The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-02-16

olared that they regarded the proposition insult
We know how the subject is regarded there and The
President has given no information upon which We can
reasonably indulge hope OF We want Cuba
and told that the time has when negotia
tions should be renewed If there had been any inior
nation calculated to instruct Judgment II the Pres
dent had hal any satisfactory communications upon ths
subject with the spanish government the would be
different but Spain has always heretofore refused to
tertain such proposition, and shall deliberately
and pemedatedly renew the proposition with the inli
knowledge that she viii regard Ia insult He be-
leved Mr. Marcy said in 1883 that to make this popo
sition and to have rejected would have injurious
effect and put further back from the object have In
view II would be impolitic to give offence by renewing
proposition which we loreknow will be rejected.
But suppose, the other hand that Spain should be
willing TO sell Cuba. what do propose to give He
had heard two hundred millions of dollars spoken OF
it might be more and would not probably be less.
Bat where was the money to from We have al
ready had 70 borrow forty millions for market money
and far federal treasury concerned it
would return mourntu hollow, and funeral sound
when we knocked upon ii and asked for two hun
dfed millions. Our deficient and
penses increasing Last year the expenditures exceeded
eighty-one millions, and this year they would probably
run up to nearly or quite hundred millions The
Secretary had estimated for seventy four millions In
that estimate he understood it, not included the
probable deficiency for the Post Office Department which
was six millions That would make eighty millions
and then adding the twenty millions of treasury notes
which were payable this year. should have hundred
millions We should not only have money To pur-
chtse Cuba but should not even have these thirty
millions 10 commence negotiations. He would not say
that upon proper cause and upon proper occasions
could not produce whatever the country might require,
either in men or money but this not the time to
undertake such scheme. 1t would be the
ment of an Intern ble national debt Mr. g. pro
ceeded to refer to policy in regard to weak nations
and alluded to the Paraguay expedition unworthy OF
the character of this couary He thought It would
impnden to place such sum II the hands of the Pesi
dent If we had it, as is contemplated by this bill.
Mr.. SllDflI4 said that il the senator would
amendment that would place the money beyond the
hands of the President until the treaty signed he
would accept it.
Mr. CRI1TENDEN based his argument on the bill
Just as the President recommended He desited not only
to have the thirty millions but to have the privilege of
using IL before the ratification of the treaty by the Sen
ate Mr. c. would not vote or that because he did
believe the money to be expended This scheme Of
policy would all burst like bubble it a mege piece
of ianiarunaee, and nothing more
Mr.. HALE spoke at some length the subject.
He endeayored to demonstrate the superiority of free ia
Dor over slave labor and to show that the emancipation
scheme had worked satisfactorily in the British West In
dia islands He read some documents to show that the
condition of jamaica so bad it had been rep.
resented by the senator from Louisiana MR. BENJAMIN
There had been decrease in the production Of sugar
but otherwise the island was in prosperous state Upon
the conclusion of his speech,
Mr. THOMPSON, of Kentucky, obtained the floor As
he would prefer to address the Senate ia the morning he
gave way to
Mr.. BENJAMIN, who refuted the statements of Mir
HALE in reerece to the condition Of jamaica by reading
other extracts irom the same documents. He also
piled to some Of the arguments of Mr.. CRrrIESpEN We
did not propose to purchase the Inhabitants Cuba as
that senator had suggested but merely to purchase the
cession OF the sovereignty OF Spain that island Mr.
b. likewise defended the sending ont of the Paraguay
petition aud remarked upon the aggravated nature Of
the insult to the American flag by Lopez Nowadays,
weak nations take advantage Of their weakness to insult
American citizens and he thought we had heretofore
been too cnent with them sf.sts
Mr.. CRliTENDEN briefly replied retelating his objec-
tons to placing the power in the hands of the President
that Congress ought to retain,
On notion the Senate adjourned