Page:Life and Select Literary Remains of Sam Houston of Texas (1884).djvu/240

 set fire to our houses. Contrast that with the previous years; contrast it with the harmony which had before existed, and you see the lamentable results of sending, as Indian agents and army officers to take charge of Indians, men who know nothing about the Indian character. Sir, while people are seeking to civilize and Christianize men on the banks of the Ganges, or the Jordan, or in Burrampootah, why should not the same philanthropic influence be extended through society, and be exerted in behalf of the American Indians? Is not the soul of an American Indian, in the prairie, worth as much as the soul of a man on the Ganges, or in Jerusalem? Surely it is."

The Thirty-fourth Congress did not present many occasions to call forth Houston, and that for two reasons: first, as he was before the country as a candidate for the next Presidential canvass, it seemed becoming that he should confine himself only to his official duties as Senator; second, as is usual during the latter half of any Presidential term, party leaders seek to avoid new issues which may compromise them before the people, and hence bring forward few new issues. The first session of the Thirty-fourth Congress opened December 3, 1855, and closed August 18, 1856. Important bills left unpassed, seeming to call for it, the President recalled Congress before they had left Washington, and an extra session was held from August 21st to August 30th. The second session met December i, 1856, and closed March 4, 1857. During this entire period Houston was prompt in the special business which demanded his attention; while he was a silent but impartial actor amid scenes of excitement, where his balanced judgment forbade him to become a participator.

On the 2ist February, 1856, Houston took part in a discussion which was part of a series, in which his clear mind pointed out the distinction between the duties and authority of naval officers called in the ports of other nations to delicate yet imperative duties, and the duties and authority of army officers within the national territory. The instructions given to Commodore McAuley, then cruising on special duty in the West Indies, having been called for, Houston in a brief speech set forth the peculiar duties of naval officers, making it bear on the practical matter of the pay allowed them in their public relations. This was followed by farther explanations called out March 10th. On the 1st April the trial cf Capt. Ritchie, an officer of the army, drew from him his usual balanced views. The exciting incident of the session was the assault made May 22d by Hon. Preston S. Brooks, a member of the House of Representatives from South Carolina, on Hon. Charles Sumner, Senator