very last session of Congress,
the Americans and republicans had endeavoed to add
several millions to the budget of appropriations at
tempting to pass through the French spoliaon BILL and
other kindred He presumed that if they had
been successful they would have added those millions to
the figures they hold up to appa the people When the
time to dscss the question relating to the pecnn-
airy management of the administrations its friends would
be found perfectly prepared to meet its foes at all points
The most prominent subject connected with the history
of the administration thus far that relating to the
difficulties in Kansas OF these difficulties he would
deayor to give calm, clear and il possible truthful
statement His distinguished friend, the representative
in Congress from that district had been the ground
with his accustomed ability, and he Ir b. would not
state the much in detail as he otherwise would
have done He believed that if the Kansas question:
before Congress last winter could be fairly and fully pre-
sented to the people of Kentucky three fouths at least
Of them would sustain thoroughly the policy of the adj
mnistation Kansas had been rent by incessant dsse
sons There seemed to be end to her troubles in her
territorial condition At last State constitution c-
compton) presented to Congress by the Territory In
favor of the acceptance of this constitution the Presi
dent sagacous statesman of long and large experience
and northern man, and all his cabnet-composcd of
eminent both from the North and the Souh-a ma
jory of democratic members in Congress from northern
States and the whole democratic representation in the
Senate and House from the South and majority of the
ow-nohng congressman from the South. Opposed to
the acceptance of the constitution all the backthe
republican members of Congress. He about to say
the black republican congressman but he always
willing to call men and parties by the that they
called themselves. Here there something of a
saon Of disapprobation murmur and voices, ~ don't
~ DON'T Opposed to the acceptance of the Kansas
constitution arrayed the whole strength of the re-
publican forces in Congress, minority of northern dem
ocrats and minority of southern know nothngs This
opposition chose TO reasons tor the warfare they
made in such terms to be almost personally insulting
to the supporters of the They made wholesale
charges of frauds frauds in the beginning middle and
end of the official proceedings in Kansas charged that
there had been fraud in design and forgery in execution
and that advocacy of the acceptance of the constitution
advocacy of the consumatvn of system of fraud
Now, it would naturally occur to Kentucky audience
that in such controversy this with the President
backed by the nearly unanimous South on the one
hand and the republican party making this
| omed the other, which side they, as the de-
voted friends of State and southern rights and in
volved to the extent of their fortunes and honor in
southern interests, should be found upon But let that
view of the subject pass II did not meet the merits
of the case, they all conscious He did not deny
that the subject of the admission of Kansas into the
Union under the Lecompton constitution envi-
roned by difficulties. But it very to object 1t
easy to urge many plausible objections to the course
the President had pursued. But taking all the circum
stances of the into consideration it his opinion
that the recommendations of the President p.ncti-
CAL WISE statesmanlke, just and ought to have been
adopted If they had been adopted in December last
the question would have been settled then now
settled without violation of popular sovereignty and
without interference with the civil rights Of any body
The proongaton of the controversy had only produced
l.ptTers end heated strife between who should
haze made ecinnon for peace, and between the
great ACTIONS of the confederacy. Much harm had
been DONE and good had been ACCOMPLISHED for any
human being But the Recommendations of tho Pres
ident regarding the Lecompton constitution We're not
wise not discriminating, not statesmanlike and just
if that instrument charged, covered with and
stepped in faud not representing the people of Kan
sas and not their act and deed Mr. Breckenridge pro-
endations Of the President regarding the ccompton
uertinent pro,er md the rost ,ract;