Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1861-02-22
TuIRTY.SIXTH CONGRESS.
SECOND SESSION.

-
ton signed by % go citizens Of Massachu-
setts, in favor of the Crittenden resolutions.
tie said he honored such people, and igiJ
cheered by such 4 voice from Massachusetts.
Ii showed them devoted t. the Union Tor
which their ancestors fought.
Mr. SImner said the petitions asked fcr
the passage Of the Crttenden resolutions.
Had the signers known what those PROPOSE
tions We're, they never would have pat their
names to the petition. These pr sitiOns
90 beyond the Breckinridge platform. and
t0lst on the Constitution guarantees 10 slave
r., which the trainers Of that instrument
never gave.
Mr. Crittenden said he supposed the sign
er5 Of the petition were intelligent men.
When he presented the propositions he pre-
sented them as basis Oi peace but why
had not the gentlemen offered to amend
Mr.. Sumner SAID he thought them wrong
every word and every line.
noMr Crittenden asked, Had the gentleman
propositions To make?
asAr Sumner said he had the Constitution
fl administered by Washington and our
thers.
inAlr Cri,tendeu-Why iii he net move
that, then?
Mr. Sumner said he had voted for the res
olutIons Of the Senator from New Hampshire,
which expressed his idea.
The Navy bill was taken up.
Mr.. Green said the Government proposed
u pass this Senators could vote homestead
bills t1 give homes to scoundrals AMI vaga-
bonds Of large cities ; and could vote hun
dred and twenty millions OF dJlilrs to make
a railroad, and now they come up and ask
twclv3 hundred thou-and dollars to build
steamers to coerce States. livery man says,
enforce the laws and protect the public prop
erty. But what Is public property? We
have public property in London. where our
Minister resides, but wont take s!o0IS there.
But have you public property in South Car
olinl No, not one single particle. Fort
Sumter this day IS wr0ugtuliy held aad is an
act Of war against South Carolina. The
whole resolves itself to the question, has
State d right to seccde, and has she actually
exercised the right. individuals in State
may may commit treason, but whether
State can is another question. The Govern
ment was a multiple Of units, and a State
comes in 4 separate unit and Is an entirety.
\ county in state is an integral part Of
State, and if she tried to break of II would
be rebellion. But a State comes by an act
Of volltion and can 90 out the same. No
State was ever coerced into the / Union and
could not be. South Carolina has rs much
right to Fort Columbus i'll New-York harbor
as the United States has to Fort Sumter, and
as much right to attack it; and he pledged
one feeble arm to act in the contingency
which might arise. He wanted a Union
about which there would be no quurreling,
and which would give rights to all or else
he wanted no Union, but separation. lie
said this was not mere question ot Slavery,
but it affects every property holder OF the
North Missouri, though slow, would act
bnt the action OF Kentucky, Tennessee and
Virginia, has been disastrous. If the Bor-
der ;tatec had acted with the South, we
would have had peaceable separation. Et-
cry one Of the slavehOlding States ought t)
have gone out together. As sure as no ad-
iustment was made. ali would = but Dela-
ware. MarylaDdand Virginia. lie was afraid
Of Virginia, she was 50 slow. Arkansas,
Missouri and Kansas would 90 out. (Llugh-
teri He said Kansas, after the hot house
plants Of emigration die out, would fall back
in the arms of Missouri.
The amendment was then concurred III,
yeas q, nays l7-Messrs. Bigler, Douglas,
johnson (renn.), and Latham voting with
the Republicans in the affirmative.
The bill then passed.
The Senate went into Executive session.
Adjourned.
HousE.-The Report Of the Select Com
mttce, of which Mr.. Morris, Of ILL.,, is
chairman, gives detailed facts relative to the
abstraction of the Indian Trust Bonds so or
40 witnesses were examined, including Ex-
Secretaries Floyd and Thompson. The latter
is exhonorated from all completely IN the
theft but be, as well as the former Secretary
of the Interior, are censured for the insult
cient manner in which the bonds have been
held, in that department, there being no ad-
cquate responsibility attached to the cust0-
dian. According to Russells own evidence,
he did not know at first, where the bonds of
which he had obtained possession, came from
Bailey was an agent for the negotiation or
sale Of the bonds, and Lea was an interme-
diate party between Russell and Bailey. 1t
was also ascertained that Mr.. Floyd gave
| acceptancos to the amount OF nearly
81 900 ,OO0,-or for $2.000,0 600 more than
Russell, Majors & Co, ever earned while
these contractors received all the money that
was due them. The acceptanees were given
on the strength Of their contract Senator
Benjamin was an important witness. About
year ago, Che could not fx exactly the
| timel be received letter from Duncan,
| Sherman & Co., asking him to ascertain
whether Mr.. Floyd's acceptanees were good
MIR. Benjamin called on the President, VINO,
he said, knew nothing about them or any
law authorizing their issue:
Mr.. Benjamin next called on Mr.. Floyd,
who said that the accoptanees were IN accord
ance with the usage of the department and
were given conditionally as to the arrival of
trans from one point to another. Mr.. Ben
iamin reminded him of the impropriety Of
such proceedings, and Mr.. Floyd said he
would sign no more, but Notwithstanding,
from April to December he gave acceptances
to the amount of So, l63 900. The last batch
was the 18th of December, the day Baily de-
livered the last supply of Bonds. The Com