Year: 1859

order Il bill when proposes to pay men Tor


slaves rs they are called, whom the Supreme


Court of your own country have decided


were not slaves, but were held against law


and against right by the hand Of force.
! They were liberated by the action Of your


Executive under the decision of the Supreme
! Court of the United States and vet bill
/ 10 pay persons for illegally and violently
| holding those men is the only one that is
/ deemed worthy of the action Of the American
Congress at its first sitting, so far as to take
it up out Of its order. There is nothing of


agitation suppose, in all this.


As heard the Presidents Message read,
thought some light flashed on my mind in


regard to that motion for the President,
after going on to recommend the a1ulsition on


Of Cuba for the very pous purpose of


abo!ishing the slave trade-that is all he


wants it for-comes to the Amistad case,


and SAYS if we pass that bill, he thinks it


will have a favorable influence on our


negotiations with Spain: that is, We can


put them in good temper by paying them


for illegal sciznre and holding of men that


our courtsbnvc decided were Illegally held.


IL we puS our hands into the Federal


Treasury, and violate our conscience by
paying these .1aen for illegally and unlaw-


fully holding these Africans, it will put the


Spanish Government in such good humor
that they will be more Likely to listen
favorably to our proposition for Purchasing
Cuba. am opposed to the Amist;.l bill,
from beginning TO end, all the way throsch,
and the moro opposed to it when rsc
President tells us what he wants it passed
for.


1t is no pleasure to me, sir, to be obliged
to make these comments. They are made
in a very imperfect and desultorv manner:
but think custom has grown up here
which deserves to be rebuked. | allude to
the President undertaking, under the priv
ilege which is conferred upon him by the
Constitution to commend such measures rs
he may deem proper and 70 give information
of the state of the Union generally, to give
At perverted, one-Sded, and unfair history
of the previous acts of this Government in
regard to n matter which has already passed,
and upon which, rs | understand the
message, from the imperfect reading have
been able to give it, he recommends no
measure ut the present time. There is !
nothing that he recommends US TO do in /
regard to Kansas. lie says it is all very
well there not quite SO well, however, as /
it would have been if you had let him have !
had his way; but still it is so we'll that he ,
recommends no measure to be taken in .
regard to it at all. Why, then, the necessity
of devoting two columns Of this very long ,
message to Il recitation of tho transactions |
which have long since passed; a recitation |
given in a manner and in spirit which he
knows could not, even in its recital of facts,
to say nothing of the deductions and coEcu
sions he draws from it, command the assent
of IL very large portion of the American
people. S r, if the President wants penos,
and if those with whom he labors want !
peace, why does he not begin himself; and
why does he, in this manner, at the very
onset Of this session Of Congress, throw
this question before US and challenge US
either to speak out, or to be silent and
submit to the imputations which he would
make, and the mistatements of fact which,
in my humble judgment, the message
abounds upon this matter? If he wants
peace, why does he do that, and then put US
in the alternative of either by silence
admitting that they are true, or else protest ,
ing that they are not true, and thereby
suhiectinr ourselves to the charge Of beng !
agtators?


have no particular objection to as many
of the message and documents being printed |
as you please, though am not willing to !
vote for it myself. ain willing to have It :
printed but shall not vote for printing
any extraordinary number Of the message,
because | desire not only hy what say,
but what do, to withhold any expression ,
of approval from the message as it has been
submitted to US. There are very many
other things in this message on which
would comment, but do not wish at this
time to weary the patience Of the Senate,
and leave il as it is.