States of America to declare and maintain a protectorate over the so-called Republic of Mexico, in such form and to such extent as shall be necessary to secure to this Union good neighborhood, and to the people of said country the benefits of orderly and well-regulated republican government."
Mr. Hunter. I call now for the special order.
Mr. Houston. I move the adoption of the resolution.
Mr. Hunter. I gave way for the Senator to make a speech.
Mr. Houston. It will not take a moment, I hope.
Mr. Seward. I move that it lie on the table and be printed.
The motion was agreed to.
SPEECH DELIVERED IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES, APRIL 23, 1856.
The Senate having under consideration the Resolutions of Mr. Iverson for the appointment of a Special Committee to examine the members of the Naval Board under oath —
Mr. Houston said: Mr. President, I am suffering from hoarseness and indis position; and the explanations which have just been made have occupied a large share of our time; but yet I shall proceed to occupy a portion of the time of the Senate to-day with some remarks in relation to the action of the Naval Retiring Board, which is now before us for consideration.
It is proper for me to state, prefatory to the remarks which I propose to submit, why it is that I am under the necessity of now addressing the Senate on this subject. Sir, I have been charged with dragging into this debate, personalities and individual character in a manner calculated to produce irritation and bad feeling. When I spoke before, I disclaimed any intention of that kind; and I believe the records of the Senate will verify the fact, that I not only disclaimed it, but that, in point of truth, my former remarks are not liable to such a construction.
It will be recollected, Mr. President, that this debate was first inaugurated into the Senate by the venerable Senator from Delaware [Mr Clayton], in secret session. He referred to a resolution which I had introduced for the purpose of obtaining from the archives of the Navy Department certain information; and he animadverted—though not with any degree of severity, with an implied censure—on the course which I had thought proper to adopt. His own course, I must say, struck me as somewhat novel.
Here I must express my sincere and unqualified regret that the venerable Senator is not present to hear every word which I have to utter in relation to the course which he has been pleased to adopt. I will not, in his absence, say all that I should say if he were present. I am sure that no Senator in this body entertains half the sincere regret for his absence that I do. For the last ten days I have postponed my address that the Senator might be present, so that he might hear what I have to say, and so that he might be prepared to repel any improper accusation, if such should be brought against him.
Sir, I have no accusation to make against the venerable Senator [Mr. Clayton]. I shall advert to his own remark?;, but not with that degree of point which
