200 KANSAS UNIVERSITY QUARTERLY. 



wish any postofifice bill to pass, and technical objection was at 

 once made that there was as yet no disagreement between the Senate 

 and the House. Finally, however, the conference committee was 

 appointed,* composed of Messrs. Stuart, Pearce and Foot. The 

 House at once responded by the appointment of a like committee, f 

 composed of Mr. Letcher, Mr. Branch, and Mr. Grow, although 

 several members • objected to the appointment of the committee. 

 The report of this committee was unanimous, and the resolution 

 reported was "that while neither House is understood to waive any 

 constitutional right, which they may respectively consider to belong 

 to them, it be recommended to the House to pass the accompanying 

 bill, and that the Senate concur in the same when it shall be sent to 

 them.";}; This third bill merely provided for the necessary expense 

 of the postofifice department, yet was in the main the original bill of 

 the House. It was passed§ by the House without material objection, 

 but when it reached the Senate just one hour before the expiration of 

 the session, Mr. Toombs|| announced that he considered the action of 

 the Senate members of the conference committee as a complete 

 betrayal of the rights of the Senate, and that he should object to the 

 consideration of the bill. In this determination he was supported by 

 many others, so that finally while he was making a speech** defend- 

 ing his position, the \'ice- President interrupted him in order to 

 declare the Senate adjourned sine die. 



The bill, therefore, had failed to pass in any form, and Mr. Doug- 

 lassft may have been right in thinking that the Senate was refusing 

 to consider a necessary appropriation, because of an overestimation 

 of its own dignity. The passage or non-passage of the bill, however, 

 does not present the main point of interest in this study, for the reso- 

 lution introduced by Mr. Grow is after all the essential thing to 

 consider. All that can be said in regard to it, however, is that the 

 House asserted its privilege and refused to yield to the browbeating 

 of the Senate. This contest between the two Houses was like many 

 others, yet it derives a peculiar interest from the troublous times in 

 which it occurred, and from the rapidity with which one move followed 

 another, for with the exception of the introduction of the Grow 

 resolution, March 2, all that passed between the two Houses occurred 

 on March 3, the last dav of this session of Congress. 



*Cong. Globe, 1858-50. p. 164(5. 



tlbid., p. 1682. 



tibid., p. 1661, and pp. 168.^-4. 



§llbid.,p. 1681. 



IIIbid.,:p. 1662. 



**Ibld., p. 1663, 



++Ibld.. p.lfift'l. 



