The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-02-16
CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS.
THlRTY-FIFTH C0NGRESS..-SECOND SESSION,
WASHINGTON, Feb. IA, 1859.
OEN ANN

| OUNuhEDNlUNAI fhUCEEUlNGS,
THIRTy-FIFTH CONGRESS-. SECOND SESSION.
WAsHINGToN, Feb. IA, 1859.
! SENATE
The ICE PRESIDENT took the chair at IL A. NJ
Prayer by Rev. Mr.. Boyle No Senators appear
ing in the seats the Vice President remark cd that
he could not call the desks to order, and would
| therefore await the arrival of Senator's
At ten minutes past II A. NJ. ten Senators ap-
peared, and the Vice President called the Senate to
order, and ordered the journal to be read
| The VICE PRESIDENT then laid before the Senate
communication from the Secretary of War; en-
closing copies of the report of Colonel Wright of
the Indian campaign in Washington and Oregon
A memorial of the Legislature of New Mexico
| In relation to wagon road in that Territory was
| referred.
MIR. SLIDELL offered resolution that the Senate
take a recess on Wednesday and Friday of this
week from halfpast four to seven o'clock for the
purpose of debating the Cuban question in the
| evening.
| Objection being made, it lies over.
The Senate then took up the House bill modify
ing the salaries of the officers of the army After
amendment, the bill was debated at great length.
| Mr.. PUGH did not think this was a bill for re-
trenchment, and said that if it passed as amended
he should bring in bill reducing the salaries Of
| Senators.
| He offered an amendment to the bill repeating the
section of the act of 1851 which increased the pay
and allowances of the officers of the army
MIR. L. advocated the reduction of the number of
the engineers in the army, and attributed useless
expenditure OF money in the erection of puolic
buildings to the control they exercised as architects
over them.
Mr.. DAVIS replied and defended the enoineers
from the charge.
The bill was then passed without amendment.
ME- CLAY, OF Alabama, gave notice that he would
call up the old soldiers pension bill tomorrow
The discussion of the thirty million bill was re-
sumed.
Mr.. CRITrENDEN said he was in favor of the hon
orable acquisition of Cuba, but she be Onped to
Spain, and could not dispossess her without her
consent. While, however, we should acauiesce in
her possession, we should not permit the island
to pass by purchase otherwise into the hands of
any other power. We had already made promo
sails for the purchase of Cuba which Spain had de-
chned, and 1t was an insult to press the subject
upon her now.
At any rate there nothing to prevent the
PRESIDENT from negotiating for that object and leg
lslatlve aid was therefore superuous and unneces-
sary. Spain had regarded the suggestion of the
Presidents message insult, and why should
Congress repeat the offence? The $50 900 900
could not purchase Cuba; $780, 900 900 was the es-
tlmated price; and where was the money to come
from When he knocked the Golfers of the trea-
sury they returned most doorous and funeral
sound Our revenue was deficient, expenses in
creaslng, and it was idle. under existing crcum-
stances, to talk OF paying out S200,000,0 900.
lie could not agree to place 100000 900 in the
hands of the Executive until the Senate had first
seen and ratified the treaty. In his opinion this
piece of tanfaronade, could accomplish good pur-
pose, and had only been brought forward for po-
litcal effect.
Mr.. HALE said the argument of manifest destiny
and necessity had been used by the advocates Of
Cuba acquisition. The same argument applied
with equal force to Yucatan or Central America
and might be used for the same purpose. He op-
posed the bill at length. Adjourned
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MIR. l.. GROVER, the member from Oregon, was
sworn in and took his seat.
On motion of Mr.. TAYLOR, ofNew York the Ser
geant at Arms directed to bring before the bar
of the House John Cassn, of Philadelphia who had
refused to obey the summons of the Select Commit
tee appointed to examine the accounts of the late
superintendent of public printing. Agreed to-
MIR. CRAWFORD, of Georgia, asked leave tG intro
duce bill for reference to reduce the salaries of
certain officers of the Government.
This bill provides that all laws passed since 1850
increasing the salaries of Government officers shall
be repealed and said officers shall receive the saa-
ries paid prior to 18th July, 1850, until the reve-
nue. raised under the tariff Of 1857 shall eoua the
appropriations by Congress
The reception of the bill was objected to.
Mr.. WAsHBURNE, of Wis, presented a memorial
from the Legislature of that State, relating to its
claim to the per cent net proceeds of the public
lands within its limits. Ordered to be printed
MIR. DowDELL, of Ala, asked leave to introduce
resolution calling on the President to inform the
House what amount of moneys had been expended
in pursuance of the act of 1Sl9 for the suppression
of the slave trade, in aid of the colony of Liberia;
whether agents had been appointed on the coast of
Africa to receive captured Africans; what salaries
had been paid them and whether they were con-
nected with the colony of Liberia; the cost of
keeping our squadron on the coast of Africa and
the number OF officers and men who had died since
it had been stationed there; also, the number of
Africans re-captured under the treaty of Washing
ton. Objected to.
On motion of Mr.. PHELPS, of No., the House
went into Committee of the Whole on the Indian
Appropriation bill, having first adopted resolu-
luton to close the debate within two hours
Mr.. STANTON, of Ohio, replied briefly to the re-
marks of Mr.. GARNET yesterday. He had con-
trasted the expenses of Mr.. Fillmores administra-
ton with that of Mr. Buchanan, to the prejudice
OF the latter. he had shown that without any
good reason, therefor, the expenses of the Govern
ment had been increased, since 1851 to the extent
of $50, ,0000 000 He had shown that in the items of
expenditure, coming directly under the control of
the President, there had been an increase of 100
per cent. He thought, when he heard these state
ments from the gentleman from Virginia. he had
found real friend of retrenchment and reform
and was therefore greatly disappointed when the
gentleman undertook to show that the minority in
this House, with few of his political friends from
the free States responsible for this increase of
expenditure. The gentleman seemed to forget
that at the other end Of the Capitol, the Demo
cratic party had majority of twothirds and that
in the Executive Departments from the Secreta-
ries down to tide walters all were democrats
1t was also notorious that the Senate added addi-
tiona millions to the appropriation bills which we
were obliged to vote for or leave the Government
without means. The President also expends with
lavish hand, according to his caprice or Judgment
and it was ridiculous to charge the extravaganza
of the Government upon the party which was in
the minority. There would never be a reform in
the expenditures until prescription was prescribed
and the corrupt use of money in elections drawn
from the Treasury for the use of partisans, was
abandoned. What would become of the gentleman
from the first District of Pennsylvania (Mr Flo
ence,) without the Navy Yard, where men were
employed who rendered service only election
days, as shoulder hitters and ballot-box suffers?
There was at this time great discord and rebel
lion in the Democratic choir. While the President
chanted the solemn tune of Old Hundred, the Sc
cretary of the Treasury gave the inspriting air
of Yankee Doodle. As Dogberry would saw ''this
is most toerable and not to be endured" Great
confusion was created in the Democratic church.
but he was sorry to say that the large majority of
voices chimed in with the Secretary, and but for
the outsiders in the galleries. the Presidents voice
would be drowned. In this melancholy condition
of affairs the President obliged to 90 out into
the highways to bring in intidels and aliens to sup
port the doctrines of the Democratic church.
Heresy and schism had crept in and the church was
going to pieces.
Mr. STANTON then dilated upon the differences
between the President and his Minister of Finance
the former tavoring specific duties and incidental
protection and the latter dd Udlorem and dscrim-
ination against home industry. He contended in
favor OF specific duties the only fair system of
raising the revenue, and pointed out the frauds
committed under ad ualorem duties by under yalu-
alton. Custom House oaths notoriously un-
reliable, and yet they went towards fixing the valu-
alton upon which the duty levied. He would
show by the tables furnished by the Secretary of
the Treasury, contrasting the valuation of our i'm
ports with the valuation of exports, as shown by
the export returns of foreign countries how much
the revenue derauded under the ad ralorem
system. In one year there was difference between
the French return of exports to this country for
valuation of imports from that country of
thirty million francs against US. From the
years 1858 to 1857, inclusive, our Custom
House returns showed an import of $4,000 guns
from Great Britain, while the export returns of
Great Britain showed that had received 1l5, 900
guns, making loss to us in revenue on that arti-
Gle of S73 900. In the article of Wines the French
export returns showed that had received more
by SS 2l7, ,l55 than our import tables indicated In
distilled liquor there a similar difference of
S., ,52S ss9, and aggregate loss of revenue upon
the three articles just mentioned was S. 800, ,OO6-
These articles had not been especially selected as
those upon which the greatest frauds had been COM
mitted: Woollen goods were greatly undervalued.
The ship Caledonia left French port for New Or
leans with cargo of woollen goods valued there
at S29, l43 when she reached New Orleans our val
uation was only Sl3,76S. A cargo of blankets were
valued in France at ST., 1927, at New Orleans they