, 1860-04-26
BY TELEGRAPH.


WAku1so1oS. april q. ia3o.
Horsg.-Mr. Colfax introduced, by uuani-
NOUS couscnt, i bill providing that the regular
dealers IN newspapers aud periodicals may re:
cesFe pacluges By mail at pro rata rate; maps,
books, bound and unbound, blank or printed.
and cards 10 60 through the mails at one cent
per ounce under 10000 miles, now charged
letter postage By recent decision Of the De-
pa1tmeot on the present California postage-to
apply on letters By the overland mail from the
Atlantic States to the Pacific coast ereu if under
5000 miles Mr. Col!ax stated TINT he would
call up the bill when the House was full.
The House went into Committee Of the Whole
on the State Of the Union.
Mr. Florence briefly explained his tariff sub
Btitute, claiming that it avoids the perp}e1tties
aud complication Of the main bill: that it is free
from compound duties; has no minimum; gives
specific duties for CUR country staples and Ieav-
ing for further legislation any extension Of the
system.
Mr. Corwin in reply to Mr.. Elot's ullusicn to
him. said he did not agree to a1l the provisions
Of the Fugitive Slc"e Law, and if he had been
in Congress when it passed, be would not haye
voted Tor it, prefer7irg the old law. He thought
there WINS no constitutional warrants for one of
the provisions, but there was higher authority
than himself When lie was q member Of Nr.
FIltuore's Cabinet, be eaid the bill was contitu-
tional, and hence he assented to the Presidents
approval Of it. BIZ. Z. said he had doubts rs to
the econstituttonalty of that provision of the law
Of 1850 which authorizes tGc courts to appoint
the Commissioners, and regretted that they
were not to be appointed BY the President, By
and with the ndsice OF the Senate, owing to their
Judicial function. The old men who framed cur
Constitution determined that our rights should
not rest on tradition, Ike the British country;
but they wrote aud printed .ur Constitution so
that there ought to be no mistake about it.
Were rLcre no fugitive law the Southern mau
could 20 into the free States and with the Con-
stitu.iou in his hand reclaim the fugitiyes, be-
cause the Sonstitution gave him the right, and
said the person owing labor Or service shall be
delivered up. The trame.z OF the Constitution
pat this IN the Constitution, and therefore he
adhered 70 this view Of the subject.
Messrs. Carter, Eliot, and +. Dawes cortro.
rerted tue positions OF Nr. CcEwin, who, in his
further remarks, kept the Committee in remark
nb:y good humor. When his hour expired
/ there was gcneraiacquicscence that ho should
continue bis speeeh.
Dir. Curtis wished to know how much timo
he wanted.
Mr. Ctrwin thought LIE would get through
before the Chicago Convention. Laughter. ]
Lie made some good natured hits at the South
which were all received in similar spirit. Hc
;; id; amoag other things, that some would dis
solve the Union tomorrow because their nc~
groes ran so fast they could not reach them,
but they ought to recollect that these negroes
have to run through Slave states before
| they get to free. Why not kill The
negroes South because they don't catch the fu-
gitires. Laughter John Brown got up a
scheme in Chatham to operate in Virginia con-
| trary 10 our laws. Why not call upon the Rrit-
ish Government to deliver up those engaged in
! that transactiou2 II there was no other reason
| why this was not done, it was because Great
i Britain wants our cotton, and we dun't desireto
80 10 war with her. ELaushtcr] 1t would not
be long before Massachusetts,, following the ex-
| ample Of Indiana, would pnss a law prohibiting
free Mt grces coming ,hi:Ler, aud so it would be
with otaer free States, whcu they found that
! they were going to have negro pauper popula.
tion. The Repnt lican party are not opposed 10
the recovery of fugitive negroes. There was
! not one in q hundred thousand WHO would un.
de- take 10 repe 1.-The presentiaw and substitute
! State legislation. Everybody knows that VIC
i should not hc in our present position if it had
! not been toz the repeal Of the Missouri Com.
i promise
/ Nr. C.'s speech was generally moderate and
conciliatory.
The Committee rose and the House adjourned
/ r-1YnrxH arB1 x.au.rn~av rn~--v~-