The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-01-08

without the authority OF law but the question then
came up whether the officer who did this should be
censured punished in any way for it, On that point
the President makes for Commodore Pauding,
which is that the party who had been arrested had been
indicted n the United States for offence against
laws and failing to arrest them upon the high the
officer had arrested them in the performance OF the
very they had neditated Here two parties who
were delinquent In the first place. there was band OF
awless who had escaped the vigilance of the police
and gone abroad to levy war in violation OF the laws OF
the United States, with nation with whom we were
amity On the other hand there an oiiioef who,
through of vigilance had surpassed his iustruc
tions, and had himself committed violation of law.
Mr. thought the President had balanced this with
exact Justice He had censured the ugitives, and while
admitting the good intentions of the officer had also cen
suIed him for violating the law. What more could be
asked Suppose punishment more or less should
be passed upon this officer what shall be done with the
chief offender who has been brought backY Nothing has
been done towards bringing him TO trial for the offence
for which he stands indicted and the President is de-
fled to his teeth by Gen Walker in his late letter IN
which he states that matter who may interpose at
home abroad he determined to proceed in the pros
ecion of his design Ifhonorabe senators insisted upon
it, he quite willing that should be passed
upon Com Panlding but he must ask them IN justice
to mee out punishment for this greater crime.
Suppose the government should punish Paulding, and
leave the Others to go unpunshed what is the lesson
which will be learned from this affair." IL is that You
may go out of the jurisdiction of the United States and
levy against any nation with whom at peace,
provided you only escape the vigilance OF the police
land and If you shall be arrested after you commence
your acts although the State shall be grateful for the
protection they receive, still the officer who makes the
arrest shall be punished and yon shall be appaued!
To be consistent they should go further and propose to
restore Gen Walker to the place from which he was a
ken And if it right to invade Nicaragua, it was
equally right to invade New Granada, Brazil any
other South American State. Why should punish the
Pawnees the Apaches for committing depredations
upon citizens and claim that citizens shall go
abroad with npunity and commit depredatons upon the
- I,a,
is right let them introduce bill to repeal the neutrality
laws .
Mr. DAVIS. To what principle does the senator al
lude p U a.
Mr. SEWARD. 1t is this that the crime is altogether
the offender being caught but he escape from
the United States and reach the country against which
the war is to be made then the act is innocent and
right N tua#
Mr. DAVIS. Nobody on this side of the chamber as
serts such principle as that.
Mr. SEWARD called the attention of the senator to
what had been said by his colleague, Mr.. BRowN, that
General Walker had violated law but the President,
the other hand thought that he had not only violated
the law of the land but had also violated the higher law
Laughter. ff.a" sa. as#
Mr. DAVIS replied that it the sacred privilege of
American citizen to bear arms and whenever he
chose to leave his country and risk his life and for
tune in fighting for the oppressed elsewhere he had
right to do 1t upon that principle that the war
of 1872 off and it principle dear to every
American heart.
Mr. PUGH thought the principles laid down in the
message neither warranted by the constitution of
the United States by any statute law of the United
States nor by any principle of the law of nations The
question not whether Gen Walker committing
crime against Nicaragua let her punish him If The is
able Who made us the avenger of her wrongsf Was
Walker committing any crime upon the high seas What
has he done The senator from New York says that he
has made upon foreign nation. That is no crime
by any law Of the United States 1t is crime to set on
foot within the limits of the United States, an expedition
against foreign nation with whom at peace, but
to 20 outside of our limits and make Is no Of
fence either by the neutrality laws anything else
He did not want to punish any for an error of udg
ment If Pauding did right he ought to be rewarded
with medal just Captain Ingraham was for violating
the neutrality laws in Turkey for praseworthy object
The proposition was in substance, that the end ustes
the means Mr.. p. went to deny the right of the
government arrest persons upon the high seas, and
ask them where they going and what their business
was, and send them home If they were not satisfied
about them The right of an American citizen to ex-
patliate himself sacred right, and we should be
careful how trench upon it, While the adminstra-
ton are talking about the inquty of Walkers proceed
ngs in Central America they go deliberately in vio
of the faith of treaties and the laws of nations TO
invade the soil of foreign country for the purpose of
resting him.
Mr. TOOMBS thought the message contained grave and
important errors and wished to enter his dissent from
them The President he remarked dared not defend,
willie he cndeavored to palliate this outrage upon an
American Senate and he proceeded to examine some of
the grounds upon which that palliaton was attempted
The President assumed question now before the legal
try laws of the United States had been violated and
that it was his business to enforce them Mr.. II.
denied that there any proof that such was
the case but admitting, for the. sake Of argu-
ment that it be true what right has the Pres-
dent to use the army and navy all the face OF
the earth This usurpaton of authority, not only
in derogaton of law, but in derogaon of his oath of of
fee He must get the authority by law to any extra
territorial jurisdiction whatever. He could command no
popular respect vndicator of the laws of the
try unless he himself should obey the laws but lin this
case one law has been violated for the purpose of vindi
eating another ra
Mr. IT, proceeded to allude to the of Gov kossuth
who had been invited into the Senate chamber to show
himself off year two ago that gentleman as driven
from power by Austria and Russia and he came here af
ter material aid to replace himself Thai just the
case of Gen. Walker and while glorifod the
other vilifed. He also, auding to the letter of
Commodore Paulding said that the brutality of
that correspondence must be admitted by every human
being it totally untitled him, not only to be the
mander of "A ship, but to be its cabin boy.
After some further remarks by Messrs. D0OLITTIE,
PUGH MALLORY, DOUGLAS, and others, without dis
posing the subject the Senate adjourned until Monday
next .rs# arHH
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
The SPEAKER announced the select committee
thorzed by the resolution of Mr. SMITH, calling for
investigation of the circumstances attending the sale Of
the Fort Smelling reservation consist of Messrs- BUR-
OF Kentucky, MoRRB of Illinois, MoERLL OF Yer
mont, FAULKNER of Virginia, and PETIT of Indiana.
z..Ax- Nj.