Arkansas true Democrat., 1858-05-11


 Name has said, t'-wit: that the administration Knew Ill the month'of January, as we'll as they know now, the necessity of this bill let us ad- mt for the sake of the argument that the ad mlnstraton have not done their duty; we ought to oo our duty. Now, the administration sends us the blll; 1t Is urged upon our attention as a matter of the eutmostimportance; and especially | as we have ourselves authorized an increase of the forces for the short period of ighteen months II there IS to be any benefit at all from that in- crease of the troops, the government must be furnished With the means for if the regiments are not gong to march now, we had better re- peal the law we have lately passed
 see nothing ih any allegation of illegal con- tracts, or of fraudulent contracts or of executive mlsinanagement, or of usurpation, that ought to prevent the Senate from taking up this bill for consideration. What the particular items may be, what may be my individual opinion on them shall not now express; I do not know that I am prepared to express any opinion, but it seems to me that II we are to pass the bill at all we ought to take it up immediately. and proceed to its consideration. shall, therefore vote for the motion of the Senator from Virginia.
 MT. FESSENDEN. I am little surprised at the information which the Senator from Ohio communicates to the Senate, that this bill has nothing to do with any contracts which have been made, or are proposed to be made by the executive department, because in the informa- tlon that has been furnished to us by the ad- mlnlstration we are told that it has relation not only to contracts that have been made but to contracts that are proposed to be made by the quartermaster's department. This being the case, am, as a member of the committee on finance, rather stuck up'' with this new infor- nation derived from the Senator from Ohio on that point. It is at war with the information we have received from high quarters.
 Now, sir all have to say in regard to the information which desire, is that on the Sena- tors own showing, it is mportant; because hav- Ing relation, as 1t has, to the appropriations con. tained in the bill, I want to know what the con- tracts are, how they have been entered into. what they are for, and the power of the gov ernment in relation to them, and what the go- vernment proposes to do. It is hardly an an- swer to me to say that this information, so dis | tinctly relating, as it does to the subject mat ter, has nothing to do with the question whether we will supply the very money asked for by l these contracts. 1 think it has a material re. latlon to that very question. But sir I am not disposed to argue the merits of the bill now, or to denounce the administration for what it has done, and what it proposes to do, in advance. The motion now before us is a simple question of taking up the bill, and upon that I do not deem It proper to go into a matter of that de- scripton
 wish to remark, however, in illustration of what l said before, that there are some things which look a little strange to me. All the in- formation upon which is predicated the neces- sity of moving on Saturday instead of moving on Monday in relation to this bil upon the ground that there is an immediate and pressing urgency was, as l shall be able to show, and am able to show now, if chose to 90 into it, just as much in the possession of the adminis- traton mouths ago as it is to-day, and was in their possession weeks and months before they moved at all for obtaining supplies by this bl Iheanswer which has been made is by no means satisfactory one. If the government which presses upon Us this great urgency (for l take It to be pressure by the executive governmenN has been resting quiet under q knowledge of the tacts t is proof, to my mind, that the urgency in fact does not exist to the extent now pretended. If they knew all the facts so long time ago, and vet did not move, they are driven to this diff ulty; either the urgency does not exist or they are stupidly ignorant and neg lectful of their own duty. Gentlemen may take which horn of the dilemma they choose. i'''h'N''N' and did not move, it proves either that there was no necessity for moving, or that they knew nothing about their own duties; or if they did know, it proves that they were most neglectful of them aud have most grossly neglected them up to the present time.
 Now, sir, what do ask? The Senator from Ohio says he is ready to proceed; he understands it al because this bill was laid upon his table, do not know how long ago-some two or three weeks since. Why, sir, everybody here knows that we do not look at and study bills which are laid or our tables, printed by order of the House of Representatives, until they come before us, and have been under the consideration of our committees. Look at the heading of the bilii this case: In the House of Representatives" When was 1t brought here?
 Mir PCGH. IL says, "Inthe Senate of the United States"
 Mr. FESSENDEN. When?
 Mr. PUGH. Or the 12th of April.
 Mr. FESSENDEN That cannot be-.
 Mir. JOHNSON, of Arkansas. The bill was printed under an order of the Senaic of the l2rh of April, and, if Understand arght, the Senator from Maine, in hjs committee has had before him q printed bill, printed by the Senate.
 Mir. FESSENDEN. That might have been so; but it is a House bili. The bill has never been in the Senate at all until it came from our committee.
 MT. JOHNSON, of Arkansas. Then it is alleged that there are but two changes from the House bill. Besides, it is agreed-at least 1 be- lieve the Senator from Virginia has assented to It-that any section upon which the Senator from Maine wants information, shall be passed over. Moreover, the bill was printed in the other House long since and the whole of it, with the discussion on it, has been printed in the congressional debates of the House. It has been printed four times That is the fact.
 Mir. FESSENDEN. My honorable friend is talking upon point to which have not yet alluded; and 1t is unnecessary to that of which am speaking, to say that certain other things may be done. l was alluding to the fact that the bill, as a Senate bill, has not been before us at all until it came here this morning. Mir. PUGH. The Senator is mistaken. Here is a copv-he can read it-printed by order of the Senate, after it passed the House with the clerks certificate at the bottom. If he will read the copy, he will see he is in error
 Mr. FESSENDEN. The Senator from Ohio seems detrcmned not to understand me. say 1t Is not our habit to read over House bis-at any rate it is not mine-or to consider them, uHt they have been referred to a committee of the Senate, and considered by that committee This bill never came into thls body until the first of this week. It came here from the House, think, on Monday last. It was refer red to our committee, and we took it up on Tuesday. What is so easy to be comprehended and apprehended by the Senator from Ohio that he is ready to go on with it now, understand ing all about it, took the committee three days of close, careful examination of documents, and figures, and subject matters in order to ena bla f tN q ,p1i + it to the Senate The committee on finance is so composed, it is made up of such dull men, that it takes them three days to do what the Senator from Ohio can do off hand without any trouble at all. The bill has been under the care fnl consideration of that committee with it's distinguished, able and experienced chairman at the head.
 The bill as 1 have said, came into the Senate for actual examination, from the committee only yesterday. A call has been made for in- formation which the chairman will bear me wit