CONGRESS, U. S. 



177 





are ample for the preservation of the Union, and the 

 protection of all tin- material interests of the country; 

 that it needs to be obeyed rather than amended ; and 

 thut au extrication from the present dangers is to be 

 looked for in strenuous eflbrts to preserve the peace, 

 protect the public property, and enforce the laws, 

 ratlu-r than in new guarantees for particular interests, 

 compromises for particular difficulties, or concessions 

 to unreasonable demands. 



Resolved, That all attempts to dissolve the present 

 Union, or overthrow or abandon the present Consti- 

 tution, with the hope or expectation of constructing 

 a new one, are dangerous, illusory, and destructive ; 

 that, in the opinion of the Senate of the United States, 

 no such reconstruction is practicable, and therefore, to 

 the maintenance of the existing Union and Consti- 

 tution should be directed all the energies of all the de- 

 partments of the Government, and the efforts of all 

 good citizens. 



A bill was afterwards introduced by Mr. 

 Bigler, of Pennsylvania, to provide for taking 

 the sense of the people of the several States on 

 the proposed amendments to the Constitution 

 offered by Mr. Crittenden, 



Subsequently Mr. Crittenden called up his 

 resolutions, when a motion was made to post- 

 pone their consideration to a future day, by 

 Mr. Wilson, of Massachusetts, because the Pa- 

 cific Railroad bill, and the bill for the admis- 

 sion of Kansas were set down for previous days. 

 To this the venerable Senator, Mr. Crittenden, 

 replied : 



" I do think that this may well be considered 

 as trifling with the greatest subject that can 

 possibly be before this Senate, if we consent to 

 such a postponement, and make the reason for 

 it the pendency of this or that bill. I cannot 

 consent to it ; and I hope, if the Senate are dis- 

 posed to treat the subject at all with the so- 

 lemnity that belongs to it, that we shall at least 

 show respect enough to the subject to manifest 

 a temper and disposition to act upon it de- 

 cidedly and promptly. I -want this question 

 acted upon ; and from this dilatory sort of pro- 

 ceedings, it seems to me it is evident gentle- 

 men are trying to postpone this subject, and 

 give it no consideration." 



After further discussion the motion to post- 

 pone was lost, 19 Republicans to 25. Another 

 debate arose on questions of order, and the ses- 

 sion of the day closed, by the Senator from Ken- 

 tucky withdrawing his call. 



On the next day, when the Senator called 

 for his resolutions again, they were set aside, 

 as the Pacific Railroad bill had been set down 

 as a special order. 



Mr. Lane, of Oregon, thus expressed his dis- 

 approbation of the course which had been 

 taken: 



I wa^ very sorry this morning to see the 

 most important measure that has been intro- 

 duced into this Senate, or can be introduced 

 into it during this or any other session, set 

 aside to take up this bill. I allude to the prop- 

 osition introduced by the venerable Senator 

 from Kentucky. It was a proposition presented 

 with the hope of saving the final dissolution of 

 this Union. The measures proposed by him, 

 12 



if sanctioned by the people, if approved by the 

 Northern States, would in all human probabil- 

 ity and I know there is no man in this Union 

 more anxious for it than myself delay the 

 movements which are now going on, that are 

 to result ultimately in the entire dissolution of 

 the Union. At such a time, when every gen- 

 tleman knows that the country cannot be held 

 together unless something shall be promptly 

 done, I thought it was not proper to take up a 

 bill involving the country in obligations amount- 

 ing to hundreds of millions, for the making of 

 two railroads, in preference to adopting some 

 measures by which this Union may be held to- 

 gether ; some plan that may afford security and 

 protection, and guarantee the rights of all the 

 States of the Confederacy." 



Later in the day Mr. Crittenden alluded to 

 the same action on the part of the Senate, and 

 expostulated with them, saying : 



"I cannot think, Mr. President, of voting for 

 the Pacific Railroad bill while this other meas- 

 ure is undetermined. It has been said of old 

 that men build as if they never expected to die. 

 We seem to be acting as a nation upon that 

 hypothesis ; we are proposing to build railroads, 

 providing roads for future generations, when 

 the very existence of our country is in danger. 

 "When the Union itself is reeling about like a 

 drunken man, we are making provision for fu- 

 turity and for posterity. I cannot vote for any 

 such measure at any such time. Build up the 

 Union first ; then talk about building up a rail- 

 road. Then I will vote for this measure. I 

 want my friends from California to tmderstand 

 that, although I voted to-day for the indefinite 

 postponement of this bill, I am not its enemy. 

 I am prepared to vote for it when you make 

 the Union stable enough to afford the faintest 

 promise that the work can be executed, and 

 that we shall have a nation to enjoy the benefits 

 of it. It seemed to me very solemn trifling be- 

 fore this people, that the Senate should sit here 

 legislating upon the making of roads for future 

 generations, and for a nation, when that na- 

 tion is trembling upon a point between life and 

 death. Yet the Senate preferred to act upon a 

 railroad, rather than to act on these measures 

 calculated to give permanence to the Union it- 

 self. I ask my friends to consider what sort 

 of intelligence is this to go out of a country 

 that is now trembling with anxiety upon the 

 question of peace or war, existence or non- 

 existence as a nation, that they should sit here 

 and with quiet indifference to the state of the 

 country take up a railroad bill ? " 



On another clay the resolutions were taken 

 up and the amendments of Mr. Powell, of Ken- 

 tucky, and Mr. Clark of New Hampshire, were 

 adopted. This amendment of Mr. Clark looked 

 so much like war, that on the motion to recon- 

 sider the vote on the next day, it was recon- 

 sidered and postponed. 



On the 28th of January, Senator Iverson, of 

 Georgia, withdrew from the Senate. His com- 

 munication to that bodv was as follows : 



