CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. 



145 



met. But, sir, the subject is crowding itself 

 upon the attention of the country as to how 

 this great object shall be accomplished, how 

 cheaper transportation can be secured between 

 the interior and the seaboard. Something 

 must be done. There is no doubt about that. 

 It is important to ascertain just how far Con- 

 gress should go, just what the powers of Con- 

 are in the matter, and then it is impor- 

 tant to collect information as to what means it 

 would be best to use. 



' Xow, I am one of those who think rail- 

 roads are in their infancy ; that, when railroads 

 are perfected, canals will be disused between 

 the West and the Atlantic. I believe the 

 transportations will be altogether by iron 

 eventually. I believe that railroads will reach 

 a point where they can compete with water 

 transportation. These, however, are questions 

 that ought to be examined ; and, if there was a 

 committee which made this subject prominent, 

 it would receive information all over the coun- 

 try from men who have investigated and are 

 investigating it. There are a great many 

 thinking minds in the country investigating 

 this ^reat question, and I think we should give 

 it sufficient prominence by appointing a com- 

 mittee that would receive communications 

 from those who had reflected on the subject, 

 and in that way Congress, it' it takes no action 

 by way of legislation, may be of use in the 

 way of disseminating information. I hope the 

 resolution will pass.' 1 



Mr. Thiirman, of Ohio, said: "Mr. Presi- 

 dent, I do not know that I have any objection 

 to the raising of this committee, or to any dis- 

 position the Senate may see tit to make of that 

 portion of tlie ['resident's message that is em- 

 briivd in the resolution ; but, so far as the con- 

 stitutional question is concerned, I must say 

 that, if there is any question at all to be found 

 in the Constitution upon which it is utterly 

 im ."<, ;:,],. f,, r any committee to shed more 

 light than has already been shed upon it, it is 

 precisely this question of the power of the 

 il Government to construct works of 

 internal improvement. If there is any ques- 

 tion upon which the argument on both sides 

 npletely exhausted, and on which no new 

 light can be shed, it is precisely that question. 

 Not only is it discussed in the speeches that 

 have been made in Congress upon the subject, 

 but in papers that have emanated from the 

 ino-t ilistinirnishcd statesmen of the country, 

 bi-ciiinin^ with the celebrated report of Ham- 

 _ilton OTI manufactures in 1791, and coming 

 down to the present time, so that there is not, 

 to the student of the constitutional history of 

 this country and of the Constitution itself, one 

 ingle idea left to advance on the one side or 

 the other. Not that people h:ivc agreed about 

 the true interpretation of the Constitution; 

 they have not, and they never will, and no re- 

 port that you can have from a committee will 

 make them agree upon it." 



Mr. Casserly, of California, said : " I wish to 

 vol. xiii. 10 A 



say, sir, that I shall vote for this resolution, 

 and in doing so I do not consider that I com- 

 mit myself to any view of the constitutional 

 question which has just been mentioned by 

 the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Thurman). The 

 question of cheap, prompt transportation to 

 tide-water of the persons and the products 

 of the United States, and most especially of 

 the products of the United States, is, of the 

 many leading questions of the day, perhaps 

 one of those most pressing for a solution. 

 Whether the existing means of transportation 

 as controlled by the railroads of the country 

 under the present system of management, or 

 any system which we are likely to obtain for 

 a long time to come while the same control 

 continues, will present the desired solution of 

 that great problem, is a very serious question. 

 For myself I wish I could think of it as a ques- 

 tion presenting much more favorable prospects 

 in the future than it does to my mind." 



The question being taken by yeas and nays, 

 resulted as follows : 



YEAS Messrs. Alcorn, Ames, Anthony, Bayard, 

 Brownlow, Buckingham, Caidwell, Cameron. Car- 

 penter, Casserly, Chandler, Clayton, C'onkling, 

 Cooper, Corbett, Cragin, Davis, Edmunds, Fenton, 

 Ferry of Connecticut, Ferry of Michigan, Flanagan, 

 Frclinghuysen, Gilbert, Hamlin, liarlan, Hill, 

 Hitchcock, Howe, Johnston, Kelly, Lewis, Logan, 

 Machon, Morrill of Maine, Mornll of Vermont, 

 Morton, Norwood, Osborn, Patterson, Pomeroy, 

 Pratt, Ramsey, Rice, Robertson, Sanlnburv, Scott, 

 Sherman, Stevenson, Stewart, Sumner, Thurman, 

 Tinton, Trumbull, Wilson, and Windom 50. 



NAYS Messrs. Cole, Hamilton of Maryland, and 

 Vickers 8. 



ABSENT Messrs. Blair, Borcman, Goldthwaitc, 

 Hamilton of Texan, Kellogg, Nye, Pool, Ransom, 

 Sawyer, Schurz, Spencer, Sprague, Stockton, West, 

 and Wright 16. 



So the resolution was adopted. But no 

 further action was taken on the subject. 



In the Senate, on December 17th, the fol- 

 lowing resolution was read the second time. 

 It had previously been adopted in the House : 



WTiereaui, The national unity cannot fail to be 

 strengthened by the remembrance of the services 

 of those who fought the battles of the Union in the 

 late war of the rebellion : therefore 



Be it remhed by the Sfnatt and Hovte of Represent- 

 ative* in Conr/rets assembled, As the expression of the 

 sentiment of Congress, that no measures be taken 

 toward removing from the Army Register or the 

 regimental colors of the United States the names of 

 the battles of the rebellion. 



The V ice-President : "The Senator from 

 Vermont asks unanimous 'consent for the con- 

 sideration of this joint resolution at the pres- 

 ent time. Is there objection ? " 



Mr. Sumner: "I object." 



The Vice-President': " This resolution will 

 lie on the table." 



In the Senate, on January 22d, the motion 

 was made to proceed to the consideration of 

 the bill to abolish the franking privilege and 



