Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-01-04
Thirty-sixth Congress--Second Session,
MONDAY, DECEMBER 81, 1860.
Sen ATE

r.
The galleries were filled 10 o~vcitiowing,
many being utterly unable to get in.
Mr.. Crittcnden offered . resolution assigning
4 portion of the galleries of the Senate fr the
use of foreign ministers and their families.
Mr.. Davis said that the foreign ministers
were provided for by admission to the floor,
and he could not see any reason Tor admitting
their families to the gallery, when our own
were excluded.
Mr.. Mason said that these foreign ministers
and their families were our guests, and should
have a preference over the members Of our
own families. The Senator would, no doubt,
accord them such preference.
Mr.. Seward thought that the foreign ambas.
sailors were not to he regarded solely as indi-
vidualS. The Senate and House Of ReprcScn'
tativcs had given them the privilege Of admls-
sion to the floor of the Senate and the gallery
of the House until Tomorrow.
Mr.. Turnhull moved that the resolution be
postponed. Not agreed to. The resolution
was agreed to.
Mr.. Powell from the committee Of thirteen,
made Il report that they arc unable TO agree
upon any plan Of nd ustmenl.
Mr.. Douglas took the floor for Wednesday, on
the resolution.
The Senate agreed, when it adjourns to-day,
to adjourn till Wednesday next.
Mr.. Wilson offered a resolution calling OH
the Secretary Of War to report the number OF
arms in our %arSenals, the number purchased
aud the number sold. Laid over.
The bill for the organization of the Terrific
~ Of Arizona waS taken up and considered.
Mr.. Benjamin said that ut the last adjourn
mclt of the Senate, he had stated that ne pr"
posed 10 address the Senate on the cFiiica' co''
dit;rn Of the country, but before he nla sn, Nv
expected the Senate would receive some uihcIa'
communication on the State OF South Carolina;
but Us the Senate had not received II lie SHOULD
assume the condition which it would REPRESENT
ltc knew it had been well SAID that this was
no time for rccriminatinr, but he would re!el
to 4 speech made by him in 1876, IN wtlci'
! he anticipated this great condltlon o! th!lisS,
and read portions Of. it TO show that he gave III
the principles Of the republicans the condition
10 which we would arrive should they triumph
upon them. The question was soon TO he pre-
scented here whether WE would recognize Tue
inL.ucndcnce Of South Carolina, or whether
We intended to make war upon her with a gov
crEmcnt which she had rrpudiated.
II. proceeded 10 argue the rlghtoi SeceSSl1h'
and commended that South Carolina. IT. llsT
sovereign capacity, had the right to rcpcH! the
ordinance IN 1860, which she had passed III
l1SS, and if no compact interviewed, ali must
admit, ,lut she has the Inherent power. dc
uuotcd Mr.. Webster in the Rhode Island case,
who cuntcnGc,i that 4 bargain broken on one
sid. was IL bargain broken OH all sides, ami 10
| show that conventions Of the people duly as
ScuiEled, were the proper authorEty to lndgr
OF the government. lie also quoted the ~.
MARKS Of Madison, Martin, Patterson and
others in the constitutions! convention, whn
took the same position. The constitution could
not compel MI offending member 81 the unioil
TO remain in il. Nine Of the States under the
,.l! confederation seeded and formed 4 GOV
eminent. BIT now who was 10 Judge Ii the
! compact was broken.
IF il was 4 ,ccuniarv matter the constitution
provided Il way fer settlement, but If broken
politically, the constitution provided no way Of
settlement. He read from the debates in the
| convention which formed the constitution, Ia
show that they refused TO make the Senate 4
iu,lrc, or give the President the veto power on
State action or to give Congress the power IL
negative State lcgislation-Spcciaily refusing
10 rive any power to force 4 State yet when
the States came to ratify the constitution, com
| plants were made that States were not sutli'
| GENTLY secure. The State was the judge u
any wrong. He read from Iattel and Others
t. sustain these positions, ut great length. };
MAS ,l,c position among the republicans thai
,l,ev were not going 10 make war on South
Carolina, I to enforce the laws Of the Unite,
States there against individuals.
How would they punish m Individual FOL
treason ? Where would be the civil powers
Where would they get 4 cou,t,a judge, jury
an marshal, when the citizens OF the Indivld
ual believed tina; he was right He could
not be taken out Of the State, or even his dis
,rict, for trial. 1t had been said that the rev
cnuc coulI he collected by blockading tiit
uvr,. vet this was no act nf coercion IL was
nm idle dream to say that the law could be en-
forced when there was no one there to enforce
il. An embargo laid OH one port was an chi
barge laid on all, for the constitution prevented
u preference being given TO one port over an
| other. Republican Senators and they when
they represent, called Southcrners murderer:
| and thieves because they continued 10 ho!t
,ropcrtv now which they held at tie signing
i of the compact.
Mr.. BENJAMIN, in concluding his speech
said: Senators, we shall soon part to meet nf
more as Senators in this chamber. |! we har'
determined to withdraw, let ny depart III peace
and he conjurcd them not TO let Their con
science or their honor delude them into AN III
y;iSion Of the s~ccciin. States. Should such al
invasion occur, none could ~forctcll what wnuit
fellow. The South might meet with adverse
circumstances dcsolation might be carried
! throughout the land, and those fanatics who
advocated civil Instruction may, under tI'
lead Of advancing armies, stir it up; the saw
ares on the borders may be invited to join IN
aS in the Revolution, but he would say that IN
der all of these circumstances, the South couIc
not be ~suhjugatcd. Never! Never! Never!
As the speaker was about to resume his seat
dcalcring applause, ~cat.callS, Kisses and Other
violent demonstrations followed from III" "aSl
crowds Of both ladies and gentlemen ia i''t
galleries, who seemed ~ rise en- masSc. SIEVE
raj Senators sprung to their feet, and Mr.. Ma
son called upon tho presiding officer TO cIea1
the galleries Immediately.
Mr.. Yulcc moved 10 nj iourn.
Not agreed 10.
ICricS.-'Lct the galleries bc cleared. lie
the dignity and decor'im of the Sen"tc h'
maintained.
Some of the vast crowd began 10 edge out u
the doorway, and the appearance oil the ser
ccaft-at.arlns, wilha large force soon RENDERED
the genilemen'S gallery vacant.
Mr.. Mason said he did not intend 10 Include
the ladies in having the galleries cleared.
MIR. Baker obtained the floor, when til" Sen
atc adjourned to Wednesday.
House OF REPRESENTATIVES.
The Speaker laid before the House the FOL
lowin. Communication from the Secretary o
War:
WAr DEPARTMENT, Dee. 81, 1860.
Sir-So much has been said very recently
about the policy of this Department III grant
ing ncccptanccs TO contractors for Transports
ton across the plains, that ! deem il due alike
20 Congress, the public and myself to make
short, plain statement Of the facts coMncc;e;
with the subject.
At one time in the year 1855, it became ab
~solutcly necessary to start large trains OF trans
por,ation across the plains to Utah, when there
was no available means 70 put those trans II
t,nea Irn tn ROM rln