Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1859-12-20
g .0el1lgJraph,
ported for the Daily Intelligencer.
CONGRESSIONAL.


SES4TE.- The Vice President being alb
sent, Mr. Bright, of Ind, moved thai Mr..
Fitzpatrick, of Ala, be appointed Presi-
dent of the Senate pro tenn.
Mr. Foote, of Vt, said then recent
practice of the Senate had been to proclcd
to ballot n.
The Senate then ballotted for President
pro. TEN with the following result: Mr..
Fitzpatrick 80, Mr.. Foster 8 AIR. Hallan l.
Mr. Fitzpatrick then took the chair.
The Chair presented report from the
Treasurer of the United States with comics
of his accounts. for the third and fourth
quarters of 1858, and the first and second
quarters of 1859.
Mr.: Mason, of Va, asked that his inves5
tlgating committee DC authorized to cm-
Ploy Clerk. Agreed tc.
Mr.. Pugh called up his resolution, sub
mitted on last Thursday, instructing the
committee on Territories to inquire into
the expediency of repeating so much of
the act for the organization of the Terrific
rial Governments of New Mexico and Utah
as requires all laws passed by those Terri
tories to be submitted to Congress for an
proval and rejection
Mr.. Hale, of n. H.. said it was not in or
der to proceed to Legislative business, pri-
or to the organization of the House.
Mr.. Pugh stated that he desired to reply
to the remarks of the Senator from Gcor-
gin, Mr.. lvcrsom, which lie made the other
day, and he did not care whether he spoke
on the resolution, or on the point of or
der. He desired to defend the Northern
Democracy from the charge of unsound-
ness, which did not come with good grace
from those in the South who had not done
so much for the party as the Northcrncrs.
lie spoke of the difficulty in the North of
battling against sectionalism and defend
ing the rights of tho South They never
elected the Senator from Georgia to be 81
Judge rs to the soundness of their Democ-
rucy. lie repudiatcd the sentiment that
the position of Senator Douglas on Terri
torIal rights was akin to the Wilmot Pro-
fiSo, or anti-DcmocrAtic;h he quoted from a
speech i'll the Congressional Globe showing
that Cass sustained the same position
Mr.. Pugh also quoted from u speech de-
lTcred by Mr.. lvcrson in the House of
Representatives, eleven years ago, which
was us strong in support of nOn-interren-
ton views as Cass' famous Nicholson let
ter, or Douglas ErecpOrt speech. lie re-
tcrred TO the instructions sent by the Geor-
ga Legislature to her Senators when the
hansaS-Nebrnska bill was up, in favor of
non-lntcrventiOn, and he said he stood on
the Georgia platform. lie then proceeded
to reply to the remarks of Mr.. Gwin. that
mad lie understood tue Kansas bill when
he voted for it, US Cxpouuded by Mr.
Douglas, he would never have given that
vote; by saying that Mr. Gwin did not vote
OF his own motion but was instructed by
the California Legislature to give that vote
and that the. Legislature wrote down for
him III that instruction what it thought
the kanSaS-NebraSka bill meant
Mr.. Gwin-I voted before the instruc-
tions got here.
Mr.. Pugh-I do not suppose the Senator
Pretends that he is a better exponent of
the views of his State than his Legislature
Is. Now having read the non-interVention
platform of Georgia, propose to read the
Squatter sovereignty platform of Califor-
MA. lie then went on 10 remark that this
oulous epithct, Squatter sovereignty, which
has been used TO frighten the people from
their propriety, was invented for the benefit
OF California and was applied to her on
the formation of her State Constitution, in
which Mr.. Gwin himself took an active
part. He did not see any safe ground up
on which the advocates of the Lccompton
Constitution could stand for one moment.
lie would not stand up here to defend Mr.
Douglas who was an able speaker for him
self. If he WAS expelled from that COM
mittee for that reason, they might thereby
be compelled to expel ninety-nine hun
drcths of the Democracy in every nom
slnrcholding State. 1t was no longer n
question of individuals but of principle
Instead of assaiIiug man who was alb
sent, it would be more manly to do as Mr..
lverSon did and arraign the entire party.
Mr.. Pugh went on to refer to the usage
of the Senate on the subject of Commit
tees: first, never to displnce Senator
without his consent; second, never to pro-
mote any one else over him. lie was soon
going out of the Senate and would there
fore frankly declare that this usage was
intOlerably bad. 1t was usage which
has operated to give Senators from slave
holding States the chair on every single
committee controlling public business
The Senator from Illinois was the only ex-
ccptiOn and he has been decapitatcd.-
Though he thought the simplest way out
OF all this controversy was TO do justice
aud put down all these attempts from one
section of the Union or the other, to dts
turb tic platform of the Democratic party
lie regretted the excitement prevailing Mt
present On the slavery question. The pro-
ccedtngs in the House of Representatives,
as well as in some os the State Legislu-
lures, ought to admoniSh us that we have
fallen in evil times We hear defiance and
threats rom one quarter an the other,
which are fought with danger to this gIo
rious Union.
Mr.. lverso, said he would take some
further occasion to respond to the remarks
OF Mr. P"gh which were applicable to
himself, and also TO ventilatc some other
subjects which had been touched upon by
the Senator from Ohio.
y long coll.quial debate ensued be-
tween Mcssrs. Gwin aud PugI, in which
MIR. Davis, of Miss. also participated, pre-
scnting no points of 81 ccial intcrsst.
Mr.. Hale hopN that inasmnch as the
question of order lie raised this morning
had been elncidat,d; the Chair would now