The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-03-28
DOGBEkRY IN CONGREsS.

The following amusing colloquy took place
in the house of representatives at Washing
ton few days ago. when the latest constitu-
tional amendment was under debate. Mr..
Price, a radical member from Iowa, had the
floor in support of the resolution, He said
He believed that congress now had the power
sought to be conferred by this amendment, under
the clause of the constitution which declares that
congress shall have the power to provide for the
general welfare.
Mr.. Rogers New Jersey)-Will the gentleman
inform me where he finds that clause
Mr.. Price-Ce, tainly, sir it has been part
of the joys of my life to impart information to
the ignorant. daughter, Is is in the eighth
section of the first article reading It,
Mr.. Rogers-Does the gentleman read from the
text of the constitution
Mr. Price the difference between COM
nonsense man and CONSTITUTIONAL lawyer
fRoars of laughter.
Mr. Rogers Having referred to the consttu-
tion1-It is here; you right supposed 1t
was only in the preamble. Laughter
This, saws the New Orleans PicGyune, re-
minds Us of the old anecdots of two country
men who got into a wrangls of mutual abuse,
in which one of them charged that his adver-
sary could not repeat the Lords prayer. A
wager was made, and the other began. Il be-
lievs in God the Father" and went regularly
through with the creed. "Dang it" said
the chopfallen better, 81 did not think he
could have done it." 1t is to be hoped that
the laughter of the house of representatives
was for both disputauts, Mr.. Price for saying
there is such grant of power in the section
he quoted, and Mr.. Rogers for contesslng
that he did not know that it was there. 1t is
not there, nor in any part OF the constitution.
The words, s'to provide for the common de-
. fence and general welfare" are there bu,
not in the sense of grant of power, but as
descriptive of the purposes OF another grant.
"The congress shall have power to lay and
coliscs taxes, duties and exoises, to pay tne
debts and provide for the common defence
and general welfare of the United States"
Congress has unlimited power to raise
money for tho purpose of providing for the
common defence and safety of the United
States.
The extent to which congress may appro.
pirate the money raised has bean topic OF
discussion, but itswas never commended tina,
the phrase ever conferred power, except in
regard to appropriations of money; and the
current of opinion has been that congress ID
restrained in the appropriations to obj eel
for which grants Of power are elsewhere
enumerated in the constitution. This hat
been SO long the construction of that phrase
by the highest political authorities and thu
best commentators on the constitution, tina
no authority or constitutional exp0uuder hal
for many long years undertaken to revive thu
notion that the phrase had any further insen
than to define, more or Tess literally, the an
thority of congress over expenditures. Blu
we have here a radical member from tn
west bringing it forward. as oonfering an un
limited power to legislate upon all subject
whstever, and a democratic representatiy
from New Jersey subsiding under the pro
duction of the clause as something he ha,
never heard of before!
Mr. Chanler, of New York, who has rsa
the rudiments, endeavored TO say something
to set the question right, but they would NO
let him spesk.