Arkansas true Democrat., 1861-08-08
HON c. J. VALLANDINGHAM,
OF OHIO, ON THE LOAN BILL,

ON THE LOAN BILL
 1U-ruE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, U. D. CONGRESS, WEDNESDAY,, JULY lo, 1891.
 The bill to authorize the secretary ot the treasury to borrow money on the credit oi the United States, sum not exceeding S250. 900 .O00, being under consideration, Nr VALLANDINGHAMs said
 Mir Chairman: In the constitution of the Tinted States, which the other day we swore to support, and by the authority cl which wc are assembled here to-day It Is written:
 "All legislative powers here granted shall be vested in Congress ot the United States"
 Ii is furthur written also that the Con- oross to which all legislative powers grant ed are thus committed,
 "Shall make no law abridging the iree- dom of speech or of the press"
 And it is vet furthur written, in protec- tion of Senators and Representatives in that freedom of debate here, without which there can be no liberty: That for any speech or debate in either house they shall not be questioned Tn any other place"
 Holding,up the shield of the constitution, and standing here in the place and with the manhood of representative of the people, propose to myself, to-day, the ancient freedom of speech used within these walls; though with somewhat more, l trust, of decencv and discretion than have some times been exhibited here. Sir, do not propose to discuss the direct question of this civil war in which we are engaged.- lis present prosecution Is foregone con- clusion: and wise man never wastes hls strength on a fruitless enterprise. My po- sition shall at present, for the most part, be indicated by my votes, and by the reso- lutions and motions which may submit. But there are many questions incident to the war and to its prosecution, about which I have somewhat to say now.
 Mir. Chairman, the President, in the message before us, demands the extraordl- nary loan of S400, 1000, ,O0O-an amount nearly ten times greater than the entire nublic debt. state and federal. at the close of the revolution in 17S3. and four times as much as the total expenditures during the three years war with Great Britain, ln
 
 1872.
 Sir. that same constitution which again hold up. and to which l give my whole heart and my utmost loyalty, commits to Congress alone the power to borrow money and to fix the purpose to which 1t shall be applied, and expressly limits any appro' priations to the term of two years. Each Senator and Representative, therefore, must iudge for himself, upon his conscience and oath, and before God and the country, oi the justice and wisdom and policy of the Presidents demand; and whenever this house shall have become but a mere office wherein to register the decrees of the execu tive. it will be high time to abolish 1t. Bu have right, l believe, sir, to say that, however gentlemen upon this side of the chamber may differ finally as to the war we are yet firmly and inexorably united II one thing at least, and that IS the determl nation that our own rights and dignitle' and privileges, as the representatives Of tho neople. shall be maintained in their spiri and to the very letter. And be this as i may, I do know that there are some here nresent who are resolved to assert and tt exercise those rights, with becoming decen cy and moderation certainly, but at tho same time fully, freely, and at every hazard
 Sir, it is an ancient and wise practice o the English Commons, to precede all vote ~pof supplies by an inquiry into abuses ant grievances, and especially into any infrac tion of the constitution and the laws of tn executive. Let us follow this safe practice We are now in the committee of the whol on the state of the Union; and in the ex ercise of my right and my duty as repre- sentative, and availing myself of the latl tude of debate allowed here, 1 propose t' consider Me present state of Me nation, ane supply also some few of the many omis sions of the President in the message before us. Sir, he has undertaken to give us in formation of the state of the Union, as th constitution requires him to do; and It wa his duty, as an honest executive, to mak that information full, impartial and com pete, instead of spreading before us la bored and lawyerly vindication of his owl course of policy-a policy which has pre- cipitated us into a terrible and bloody re volution. He admits that, to-day, we ar in the midst of general civil war, anC not mere petty lnSurrectlon, 10 De sup pressed in twenty days by proclamation and a posse comitotas of three months mi litia.
 Sir, it has been the misfortune of th President from the beginning that he ha totally and wholly underestimated tn magnitude and character of the revolution with which he had to deal, or surely h. never would have ventured upon the wick ed and hazardous experiment of callin thirty million of people to arms anon themselves without the counsel and authori ty of Congress. But when at last he foun 4 himself hemmed in by the revolution, an this city in danger, as he declares, an walked up thus, as the proclamation of tn 18th of April proves him to have wake mp, to the reality and significance of th