The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1866-04-27
CONGRESSIONAL REPORTS.
xxxrxrB ooseanss-plasr snssro,
THURSDAY, ArRrL 20, 1860.
SENATE.

| Dhns, o. hentuoky, on the 9th inst on the civil
rights bill, In which he declared that II Il wa,
passed he would resist Il and work for the over,
| throw Of the Government. The petitioners state
that the bill, having passed, IA now the supreme
law Of the land, and Mr.. Davis having placed him
self In the position Of an svowsd opponent Of tn,
aoyernuient, they respectfully ask that he be ex
PEELED from the Senate Of the United States, and,
with other traitors be held 10 answer for his crimes
On motion Of Mr. Sumner the petition was 70.
ferred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Mr.. Davis said II was true that he had asserted
substantially what Is here stated but as the con.
test would show, he had said great deal mbre
As specimsn Of garbling, this was about equal to
the statement that the Bible taught there was no
God, without giving what was printed before that
"The fool saith in his heart there IL no uod."
| fnR WISCONSIN sENArdRs.
Mr.. Howe presented the resolutions Of the Leeis.
lature Of Wisconsin, condemnng the course Of SEN
stor J. R. Doolitte, Of that State and calling on
him To resign. Laid on tho table
| VARIOUS nArrERs
! Mr. Sherman reported joint resolution from the
COMMITTEE on Finance appropriating 90, 100, 900
for the expenses Of collecting the revenue from Gus.
toms; which was passed.
Mr.. CONFESS introduced q bill to aid In the con
struotion Of railroad and telegraph line from Cal
iioInia, at POrtard, to the navigabs waters Of the
Columbia river ln Oregon.
Mr.. Poland ofered.a resolution TO print one thou
sand extra copies Of the euloges Of the late Sena
tor Foot which was referred 10 the COMMITTEES on
Printing.
On motion of Mr.. wads, the bill to authorize the
New York and Montana Iron Mining and Manufac5
turing Company 10 purchase certain public lands
| reserved from the sale. Several amendments were
agreed to- and after some discussion the bill was
laid over, the morning hour having expired.
COMMERCIAL CONCENTRATION.
The special order, being the bill to facilitate Dos.
tai, commercial and military Communication among
the several States, was taken up and read.
Mr.. Morrill, said this was one Of those bills which
struck down deep to the very foundations Of the
Government It will make its mark upon all time
Il proposes to take, BY the power Of the General
Government, the entire direction Of the internal
railway system Of the United States II the State
Of New Jersey has been guilty Of an unconstitu-
tonal monopoly, as Is alleged, Is this the place to
seek redress Are not the courts open7 lie oh.
Iected to the scope and character Of this bill lie
had nothing to do with New Jersey or the people Of
New Jersey. He obJeetsd to lhs broad and com
prehensive character Of this bill Although II pro.
posed to strike at New Jersey, IL would take In the
whole railway system Of the United States. We
have now 81 900 miles Of railway
Mr.. Morrill, gave way ID reeeite a message from
the House, announcing the passage Of the bill to
encourage and facilitate tsiegraphie communication
between the United States and the West Indies,
| with amendments.
M. Sherman moved to lay the bill, with the
| amendments, on the table.
Mr.. Grimes thought this was q very opportune
time TO consider the bill. They were now debating
whether to abolish one monopoly and this bill un.
der the lead Of the chairman Of the Committee ON
Commerce, Mr. Chandler, proposed to establish
another
The bill was then laid aside, and the considera.
ton Of the bill under discussion resumed
Mr.. Morrill, The people, by the exercise Of in.
dustry and commerce, by private enterprise and
entirely independent Of the General Government
had erected the present magnificent railway sys-
TEN, and the Government has no const tuted au-
thority for Interference herewith The New Jer-
sey monopoly, Of which so much complaint was
made. expires in 1869. He had already said that
the Congress Of the United States was not a court
Of law, before which the onstitutionality Of said
monopoly could be tested. That is the province
Of the judiciary. What could the Government do
compared with what the people had done, 10 ex.
cuse this seizure Of the power Ct tho peoples own
work From every Atlantic city to the far into
Nor bringing within the reach Of almost every in
diViduhl farmer the best markets Of the nation this
system had outstripped the visions Of imagination
and now, because New Jersey Is said to have
granted q monopoly, the product Of the enterprise
Of the people, which has effected so much Is to be
taken away from them and the control to be passed
to the Government He could not agree to so
sweeping a bill as this, and would have to CD.
pose II.
Mr.. McDOugall opposed the bill because II was
beyond the law Of our license and was not sound
policy.
Mr.. DOolittle said ifNew Jersey had never in.
corPorated a railroad company, Congress never
would. What has New Jersey done All the old
avenues OF commerce were open, and New Jersey
opened Ia new avenue Of commerce. II was the
right Of the States To open and build highways of
commerce-it was their reserved right. No one
could get up here on this floor and maintain that
If New Jersey had refused to charter railway that
Congress would have the power to charter one
through her limitA
Mr.: johnson said 1t was singular that none Of the
friends OF this bill, which proposes TO assume such
vast powers, showed any disposition to debate It,
On n former occasion, when this bill was here In
another shape, he Mr.. J. had demonstrated the
objections which 1t presented to bis mind as not
being within the scope Of the Constitution. A
constitution Is worth nothing IL II Is to be inter
preted differently according to the opinions Of every
succeeding Congress. Tit Is to be one thing to
day and another tomorrow, we might as we'll have
no constitutional all. In his judgment-and he
spoke 1t with all due deference-when they swore
TO support the Consultation 1t the trainers Of
that instrument interpreted it, and as the people
by whom 1t was adopted interpreted it, had sup. |
posed Mr.. President until these modern days that
the meaning Of the powers which this bill involves
had long and SO uniformly been established that
they could not DO subjected to further doubt
From the debates in that convention, am certain
that such proposition this would not have been
entertained Mr.. J. then entered on his argument
against the constitutionality OF the bill.
Mr.. Howard then obtained the floor, when the
Senate went into Exc, session. and at its con-
clusion adjourned.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE
MESSAGE RESPECTING THE PACIFIC RAILROAD.
The Speaker laid before the House a message
from the PRECEDENT, submitting for the cousidera.
ton Of Congress certain ACCOMPANY ing comm nica-
ons from the Secretary Of the Interior in relation
to the Union Pacific Railroad Company. It ap- |
pears that the company was required by its charter
to complete certain portion OF its road by a GER
tain time which, owing to the peculiar financial |
condition Of the country and other circumstances,
1t had failed to do. The President recommends |
that the time for the completion Of the specified |
part Of the road DO extended and that authority be
given for the issue Of the bonds which could not |
hitherto be issued account Of the company 5 de-
fault.
MsCELLANEOUs BUSINESS.
Mr.. Morrill,, Of Vermont, from the Committee of
Ways and Means, reported back Senate bill to re.
init and refund certain duties goods in traHSitU
between Canada and the United States at the time
Of the expiration of the Reciprocity Treaty which
was passed without amendment This bill Is in
tended to extend relief to the owners Of goods
which were on board Of vessels detained by ice a.
the time Of the expiration OF the treaty.
Also, Senate bill to facilitate the settlement of
he accounts Of the Treasurer of the United States,