Year: 1859

| the island would be worth, and we would be
cursed with burden. The Cubans might stand
their ground until they could sell out. Negroes
are much cheaper there, l understand, than
they are in Louisiana, and the annexation of the
island would cause them to rise immensely in
value there. The Cubans could sell out to the
Gulf-State men, who wanted to go over there
and even if they were forced sales, they would
get more than they are worth now. That is
the way they would go off; that is the way the
island would be settled up; but l do not take it
for granted that they desire it, except as a mere
matter of ambition, matter of syarice-ava-
rice of the meanest sort-and that avarice which
the Senator from Louisiana says makes the Gu
ban planter annually count what is the value of
a negro in sugar. He supplies him from the
coast of Africa, and by his internal alchemy,
makes him into molasses or sugar. If the best
of the population, the Planters are cruel as to
be professional pirates and negro traders, and
regularly make calculations upon negro's life
in that way, l do not think they are fit to come
into this Union. With their barbarism and
their cruelty, they would not suit US


Mr.. President, there are many other things to
which should allude; but / know the time of
the Senate is precious. Perhaps l should be
indulged with continuance; but, condensing
as well as can, will make an effort to get
through with what have to say. / have an
objection to the terms of this bill itself-an in
superable objection. 1t provides


THAT the sum of $50, 100000 be, and the
same is hereby, appropriated, out of any mon
ey in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated,
to enable the President to make a treaty with
Spain for the purchase of the Island of Cuba,
to be used by him in the event that said treaty,
when signed by the authorized agents of the two
Governments, and duly ratified by Spain, shall
call for the expenditure of the same, or any part
thereof; full and accurate accounts for which
expenditure shall be by him transmitted to Con-
gress at as early day as practicable


What does this mean? O'Donnell, or Es-
pa;tero, or somebody else, is at the head Of
Donna Isabella's Government Who is in pow
er, 1 do not know; but the intention is, that the
money is to be drawn out and lodged safely
with our Minister, Mr.. Preston, under the flag
of the United States, and then we are to wait
for revolution in Spain, then we are to make
trade with the incoming Govemment-say it
is de faetO Government-get them to sign
treaty, and the thing is finished. They will
have got S300O0,000 of our money as pre-
payment. 1t is to be in had in readiness to
take advantage of the ni:k of time; for it can
not be supposed it is to be used in any other
way, or any other juncture, or at any other
time. Some pronunciameQtO or a coup d'stGt
upsets the Government, anil there is trade of
this sort. Well, Sir, l am not much for that
kind ofneg egotiation; and, beside, am for keep
ing the money where it is.


The Constitution provides that the President
may make treaties, by and with the advice and
consent of the Senate Of the United States
two thirds of them concurring. The trainers
of the Constitution were SO cautious in regard
to this matter that they put upon the President
the check of requiring two-thirds of the Senate
to rati1y any treaty he might make, before it
should be binding In the beginning of the
Government the Senate was regarded as a con-
sulting Executive Chamber. How many Sem
ators the President has consulted about this
matter do not kow; what Senators he has
consulted, cannot tell. The money, however,
is to lie drawn out the Treasury, and we are
not to know how it is to be used; but, after it
has been spent, the President is to file full and
accurate accounts. What is fling full and ac.
eurate accounts! ~


Suppose the money is misspent, suppose it is
lost or fooled away; you have granted him a
vote of confidence, and l would as soon grant
vote of unlimited confidence as to have no
further security than this. He is to file ac-
counts of what he spends. He is to have this
vast amount of money in his pocket under his
control. He is anxious to distinguish his Ad
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., if possible, to do some
thing by which posterity will remember him and
connect his name with Cuba In addition to
his natural ardor, and the opinions he already
has on this subject, he might think, if you vote
him this money, that he was under obligations
to do something-that he must move. Well,
| Sir, will not put any such embarrassing obi
cation on him. / do not care how fair or how
accurate his accounts may be, whenever they
come In there will be an eternal scandal and
gossip in the politics of this country, and sup
| position that all was not right. People will so
talk and will SO think, and you cannot help
yourselves. rEF


Besides, when the Senate come to ratify the
treaty, do not think it is fair for them to have
such constraint imposed upon them as the
| payment of such large sum would be. When
my successor comes here to act upon the treaty,
/ want him to be untrammeled, to act according
to his dictates of duty under his oath, and ac-
cording to his conscience; but if yeu have al
ready paid $50, ,000, 600, that will hang like q
milestone around his neck The Senate will
act, under the fear of losing this large sum, and
the demand will be, "Come down with the
balance to secure what you have already anted
or you will lose what you put up" That is not
the Constitution; that is not the way the Con-
stitution contemplates, 1t is not the way, in
my judgment, to carry it on.


Mr President, in rejecting on the PROPOSE
ton of the Senator from New York to let of
the spirit of flhbustering, must say word OF
two to him. He is a man of eminent ability
and genial in feeling l do not think his elec-
ton would be cGsus federis-no breach of the
| league between the States. He is constitu
tional man, and if be should be elected, there
must be some overt act of oppression, or rebel
tliou, OF dereliction from duty, before you could
complain Ny opinion is, that he is such gen.
erous hearted man that he would rather lean
toward the South, by way of showing that he
was impartial But, Sir, do not want him te
talk any more about that gang of Austrians
Hetherlandmen and IrIshmen, in the Rocky
Mountains, making his Pacific Railroad, with
the idea that be is going to work of the fill


buster spirit, It reminds me of an aneedote
which heard about countryman of my friend
from South Carolina For the first time in his
life he saw some monkeys, and from the agility
with which they jumped from prong to prong
with their nice little fingers, he thought il
would be the grandest speculation in creation
/ 10 train them to cotton picking, and be go'
some for that purpose. A friend met him after
wards and asked him how he had made out
First rate" said he, 4'except that it took two
overseers to watch each monkey" Laughter.
That will be precisely the way you will work
the fllibusters out, according to the plan of the
Senator from New York.


Mr. President, this is amischievous thing fol
another reason. 1t brings up agitation on the
negro question inevitably and certainly, Twas
in hopes that after we had got rid of Kansas
the country would have some quiet. / have
been now, off and on, nearly twenty years in
Congress; and trusted that for one session, al
least, l should live here IN peace, and hear nc
more about negroes Now, we have the same
old story again. do not say that the President
proposes any such thing, or that he has any
designs or views in it; but know this; the othel
morning the Senator from Pennsylvania (Afr
Biglerl, who, il was said. represented the Presi


III