The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-03-18

the House. Pending further proceedings at
On motion Of Mr.. cher, of Virginia,
fifteen minutes before six o'clock, the House
adjourned.
Thursday, March III, 1853.
SENATE
Report from Committee.-M Hunter, from
the Committee on Finance, to which was re-
ferred the bill from the House of Representa-.
tlves to appropriate money to supply the de-
hciencies in the appropriations for paper. print.
ing, binding, and engraving, ordered by the
Senate and House of Representatives of the
Thirty-third and Thirty fourth Congresses, &C.,
reported 1t back without amendment, and asked
its immediate consideration.
The bill was considered and passed.
Mr.. Hunter said that, previous to the ad.
Journment last evening, he had given notice
that he would renew his motion to take a re-
cess from to p. NJ, until the time fixed for
taking the vote on the Lecomptou bill but
from conversations which he had held with
Senators on the other side of the Chamber, he
was induced to believe that an opportunity
would be given to all who desired to be heard
on the subject, without a resort to night ses-
sions, which all deplored so much, and that the
vote could be taken as early as Thursday next,
perhaps, without inconvenience to this side of
the Chamber
Mr.. Wade could pledge himself that there
was no disposition on that side of the Chamber
to prolong the discussion unnecessarily but
he did think that sufficient time should be al.
lowed for all to speak who desired to do 30,
without being subjected to unreasonable hours
de desired to speak for the people of Ohio On
this question, and he claimed the right to do
80, without being forced into unreasonable hours.
hdnsas.-The Senate then proceeded to the
Ndaro ts<1r.. al 4
for the admission of the State of Kansas into
the Union.
Mr.. Polk addressed the Senate in favor of the
admission of Kansas under the Lecompton
constitution. He believed with the President,
IN his Kansas message, that the organic act of
tnat Territory was IN Its terms q sufficient en-.
abiing act He also defended the schedule of
tie Lecompton Constitution from the charge of
trickery and deceit. 1t was eminently proper
to refer the Slavery question alone to popular
arbitrament, as it was the sole cause of dissen.
SION in the Territory. In this way it was that
that question could be decided on its Individual
merits, without extraneous influence arising
from collateral and minor issues. In view of
all the circumstances, he thought that every
consideration of public daty conspired to favor
the speedy admission of Kansas into the Union.
which he did not doubt would prove a great
measure of paeifcation.
Mr.. Folk then proceeded earnestly to defend
his constituents on the western borders of Mis-.
sour from the imputations SO freely cast upon
them by Republican Senators. The so called
" border Rufhsns" we're a noble gallant, and
hospitable people, who, following the star of
empire, planted the seeds of liberty, learning.
and science, in the virgin soil of the West.
such men might sometimes be provoked to
deeds OF violence, but never stopped to com
pass their purposes by trickery and fraud.
Mr.. Benjamin reviewed the legal relations
OF slavery under the Constitution Of the United
States. He denied the proposition that Sla.
very was always the creation of local and posi-.
tive statute. At the date of the Revolution.
Slavery was the common law of the thirteen
COLONIES. 1t had been established in them by
ureat Britain, and In some cases against their
remonstrance. The Importation of slaves into
the COLONIES was at first a royal monopoly. but
subsequently was opened to the tradesmen and
merchants of London, who never ceased to stun
the ears OF Parliament with their clamor. until
this commercial privilege had been conceded
10 them. la this way 1t was that Slavery was
planted IN the colonial dependencies of Eng.
land and when, in 1862 South Carolina pro.
tested against the importation of slaves. her
governor was reprimanded and threatened with
removal In case of future opposition to the
traffic. Even ss late as l775. after The 6r.t
blood had been shed in our Revolutionary
Struggle, the Colonial Secretary had declared
tnat the mother country could never allow the
COLONIES TO check or prevent the importation
OF slaves. Such, then, was the common Law
which prevailed upon this subject under the
jurisdiction of Great Britain.
ln view of this general and customary nreva.
lence OF Slavery as the common law of tba
American Colonies, it followed that positive
statute was necessary for the prohibition rather
than establishment of Slavery. Why are any
OF the original thirteen Colonies now known as
free States2" Because they have abolished
Slavery by positive legislative enactment. With
out this, they would still have remained in point
OF law, slsveholding States.
Mr.. Benjamin yielded the floor, Messrs.
wade and Chandler rose simultaneously, but
the Presiding Officer recognised Mr.. Chandler.
and there were cries of {" Go on, 20 on ~ when
MIR. Brown rose and said that, as this WAS to
be the opening speech of the Senator from Mich
igan, 1t would be scarcely courteous to ask him
to proceed at that very late hour of the evening,
and would therefore move that the Senate ad
journ.
Mr.: johnson, of Arkansas, expressed some
surprise that Democratic Senators. who nro.
fessed to wish to bring this matter 70 a elo.s.
should be the first to ask an adjournment, and
demanded the yeas and nays on the motion
which we're ordered, and it was decided in the
Affirmative, by the following vote:
leds-Messrs. Bell, Broderick, Brown Cam.
eron, Chandler, Clark, Crittenden. Dixon. DooI;t
tie, Darkee, Fessenden, Fitch, Foster. Harlan.
Houston, Seward, Simmons, Trumbull. Wade
and Wilson-20.
Ndys-Messrs. Allen, Bayard, Biggs. Biz.
Ter, Clay, Green, Gwin, Hammond, Hunter
johnson of Arkansas, johnson of Tennessee
Jones, Polk, Pugh, Sebastian, Slidell, Thomson
of New Jersey, Wright and Yulee-I9.
And the Senate adjourned.
HOUSE.
The Army Bu.-The bill providing for a
regiment of volunteers for Texas, and to an.
thorize the President to call four regiments OF
volunteers into the service of the United States,
was taken up as the special order.
MIR. Stanton, of Ohio, was opposed to any in.
crease of the military force of the country but,
if there was to be an increase, he would prefer
volunteers to regulars. If there was any neces-
sity for an increase, it was only attributable to
the difficulties in Utah, which would be settled
In single campaign. Volunteers would be
oficered BY themselves; but if the Eve regi.
ments OF regulars were raised, the President
would have the appointment of one hundred
and eighty five officers. He was opposed to
giving the Executive this additional amount of
patronage. There was no exigency requiring
more than eighteen thousand troops, which the
Administration was now authrized to bring into
the field. If any addition was made, it would
only be to coerce Kansas. The very existence
of the Administration was staked on the Lecomp D.
ton scheme, and the patronage to be given and
the troops to be raised BY the proposition to in
crease the army were alike to be used to that
end.
he supposed no sensible man could doubt