Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1859-02-05
NJ | c Z L L A N Y.
THE CUBA DEBATE.
SPEECH OF MIR. SEWARD
In the Senate on Monday Jan. "a, 1859.

Mr.. President, the bills which engage the nt-
tention of Congress generally originate either
in the Senate or in the House of Representa-
tiyes. But this measure is ushered into our
presence by Message from the Executive pal
ace. 1t is, therefore, in its origin an Executive
measure. Its nature corresponds to its paren-
tage. 1t proposes to relax constitutional and
Legislative restraints upon the Executive power,
and to transfer control over the Treasury, to-
gether with the power of negotiation on the for
eign affairs, from Congress and from the Senate
to the President of the United States. 1t is not
an isolated Executive measure of this kind but
it is one of a series of such measures which the
President of the United States has introduced
at the present session in the same way. One
of this series proposes that Congress shall au-
thorize the President to move the Army and
Navy of the United States into adjacent States
of the Republic of Mexico and establish Pro-
tectorate there. Another asks our consent to
invest the President of the United States with
the power to make war in his own discretion
and at his own pleasure against ALL or nearly all,
the Spanish American States on this continent.
A measure thus disparaging to the intelli-
gencc the virtue and the independence Of the
National Legislature, measure SO dangerous
to the civil and religious liberties of the Amer
lean people, it must be expected, will receive at
not my purpose, at this time, to bestow that
scrutiny in its full extent, upon the bill which
has been reported in accordance with the rec
ommendation of the President of the United
States but do intend to indicate some of the
considerations which have brought me to the
conviction that this bill, under no circumstances,
ought TO receive the favor of Congress.
The bill has a financial aspect. 1t has also n
broad political character. In regard to the f.
Il Il tha Of . hos Sarat "a
to the fact that the bill proposes to appropriate
now at this time, out of tho Treasury of the
United States, $50, 900 900, to be placed under
the control of the President of the United States,
to be paid BY him to Spain, whenever she shall
have consented to accept any treaty which he
may make with her for the cession of Cuba TO
the United States, without waiting for ratifi-
cation of that treaty by the Senate Of the Unit
ed States. This appropriation af S30,O0O,OOO
necessarily involves now a pledge, guaranty,
virtually grant, or appropriation of so many
more millions of dollars as the President of the
United States, without any recourse to the SEN
ate or to Congress- and consulting only his own
mere ambition, caprice or pleasure, shall agree
to give for that island and this last amount is
altogether unlimited.
The bill contains no limitation, and the Pres
ident recommends no limitation. 1t is bill
then for Just so many millions as the President
shall choose to write in the treaty. What will
be the number of those millions? The report
of the majority of the committee says that twill
probably be $l25,OOO,OO0 This calculation is
, based upon the fact that Spain refused $780,
, 100000 ten years ago, and that Cuba has in
creased in value $25000,000, according to the
estimate of a majority of that committee. This
estimate is inconclusve, and, therefore, unsatis-
factory. The amount which Spain will ask, il
we suppose her to accede to this treaty, will b6
all that she can get, and the amount which the
: President will give, if it be his purpose to ac-
n quire the Island of Cuba at all events and un
der all hazards, will be the least that Spain vii
consent to take. 1t may then just as well and
accurately be estimated that the sum to be writ
ten in the treaty will be 5000, 600, or $780,
100000, or $780, 100000, as that it shall be on
, ly 1925, 100000.
will assume that it authorizes the Presiden
: ! to contract debt to Spain, without again con
\ sulting Congress or the Senate of the United
States, for the sum of $250,000,000. This prop
f osition comes at time when our revenues art
h reduced to $50, 100000, and there is a confess
ed deficiency for the year of $50, 100000 to pa,
to Spain, as the bill proposes or whether WI
pay it out of the receipts of the revenues flow