Year: 1860

49,. CONGRESSIONAL.


WASHINGTON, June 25.-HoUsE.-The
House acceded to the request of the Senate
10 appoint another committee of conference
on the Post-Ofice deficiency bill. .:


The President sent in message notify
ing the House that he had signed certain
bills, including that making appropriations
for the civil and diplomatic service, and for
civil expenses, with a protest against the
clause designating Capt. Meigs as superin-
tendent of the expenditure of $500, 900 for
the completion of the Washington aque-
duct He does not believe it was the in
tention of Congress to interfere with the
constitutional right of the President as
commander in chief of the army to order
Capt. Meigs elsewhere, and send him away
to superintend the erection of fortifcations
or other works.


1t is evident TO him that Con gress intend
ed nothing more than to express a~decided
opinion that Capt. Meigs should be continued
in employment. Is the appropriation con-
stitutional and will it fail if he should not
think it proper and eXpedient to regard this
designation, are questions which shall re-
ceive his serious consideration, because on
all these depend whether the water-works
shall be arrested for another season. He
now desired to express no opinion, but
the question shall be carefully considered.


Another message from the President re-
capituIating the grounds of his protest on
March last against the proceedings of the
Covode committee. The charges against
him being vague and expressed in equivocal
terms, he did not for moment entertain
a doubt as to the result He did not believe
it possible that there existed man who
could basely perjure himself The proceed
ingS of the House, he repeats, are viOlatlve
of coordinate branch of the government,
which, if enforced, will leslablsA dangerous
precedent.


The House had acted without constitu-
tional warrant, in a manner tending to de-
grade the Presidential office and render it
unworthy of acceptance by an honorable
man. The accusatory resolution was moth
ing more nor less than the President had
used corrupt means to accomplish certain
ends. By what authority did the House
undertake to investigate the executive
course as to the Lecompton constitution
to pry into our foreign relations, assail-
ing our Mexican Minister to the Tehu-
antepec route; to investigate removals from
office, notwithstanding the power of reno
val belongs to the president under the con-
stitution, and was so decided by the first
Congress and accordingly has ever since
been so exercised. There was no authority
for the committee to investigate the subject
of printing the Post Office blanks, because
that question had previously been eXamin-
ed by two other committees.


He complains of the vindctive manner in
which the witnesses were examined. The
first intimation he received of any testimo-
ny that could or would injuriously affect
him was published in a New York journal
1t is disproved by the most respectable wit
nesses. The telegraph was silenced as to
the contradiction. He says that only such
dispatches were published as would reflect
on his character, thus inflicting most fragrant
injustice, and that different versions were
given of private conversation when there
was no opportunity to refnte them. Mem
berS of the cabinet and others were sum-
moned to discover if possible something to
his discredit. Disappointed applicants for
Office becoming hostile to the administration
appeared before the committee. These were
most dangerous witnesses. The committee
spread drag net over the whole Union to
catch disappointed men willing to malign
his character The tyrannical star-cham-
Der was not worse than this. There has
been nothing like it since the revolution
ary days of Robesperre. Should the pro-
ceedings of the committee be sanctioned by
the House, the Constitution will have been
violated and the Executive be no longer an
independent branch of the government, and
the worst fears of the early patriots and states
men will have been realized. In the name of
the representatives, of this great people, and
standing on the ramparts of the constitu-
ton which they organized and established,
be solemnly protested against these uncon-
sttutional proceedings. After some debate
including some remarks by Stanton against
it, the message was referred to a select COM
mittee.


The House refused to suspend the rules
to take up the Post Route Bill, andit is con-
sequently dead.


At noon the House adjourned sine die, in
good humor.
SENATE.-Met at o'clock. The reading
of the journal occupied half an hour.
Sumner presented petition ofcitizens of
Mass. praying for the repeal of the fugitive
slave law and the Interstate slave trade,
and the prohibition in the District OF Column
bia of slavery. He asked that it might lay
on the table, and it was SO ordered.
Yulee asked that the post route bill be
brought up. Agreed to.


Yuee offered an amendment that the Post
Master General be authorized to advertise
for proposals for transporting the mails to
California, overland on the Central route,
within 20 days, and on the Northern route
from st. Paul to the Dallas, Oregon.
ALBANY, N. Y, June 25, p. M-The
friends of Breckinrdge and Lane in this