The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-02-03
ACQUISITION OF CUBA.

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the purpose of acquiring Cuba, being under
consideration
Mr.. SEWARD said:
Mr.. President, am authorized by the hon.
orable Senator from Vermont, Mr. Foor, who.
like myself, is member Of the Committee on
Foreign Relations, to say that he, with myself,
dissents from the report which has been sub
mitted by a majority of the Committee on For
eig Relations, and also from the bill which has
been reported by that committee and to sub
NIT, by way OF expressing the views OF the mi
hority, a bill, which we Offer as substitute for
the bill reported by the committee, which i ask
to have printed in the same manner with the
report of the committee and after the bill shall
have been read, | shall ask the indulgence of
the Senate TO indicate something of my views
upon the subject, although not very much at
large. ask for the reading of the BILL
The Secretary read the substitute, as follows
BILL concerning the relations the C1ned states
and SPUN.
BE enacted, &C.. that the President Of the
mtcd States, al the beginning of the next an.
nual session Of Congress, communicate 10 the
Senate, II IN his opinion not Incompatible with
the public interests, the condition of the rela-
tons which shall then be subsisting between
the United States and Spain, and of any ne
gotiations that may then be pending for th,
cession of Cuba 20 the United States, together
with such statements of the condition Of tho
Treasury, and also of the effective condition
OF the army and navy of the United States,
as may enable Congress to Judge whether, a.
mat ume, II viii be necessary to adopt anv
extraordinary measures to maintain the rights
and promote the interests of the United States
connected with or growing out of their rela.
! tons TO Spain.
" And be IL further enacted, That the Presi,
dent, II IN his discretion he shall deem it neces-
sary, III view of the condition of negotiations
with her Catholic Majesty which shall be pend.
ing, during the next recess of Congress. may
convene. either the Senate or Congress Ia ex.
traordinary session, by proelamation."
MIR. SEWARD. Mr.. President, the bills
which engage the attention Of Congress general.
ly originate either in the Senate or in the House
oil Representatives. But this measure is ushered
into our presence BY message from the Execu
tive palace. II is therefore, in its origin, an Elk
ecutlve measure, Its nature corresponds to its
percentage. 1t proposes TO relax constitutions
ana legislative restraints upon the Executive
power, and to transfer control over the Treasury
! together with the power of negotiation in for.
eign affairs, from Congress and from the Senate
to the President of the United States Itisnd
an isolated Executive measure of this kind, but
| II Is one OF O 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 70 move the army and the
navy Of the United States into adjacent States
OF the Republic Of Mexico, and establish a pro.
tectorate there. Another asks our consent to
lnyIs4l tn. President Of the United States with
ana az mas own pleasure, ~s-.-- d;scra,;o-
all the Spanish American States on this oonti,
nent,
measure thus disparagng 10 the ipteIIi-
gence, the virtue, and the independence OF III.
National Legislature a measure so dangerous
to the civil asd religious liberties of the AmerI.
can people, it must be expected. will receive at
the hands OF Congress careful scrutiny. Itis
not my purpose, at this time to bestow that scru-
tiny, IN its full extent, upon the hill which has
been reported IN accordance with the recon
mendation fthe President ofthe United States
but do intend to indicate some of the consid-
eratiohs which have brought me TO the convic-
ton that this bill under no circumstances ought
10 receive the favor Of Congress
|. The bill has financial aspect. Il has also
broad political character. In regard 10 tie
hnanclal aspect, call the attention of the Sen.
ate the fact that the bill proposes to appro-
pirate now, at this time out of the Treasury OF
the United States, 5000, OO0 to be placed
under the controlof the President of the Uni
ted States, TO be paid by him to Spain, when
ever she shall have consented to accept any
treaty which he may make with her, for the ces-
Sion OF Cuba to the United States, without wait
ing tur ratification Of that treaty by the Sen.
ate of the United States. This appropriation Of
S3O,0OO,0O0 necessarily involves now a pledge
guarantee, virtually grant or appropriation
OF so many more millions of dollars as the Pres-
dent OF the I nlted STATES, without any recourse
to the Senate or TO Congress, and consulting
only AlS own mere ambition, caprice, or pleas
IRE, shall agree to give for that island: and this
last amount is altogether unlimited.
The bill contains 10 limitation and the Presi
dent recommends no limitation. 1t is bill,
then, for just so many millions as the President
shall choose to write in the treaty. What viii
be the number of those millions? Tho report
OF the majority Of the committee saws that il
will probably be Sl25,060000. This calcula-
ton is based upon the fact that Spain refused
SlOO,OOO,00 ten years ago, and that Cuba has
| increased in value S2j,O00, 000. according 10
the estimate of the majority Of the committee
| This estimate Is incOnclusIve and therefore TT.
satisfactory. The amount which Spain viii!
ask, il We suppose her to accede TO this treaty.
will be all that she can get, and the amount
which the President will give, if il be his pur-
pose to acquire the Island of Cuba at all events
and under all hazards, viii be the leas, that
Spain viii consent to take. 1t may then Just
as we'll and as accurately be estimated that
the sum TO be written in tee treaty viii os
100000, 900 or $3.50, 900, 600 or $500 .0Qu boo.
as that it shall be only Sl25,0O0,000,
Will assume that il authorizes :ne President
to contract debt to Spain, without again con.
sulung Congress or the Senate Of the United
States, for the sum of S250,000 900. This propo-
sitloa comes at a time when our revenues are
reduced to S50,0000 900, and there is a confessed
deficiency for the year OF S30,O00,000. Ii IS
lmmaterial whether We borrow this $50 000,000
to pay 10 Spain, as the bill proposes, or whether
we payit out of the receipts Of tie revenues
Towing into the Treasury, aud borrow the mon
| ey to supply the place Of what we thus abstract
II proposes nothing less than 10 authorize the
Presidept Of the United States TO create at once
and absolutely debt of $50, 900, 600, and in
directly further debt Of $220000,O0O IN ad-
dtion TO a deficit, which is virtually an existing
debt against the Treasury of $50, 1000, 900 ma
| king S60,000,000 of new deb; certain, and
S220,0OO,O 900 contingent This, added 10 An
already funded debt Of $50, 900, vii. raise
the national debt to $3.50, 100000. This is u
! be done under extraordinary circumstances.
We have at this moment no financial system-
no system OF revenue. Te have indeed a tar.
| III law which brought last year into the Treas.
ury over S4O,00e,000, and this year is expected
to b1ng IN S50,000000; but revenue law
which leaves an annual deficit cannot be said
to constitute fiscal system Congress, sitter
| beng in session now near two months, has ut.
terly failed to devise any kind Of revenue system
whatever: Nor has the Executive Administra.
ton submitted to Congress any system for this
emergency. This statement is strictly true, If
I you consider that the President recommends
one system in his annual message and that the
Secretary Of the Treasury, his own responsible
IL II