The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-01-30
THlRTY-SIXTH CONGRESS-..SECoND SESSlON


of Columbia. Referred to the Committee Mill
tary Affairs.--Mr. FOSTER offered resolution
that Governors and ex- Governors of States be ad-
mitted to the ioor of the Senate.--Nlr LATHAM
presented the petition of the people of Western
Utah for increased mail facilities. Referred to the
Committee on Post Oflces.-Mr. BINGHAM
presented four petitions in favor Of the repeal of
the Fugitive Slave law, on the ground that the pc
| titi0ners believe it to be unconstitutional 1.-The
annual report of the Commissioner of Patents was
received and ordered to be printed. d.-After
| the consideration of certain private bills
the Pacific Railroad bill taken up--Mr.
| CHANDLER moved to amend the bill so to give
six sections of land instead Of one; agreed to-
Mr. CLARK of New Hampshire offered an amend
ment that the grants of lands and bonds be
made the express condition that Congress
may hereafter amend the provisions of the
! act but not to diminish the specific amount of the
contribution; agreed to.--Mr. WILKINSON
moved an amendment, making the amount to be paid
the Central cute $50 900 900 instead of $50 000-
900, and $4,000 900 instead of S35 900 O0O to the
Southern route, the design being to provide for
| Northern route by another Observation-Disclosures
| debate the amendment was rejected-yeas l9, nays
| N.--Mr. WILKINSON offered another amend
ment providing for Northern route He could
see no propriety in voting $50 0e0 900 to the State
of Texas which was about to retire from the Union.
He would not vote money out of the Federal Treas.
ury to bribe Texas and Arkansas to remain in the
| Union. He denounced the bill it came from
the House as bill of abominations-
Mr.. DOUGLAS opposed so many branch roads. If
own benefit, he could not say that he would vote
for the bill as whole, as much as be favored
Pacific Railroad The subject was further debated
by several Senators oo when the amendment was
adopted by yeas 22, nays 19.-Mr. WILL
son offered amendment that the sum of
S25,OOO,O0O be appropriated for the Southern
route, and S25,OOO,OOO for the Northern
route and $50 900, 600 for the Central route with
the privilege that the Southern route may terminate
at any point on the Pacific coast which may be Sc
lected: subsequently, however, he withdrew his
amendment, and Mr.. GWIN moved to strike out
all the routes except the Central. Lost by yeas 22
nays 25, as follows:
Yeas-Messrs. Anthony, Baker, Bingham, Chandler,
CLARK, Collamgr, Durkee Fsssenden, Foot, Foster,
Sumner, Ten Eyck, Trumbull, Wade, Wilson and
tenden, Dixon, Doote, Douglas Green, HemphIi Hun
ter, johnson of Tennessee, Lane Latham Nicholson,
Pearce, Powell, Pugh Rice, Salisbury Sebastian Sew.
ard, Thomson, Wigfall and Wikinson-25.
Mr.. WILSON offered an amendment reducing
the appropriation for the Southern route from
SS6000 900 to lost by yeas 10, nays %.
Mr. MASON moved to strike out all that part
of the bill appropriating money; lost.-The
consideration of the bill in Committee of the
Whole having been concluded, the bill was re-
ported to the Senate.-A number of the amend
ments were agreed to but without final action
on the bill the Senate adjourned by vote of yeas
&c, nays %.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
The SPEAKER laid before the House a commu.
mitting the annual report of the agricultural bu-
reau.-Mr. ADRIAN presented resolution from
the Legislature of New Jersey, relative to the pre-
sent condition of the country. The Legislature re-
solved that it was the duty of all good citizens to
stand by and sustain the Union of the States intact
was trasmtted to them by their athers that the
government of the United States was a national
Union, and not compact or league, but
stituton perpetual in character from mutual
contract and compromise, and can only be pre-
served by common recognition of this spirit
That the right of the general government to
sustain the laws and the constitution, after the
observance of all nee ,ssary forbearance and COM
promise, was indispensable TO the perpetuty of the
Union. That the Crttenden resolutions, as a basis
of settlement, would be acceptable to the people of
New Jersey, and that commissioners besappointed
to repair to Washington to consult with the COM
missoners from the States in regard to the cues.
tions now agitating the country.-Mr. MONT
GOMERY presented memorial signed by citizens
of Washington county, Pa, praying the adoption
of the Crittenden resolutions. Also, the proceed
ings of large meeting of citizens of his district,
unanimously endorsing the original resolutions
submitted by Mr. Crittenden fair and
proper adjustment of our national troubles
MIR. COLFAX called up the post route bill and
the House proceeded to the consideration of the
section providing for a semi.weekly overland mail
route, and daily overland route to Pixies Peak
The amendment was discussed by Messrs. Phelps
and Craig, of Missouri Scott, of California, and
Sherman, of Ohio. The morning hour expired be-
fore final action taken.--Mr. C0LFAX gave
notice that he would call up the bill tomorrow.
MIR. STEV EMS, of Pennsylvania addressed
the House on the special order-the report of the
Committee of Thirty three. He held, he said, the
same opinion the gentleman from Virginia
which was that there could be no adjustment of
our present difficulties. When be saw hostile bat
teries blocking up the highway of our nation, he
had no hope that concession which is humiliation,
or compromise could have any effect what.
ever. He had seen after the belligerent speech of
the gentleman from Virginia, (Mr. Pryor par
agraph saying that the proposition which ad been
brought to the head of our Government, and taken
to the seeding States, the kingdom of South Car
olina had peremptorily refused to act upon. And
now he had no hope left, because they had abso-
utey refused and declared that they had no desire
to promote the object in view which was to amend
the Constitution so as to give guarantees to
the South. They have left the Union, taken their
position, and they will not return He was sorry
to see that on yesterday, when the vote was to
suspend the rules for the consideration of the bill
to admit Kansas into the Union-kansas, the source
of all our woes-the South voted in a solid body
against the motion. These things will have the ef-
feet to accelerate the headlong career to destruc-
tion of the confederacy. 1t was right that in this
hall, sacred to freedom, the representatives should
express their views freely, that their hands
may be strengthened by their constituents He
did not desire reconstruction after the Union had
once been broken up. He hoped the day would
come when the plotters of disunion would be made
| to weep, and the shall once more shine upon a
happy and united people. He spoke of the causes
of our troubles, and referred to New Mexico where,
he said, when there was family in debt and they
owned COW, if it desirOus to collect the debt
out of pity to the children, they would save them
| by selling the father and the cow.-Mr. OTERO,
| of New Mexico, read the law upon the subject.
and showed that the employer of the 1,eon had
no right to intlict upon the subject anything
more than parental admonition, and dare not
| inflict upon him blows with clubs OF stripes-
MIR. STEVENS recounted the abuses of Northern
men in the South, and said that they had been hung
bv scores for their exercise of the right of free
! pnh NJ Of inio hat; -,
| his State, they had only hung John Brown and his
friends, not by scores, but by law. Laughter. |
| He (Mr. Stevens) would rather the Union cleft
into ten thousand atoms than to concede to or
promise with rebels He was for coercion.-The
hour having expired Mr.. STEVENS asked leave to
finish his speech.-Mr. BURNETT objected
He said that until the treatment of the gentleman
from Virginia, Mr.. Leake), by the Republican
side of the House, when it refused to allow him
to finish his speech after being interrupted he new
er objected, but he did now. He finally withdrew
his objection, but it was renewed by Mr.. Bote-
ler, of Virginia, for the same reason.-Mr.
| HARRIS, of Maryland, said that when the future
historian comes to write out the records in these
our times, be will be amazed at the magnificent
| greatness of the things which are now occurring
| around us. But he will be much more amazed
at the little Importance of the causes which
| brought about the political agitation which now
disturbs this great country, which has never been
equalled in the historyof the world. In this, the
18th century, when Republic has swollen to
such magnificent proportion, and reached such
an eminent period in history that, when in the
maturity of its power, and the enjoyment of its
wonderful resources, when the ships Of her ad-
venturers were sweeping over ocean,
and her science and civilization had placed
her in the vanguard of the nations, and when she
had come to be stable illustration of the capacity
of man for sel-government and to enjoy freedom
the whole government had suddenly become di.n.
tegrated-like a house of cards built up for the
mere sport of a child. And when he finds, after
searching with an earnest solcitude and a grave
curiosity, the which have led to such disas
trous results that they all sprang from the empty
rivaries OF political parties and the utter inability
OF our boasted statesmen to solve the problem O
the States or of the Territories to slavery oil
, freedom--when but these causes can be
discovered, the impartial listener will declare tha
there was no reason for the secession of single
State and none whatever for the disruption of the
e American union-[applausel- l-and great will be hi
amazement at the fact that amidst the portentou
wreck of the earthquake which as shaking the pii
lars of the Repubic,t the Representatives of the peo
pie sat looking on in all the quieude of insane in
difference, while the thirty millions of Ameri
can freemen failed to vindicate themselves BY givn
practical assertion to the maxim, "that the voic
: of the people is the voice of God" [Applause. l.
They living in the midst of these great enact
: ments. The speaker had listened with no approba
tion, but with some little surprise, to the gentle
r man from Tennessee, (Mr. Etheridge,) who hell
that Congress was not responsible in this great csi
because OF their inability to do anything to heal tn
troubles of the times. He differed with the gentle
man toto coelo, and declared that the verdict of i'm
partial history would be, and nearer and quicke
than that the verdict of the American people, whel
/, they once fully aroused to the exipency of th
dangers, will be that this great responsibility of ma
tiOna salvation national perdition sted nnon