CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. 



161 



portant matter, a great lion in the way that 

 could not be gotten over, and tliat rendered 

 this resolution improper, and the interroga- 

 tories unimportant. Why, sir, he confessed 

 himself, as I understood him, that General Bab- 

 cock had made that protocol without authority ; 

 and he did do it upon his own motion, and 

 there was nothing in his instructions that 

 authorized him to do so ; but, as all men famil- 

 iar with diplomatic negotiations understand, 

 protocols are of very common occurrence, and 

 are always of a private character, and never 

 constitute a part of the treaty. But, as the 

 treaty is gone, as we have passed that by, as it 

 is merely a relic of the past, where is the im- 

 portance of dwelling upon this protocol and 

 attempting to fix crime upon the President in 

 consequence of it? Sir, the objection is frivo- 

 lous, and I pass it by. 



" Then the Senator from Massachusetts says 

 that this commission will commit Congress to 

 the policy of annexation. Is there one word 

 of foundation for this statement ? Is any Sena- 

 tor who may not favor the annexation of San 

 Domingo under his present convictions to be 

 frightened from voting for this resolution by 

 the bald declaration that it commits Congress 

 to annexation ? Not one word like it in the 

 resolution ; but it simply provides for an ex- 

 amination; the commissioners are simply to 

 report upon what terms San Domingo may 

 consent to be annexed or desire to be annexed. 

 That report is to be made to the President, and 

 he is to lay it before Congress for its consider- 

 ation. If the facts therein stated are favorable 

 to annexation, well ; if they are unfavorable, 

 well; the commissioners are not authorized 

 themselves to give their opinion upon the ques- 

 tion. I was careful in drawing the resolution 

 to provide that they should have no authority 

 to give their opinion at all. They are simply 

 to report the facts, and we are to pass upon 

 them. So nobody need be frightened against 

 the resolution by saying that it commits Con- 

 gress to the policy of annexation. 



"Then, again, he says the resolution is un- 

 necessary because the President has full power 

 to appoint the commissioners without it. Why, 

 this is a most astonishing argument! After 

 having pressed upon us with great force that 

 the appointment of Babcock was a usurpation, 

 and that his negotiation was a crime, the Sen- 

 ator comes back and tells ns that this commis- 

 sion is wholly unnecessary, the President has 

 power to appoint commissioners without any 

 act of Congress to go there and do all that we 

 propose they shall do, and even more ! 



"Why, sir, suppose the President had taken 

 that authority without consulting us, would he 

 not have been denounced fiercely for usurpa- 

 tion ? Would thi-s commission not have been 

 denounced as a mere private agency on his 

 part and so it would have been for the pur- 

 pose of aiding him in a most iniquitous scheme ? 

 No, sir ; we took a different view of it ; and 

 the President, allow me to say, has no power 

 VOL. XL 11 A 



to appoint a commission like this ; he has no 

 power to provide a secretary ; he has no pow- 

 er to make the provisions that are contained 

 in this resolution. 



"But, then, he comes to the charge that we 

 have kept Baez in power by three ships-of-war 

 stationed upon that coast, and that the treaty 

 was negotiated under the guns of that fleet. 

 Admiral Poor has been denounced in the bit- 

 terest terms for his conduct in regard to Do- 

 minica and Hayti. Why, sir, I should regard 

 this as a very serious statement, if it did not 

 appear to me to be ridiculous. With all re- 

 spect to the distinguished Senator from Massa- 

 chusetts, it seems to me that he has overdrawn 

 this thing in a manner that can only be de- 

 scribed as ridiculous or ludicrous. These revo- 

 lutionists are not sea-going people. They have 

 no fleet. Their field of operations, small as it 

 is, is inland and among the mountains. But 

 they have been kept in subjection by the three 

 frigates of Admiral Poor ! We must under- 

 stand that the admiral has marched those frig- 

 ates across the island and through the moun- 

 tains, doubtless with a large crew of horse- 

 marines, that have kept this Cabral and his 

 powerful army under subjection! Why, sir, 

 the character of the danger, whatever it has 

 been, that may have menaced Baez, has been 

 inland among the mountains, where the guns 

 of Admiral Poor could not reach and where 

 his voice was never heard. And yet, sir, the 

 country is to be startled, a wonderful sensation 

 is to be created, by the statement that this 

 treaty was negotiated under the guns of this 

 fleet, and that Baez has been kept in power by 

 its presence ! 



"Mr. President, the truth is simple; it lies 

 upon the surface ; I have been long satisfied 

 with it ; and I confess to you that, so far as I 

 am concerned, I do not require the investiga- 

 tion on many of these points to satisfy my 

 mind. But, while I may be satisfied, others 

 may not be. The great truth is, that men of 

 all parties in San Domingo are in favor of an- 

 nexation. The evidence is, that the followers 

 even of Cabral are for it, and that Cabral him- 

 self has been in favor, and is now in favor, of 

 annexation. He undoubtedly would like to 

 make the treaty or to conclude the negotia- 

 tions, instead of Baez. But it has been the 

 desire and the earnest desire of the great body 

 of the people upon that island for years to be 

 annexed to the Government of the United 

 States, and it makes no difference, so far as 

 that is concerned, whether Cabral or Baez is 

 in power, or some other military adventurer 

 that may rise to the surface. They will all be- 

 in favor of annexation, because nearly the en- 

 tire people, with the exception of a few des- 

 perate military adventurers, are in favor of it.. 



" Mr. President, the annexation of San Do- 

 mingo will come. I prophesy here to-night 

 that it will come. It may not come in the 

 time of General Grant, or in my time ; but I 

 believe it is destined to come ; and with it,. 



