New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-03-07

WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENCE.

readers an lntelglDie ACCOUNT " Ween Va suo A'os
perpexed proceedings that ever occurred 10 the bis
tory Of the country In the general whirl and rus
inside Of the Capitol, in the recollection OF angry de
bates protracted night after night amidst the com
nete excitement visible on all Sides it is almost i'm
d possible to tell where to begin or how to end.
Perhaps ii select the method Of the Hardshel
: preachers and divide my theme into several heads
} may probably get along. Here then are the heads
The slavery debate in the senatethe reports Of tn
Investigating Committee sthe defeat and subsequen
reconsideration Of the Post.ofce Appropriation bill
and finally the Cuban discussion continued nearl,
oil of last night in the Senate.
The slavery debate, which sprang up in the Senat,
and lasted day and night for two days. took the pub
lie completely by surprise. But it was no haphazari
event; it was premeditated all along. Hale of New
Hampshire introduced an amendment repeating the
restriction clause in the English bill--that clause
which forbds the admission Of Kansas into the Union
until by actual census II is ascertaned that she has
the requisite population to entitle her to member
Of Congress according to the present apportonment
viz $4,000 and upwards This was the match ap
piled to the combustibe material which had been &C.
cumuatng during the whole winter in the breasts Of
the respective wings Of the Democracy-the Douglas
men, and the anti-Douglas men-the adherents Of
popular sovereignty and the opponents Of that dogma
An explosion followed.
Douglas had to bear the brunt of the fire, and be
bore it CALAMITY, defending himself successfully
against Brown, Davis, Hunter slide and the rest Of
the Southern Senator's and assisted only by the fee
bic powers Of Pugh and Bigler A gentleman who
is no admirer Of Douglas gave vent to the common
opinion when be said, despise the man, but can
but admire his pluck and ability" The breach
which has all along existed between the Democracy
in regard to the rights Of slavery in the territories,
was, by this discussion, broadly widened, hope
lessly exposed, that any future reconciliation seems
asolutely impossible. Green and Stuart vainly at
tempted to close the breach. Hale's amendment was
of course rejected but the two days of angry alterca
ton ended leaving the two factions hostile and
more separated than their worst enemies could have
expected It was precious fun to the Black Republ-
cans, who Jagged on the fight, careless of conse-
quences. Crittenden lifted his voice for peace, and
for the country against the warning factions, but
to no purpose. The finale has been caucus of the
Douglas men, the result Of which is kept secret but
conjectured to be determination to maintain their
position to the bitter end, to make the Southern De-
mocracy come to them, or sacrifice the party and
Douglas prospects for the Presidency.
The split is this: Douglas holds that the local law
Of the territory is supreme in regard to slavery the
Southern Senators contend that Congress shall inter-
Vene for the protection of slave property. Douglas
said that by the Kansas Nebraska BILL to which the
Democracy had all subscribed, Congress had dele.
gated its power in the matter to the Territorial Legs-
lature. The Southern Senators angrily denied that
they had ever so understood the Kansas Nebraska
bill, and that if that were the proper construction
they had been cheated. Here was the fatal breach,
the beginning Of anger on both Sides Pugh said the
proposition to intervene for the protection of slave
property in the territories was monstrous and would
never be subscribed to by him and his Northern col
leagues. Davis and Brown retorted they would suf |
Ter defeat before they would yield ot title to
popular sovereignty. And the matter now stands.
Unquestionably Douglas has the winning side. |
Hammond would take no part in what he deemed an
idle wrangle, but said privately that his Southern
friends were contending for an impossibity The
North will concede Intervention for slavery. 1t
was little curious to see Southern Democratic Sena
tors occupying precisely the old federal ground of the
penary power of Congress over the Territories The
Black Republicans also occupy this ground and hold
that as it is competent for Congress to intervene in
the affairs OF the Territories, it its duty to intervene
against slave property and for the protection Of free
labor. One Democratic Senator, Davis, think, went
80 far as to say that the Constitution did not permit
Congress ITO delegate its l.enary power over the
Territories, as Douglas affirmed it had done by the
passage Of the Kansas Nebraska bill. After all,
what does it amount to Simply this that the free
soil power is paramount at the North asserting itself
quite strongly in the persons Of Democrats as in
Black Republicans, and that this power having now
the virtual and presently to have the actual control
Of the Government in all its departments will exer.
else its entire strength for the benefit OF free labor
to the exclusion Of the rights of Shareholders save
in SO far as those rights are confined to the States
In word, the declaration has now gone authorita-
lively forth from the Democrats as well as from the
Republican North that slavery shall nerer be extend
ed. In this aspect Of the question, the South has
to congratulate itself that this discussion has
taken place. We now know where we stand we |
now know what to expect and now at last we ought
to be prepared to act definitely because we can now
act advsedly. Utterly abandoned by every party at
the North what course is left but to rely SOLELY
wholly from the present moment forever hereafter,
upon ourselves? The Constitution is no longer bull
wark for our safety and our protection the Senate
that last refuge Of minortiess scarcely less demon
allied than the House, and there is literally no help
for US, except in our own individual, unaided |
u
which engenders so much feeling and provokes such |
gloomy forebodings.
The investigating committee alluded to, was ap-
pointed toexamiue into the alleged corruptions of the
Navy Department. The majority report, signed by |
Messrs. Bocock, Grcsbeck and Ready, exculpaes the
high officials who have been implicated. The mi
nority report, drawn up by Messrs. Sherman and |
Richie, involves aforesaid officials in tissue of cor
ruptions too numerous to be detailed and too revolt
ing to be contemplated. Indeed, both reports go to
how that the patronage of the Government has been
bestowed in the NEST shameful manner, with wild |
md reckless disregard of every consideration save
'nly that of the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Of the Democratic |
'arty. And it is idle to say that the President and
Ir. Toucey knew nothing of these things. They do
lot seem ever to have cared to cover up their tracks,
Judicial blindness was never SO glaringly exhibited.
yorkmen, by the thousands, are placed in the Navy
Iards just before elections. The work of the Govern
nent is given to establishments which can aid in the
Election of Democratic Congressman, scarcely any re.
gard being paid to bids; contracts for live oak are
warded to rascals, simply because another rascal re-
them to the President, and receives per
entage for his influence or, rather he does not re-
eive it, and hence the bow.up In the matter of the
,oal agency, a still more disgusting favoritism is
and a collision established which eoes
ar to involve the Secretary of the NAVY hn,sai in