Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1859-05-18

Fl. G. WILLIAMS, Com.
G. M. LATIMER
j. W. B. WATSON,
w. WHITE,
RALEIGH, May 18th, 1852
GENTLEMEN Yours of the Goth ultimo was receiv-
ed at my farm in Beaufort County, whence returned
yesterday
accept the nomination rendered to me by the
Democratic party of the District and will strive by
strict adherence to sound principles and faithful
discharge of duty, to justify the confidence so deci
sively expressed by my friends in three times nomi
mating me for Congress by reclamation.
The resolutions passed by the Convention meet
my entire and unqualified concurrence. They
press clearly and succnctly principles which have
advocated since have been old enough to have
opinions political subjects and in favor of which
wrote and labored in 1910, when they were tenn
porarly defeated. Who of the sc old Guard " of
1910 does not rejoice that they have become the
principles of the great body of the American peo-
pie? w
"! must be permitted to express the qualification r
feel that the Convention passed unanimously res
outon in favor of the peaceful and honorable acqu
sition of the Island of Cuba.
The President has right, under the Constitution
to negotiate treaty for it without consulting Con-
gress but he could not pay the price without pre-
vous appropriation of the money by that body, and
it would be futile for him to attempt to make the
purchase without the previous action of Congress-
as for man, not worth cent to attempt to buy all
the farms and negroes in Granville County. Presi-
dent Buchanan thinking that the time had at length
arrived when the subject might be preached to the
Spanish Government with prospect of success re-
commended to Congress last winter to make partial
provision for payingforit His object was two fold
first to ascertain whether Congress approved the
question: and second if it did approve that it might
do what was necessary on its part towards faciita
ting it.
Approving the object, the peaceful and honorable
ACQUISITION OF Cuba by purchase opposed as had
always been to flibustertng any pretence and to
the forcble seizure Of it by the national forces
less compelled at some future time by the great law
of sefpreserration, introduced into the House of
Representatives bill appropriating money to pay
for it. if the purchase could be effected. was will
ling to entust the negotiation where the Constitu-
ton had entrusted it, to the President for whom
and large majority of my constituents had voted.
If my bill had passed, not dollar of the money
could have been drawn from the Treasury until
Spain had executed to us deed for the island, and
not dollar could have been used to bride Spanish
officials nor for any other purpose except that de-
ciarcd to the world in the face of the treaty itself;
'full and accurate accounts of which expenditure
shall be by him transmitted to Congress at as early
| day practicable" Great as is my confidence in
the President the bill was drawn precisely as would
have drawn it. If that confidence had been much less
and nothing left to his discretion which could
be consti:utionally withheld
| The Black Republicans, to man, opposed it,
avowing boldly as their reason that it would add to
the number of slavehoding States in the Union
The Southern Know Nothings opposed it for no other
reason that have ever heard avowed, except that
| they were not willing to entrust the negotiation to
Mr. Buchanan in other words they are not willing
that Democratic administration shall have the credit
of this, as they have had of all prior acquisitions Of
territory. If we postpone it until there is Pres
dent in whom they have confidence, am quite sure
Cuba will never be ours, for the people will never
elect man of that stripe.
1t is gratifying to find that the opposition in this
State, through their newspapers and public meet
ings are avowing themselves in favor of the 'peace
full and honorable acquisition of Cuba" That is
what the President recommended-it is what am
anxious to see accomplished In his message he in
dignantly repudiated the idea that we would if we
could acquire it otherwise than by honorable nego-
tiation, and in the report of the Committee on For
egn affairs quoted his language as expressing the
views of the Committee on that point.
What peaceful and honorable mode is there Of &C
quiringi it except by purchase? None known to-
To purchase we must be not only willing but
ready and able to pay. And as the Constitution
says " No money shall be drawn from the Treasury,
but in consequence of appropriations made by law"
it is clear that Congress must appropriate the money
before we can get the island. We could scarcely
expect Spain to sell to the President credit an
island from which it derives twenty -four millions
year of its revenues and trust to the good DISPOSE
ton of Congress, at some future time to pay for it.
Nothing is more unfounded than the charge that
proposed to place thirty millions of dollars in the
hands of the President to be used at his discretion
My bill specified the object for which the money
might be used namely, to pay for Cuba, "provided
said treaty wen signed by the authorized agents OF
the taco gorernaents and duly ratSfed By the GOO
eminent Of Spain, shall call for the expenditure of
the same or any part thereof" When money is ap-
fort, or for any other specified public object is it
placed at his discretion because is to be expended
by him or under his direction? Certainly not The
whole revenues of the government amounting to from
sixty to eighty millions Of dollars per annum, are
appropriated and expended in the same way, my bill
only differing from ordinary bills making appropria-
tons in being more specific and guarded than they
are usually made.
When our distinguished fellow citizen Judge
Saunders, was Minister to Spain, President Polk in
structed him to offer to the Spanish Government one
hundred millions of dollars for Cuba. It was done
with so much secrecy that if the offer had been
ceptabe to Spain, treaty would have been entered
into, pledging this government for the payment of
the price, probably without the knowledge Of an in
divdual in the United States, except the President
and Secretary of State. 1t would then have been
secretly submitted to- and secretly acted or by the
Senate fratified it would have been "the supreme
law Of the land and the judges in every State shall!
would be bound thereby, any thing in the Consti-
tuition or laws Of any State to the contrary notwith
standing" All this would have been done, and con-
sttutionally DONE not only without the consent but
without the knowledge of the people or Of their rep
rcsentatives in Congress.
Such absolute power in reference to our foreign
relations was necessarily conferred the President
by the Constitution because in most questions
arising out Of them are Of so delicate nature to
require secrecy and forbid public discussion. If it
could have been done with safety, of course the Con-