LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 0D0D3Dlb535 4 o ^0 . "^^^^ <>^. f V^'^--\-' ^/-'^^--/^ \-.>tv:.-.** %■• If. A^ *J»,rVfc ♦ ^ '' J" ... .^^ '^' o, *■.'.•.•■ aO" '^^ \ .0^^ •^o p^.-;^'..% .'7^ ^ •'. '^^ A^ /.- -^-f % • * . ^^ * > ,^0 CIRCULATE.] [pu :dlished under authority of the national and ) jackson demockatic ashociation committek. ) ..-iX A PLAIN STATEMENT OF FACTS FROM THE RECORD, SHOWING GEN. TAYLOR TO HAVE RECEIVED §74,861 01 OF "ALLOWANCES," BESIDES HIS REGULAR PAY, AND GENERAL CASS TO HAVE RECEIVED NOT ONE CENT, EXCEPT FOR ACTUAL SERVICES RENDERED THE GOVERNMENT. « Hctributive Justice always overtaken lUe Evil-doer,'* The Whig party have undertaken, through ' SECOND AUDITOR'S REPORT, fraud and misrepresentation, to smuggle Brevet pay and emoluments . . *»^.564 04 ^ == Double rations . • • 12,bO.> OU theinselres into power. They have pub- ,. , , , , y. . , THIRD AUDITOR'S REPORT. lished a most gross and malicious misstate- mo,,, of the amount allowed G.„. Cass for Jr.T.SfofqSSf.nX? ! 'f™ '» his services as Governor, and Commission- Per liiem allowance on court martial duty • • • " er of Indian AlFuirs, in the Northwest, ^ wliile they have studiously concealed the S2i>,70S « enormous amounts drawn from the treas- 2d. Allowances mixed up wiili his pay, ury by Gen. Zachary Taylor, in the ^vay of under the head of •' Pay and Emolument*"." emoluments and allowances, of an office .irctlonspenlay aslieuti^nant andcap- ivbirb hp has hpld for fnrtv vp-irs Rut tain, from Miy 3, 1S08. to Sepfr 3, wnicn nc nas neid lor loriy years, wui isi2_ i,5><5 days, and 6,3io rations they have been found out, in all their at 20 cents .... 91.268 »o n- , ■ IT ■ • 1 .L 1 ration for one servant for same time 3l70> eflorts to deceive. Honesty is always the Allowance as pay for 1 servant, same best poliey. Wliilc the Democratic party time, at i?? per month • _ • ^^'^^ *^ ■' „M -' Allowance, clothing for same at $2 50 rises ii! Its strength, and triumphs, Whig- j-t-r mouth . ■ 180 27 eiy, delected in its tricks, droops and die.s. * from this snm the amount of brevet emclu- We as!, the r.tiention ol all candid men mcnts should b- deducted, as they are mhr^ced . , , , in flic next cluss, whiol- ar.- made up according to the lOilowing statements, taken from the (^ ^is brevet rank when h.> was in command, ad books of record in the accounting offices received "pay and emolumv.iU' in accordance ■ . with that rank. , .,.,., of the GovKi-anient. in n ashingtoa CU}'; | The value oi' the "quartet* and ruel m kuMi 1 ^ . n 1 T" 1 > It n ' „ »■) lurni^hed to him, when he di I ii't draw com.hii and, first, General Taylor's " allowances, [".'.'^'^ iherefor, we have Ueeu unable to asr.erUia over and above his regular p-ay : it .ouldjliowever, amount toa'considetabi'- .jm V- '\)i^, \' ■\' 1 ration per day as major, from Sepl'r 5th, 1812, to April 20, 1819—2,417 days, and 9,668 rations at 20 cts. . $1,933 60 2 rations for 2 servauts for same time 966 80 Allowance as pay for same, same time, at $7 per month each . . 1,112 48 Allowance, clothing of same, at $2 50 per mouth each . . 397 31 Allowance, forage lor 3 horses, same time, at $3 per month each . 1,898 89 5 rations per day as lieutenant colonel, from April 20, 1819, to April 20th, 1829—3,650 days, and 18,250 rations at 20 cents .... 3,650 00 2 rations for two servants, same time 1,460 00 Allowance as pay for 2 servants, same time, at $7 per month each . 1,680 00 Allowance for clothing; for same, at $2 50 per month each . . 600 00 Allowance, forage for 3 horses, same time, at ;»'S per month each . 2,880 00 6 rations per day as colonel, from Apr. 20, 1829, to Dec'r 25, 1837—3,169 daj's, and 19,014 rations at 20 cts. . 3,802 80 2 rations for 2 servants same time . 1,267 60 Allowance, pay for same, same time, at $7 per month each . . 1,458 60 AHowaoce for clothing for same, same time, at $'2 50 per month each . 520 92 Allowance, forage for 4 hor3e9, same time, at $8 per month each . 3,333 96 12 rations per day as brigadier general, from Dec'r 25, 1837, to June 29th, 1846—3,106 days, and 37,272 ra- tions at 20 cents . . . 7,454 40 3 rations for 3 servants, for same time l'863 60 Allowance as pay for same, same time, at $7 per month each . . 2 144 41 Allowance for clothing for same, at $■2 50 per month each . . 785 86 Allowance, forage for 5 horses, same time, at $8 per month each . 4,085 97 15 rations per day as major general, from June 29, 1846, to Dec'r 31st, 1847—551 days, and 8,263 rations at 20 cents .... 4 rations for 4 servants, for same time Allowance, pay for same, same time, at $7 per month each Allowance for clothing for same, at $2 50 per month each Allowance for forage for 7 horses, for same time, at f 8 per month eacli . 1,653 00 440 80 507 20 ISl 15 1,016 36 $49,155 74 Total of both classes . ^74,864 04 Gen. Taylor's last account for tlie first hair of the present year — which we should be glad to have the privilege of publish- ing — shows him to he in the receipt of all the allowances of a Major General as above stated, and double rations in addition — ma- king thirty rations a day for which he is now allowed. We have no ribald com- meiils to make rcs|)ccting those allowan- cps, like those of Mr. Stewart respecting the allowances made to Ceneral Cass. — Willing to let the people judge for them- selves, we simply place the facts before them. Thus it will be seen by the people, that Gen. Taylor, in addition to his pay as an offieer of the army, which he has held all his life, has drawn from the treasury the enormous sum of Seventy-four thousand EIGHT HUNDKED AND SIXTY-FOUR DOLLARS AND FOUR CENTS ! But let us look a little further. What pay does Gen. Taylor now get, in a time of profound peace, while standing as the Whig candidate for the presidency ? Here it is : He receives pay for a house at a cost of ^1,410 per year ; for four servants to wait on bim, (no doubt owned by himself,) at $214 per year each, making f^S56 per year for servants; for ninety-six cords wood, at $8 per cord, making $768 per year for wood ; for seven horses to ride, at $672 per year, and is allowed thirty rations per day, making $2,160 per year, in addition to his regular salary of $200 per month, making $2,400 per year. All of these items added together will make the enormous sum of $8,296 per year of the people's money — more by $2,296 than is received by the Secretary of State, t!ie highest othce within the gift of the President, as is shown by the following table taken from the pub- lic records : PAY AND ALLOWANCES OF MAJ. GENEt KAL TAYLOR PER MONTH. Pay .... . $200 00 Allowance for quarters, 8 rooms, at $15 120 00 Allowance for fuel, 8 cords of wood for self, and 2-3 of a cord for four servants, at $8 per lord .... Allowance for subsistence for self, thir- ty RATIONS PER DAY, at 20 ccnts per ration ..... Allowance for four servants, 4 rations per day, at 20 cents Allowance for clothing for same; at $2 50 each ..... Allowance as pay for same, at $8 each . Allowance for forage for 7 horses, at $8 each ..... Making . • . 691 33 Wliat think you of thi^., who have to toil and labor for the small pittance of from one to two dollars per day, and to earn an honest support by the "sweat of the brow.^" 69 33 180 00 24 00 10 00 32 00 56 00 And ypl, you are tolil hy ilic Wliij; leaders thai Gen. Taylor is llie "/;ro^>/(''s candidalc." Gon. Taylor with Ins cpaii- letts on his shoulders and his sword !)y hi^ side, surrounded by his soldiers wii!i their bayonets, and living in this style, the peo- ple's condidate ! C'an uiddusliin^' :m|)U- dence go farther. Mr. Stewart in his spoerh, slal. >• that V General Taylor's regular pay has been ."^$93, 4*^1 SI. To make his case a fair (lie, he > no doubt reduced this acgreoate \^ tlie 'lowest possible scale. But assuniinij it ij to be true, the addition of this amount, ■$93,4'21 61 regular pay, die allowances of $7-1,804 proved by the record, will make the handsome sum of ;jf,l()S,"i85 SI — one HUNDRED A.N!) S IXTY-F,Ic:ilT TItOl S A.NP TWO UlNUKED A.M) EIGHTY-FIVK DOLLaKS AND EiGHTV-1-oUR CENTS, received by General Taylor. Now, let all who have heen deccivcil by the uiis- statemeiitsof Aiulrew Stewart, reaii the lollowiiiK plain and simple (acts, (lurnishcd at the request oi" the Hon. Mr. Woodrult of New Urleaiis, by a gentleman well quaiitied by experience and per- sonal knowledge to do it) in regard to the nraonnt paid to Gen. Cass by the government, for purcha.s- ing from the Indians the great Western Territory, which now comprises sovereign States and is covered with populous cities. Geohgetowx, Sept. 9, 1S4S. Hon. C. Woodruff, ot New Orleans: Dear Sir: Incompliance with your request to furnish you the facts in reference to the allow- ances made to Governor Cas.? tor extra lervices while Governor of IMichigan Territory, with a view to a perfect und-rstanding, I have sk-'tched the following statement, pie.licated almost exclu- sively upon iny own personal knowledge while in otfice, and fully suitained by the public records I'or every item. In the year IS 1.3, without application or the least expectation of it, I was invited into the Second Auditor's otfice, connected with the War Department, and continued uninterruf)tedl> to the time of my resignation, SIst December, 1S."31. By the act ol' Congress ot 24th February, 1819, the adjusf.raent of all accounts connected with Indian aifairs, with the exception of th^se apper- taining to Indian trad--, was made the duty of the Second Auditor, by whom the whole was exclu- sively assigned to my direction, subject to lii« re- visal; so that every allowance to Govemoi- Cass, from his appointment as governor, in October, 1813, to the time of his appointmeni as Secretary of War, 1st August, 1831, was acted upon and virtually passed while I was in the office attached to the War Department. The first claim presented by Governor Cass, as superintendent ex officio of Indian affairs, in vir- tue of his appointment as governor, and submitted to the Hon. John C. Calhoun, then Secretary of War, in October, 1821, and allowed by him in part. wa.H tur the >iunt of ;i^l7,tflO Ol, composed uf ibe following charges, viz : ]st chiiri^e—H years' com - [leiisation as tuperinlen- ileiii I'x officio uf Indian allairs frouj tli<' !»lli Oct., 1«13. I., the 9lhof Oct., 1S21, at the rate of 8l.- .MlO per annum, ninking ?12,000 00 • l-'rom wliirti wa* deducti'd liy order ol Mr. Calhoun. as overpay merits to C. I.arnard. Secretary, in IS 11-' 15, it2.Sl 3;{; to J. .*>l^1!) . . 462 33 2'/ c/ior/je— being for 10 rations a day for 2,920 days, making 29,200 ra- tions, at 20 cents a ra- tion .... From which was deducted fiTO rations allowed to Wm. Wooiibridge, acting governor, 57 days, dur- ing the absence of Gov. Cass from the Territory, at 20 cents; and also 3,- 500 rations, at 20 cents a ration, drawn by Gover- nor Cass from the public stores . . ■ • Amount allowed by Mr. Calhoun This sum allowed him for rations, in continuation of the preceding charge, from October, 1^21, to 391 h May, 1822 This sumallowed him. be- ing in continuation of his salary as superintendent ex officio of Indian atliiru from October, 1X21, to the 31st July, HSl This sum allowed him for travelling to and from, and attending Indian trea- ties, Sic And also this amount for his servicer and respon- sibility in paying over and transmitting to the several distant agenn, and settling and transmit- ting to the W;\r Depart- ment their several ac- counts, at til? rate of .51,500- per annum for 9 years and 7 months The total amount allowed Governor Cass for about 18 years' services and expenses, pecuniary re- spoiiBibilily.and personal risk . . ■ • 11.637 67 5,840 00 814 00 5,026 00 61,663 67 416 00 14,715 00 13,012 00 14,375 00 27,S85 00 569,08167 Tlio foregoing allowances were made, and fioal- ly passed to tlje credit of Governor Cass, under the following circumstances ; and here let nae re- quest particular attention to date?, and it will at a glance show the injustice done Gov. Cass and Hon John C. Calhoun.'from a misapprehension ot time and circumstances. The first and second allowances— .'$16,563 57 and .S'^16— were vested rights in and by virtue of the decision of President Madison, communicated to Gov. Cass soon after assuming the duties of governor of Michigan Territory and of superin- tendent ex officio of Indian ati'airs. It was mere- ly reimbursing the expenses consequent to the ottices, and therefore cannot properly be denomi- nated " extra allowances." Upon presentation of the claim of S'16,463 67, being the charge of .•ffl.SOO per annum to cover cost of clerk hire, office rent, fuel, &c., it would have been admitted by the accounting officer as a matter of course, the like allowance having been made to Gov. Wm. Clark ; but, for the claim for rations, being of a different character, the whole was submitted to Mr. Calhoun, who, after due consideration and critical examination, allowed it ; and it was placed in my hands by the Second Au- ditor for settlement, accompanied by the follow- ing directioas in Mr. Calhoun's handwriting : " Governor Cass to be allowed as superinten- dent of Indian affairs .$'1,500 a year ip like man- ner as Gov. Clark, but to be debited with all charges for fuel, quarters, and clerk hire; 10 rations a day at 20 cents a ration to be allowed him, to be debited with all issues to him at the rate of 20 cents per ration." The account was adjusted in conformity there- with, and the ;fJ16,563 67 found due to Governor Cass as stated. The next allowance, ,^^416, being a continuance of his allowance for rations from the day the pre- ceding claim was charged up to, was of course admitted up the 29th May, 1822, Mr. Calhoun having advised Gov. Cass that it would not be allow'ed beyond that day ; and no claim was ever subsequently made by Gov. Cass, and these were the only claims ever submitted to Mr. Calhoun by Gov. Cass on the subject. Accompanying this claim, for the consideration of Mr. Calhoun, was the communication of President Madison, through the Secretary of War, the Hon. James Monroe, as per following extract : October 24, 1S14. "He, (the President,) however, is of opinion that you should be remunerated for these addi- tional expenses, either by a special appropriation or out of the contingent fund for the Indian de- partment." Also a letter from Gen. Alex. Macomb, stating that his pay as a major general commanding (six to seven thousand dollars a year) barely met his annual expenses for the time Governor Cass claimed the .-ffl.SOO. Also the following schedule of the price of pro- visions during the same time, from Colonel Hunt, viz : Washington, .30th Oct., 1821. "Detroit has, since the conr.menccment of the war and until within two years, been the dearest place in the United States. Every article of life has been enormous. The average price of flour ^12 per barrel ; pork g35 per barrel ; whiskey $2 per gallon ; butter 50 cents per pound by the firkin ; eggs 50 cents per dozen on an average, and frequently a dollar has been paid for them per dozen ; $3 for a turkey ; wine ^2 per gallon ; corn .;y2 per bushel ; I have paid that price for 500 bushels at a time ; oats 75 cents per bushel ; hay ;^30 per ton ; loaf sugar 50 cents per pound ; coffee 62^ cents per pound ; Hyson tea .^3 per pound; and other articles in proportion. Having been in merchantile business during the whole time, I can speak of these subjects from my own knowledge. " HENRY J. HUNT." The allowance of $14,715 for the claim of $\-, 500 per annum to reimburse expenses for clerk hire, quarters, fuel, Jk,c., from October, 1821 — the day to which it was charged up to in the account for $16,563 67— to the 31st July, 1831, and was admitted as a matter of course by the then Second Auditor, Major Wm. B. Lewis, before Governor Cass assumed the dutif s of Secretary of War ; for though commissioned 1st of August, 1831, he did not qualify till the 9th, aud did net officiate till the 12tli August, 1831. It could not have been al- lowed by Mr. Calhoun, for he had been Vice President for the six years previous, four years with President Adams and two years with Presi- dent Jackson , and for the reasons stated in the preceding allowances, cannot properly be denomi- nated "extra compensation." The next item, §13,012, for travelling to and from, and attending upwards of 20 Indian treaties, &c., from July, 1814, to 10th February, 1829, was allowed in conformity with the rules and regula- tions acted upon by the honorable the Secretaries of War, Armstrong, Crawford, Calhoun, Barbour, and Porter. Mr. Crawford, in the year 1816, in the settlement of Gen. Harrison's account, fixed it at $3 per day and the expenses, by the follow- ing endorsement in his handwriting on the ac- count : " 10th January, 1816. "The compensation of Indian commissioner has been settled at $S per day and the expenses. " WM. H. CRAWFORD." Mr. Calhoun reduced it to $S per day and no expenses, when actually engaged, and Gov. Cass never charged or received more. The next item, $14,375, is composed of two allowances, .$10,500 and $3,.S75, being a commu- tation for the charge of 2^ per cent, commission on the disbursements of large sums of money to distant Indian agents, and for superintending the agencies of Piqifa, Ohio, of Fort Waye, Indiana and of Chicago, Illinois, being without the limits of his proper superintendency ; and not appertain- ing to his duties as governor or superintendent ex officio, he was not bound to perform them. The $10,.500 were allowed under the following circumstances. In December, 1828, Gov. Cass presented the following statement : " The United States to Lewis Cass, Br. For his services in superintending the Indian ao-encies of Piqua, in Ohio, Fort Wayne, Indiana, and of Chicago, Illinois, at $250 each per annum for the years' 1822-'23-'24-'25-'26-27, and 1828, (seven years) . . " . $5,250 00 Disbursement in the same years, and for the same agencies, the sum of .$364,942 29 at 2 1-2 per cent . . 9.123 55 $14,373 55 On presenting this claim to the honorable the Secretary ot War, I'. B. Forti-r, he liesitaled. Governor Cass voltintaiily proposed to be allowed the specitic sum ol ,Sl,."»iio a year in lull liipiida- tion of the claim ; and to ohviaU- any lUmbls on the part of the Secretaiy in to it.-i legality, he pro- jioseil Iiis Fubmillmp it to the opinion of Ha- At- tc.ney General, the Hon. Mr. Wirt. Thi- |)rono- sition was accepted, and the i|ueation subiui'ted to the Attorfiey General, who decided in its favor, and returned it with the fnllowini; opinion : "Office of Attornkv (JK.VEBAr.. December 12, 1328. •« Sir : I understand that the tacts stated in Gov. Ca.'s'.s letter of 2Gth N'ovt niber to be adniiltcd ; and if so, I can j)! rceive no groniid on which his claim can be properly re^isteil. His salary as governor is a compensation for his sei vices as j;ov. ernor. But the services for which he claim.'* do not belonj; to lii-i duties as (governor <>it.-; und undoing, settling nnd unsettling, v ijucntly becoui'i the order an0«>, hail Hot Gov. Cas.s, \vii!i liis charactrristic ti-elinga of delicacy, accompanied it with the following endorsement : " In the peculiar ponition in which I now stand with relation to the department, allhou;:li this charge is not only unexceptionable in itself, but sippoiled by a previous decision of the War De|iartment, yet 1 am willing that it should le- main suspen.ied, ar:d not acted on till it can with propriety be decided. LKWIS CASS." In August, 1S37, the Second Au00. in justir^atioD of passing it to the Ciovernor's credit, he submitted it lo the revisal of the then .Secretary of War, the Hon. J. R. Poinsett, who endorsed it — " Indian Oflicc. Ueferred to for examin;«tion and report. "J. R. POINSETT." The Commissioner of Indian Atiairs examined and reported — •' It is respectfully recommended that the with- in referred cl.-\ims of Governor Cass and Mrs. Porter be allowed. " C. A. HARRIS, " Commissioner Indian AlFairs. " NovE.MUER, 16, isa7." The Secretary of War thereupon endorsed — «• Allowed. "J. R POINSETT." This was the last account upon the action of Gov- ernor Cass, as governor of M.chinan Territory and as superintendent ex officio of Indian allaiis, and they were finally closed. The foregoiiio is a perfect exposition of ail the transactiofis of Governor Cnss in- volvpil in ilm inquiiy, and I venture to say that the archives of the doparluu nl do not contain .1 selileinent that lias p.isscd so rigid a scrutiny, so lionorahic to the parties concerned. How, and why is it, then, that (diarges of Ids having allowed his own ac- counts while Secretary, which had been prcvion^ly rejected, and that ho had pock- eted large sums not sanctioned by law or usage, have been sown broadcast through- out the country, wlien the public recor.ls, at all times open to proper investigation, so manifestly prove their incorrectness? In regard to the only allowance that can properly be d^iominated " extra,'' being that of an annual salary of !^1,500 in commutation of 2h per cent, on disbuise- mcnts, and for services to a much Iniger amount not appertaining to his duties of governor, nor of superintendent ex officio of Indian affairs, and to which he would have been by the opiniun of the Attorney General, the Hon. William Wirt, legally entitled, so far from his having allowed il himself while Secretary of War, the fore- going extracts from the files of the ofHce undeniably prove that, from feelings of delicacy, he studiously refrained from any personal interference in the case, and that it was allowed and passed to his crdit un- der the sanction, in writing, of the hono- rable the Secretary of War, P. B. Porter, and the written opinion of the Hon. Wm. Wirt, the Attorney General under the administration of President Adams, and the decision of the Hon. J. H. Eaton, Secre- tary of War under the administration of President Jackson, and also by the hono- rable the Secretary of War, J. R. Poinsett, under the administration of President Van Buren ; it is also clearly demonstrated that every claim by Governor Cass was acted upon and virtually allowed before he qual- ified as Secretary of War, and that the Hon. J. C. Calhoun never made any al- lowance other than the first and second, as hereinbefore stated, .S16,5G.3 67 and $416, amounting to $16,979 97. 'I'he foregoing embraces the whole mat- ter of your inquiry. You have the evi- dence before you. You can make (no iloubt correctly) your own deductions and application. Wiih assurnncer. of high consideration, I am, very respectfully, your obedient .•ser- vant WiM. Steuart. Th.e allowances made to Governor Cass, as may hereby be seen, were throughout based upon principles laid down by a whig administration, and the action of the suc- ceeding administrations was simply carry- ing out those principles. In rendering the important services to the government for eighteen years, as Superintendent of Indian Affairs in the Northwest, Gen. Cass never received pay from the government sufficient to meet his actual expenses. Let the peo|)le remem- ber, that in that time, Gen Cass formed T\VKi\TV-ONE TREATIES, purchased more than ONE HUNDRED MILLIONS OF ACRES OF LAND, worth to the government more than FIVE HUNDRED MILLIONS of DOLLARS. He travelled thousands of miles on foot and in liis bark canoe, creetino- the In- (lians, preventing war, preserving peace, and converting the wilderness into the hsppy abode of civilized life. What treaty did Gen. Taylor ever form } When did he ever prevent a war with the Indians? When did he ever purchase a foot of land for the government ? What capacity has he shown for the office of President ? These questions should be well and seriously considered. Gen. Cass is acknowledged by all, to be a wise and able statesman as well as a brave and gallant officer. He is honest, he is capable, he is faithful to the Consti- tution. Gensral Cass in favar of providing- relief to the BufTering people of Ireland and Scotland. The enemies of Gen. Cass are making charges against him (^which of course they cannot prove) in relation to his being un- friendly or opposed to the Irish and other foreign adopted citizens. On the 26lh Feb- rtiary, 1847, during the discussion in the United States Senate upon the following bill, he made the accompanying most beau- tiful and eloquent remarks, to which we most cordially invite the attention of every Irishman, wiio cannot, after their perusal, fail to admit that he is their warm friend. A Gill to provide some relief for the suffering people of Ireland and Scotland. Be it enacted, &,c.. That the President of the United States be, anil he hereby is, authorized to cause to be purchased such provisions as he may deem suitable and jnoper, and to cause the same to be transported and tendered, in the name of the Government of the United States to that of Great Britain, for the relief of the people of Ireland and Scotland, suffering from the great calamity of scar- city and famine. Sec. 2. .Ind be it further enacted, Th.it the sum of five hundred thousand dollars be, and the same is hereby, appropriated out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, to carry into eliect this act. Sk.c. o. ./lud be il further enacted. That the Pre- sident of the United States be, and he is hereby authorized, at his iliscretion, to employ any of the public ships of the United iStates for the transpor- tation of the provisions to be purchased as atore- said. Mr. Cass said, as one member of thi^ body, he felt obliged to the Sonntor IrDtn Kentucky for tho motion ho had submillcd, and for llie u|)i)r()pri;itc luniarks with which he had introduced it. He has (continued Mr. C.) expressed my senti- ments, but with an eloquence pecidiarly liis own. While physical want is un- known in our couiilry, the Angel of Death is striking down the famishing population of Europe, especially the sullfring people of Ireland. The accounts which reach us from that country indicate a state of distress, in extent ami degree, far exceed- ing any previous ex|)ericncc in modern times. It is a case beyond the reach of private charity, lis fi)niitains are dryiiia up before the magnitude of the evil, his a national calamity, and calls for national contributions. The starving niitlioiis have no Eypt " where they can go and buy corn, that they may live and not die." From our granaiy of abundance let us pour forth supplies. Ireland has •stronf' claims upon the sympathy of the United States. There are few of our citizens who have not Irish blood in their veins. That country has sent out a large portion of the emigrants who have added inimbers to our population, industry and enterprise to our capital, and the elements of power and prosperity which are doing that mighty work, from the Atlantic to the Pacilic, that is already exciting the admiration of the Old World, and will stimulate by its ex- ample the exertions of the New. O.ir population of Irish descent have fought the battles of the country with as much zeal and bravery as any class of citizens. And from the heights of Abraham where ]\Iontgomery fell, to the walls of Monterey, their blood has been poured out like water in the cause of liberty. We can now send to Ireland, not indeed what she has sent to us, her children — those we cannot {)art with — but food for their relatives, our friends, upon whom the hand of God is heavily laid. In a petition presented yes- terday by the Senator from New York, was a suggestion which I am gratified to find embodied in the bill reported by the Senator of Kentucky, and which I should be happy to see carried into ellect — to employ, in the transportation of provisions, such of the armed lihips of the United States n« are not rr.piirod for the oppmlionn of war. It would be a i)eautiful tribute to the ailvaiicing spirit of thu a;;e. The mes- senger of doallj would thus become a mes- senger of life ; the agents o( destruction, agents of preservation ; and our eagle, winch has Jlown above them, and carried our arms to the very coast of Ireland, would thus become the signal «)f hope, where it has been the signal of defiance. I shall lend the bill my .supjiort with groat plea- sure. Cell. Cass's Bjiiipatliy for the opinc^bed an 1 flullcrlut;. It will be recollected that about the 1st of May last, the cry of distress and wail- ing reached our happy shores from Yuca- tan, accompanied with the most awful ac- counts of the massacre of her citizens by the savages, and an earnest appeal to our government for relief. The President of the United Slates immediately sent a mes- sage to Congress, calling their attention to the subjeci. Gen. Cass on this, as on all other occasions, came promptly to the aid of sufl'ering humanilv. Kead the following eloquent extracts from his speech on that occasion. " The great points of the case are before »», and !he application now comes, not merply from the Vncatese commi'^sioner, hut from the lepsla- tive department of the Government in a solemn locree, and from the Kxecuiive o( the country. It IS a case of overwhclminij, overpowerin;;, nc- ceFsity. While we are dtliberating, the »»d ac- tion is going on ; and however prompt we may now be, we may not be prompt enough for the circumstances. The fate of the country may be deciled before we can send any lelief. At any rate, let us redeem ourselves from the reproach o'f indiilerence or unnecessary delay. This is one of those great cases for human iicJion whereto do \yel; 13 to do promptly, and where too much cau- tion will show tliat we are uiieipial to the position in which we find ourstlves placed. I need not recall the condition of Yucatan. The message itself, witli the accomjianyin^ documents, the information wliicii daily reach- es us though the public journaN, and the dis- cussions here, have put us in possession of the true state of things in that unhappy coun- try. It is divivled l)ctwcen the two rues of Spanish and of aboriginal descent, anil the Indians have obtained the superiority — have descended from (lie high country lipon ilie low, and arc driving the white race before ihem to death oi to the ocean. 1-. is a war. 8 if that can be called a war, where the fight- ing seems to be all upon one side, of destruc- tion and externiiiiation. Not figurately, be- cause here and there a man is killed or a plantation laid waste, but literally, rigidly ; tor nothing is spared, neither man nor his works, and fire and the sword accompany the Indian army, and do their work without pity as without remorse. Aid, under such circumstances, is a duty of humanity, which no one in this country calls in question But, owing to the peculiar features of our own Constitution, many doubt whether this Gov- ernment has the power to grant it. Though I believe, sir, we may clearly interpose in such an extreme case of national sutiering, as was done many years since for Caraccas; yet, as this question does not lie in my way, i shall not turn aside to seek it. All may hold the claims of humanity to be a strong in- ducement for action, when conjoined with other motives of interposition, which render onr action equally constitutional and expe- dient. This question intimately connects itself with the prosperity and (I had almost said) the safety of our country. We have reached one of those opochs in the progress of nations to which the histoiian looks back with interest, and whence he traces much of the good or evil they encounter in their career— one of those epochs which impress themselves upon the character of a country, and when vigorous counsels are equally dic- tated by justice and by wisdom, while timl4 and irresolute measures are sure to be fol- lowed by political weakness and by the con- tempt oi' the world. » » # * » I now come, Mr. President, to other and perhaps graver considerations, directly or in- directly involved in this question. The Gulf of Mexico is the re.servoir of the great river of the North American continent, whose im- portance it is as diilicult to realize, us it is the value of the country which must seek an out- let to the ocean through its waters. That country is nearly equal to all Kuropc in ex- tent, embracing twenty -five degrees of lati lude and thirty-five of longitude upon the great circles of the globe. The vast basin extends from the summit of the Alleghany to the summit of the Ilocky Mountains, and its poptdation now equals eight millions. The man yet lives who was living when almost the first tree fell before the woodman's stroke in this great domain, and the man is now living who will live io see it contain one hundred inillionB of people. Already the hardy west- ern pioneer h'i» crossed the barri'^r of the Rocky Mountains, and the forest is giving way before human industry upon the very shores that look out upon China and Japan. The Mississippi is the great artery of this reg-ion ; which, drawing its supplies from the fountains of the north, pours them into the ocean under a tropical sun, and drains, in its own course, and in the course of its mighty tributaries — tributaries in name, but equals and rivals in fact — the most magnificent em- pire, which God, in his providence, has ever given to man to reclaini and enjoy. I have myself descended that great stream tivo thou- sand miles in a hirch canoe, admiring the coun- try throHgh which it passes in a state of na- ture, and lost in the contemplation of what that country is to be when subdued by human industry. * * * # * « Mr. President, great interests are committ- ed to our keeping. We are not, we cannot be isolated. The eldest of the indedendent States upon this continent — and, I may say, without the charge of national partiality, the most advanced in civilization and improve- ment — our course and our example must ex- ert a decisive influence for evil or for good, upon its future destiny. » * * # Something has been said, and harshly said, of an emergency in this case, and something more of a crisis--of war, and of its cost and consequences. Well, sir, there are cases of emergency, both in the lives of communities and of individuals, which de- mand speedy and decisive action, and this is one of them — cases when promptness '- ^^■ dom, and when timid coun-'., j,,^ ^^^^^ ^^ bring dishonor. '(^ not disaster. As to a crisis, the \vord has become so familiar to my ears, and the idea to my mind, that both have lonij- since lost their terrors. I have been upon the statue of action almost half a centuary, and during the fifty years which composed it we have had a crisis at least fifty times ; some graver and some lighter, but each grave enough, in the opinion of the prophets of political evil, to destroy our Cons'itution, and with it the last hopes of liberty. But we hive gone on increasing in numbers and improve- ment, and in all the elements of power and prosperity, with an accelerated pace before unknown in the history of the world. When many of the powerful governmnnt.s of (he world are falliiij; around us ; when society seem? elsewhere almost in a state of dissolution ; while our institutions are not only unajsailod, but, to all human appearance, beyond the leac!: of assault; while our government is growing stiv/Usjor in the affticticns of the usoplp, as time and > xperionce multiply the piooi's that it is best adaptvd t > our condition, and that it brings with it as £!;reat a measure of political happiness as is probably coui- patible with human society. * * '* I have yet to see the first raati in this iiroad land who professes a desire to exchange ihis govern- ment for ar.other ; and in the whok range of hurnun ex|)erience. where can as much be else- where said with truth J H 4 "^«<;<:Q.«^I ^ O, ^-n.. ^ ^^^ •^^ " <^ <<*\' ,<:,'^^^. ^ ^O .*^- "- ^0 ^^v; >■ V ' * "' <^ U v^* 'TVT* A <-. 'o . . * G^ \D ^0 V \,^^ /:^Va\ v./ ^"''^' -^"^ '■ HECKMAN 111 BINDERY INC. |e| ^ OCT 88 N. MANCHESTER. •!li?iiil:iiiiiiiiii