Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1859-02-18
THE sKIR >rrsH OF FEB. o.


great action show the tact, forecast and met
tie of the troops. even when they fail to in
dictate the result of the struggle which they
preceGc. The Washington Globe contains a
report in detail of the debate which sprang
up in the Senate on the 9th inst, on Mr..
Slidell's proposal to defer other business, the
appropriation bills especially, and take up
his Cuba bill. Though the debate was
merely one on the order of business, it called
out short, sharp and racy speeches from sew
eral of the opposition, speeches full Of
meaning too, ne foreshadowing the charac-
ter of the main debate, if it should be
brought on. An outline of the debate will
be good preparation of our readers minds
for some of the more elaborate speeches
which are in prospect.
Mr.. slidell. I move to postpone all prior order.
and proceed to the consideration of the bill Is.
| No. 400 maging appropriations to facilitate the
acquisition Of the Island Of Cnba
Mr.. Hunter I should like to understand wheth.
| or the Senator means after it is taken up, to oc-
| cupy only the mornings, as | have suggested. and
| give the evenings for the appropriation bills Ny
vote will he governed by that. My vote will be
given to take it up with the unders' nnding that
| it shall only occupy the morning until two or half
past two o'clock. and give me the evening for the
appropriation bills.
| MIR Slidcl. I will with the understanding
that If any gentleman is prepared to speak on the
| subject this afternoon, he may 90 on. I have
nothing to say myself at present
Mr.. Seward / beg leave to say that the two
nonornnie T,""'".. ..~~' -"-F fairlv 10 mako n
bargain to which, I think, they will find 1t impos.
sible to get the consent Of the Senate If the Gu
| bn bill is to come up it is to have fair chance
on both sides and it will not be the debate for an
| hour in the morning for morning, or two or
| three, but it has got to be discussed from begin
ming to end through and through, up and down,
come whenever it will, if those who oppose the
| bill are not silenccd by superior power.
certainly shall not be prepared to agree that n
speech may he made in favor Of it on side, and
| then no more to he said before deciding it.
| Mr.. Slidell. After the very emphatic notice of
the Senator from New York, think the friends
| Of this bill have but one course to pursue; and
| that is, to press its immediate consideration. |
therefore make the motion.
Mr.. Hale. | do not know, sir how anybody
else on this side of tho Chamber will vote: I do
not know how the friends with whom have acted
will vote; but | shall 60 with the Senator from
Louisiana; shall 60 for taking the bill up,
whether it takes little or long. | know that, in
the section of country from which ! come. and
amongst my own immediate constituents, there is
an impression nreNallng with the people that
this measure which look upon ms monstrous il
dressed in such n shape, and put to the people
under such motives, that it is considered here not
safe or prudent, from political considerations, to
oppose it. sir, am opposed to it-utterly OPP
posed to it and propose, not in n long speech,
but brief ono, to address myself to the question
when it does come up; and want it to come. I
am not for skulking this question-nnd use that
word in no offensive sense because | do not sup
pose that anybody is; but I, for one, am not for
| tnrr
this question, any other.
Sir, the people whom | represent opposed to
this measure, utterly opposed to it; but whilst
they are opposed to it, they are not opposed to it
because they are opposed to all acquisitions of
territory. | do not take that ground / propose
when fit occasion comes to show to vou-il seems
to me rather absurd to have to talk geography
here, and may be excused if ! refer to a geogra-
phical tact-I propose to show the country and
to the Senate this geographical fact that il there
are any considerations relating to the defence of
the country; if there any considerations of
military character, which require the occupation
OF Cuba, there are the same considerations, multi
piled hundred degrees requiring the annexation
OF another country than Cuba propose to point
you to the atlas, and show you great river enter
ing North American continent, and running back,
connecting with the great lakes, opening the whole
continent to an easy approach to the most gigan-
tic Power OF the earth. propose to show Won
sir, that by reannexing the provinces of CANADA T.,
below Quebec, on the st, Lawrence river, which
can he easily done, we shall dispense forever here
after with any naval armament upon any Of our
great lakes. And, sir, give these $50 900 900
that you know You cannot do anything with in the
way of annexing Cuba; give us That, and will
furnish you with responsible contractors in ninety
days to annex Canada, and hold it until YOU give
1t away by negotiation afterwards. [Laughtcr,l
Mr. Benjamin expressed his qualification
at the prospect ola discussion on the bill.
He was anxious that Mr.. Seward should
have the opportunity to discuss the bill
"top, bottom, inside and out He believed
Cuba ''to be now perfectly within our
power"
Mr. Mason suggested the importance of
getting ''one little obstruction out of the
way which might prove to be 'of some i'm
portance when they come to negotiate about
Cuba II mean the Amistad bill-the
claim which Spain has had upon the honor
of this country for nearly twenty years and
| would ask those gentlemen to permit me
on Friday, which is private bill day, to call
up the bill at half past twelve o'clock for
the purpose of doing Justice to ourselves, and
doing justice to Spain, and get that out of
the way He hoped that by general con-
cent the bill might be taken up at half past
twelve on Friday
Mr.. Seward. | must be allowed to say word
on that proposition sir. If it were true that the
disposition of the Amistad case woald facilitate
the passage of the bill which has been introduced
here by the Committee on Foreign Relations to put
$50 900 900 at the disposition of the President OF
the United States, that would only be to add an
additional reasoning to the many which i have,
why should be opposed to the passage of the
Amistad bill. | think it the most atrocous act Of
legislation which the Senate could possibly adopt
and therefore am bound when it shall come up,
to attempt to expose il on behalf the minority of
the Committee on Foreign Relations, who have
protested against it from the first until now, and
expect to meet it at all times, and all occasions.
At this stage of the session. with only twenty
three or twenty-four days before with the
great question how We ara to raise the revenue, or
to make the revenue of the next year meet the cx-
pendtures of the year, entirely undetermined,
with no Majority in either House, aad with no Ad.
ministraton to guide us through that difficulty, |
confess what seems to me the paramount duty of
Congress is to confinc its attention chiefly that
great subject until shall be prepared both to
trench expenditures of the Government, and to
provide revenue to arrest the expenditures of
the public money.
Mr.. Fesssnden. The honorable Senator from
Virginia talks about the Amstad
standing in the way of the acquisition Of Cuba. l
agree with my friend from New York, that if a
trifing matter of that sort has in reality such an
effect, would keen the Amistad bill in its pre-
position Just as long as possible; | would not
aid in bringing it up at this time.
Now, sir, | never promise to speak any ques-
ton, because / do not know whether | should
have the ability to perform the promise if / made
1t and am little careful, therefore, how pro-
mise. infinitely prefer that the Amistad claim
which the honorable Senator from Virginia
speaks of as debt of honor to Spain, but which
| consider an utter rascality in its very nature
never should come up in any shape or form. If
it does come up, may have something to say
about it, or | may not. Icertainly am DESTROYS
that it never should present itself, for | really
look upon it in the light of claim that presents
itself with the utter absence Of any merit, any
of ;pI hat ,1a