CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. 



133 



in any other manner the destiny of any independent 

 government in any other light than as a manifesta- 

 tion of an unfriendly disposition toward the United 

 States: Therefore 



Be it resolved by the Senate and Souse of Representa- 

 tives of the United States of America in Congress as- 

 sembled, That we should regard an attempt by 

 European powers to obtain _ the control of the bay 

 of Satnana, or any other portion of San Domingo, as 

 unfriendly to the United States, and in contravention 

 of our policy, as declared by President Monroe, con- 

 cerning the independent actions of the people of the 

 American Continent. 



It was referred to the Committee on Foreign 

 Affairs. 



In the Senate, on December 12th, Mr. Mor- 

 ton, of Indiana, offered the following resolu- 

 tions relative to the annexation of Dominica : 



fiesolved, ^c., That the President of the United 

 States be authorized to appoint three commissioners, 

 and also a secretary (the latter to be versed in the 

 English and Spanish languages), to proceed to the 

 island of San Domingo, and to inquire into, ascer- 

 tain, and report 



1. The political state and condition of the Eepublic 

 of Dominica. 



2. The desire and disposition of the people of the 

 said republic to become annexed to and to form part 

 of the people of the United States. 



3. The physical, mental, and moral condition of 

 the said people, and their general condition as to 

 material wealth and industrial capacity. 



4. The resources of the country ; its mineral and 

 agricultural products ; the products of its waters and 

 forests ; the general character of the soil, the extent 

 and proportion thereof capable of cultivation: the 

 climate and health of the country, its bays, harbors, 

 and rivers ; its general meteorological character, and 

 the existence and frequency of remarkable meteoro- 

 logical phenomena. 



5. The debt of the government and its obligations, 

 whether funded and ascertained, and admitted, or 

 unadjusted and under discussion. 



6. Treaties or engagements with other powers. 



7. Extent of boundaries and territory ; what pro- 

 portion is covered by grants or concessions, and 

 generally what concessions or franchises have been 

 granted. 



8. The terms and conditions on which the Domin- 

 ican Government may desire to be annexed to and 

 become part of the United States as one of the Terri- 

 tories thereof. 



9. Such other information, with respect to the said 

 government or its territories, as to the said commis- 

 sioners shall seem desirable or important with refer- 

 ence to the future incorporation of the said Domini- 

 can republic into the United States as one of its 

 Territories. 



SEC. 2. And be it further resolved, That the said 

 commissioners shall, as soon as conveniently may 

 be, report to the President of the United States, who 

 shall lay their report before Congress. 



SEO. 3. And be it further resolved, That the said 

 commissioners shall serve without compensation 

 (except the payment of expenses), and the compen- 

 sation of the secretary shall be determined by the 

 Secretary of State, with the approval of the Presi- 

 dent. 



They were laid on the table. 



In the House, on December 12th, Mr. Banks, 

 of Massachusetts, offered the following joint 

 resolution : 



Be it resolved by the Senate and House of Represent- 

 atives, etc., That the President be, and hereby is, 

 authorized to appoint a commission, consisting of five 

 persons, to negotiate a treaty with the authorities of 

 San Domingo for the acquisition of the territory of 



that government, with instructions to report such 

 information as a full and complete investigation of 

 all the various questions connected with the subject 

 may enable them to present to the two Houses of 

 Congress; and that the report of said commission 

 shall be considered a privileged report, and in order 

 whenever it shall be presented by the said commis- 

 sion. 



On the motion to lay the resolution on the 

 table, the vote was as follows : 



YEAS Messrs. Ambler, Asper, Axtell, Beatty, 

 Beck, Bird, Booker, George M. Brooks, James 

 Brooks, Burr, Coburn, Cowles, Cox, Crebs, Darrall, 

 Dickinson.Dox, Duke, Eldridge, Farnsworth, Fin- 

 kelnburg, Fisher, Fox, Getz, Gibson, Griswold. Hal- 

 deman, Hale, Hamill, Hawkins, Hoar, Holmes, John- 

 son, Thomas L. Jones, Knott, Manning, Mayham, 

 McCormick, McNeely, Morey ? Morgan, Samuel P. 

 Morrill, Morrissey, Mungen, Niblack, Peters, Poland, 

 Eeeves, Kice, Sherrod, Shober, Slocum, Joseph S. 

 Smith, Stiles, Stone, Swann, Taife, Townsend, Trim- 

 ble, Van Trump, Voorhees, Wells, Willard, Eugene 

 M. "Wilson, "Winchester, and Wood 66. 



NAYS Messrs. Allison, Armstrong, Arnell, At- 

 wood.Ayer, Bailey, Banks, Barry, Beaman, Benja- 

 min, Benton, Bingham, Blair, Boles, Boyd, Buckley, 

 Buffinton, Burchard, Burdett, Benjamin F. Butler, 

 Eoderick E. Butler, Churchill, William T. Clark, 



JLSUfcVUj *SWB>mjfm O-XViai^iTj A^lQTMj A VJ. J. !.? JL t^l J. J | 



Fitch. Garfield, Gilfillan, Hamilton, Harris, Hawley, 

 Hay, Heflin, Hooper, Jenckes, Alexander H. Jones, 

 Julian, Kelley, Kellogg, Kelsey, Ketcham, Knapp, 

 Laflin, Lawrence. Logan, Lougnridge, Lynch, May- 

 nard, McCrary, McGrew, McKee, McKenzie, Mercur, 

 Eliakim H. Moore, Jesse H. Moore, William Moore, 

 Morphis, Daniel J. Morrell, Myers, Negley, O'Neill, 

 Orth, Packard, Paine, Palmer, Peck, Phelps, Platt, 

 Pomeroy, Porter, Prosser, Eainey, Boots, Sanford, 

 Sargent, Sawyer, Scofield. Shanks, Lionel A. Shel- 

 don, Porter Sheldon, John A. Smith, William J. 

 Smith, Worthington C. Smith, Starkweather, Ste- 

 vens, Stevenson, Stokes, Stoughton, Strickland, 

 Strong, Tanner, Taylor, Tillman, Twichell, Tyner, 

 Upson, Van Horn, Wallace,Cadwalader C. Wash- 

 burn, William B. Washburn,Welker, Williams, John 

 T. Wilson, Witcher, and Wolf 117. 



NOT VOTING Messrs. Adams, Ames, Archer, 

 Barnum, Bennett, Biggs, Bowen, Buck, Cake, Cal- 

 kin, Cessna, Cleveland, Conger, Conner, Covode, 

 Dickey, Dyer, Ela, Haight, Hambleton, Hays, Hill, 

 Hoge, Holman, Hotchkiss, Ingersoll, Judd, Kerr, 

 Lash, Lewis, Marshall, McCarthy, Milnes, Newsham, 

 Packer, Perce, Potter, Eandall, Eogers, Schenck, 

 Schumaker, Strader, Sweeney, Sypher, Van Auken, 

 Van Wyck, Ward, Wheeler, Whitmore, Wilkinson, 

 Winans, and Woodward 52. 



So the House refused to lay the resolution 

 on the table. 



It was then referred to the Committee on 

 Foreign Affairs. 



In the House, on December 12th, Mr. Cox, 

 of New York, offered the following preamble 

 and resolution embodying a system of revenue 

 and expenditure, and for a commission to ex- 

 amine into questions of taxation : 



Whereas, The Government of the United States was 

 established by the people for their own protection 

 and benefit, and should be administered upon the 

 strictest principles of frugality and economy in its 

 expenditures, and that no money should be taken 

 from the people by taxation except to supply the ! 

 necessary wants of the Government, administered 

 upon such principles ; and whereas at the present 

 time the ordinary expenditures of the Government, 

 exclusive of the payment of the interest on the pub- 



