Year: 1861

standing efeCttS uHFfOHs 10 near Wudt NJ
may youchsafe to say about the political
affairs of this country, The people have
elected a President The majority OF
them believe him. They are willing, at
least, to wait to see what he chooses to do.
They have heard what he chose to say ;
and the next question is what he will
choose to do. /, as one of this Senate,
and as one of the people, am rather dis
posed to give him time, as my friend from
Massachusetts suggests, to do something,
before | choose to speak of his policy. l
want to know what it is, and l do know
as much about 1t as the senator, precise
Iy. do not profess to know more. II
is evident he knows nothing, and | do not
profess to know any more than he does
upou that subject.


What is the object of that resolution,
sir? The Senator may say, to get intor-
nation. It is mistake. The object was
to found Il speech upon it to send 1t to
the country, to make the country believe
it was in danger that the President re-
ally did not mean what he said F.; or if h,
did, that his party would not allow him to
do what he wished to do upon the subject;
that there was division here upon that
point. | think the object was the speech
and not the information because the
Senator isl cannot withhold on account
of this controversy what was about to
say-the Senator is more than 'respecta-
bic" in point of ability, very much more :;
and therefore he knows well that We
should not suffer such a resolution to pass,
or, if We did, it would get no reply. Who
ever heard that an administration when
it first came into power and was not warm
in its scat, would at once, at the call OF Il
political adversary even, AMI for no polit-
zeal purpose, lay before the country what
it designed to do when ii could hardly
say what it designed to do itself? II the
Senator expected to attain it, as my
friend from New Hampshire tMr. Clark
suggests, why not call upon the President
himself instead of the Secretary, and ask
him to communicate, it consistent with
the public service, so much of the facts


inquired about as he wished to do, in the
usual form, instead of calling on the S.
retary to tell what the policy OF the Adj
ministration is? Why, sir,we understand
all that. For my part, therefore, was
perfectly williag, as | am not very much
given to speaking-I believe the Senator
will bear me witness that have occupied
as little time as almost any man in the
Senate during the session that has passed


i was perfectly willing that the Senator
should say what he haa to say. | asked
him question or two with reference to
certain statements he made. put them


in respectful tone aud | got the answer
They were to correct what | supposed to
be errors of the Senator. | intimated
nothing cxccp' that they were errors, aud
cnlcavorcl to correct them,


Now, therefore, it isperleatly obvious
what ought to be done with this resolu-
tion OF course, shall not move to lay
it on the table, because after making the
remarks that have made, | should not
be ju titled in making that motion. Nor
sir, shall cudeayor to reply to the
thrice, nay, ten times, hundred times
told tale about the position of the Senator
upon the subject of non-intcrvention. |
thought the country had settled that,
North AMI South, and all pa ties, with re-
o ri to his doctrine. He assumes that
we have come over to him that We have
placed ourselves under his banner; that
we are now subscribing to his doctrine; /;
aud he cong atu ates himself apparently
upon that fact, Now, so far as that goe>,


it strikes me it would have been the part
of magnanimous man to have rcste |
content with that trum h; to have been
quiet with the knowledge that, in spite OF
I'll that had been said and done, and in
spite efen OF the victory that had been
gained over him, public sentiment had
settled down upon him as the great expo
ncnt Of true constitutional principles, and
having saved the Union, had left others
To sjnl pnlns to his praise, Onc would
have thought that would have been mag
nanimous, instead Of doing it himself !;
but it is not the first time. Sir, we are
content to let that pass, We have done
what we saw fit to do precisely in relation
to this matter We have carried out our
policy, so far as we had any up 10 this
point. We hope TO develop hereafter
what may be our policy with reference to
the country, and that 1t may be success
full


But, sir, allow me to say one word in
closing, aud that is this; when the Sena-
tor assumes and takes it for granted, that
we could have passed any bills during the
last session, and talks about our power iii
this Senate up to the time when the last
Congress adjourned, | will not say that
he knew he was stating what was not
true, but | will say that ii he had given
himself moments time for reflection, he
must have been aware that every body
about him knew perfectly wcll il was not
50. There was never day during that
Congress, from the beginning to the end,
that we had the power to pass any bill
against the will of the other side of this
House. There never was day when VIC
had majority in this Chamber. On
some questions, we had the aid Of the
Senator from Illinois himself, and of some
other Senators; but we never had the
power to pass any bill that the majority
chose that We should not pass, in any case
| knew very well that we could not pass
the bill to give power to the President to
suspend these Southern ports as orts OF
entry, or any other. There never was