The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-02-25
THE aTY-fIFTH CONGRESS,
FIRST SESSION.
Wednesday, February II, 1868.

-
FIRST SESSION.
Wednesday, February II, 1858.
SENATE
Cfsite States Rrotecforote. Houston
called ~ for consideration the resolution sub.
mitted hf him yesterday.
Mr.. y ilson called for the reading of the res
olution; which was read, as follows:
"Wh, reas the events connected with the nu-
merous forts of the people of Mexico and the
Central America of this continent, to establish
and mt ntain order and good government,
since th jr separation from the mother coun.
try, hav- so far resulted in failure and conse.
quent a archy, and demonstrated to the world
the inat lily of said people to effect an object
alike so, desirable and so indispensable to their
welfare nd prosperity therefore,
Rea 'ced, that the Committee on Foreign
Relation be instructed to inquire into and re-
port to : se Senate upon the expediency of the
Govern, ent of the United States declaring and
maintai' ing an efficient protectorate over the
States Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Qua.
temsla, honduras, and San Salvador, in such
form an to such extent as shall be neces-
sary to ,cure to the people of said States the
blessing of good and stable republican gov
I eminent
Mr.. Y iIson characterized the resolution as
f,
it seeme calculated to foster that spirit of fill
busterir so rife in the country, and which had
been 30 lcquently denounced on former &C.
cssion 81 that Senator.
Mr.. E|uston held flibustering in as much
contemn as ever he did, and professed the OBJ
ject of e resolution to be rather to suppress
than foe pr it. He sdverted to the present un-
settled lndition of those countries that since
their SCI >rstion from the mother country they
had sou, ut to establish Government on the
same BE- is as our own and yet, since that Pc
Rod, he believed there had been some twenty
i've rss buttons, ending in despotisms worse
than ha, been suffered under the old regime );
that the States were cur neighbors, and that
the com aerce between US bid fair to be value
BILE in a. commercial point of view; and that, as
an act e, policy and humanity, it became our
duty to tercise such protection as would secure
to them, .he blessings of popular freedom and
a conse, ative government.
Mr.. S9ombs contended that the resolution
foreshat iwed the true policy of this Govern
ment il relation to those States. He would
not nov 90 into the subject, but, when the
proper me arrived, he would be prepared to
vindicats it, as eminently worthy the consider.
alton of he American people.
Mr.. Jason deemed the resolution as one
even caS Jnlated to be regarded as an indignity
|
amity, E I'd contended that the idea of referring
such a secument to the Committee on Foreign
Relatio4, would be to offer an insult to them,
as intiIsting that they we're unable to take
care of remselves.
Mr.. S-.ouston held that the Committee on
Foreign Relations was the appropriate COM
mittee l. investigate and report on the subject.
Mr.. + lie desired to amend the resolution by
adding ,e following:
Sans whereas state of colonial dependen-
cy is no calculated to illustrate the theory and
practice of popular sovereignty and perfect
freedoms said committee is instructed to extend
the sam, inquiries to the Canadas and the other
British possessions on our continent"
Mr.. n .son moved to lay the resolution and
amendng int On the table which was agreed to-
Iacres ,e of the Army.-The Senate then pro-
ceeded {. consider the bill to increase the mil
itary esi blishment of the United States.
Mr.. hnson, of Tennessee, offered another
substitu~, J, rsoposing to employ force of four
thousanv+, volunteers, who should be engaged
for the pecifc purpose of quelling the rebel.
lion in itah, and who should be disbanded at
the com detion of the campaign.
Mr.. J hnson then proceeded, in an earnest
speech,'o advocate the adoption of his meas
ure, whit il he thought more correspondent with
the avoA led wishes and objects of the Admin.
|
mittee {, Military Affairs. He commenced by
protest.. his invincible opposition to the the
DRY ard existence of standing armies, and the
present eemed to him most inopportune time
to prop, ye any permanent addition to the mil
itary es Enlistment of the country. Instead of
increasi e our expenditures, we should rather
be seek. ,g to restrain and curtail them. The
Democi tic party was properly held RESPONSE.
BILE for 10Y extravsga which might be COM
mitted ! the matter of appropriations. These
approp, atoms had already increased to an
alarmins amount and in an alarming progress.
sion. ne Democratic party had always pro-
fessed \. be In favor of an economical admin
ristratiof of the Government, and he thought
it was me for it to redeem its pledges to the
country
| Mr.. .andler moved to strike out the fourth
section q the bill, and the debate was continued
until To- r O'clock P. NJ. 1t was participated
in by M. ssrs. Chandler, Pugh, Seward, Wilson,
Iverson Stuart, Houston, and others; when,
withouts taking the question, the Senate ad.
ljourned
The ouse resumed the consideration of the
report the Committee on Elections, on the
conteste election case from the fourth Congress.
sional d ,trict of Maryland.
The ending question was a motion by Mr..
Marsha of Kentucky, to lay on the table his
motion reconsider the vote by which the main
question was ordered to be put.
The cas- and nays were ordered, and the
motion revailed-yeas 80, nays SO.
The as and nays were then taken on the
amendr, emit proposed by Mr.. Phillips, of Penn
sylvanit ito submit the resolution reported by
the min Nity, which empowers the Committee
on Ele, sons to send for persons and papers,
and ex& hine witnesses in the case.
The nendment was lost-yeas 86, nays 10.
The testion required on the following reso.
luton, ,ported by the majority of the COM
mittee
Resot ed, That it is inexpedent to grant the
prayer e the memorialist for the appointment
of a cor nittee to take testimony.
The Z solution was adopted.
The dian Appropriation BiH-Tbe House
went irp Committee of the Whole, Mr.. Hop
kins, of Virginia, in the chair.)
The .ouse invalid pension bin was laid aside,
with recommendation that it be laid on the
table, Il House having passed the Senate bill.
The ommittee then took up the bill making
approps atoms for the current and contingent ex-
penses the Indian department, and for fulfil
ling trehy stipulations with the various Indian
tribes, ~ the year ending 30th June, 1859.
Mr.. e. Jones, Of Pennsylvania, remarked
that the,t had reached the middle of February,
and str had nine appropriation bills on the
calenda ready for the action of the House.
| Mr. s.tkins, of Tennessee, then obtained the
floor, a d proceeded to address the Committee
/ in advocacy of the admission of Kansas as q
State il 10 the Union under the Lecompton Con.
stitutior.
He .nied that the people of Kansas would
have light to change their Constitution in any
other ~ than the legally prescribed mode. If