Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1859-01-22

[NG,s j JAN u ALE
Northern men who sustained it, Tallmadg
was discarded by his party within two years
the Slave Power spurned Van Buren in 1874
and decapitated Wright in 1846 and Buch
anan has been spared to witness the Pennsyl
vania and Illinois elections of 1868. sd -,e,-
A fierce financial struggle, not unlike tn
Bank war;. convulsed the first session o
Congress under Mr. Van Buren's administra
ton. In this contest over the Independen
Treasury, the Senate was the principal seem
Of conflict, and the leading complaints wer,
mainly the same, as in the "Bank war;
Sprague, Woodbury., Clay ton, Frelnghuysen
Forsyth, and Ewing rare debates-hat
left, and Pierce, VIM. Allen, R. II. Bayard
and o. H. Smith, had entered. Calhoun
had kissed hands with his rival, and Tall
madge sat with the Opposition. In this debatt
-protracted into the regular session -
Clay and Webster vigorously attacked Cal
houn, charging him with deserting his allies
Calhoun admitted that hei had ceased to ac
with the Wings, but repelled with keen Sc
verify the charge that he had either changed
hisopinions or deserted his principles. The
Independent Treasury, borne through fou,
sessions : on the broad shoulders of Silas
Wright, finally became law in June, 1910
AS to the other proceedings of the Senate
during Mr.. Van Buren's Administrations
are they not chronicled in the gs''Thirty years
View," with copious illustrations from the
speeches of the author
Gen. Harrison summoned an extra session
Of Congress to give peace to the country
The kindly old man had not learned that the
greatest of all disturbers of the public peace
in Congress itself When it. met, Harrison
was in his grave, and Tyler sat in the White
House. Webster, Preston, Davis, and Grun.
dy had retired from the Senate Woodbury.,
Mangum, and Berrien had re-entered it =
and the most distinguished new members
were Evans, Choate, Archer, and Sim
mons. DIS 2i.i.- 4ih.a ,fg''4 81 ,v-.rg.G-.
an Clay led off with series of old fashioned
Wing measures. including National Bank
The Bank bill passed. The Senate galleries
applauded The President vetoed it. The
reading of the veto was hissed by the Senate
galleries. A scene ensued, in the center OF
which figured Benton, shouting for the arrest
of the Bank ruffians." Clay was imperi-
Gus. Tyler was implaceable The Cabinet
dissolved. Congress adjourned. The country
was in a turmoil. The Wings quarrelled with
the President all through the Administration,
and were only able to coax out of him onr
genuine Whig gmeasure-the Tariff of 1842.
Toward the close of his term, Tyler made
Calhoun Secretary of State, in order that he
might annex Texas to the Union. He con-
cluded treaty of annexation in 1874. Its
ratification was resisted in the Senate. Ben
ton spoke three days against it, and "killed
it stone dead, Sir yes, Sir, stone dead, Sir"
Near the heel of the next session, joint reso-
lutions of annexation were carried through
lighthouses after gallant resistance. The
fraudulent scheme was consummated on the
last day of Tyler's Administration, by a Jug
Cling collusion between him and Polk worthy
Of couple of Six Ward politicians Thus
this measure, full of calamities as Pandora's 8
box, was opened and closed-another "set-
tlement" Of the Slavery question, justa quar-
ter of a century after the first. ,..
In the earlier years of Polk's Administra-
ton, great changes occurred in the member
ship of the Senate. Crittenden-secondo only
to Clay in the predatory strife of extempor-
aneous debate-flled his chair. Buchanan
and Walker took seats in the Cabinet. Wright
was called to the Gubernatorial chair of New
York. Woodbury. ascended the bench made
vacant by the death of the learned Story
Choate returned to the profession he loved so
well, there to scatter rhetorical Jewels with
prodigal hand. Tallnagc, Ri~es, Archer,
Mangum, McDuffie, Berrien, King and Linn,
also retired from, the Chamber where they
had so often displayed their stores of learning
and eloquence. But, the great void thus
created was filled during Polk's term, partly
by the return of Webster, Calhoun, and Clay
ton to the field of their greatest achievements;
and partly by the entrance into the Chamber
of several new members, some of whom have
since occupied large space in the public eye
We give in this connection the names of Cass,
Dickson, Corwin, Douglas, Dix, Hale, ,Reverdy,
Johnson, Jeff Davis, H. s. Foote, Hunter,
Rusk, Houston, Cameron, Hamlin, Mason,
Bell, Badger, Butler, Bright and Atchison.
We mention the debates in the Senate on
the Mexican War only to note the bold, brilli-
ant and extraordinarily eloquent speech of
Mr.. Corwin. We refer to the dry discussions
on the tariff of 40" only to hint at Pennsyl-
vania's aptitude to be wheelded by cries like
that of "Polk, Dallas and the tariff of 49,"
We alflde to the multifold debates on Oregon
affairs simply to mark the difference in treat
ing disputes about territory lying near the
tropics and territory lying near the Artic cir
Gle. We carried the Texas boundary line
through streams of blood to the Rio Grande.
We hastily and pacifcally brought the Ore
gon line down to the 49th parallel, As deg
40 min. being too cold for negro propaga-
ton.
Freedom won one triumph in Polk's term.
A bill for the organization of the Territory of
Oregon, with the usual antiSlayery, prohibi-
ton, was complicated with proposed compro-
mise in the long session of 1848. Dix and
other Senators had elucidated the power of
Congress to prohibit Slavery in Federal Ter
ritories, but the Oligarchy.and her allies had
determined to smite down the "Wilmot Pro-
viso." While the bill lay in this deadlock,
the Buffalo Convention placed Van Buren in
nomination for the Presidency. Cass being
also in nomination, had resigned his seat in
the Senate, and was homeward bound "by
the way of the lakes" the New York Barn
burners being after him in full cry. The
Democracy in the Senate were alarmed. They
took the Oregon bill hastily from the table;
and, after a. vehement debate, in which all
the chief Senators participated, and which
continued through the night and until Sab
bath morning sun in August gilded the Capi-
tol it passed, with the Anti-Slayery clause
by the close vote of 20 to %. sgy
In this debate Calhoun announced the then
startling, but now the familiar doctrine, that
the Constitution carries Slavery over all terri
tories where our flag waves Congress be-
queathed it, and all the embarrassing ques-
tions that clustered around it, as legacy of
strife to the incoming Administration Of Gen.
Taylor. ,,-~,. ...,.....,..-. IT,
Important changes now occurred in the
Senate Dix with his chaste eloquence, Cam
eron with his sturdy sense, Allen with his
defamation, Clayton with his large
experience, and johnson with his legal lore,
retired Clay returned to play the final act
in the drama Of public life. Seward, Chase,
Truman Smith, Soule, Shields and Clemens,
entered to perform distinguished parts in the