Library Collections: Document: Full Text
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The Senate Reacts To Franklin Pierce's Veto
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| 1 | INDIGENT INSANE BILL. | |
| 2 | On motion by Mr. GWIN, the Senate resumed the consideration of the message from the President of the United States, returning the bill making a grant of land to the several states of the Union, for the benefit of indigent insane persons, the pending question being upon the motion to print ten thousand additional copies of it. | |
| 3 | The motion was agreed to. | |
| 4 | Mr. GWIN. I now move that the further consideration of the message be postponed until Monday week. I am very anxious, Mr. President, to get up another question, in which I feel a great interest -- the Pacific railroad bill, it is known to many members of the body that I am very anxious to be able to have it disposed of, that I may leave here. It has been up at various periods, but has gone over to let other bills be considered. I hope, therefore, that I shall have an opportunity of getting the sense of the Senate upon it next week. I therefore move to postpone the consideration of this subject until Monday week. | |
| 5 | Mr. SEWARD. I hope the motion will prevail. It seems to me that we shall not be able to have a full Senate before that time, and I should not desire to see the question disposed of before all those who feel interested in the question are here. | |
| 6 | Mr. SHIELDS. My only fear is that it ought to be postponed a little longer. For one, I shall not consent to have this acted upon until we have final action on the homestead bill. I am clear, sir, in my opinion, that it is the duty of the Senate to dispose of the homestead bill before action upon this measure. It has been smothered in this body once before; it has been pushed out of its place by a variety of other measures, and for one, I shall now insist, and do all that man can do, to have that finally determined before a debate arises upon this, because, in my humble judgment, the same kind of speeches -- and I expect there will be many of them -- that will apply to the veto message, will be applicable to the other case; and I think we may save time by having the two measures brought forward, and acted upon pretty much at the same time. The homestead bill has laid in this body, and has not been touched, I believe, since almost the middle of the session. My honorable friend from Wisconsin, (Mr. WALKER,) who deserves a great deal of credit for the manner in which he pressed that matter upon the consideration of the Senate, has, as I have with some other measures, upon all occasions when they were brought forward, found that there was something else, in the opinion of the Senate, much more important than that, and it could not be attended to. I think the time has now come to act upon it; and for one, I am glad that we have this message before us; and I will tell you why. We can now, in my opinion, establish some general system in relation to the management and disposition of the public domain. It is all in chaos now; it is all in confusion; and my opinion is that this is a very favorable time for us to settle general principles connected with that subject. Therefore, if the Senator from Wisconsin thinks there is ample time to have final action upon the homestead bill before the discussion is entered upon in regard to this measure, I am in favor of postponing this measure until Monday week; if not, I am in favor of postponing it longer. | |
| 7 | Mr. PRATT. If the Senator from Illinois is prepared to inform the Senate that the President of the United States will veto the homestead bill, if it passes here, there would be some reason for his argument; but unless this is so, I can see no reason for it. | |
| 8 | Mr. SHIELDS. I have no information upon that point. I have too much respect for the President of the United States to ask his opinion beforehand upon such a point, and my opinion of the character of the President is, that he would regard it as an insult to him to be questioned upon such a point before the final action of this body. | |
| 9 | Now, sir, I have no such information. I do not know whether the bill will be vetoed or not; but what I do say is this, that it is an important question touching the management and disposition of the public lands, and that in the final determination of that question by this body, we are considering many of the principles laid down in the message of the President, which I have read with a great deal of interest, and for which I have very great respect. Therefore, I repeat, that I do not know whether the President will veto that bill or not. I will not pretend to prejudge his action upon it. I hope he will not; because I am in favor of the bill, and I should be very sorry to see him veto it; but whether he does or not, I want the opinion of this body upon it. | |
| 10 | Mr. HUNTER. I believe, in the history of the action of the two Houses upon vetoes, it will not be found that either House has ever postponed for so long a period as is now proposed, a reconsideration of a bill vetoed. It seems to me that justice and courtesy to the President require that we should pursue the course which has been usual in regard to such matters. I am unwilling to postpone it longer than next Monday. It is due to the President that the question should be decided -- that we should proceed to its consideration at once. I shall, therefore, vote against any proposition to postpone it to a later period than Monday next. So far as the homestead bill is concerned, the honorable Senator from Illinois is right; the same class of arguments will be used on the one as on the other; and I trust, therefore, that the Senate will not postpone this bill beyond Monday next. I believe it will be found that, in every case in which a veto has been sent to the Senate, they have not postponed it beyond the day after it has been sent in. | |
