The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1859-02-23
Aenulsltion OF Cuba.
SPEECH OF HON. zoIoMoN FOOT.

Senator from Ohio, for the courtesy he is
| pleased to extend to me, in yielding tho
foor to me for q lhor; time. Before the
general debate shall nave opened on this
bill, I desire to move a slight amendment
to It, and TO endeavor to enfore it by
few remarks, They will DO very brief I
desire to amend tho bill by inserting, in
the twenty-seventh line, after the word
"Spoin," the words, "and By the United
States y so that, if thus amended, the
clause will read as follows;
To be used by him in tho event that
the said treaty, when signed by the All.
thorized agents Of the two Governments,
and duly ratified BY Spain and by the
United States, shall call for the expendis
ture Of the same, or any part thereof
The purpose Of the amendment is, and
the effect of it, if adopted, will be, to In.
hibit the payment Of the money appro.
priated by the bill, or any part Of it. to
Spain, until the contract which may be
made for the purchase of Cuba shall have
been completed until the treaty Of pur'
chase shall have been duly ratified by both
Governments until the bargain of sale
and purchase shall have been assented to
by both parties. This is not only the
proper and ordinary mode, but 1t is the
only sensible and straightforward and
business.like mode Of proceeding in suoh
cases. No prudent or practical man pays
or authorizes the payment Of, large sum
Of money upon contract in process OF
negotiation, and before it is concluded;
before the bargain is agreed to BY both
sides. The common and homely old max
i'm, that =" it takes two to make bargain
is as applicable to Governments as to In
dividuals; and the legal rule that it ia no
bargain until the minds of both parties
uoet upon it, applies as forcibly in the
one case as in the other. 1t is time enough
to pay when the bargain shall have been
fully closed.
Mr.. President, however desirable the
acquisition &C Cuba may be, or however
desirable It may be represented to be, un'
der any possible Or supposed state Of cir.
cumstanecs however honorable gentle
men may b. pleased to magnify the i'm.
por,ancs Of It's possession BY the United
States upon commercial or political cOn'
siderations, the question Of its acquisition
by fair aud honorable means the ques'
ton whether We would have it if we could
have it On just and reasonable terms IL
not presented to Us in the bill now before
Us. The simple, naked and on.y question
which this bill, as it now stands, presents
to us, is, whether Congrasa will approprI'
ate s80,O00,OQo, from an exhausted
Treasury, and supcradd that amount to an
already rapidly accommodating public debt,
IN order to enable The President Of the
United States 10 90 just what he has now
the right and power TO Go under the Con.
stitution which is nothing more nor less
than to enter into negotiation with Spain.
if she will negotiate at all about it, for the
purchase Of Cuba7 In other words, aud
more strictly speaking, perhaps, the ques.
ton, ana the only question, presented to
us by this bill is, whether you will author.
! ize the President OF the United States, in
the event Of a treaty being negotiated for
the purchase Of Cuba between the agents
Of the two Governments, to pay over this
sum of money to the Spanish authorities
upon the assent Of Spain to such treaty,
and before it is submitted to us for ratif'
cation, and even before the tcrma and con.
ditions of the treaty shall have been made
known to our own Government That is
the simple question presented to US in this
bill.
The proposition contained in the bill, a.
it now stands, is nothing more nor less
than this; whether you will authorize the
immediate payment Of e30,oo0,0O0 to
Spain upon her ass Mt to treaty for the
sale of Cuba to the United States, and be-
fore the terms and conditions Of that treaty
shall have been made known to our Gov.
ernment, and which viii, Of course, bs
liable to rejection when the terms and
stipulations Of the treaty shall have been
made known to our Government, and
when II shall have been submitted to ~
for ratification or rejection, notwithstand.
ing the prepayment of the sSo,ooo,ooo.
I can see, then, sir, no possible reason
for the appropriation and prepayment Of
this s30,OO0,000, unless it be to serve
the double purpose of Jri5e to the Span
ish authorities to make treaty, and Of
an iHdacen7eat to the American Senate
10 rot1y it.
If the acquisition Of Cuba be att.inabls
upon any terms; ifit be attaiuable at all