Page images
PDF
EPUB

Mr. John Quincy Adams gave notice that he would to-morrow submit a motion to rescind the 25th rule of the House. This rule is in the words following:

"No petition, memorial, resolution, or other paper, praying the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia, or any State or Territory, or the slave-trade between the States or Territories of the United States in which it now exists, shall be received by this House, or entertained in any way whatever."

A message from the Senate, by Mr. Dickins, their Secretary:

Mr. Speaker: I am directed to acquaint the House of Representatives that a quorum of the Senate is assembled, and that the Senate is ready to proceed to business.

The Senate have concurred in the resolution from this House for the appointment of a joint committee to wait on the President of the United States, and inform him that a quorum of the two houses is assembled, and that Congress is now ready to receive any communication he may be pleased to make, and have appointed Mr. Woodbury and Mr. Johnson of the said committee on the part of the Senate.

And then he withdrew.

Mr. Duncan gave notice of a motion for leave to introduce a bill to provide for holding the elections for electors of President and Vice President of the United States on one and the same day in all the States.

Mr. Duncan gave notice of a motion for leave to introduce a bill to provide for extending the jurisdiction of the United States over the Oregon territory, and for other purposes in relation to said territory.

Mr. Barringer gave notice of a motion for leave to introduce a bill making an appropriation for rebuilding the branch mint at Charlotte, North Carolina, lately destroyed by fire.

Mr. Wentworth gave notice of a motion for leave to introduce a bill granting a further donation of land for the completion of the Illinois and Michigan canal.

Mr. Sample gave notice of a motion for leave to introduce a bill for the relief of Alanson Phiney.

Mr. Weller gave notice of a motion for leave to introduce a bill to extend the right of suffrage in the city of Washington.

On motion of Mr. Weller, it was

Ordered, That the daily hour to which this House shall stand adjourned, be 12 o'clock meridian, until otherwise ordered.

And then, at 1 o'clock, p. m., on motion of Mr. Thompson, the House adjourned until to-morrow, at 12 o'clock meridian.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1844.

Several other members appeared and took their seats, viz:

From the State of Vermont, Jacob Collamer.

From the State of Massachusetts, Julius Rockwell.

From the State of New York, Smith M. Purdy and Thomas J. Pater

son.

From the State of New Jersey, Lucius Q. C. Elmer.

From the State of Pennsylvania, John T. Smith.
From the State of Tennessee, Joseph H. Peyton.

From the State of Missouri, John Jameson.

Mr. Cave Johnson, from the joint committee appointed to wait on the President of the United States, and inform him that a quorum of the two houses is assembled, and that Congress is ready to receive any communication he may be pleased to make, reported that the committee had waited on the President of the United States, and discharged the duties of its appointment, and that the President answered that he would forthwith make a communication, in writing, to the two houses of Congress. On motion of Mr. Saunders, it was

Resolved, That the standing committees be appointed according to the rules and orders of this House.

Mr. John Quincy Adams, in pursuance of notice heretofore given, moved the following resolution:

Resolved, That the 25th standing rule for conducting business in this House, in the words following: "No petition, memorial, resolution, or other paper, praying the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia, or any State or Territory, or the slave-trade between the States or Territories of the United States in which it now exists, shall be received by this House, or entertained in any way whatever," be, and the same is hereby, rescinded.

A motion was made by Mr. Thompson that the said resolution be laid upon the table.

And the question being put,

It was decided in the negative,

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the members present, Those who voted in the affirmative are

Mr. Archibald H. Arrington Mr. James Dellet

John B. A he

Archibald Atkinson
Thomas H. Baily
Daniel M. Barringer
Benjamin A. Bidlack
Edward J. Black
James Black

James A. Black

Julius W. Blackwell
James B. Bowlin

Linn Boyd

Milion Brown

William J. Brown

Edmund Burke

Armistead Burt
George Alfred Caldwell
John M. S. Causin
Reuben Chapman
Augustus A. Chapman
James G. Clinton
Howell Cobb

John R. J. Daniel

Garrett Davis

John W. Davis

John B. Dawson

Edmund Deberry

George C. Dromgoole
Orlando B. Ficklin
Richard French
William L. Goggin
Henry Grider

Hugh A. Haralson
Isaac E. Holmes
Joseph P. Hoge
George W. Hopkins
George S. Houston
James M. Hughes
Charles J. Ingersoll
John Jameson
Cave Johnson
Andrew Johnson
George W. Jones
Preston King
Alcee Labranche
William Lucas
John H. Lumpkin
John A. McClernand
Felix G. McConnell
James J. McKay
James Mathews
Isaac E Morse
Henry C. Murphy

[blocks in formation]

Mr. Willoughby Newton
Moses Norris, jr.
William W. Payne
Joseph H. Peyton
David S. Reid
John R. Reding
James H. Reife
R. Barnwell Rhett
George B. Rodney
Romulus M. Saunders
William T. Senter
Richard F. Simpson
John Slidell
Robert Smith
Lewis Steen rod

Alexander H. Stephens
William H. Stiles

James W. Stone

Alfred P. Stone

William Taylor

William P. Thomasson
Jacob Thompson
John W. Tibbatts
John B. Weller
Joseph A. Woodward
William L. Yancey.

Mr. Levi D. Carpenter
Jeremiah E. Cary
George S. Catlin
Samuel Chilton

Thomas L. Clingman

Mr. Jacob Collamer Henry Y. Cranston Amasa Dana Cornelius Darragh Ezra Dean John Dickey Paul Dillingham, jr. Robert P. Dunlap Chesselden Ellis Lucius Q. C. Elmer Isaac G. Farlee Hamilton Fish Elias Florence Solomon Foot George Fuller Joshua R. Giddings Byram Green Joseph Grinnell John P. Hale Hannibal Hamlin Edward S. Hamlin John J. Hardin Alexander Harper Thomas J. Henley Joshua Herrick William S. Hubbell Charles Hudson Orville Hungerford James B. Hunt

Joseph R. Ingersoll

Mr. James Irvin

Michael H. Jenks

Perley B. Johnson
Andrew Kennedy
Daniel P. King
Littleton Kirkpatriek
Moses G. Leonard
Lucius Lyon

William C. McCauslen
Robert McClelland
Abraham R. McIlvaine
George P. Marsh
Edward Joy Morris
Joseph Morris

Freeman H. Morse
William A. Moseley
Henry Nes

Robert Dale Owen
William Parmenter
Thomas J. Paterson
John Pettit
J. Phillips Phoenix
James Pollock
Elisha R. Potter
Zadock Pratt
Jacob A. Preston
Smith M. Purdy
Alexander Ramsey
George Rathbun
John Ritter

[blocks in formation]

Samuel C. Sample
Robert C. Schenck
Luther Severance
Thomas H. Seymour
David L. Seymour
Albert Smith
John T. Smith
Thomas Smith
Caleb B. Smith
Lemuel Stetson
Andrew Stewart
John Stewart
Asher Tyler
Joseph Vance
Samuel F. Vinton
John Wentworth
John Wethered
Horace Wheaton
John White
Benjamin White
Henry Williams
Robert C. Winthrop
William Wright
Joseph A. Wright
Jacob S. Yost.

The question was then put, Will the House agree to the said resolution?

And decided in the affirmative, SYeas,

Nays,

. 108 80

The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the members present, Those who voted in the affirmative are

Mr. Amos Abbott

John Quincy Adams

Joseph H. Anderson
Osmyn Baker

Daniel D. Barnard
Charles S. Benton
James Black
Jacob Brinkerhoff
Richard Brodhead
Jeremiah Brown
Joseph Buffington
Levi D. Carpenter
Jeremiah E. Cary
George S. Catlin'
Thomas L. Clingman
James G. Clinton
Jacob Collamer
Henry Y. Cranston
Amasa Dana
Cornelius Darragh
Ezra Dean
John Dickey
Paul Dillingham, jr.
Alexander Duncan
Robert P. Dunlap
Chesselden Ellis
Lucius Q. C. Elmer
Isaac G. Farlee
Hamilton Fish
Elias Florence
Solomon Foot
George Fuller

Mr. Joshua R. Giddings

Byram Green
Joseph Grinnell
John P. Hale
Hannibal Hamlin
Edward S. Hamlin
John J. Hardin
Alexander Harper
Thomas J. Henley
Joshua Herrick
William S. Hubbell
Charles Hudson
Orville Hungerford
James B. Hunt
Joseph R. Ingersoll
James Irvin

Michael H. Jenks
Perley B. Johnson
Andrew Kennedy
John P. Kennedy
Daniel P. King
Littleton Kirkpatrick
Moses G. Leonard
Lucius Lyon
William C. McCauslen
Robert McClelland
Joseph J. McDowell
Abraham R. McIlvaine
George P. Marsh
Edward Joy Morris
Joseph Morris
Freeman H. Morse

Mr. William A. Moseley
Henry Nes

Robert Dale Owen
William Parmenter
Thomas J. Paterson
John Pettit
J. Phillips Phoenix
James Pollock
Elisha R. Potter
Zadock Pratt
Jacob A. Preston
Smith M. Purdy
Alexander Ramsey.
George Rathbun
John Ritter
Orville Robinson
Julius Rockwell
Charles Rogers
Henry St. John
Samuel C. Sample
Robert C. Schenck
Luther Severance
Thomas H. Seymour
David L. Seymour
Albert Smith
John T. Smith
Thomas Smith
Caleb B. Smith
Lemuel Stetson
Andrew Stewart
John Stewart
Asher Tyler

[blocks in formation]

Those who voted in the negative are

Mr. Archibald H. Arrington

John B. Ashe

Archibald Alkinson
Thomas H. Baily
Daniel M. Barringer
Benjamin A. Bidlack
Edward J. Black
James A. Black

Julius W. Blackwell
James B. Bowlin

Linn Boyd

Milton Brown

William J. Brown

[blocks in formation]

Mr. George C. Dromgoole
Orlando B. Ficklin
Richard French
William L. Goggin
Henry Grider
Hugh A. Haralson
Isaac E. Holmes
Joseph P. Hoge
George W. Hopkins
George S. Houston
Edmund W. Hubard
James M. Hughes
Charles J. Ingersoll
John Jameson
Cave Johnson
Andrew Johnson
George W. Jones
Preston King
Alcee Labranche
William Lucas
John H. Lumpkin
John A. McClernand
Felix G. McConnell
James J. McKay
James Mathews
Isaac E. Morse
Henry C. Murphy

So the said rule was rescinded.

Mr. Robert C. Winthrop
William Wright
Joseph A. Wright
Jacob S. Yost,

Mr. Willoughby Newton
Moses Norris, jr.
William W. Payne
Joseph H. Peyton
David S. Reid
John R. Reding
James H. Relfe
R. Barnwell Rhett
George B. Rodney
Romulus M. Saunders
William T. Senter
Richard F. Simpson
John Slidell
Robert Smith
Lewis Steen rod

Alexander H. Stephens
William H. Stiles
James W. Stone
Alfred P. Stone
William Taylor

William P. Thomasson
Jacob Thompson
John W. Tibbatts
John B. Weller

Joseph A. Woodward
William L. Yancey.

A communication, in writing, was received from the President of the United States, by Mr. John Tyler, jr., his private secretary; which was read, and is as follows:

To the Senate

and House of Representatives of the United States:

We have continued cause for expressing our gratitude to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for the benefits and blessings which our country, under his kind providence, has enjoyed during the past year. Notwithstanding the exciting scenes through which we have passed, nothing has occurred to disturb the general peace, or to derange the harmony of our political system. The great moral spectacle has been exhibited of a nation, approximating in number to 20,000,000 of people, having performed the high and important function of electing their chief magistrate for the term of four years, without the commission of any acts of violence, or the manifestation of a spirit of insubordination to the laws. The great and inestimable right of suffrage has been exercised by all who were invested with it, under the laws of the different States, in a spirit dictated alone by a desire, in the selection of the agent, to advance the interests of the country, and to place beyond jeopardy the institutions under which it is our happiness to live. That the deepest interest has been manifested by all our countrymen in the result of the election, is not less true than highly creditable to them. Vast multitudes have assembled, from time to time, at various places, for the purpose of canvassing the merits and pretensions of those who were presented for their suffrages; but no armed soldiery has been necessary to restrain within proper limits the popular

zeal, or to prevent violent outbreaks. A principle much more controlling was found in the love of order and obedience to the laws, which, with mere individual exceptions, everywhere possesses the American mind, and controls with an influence far more powerful than hosts of armed men. We cannot dwell upon this picture without recognising in it that deep and devoted attachment, on the part of the people, to the institutions under which we live, which proclaims their perpetuity. The great objec tion which has always prevailed against the election by the people of their chief executive officer, has been the apprehension of tumults and disorders, which might involve in ruin the entire government. A security against this is found not only in the fact before alluded to, but in the additional fact that we live under a confederacy embracing already twenty-six States, no one of which has power to control the election. The popular vote in each State is taken at the time appointed by the laws, and such vote is announced by the electoral college, without reference to the decision of other States. The right of suffrage, and the mode of conducting the election, are regulated by the laws of each State; and the election is distinctly federative in all its prominent features. Thus it is that, unlike what might be the results under a consolidated system, riotous proceedings, should they prevail, could only affect the elections in single States, without disturbing, to any dangerous extent, the tranquil. lity of others. The great experiment of a political confederation-each member of which is supreme as to all matters appertaining to its local interests and its internal peace and happiness, while, by a voluntary compact with others, it confides to the united power of all, the protection of its citizens in matters not domestic-has been so far crowned with complete success. The world has witnessed its rapid growth in wealth and population; and, under the guidance and direction of a superintending Providence, the developments of the past may be regarded but as the shadowing forth of the mighty future. In the bright prospects of that future, we shall find, as patriots and philanthropists, the highest inducements to cultivate and cherish a love of union, and to frown down every measure or effort which may be made to alienate the States, or the people of the States, in sentiment and feeling, from each other. A rigid and close adherence to the terms of our political compact, and, above all, a sacred observance of the guarantees of the constitution, will preserve union on a foundation which cannot be shaken; while personal liberty is placed beyond hazard or jeopardy. The guarantees of religious freedom; of the freedom of the press; of the liberty of speech; of the trial by jury; of the habeas corpus, and of the domestic institutions of each of the States, leaving the private citizen in the full exercise of the high and ennobling attributes of his nature, and to each State the privilege (which can only be judiciously exerted by itself) of consulting the means best calculated to advance its own happiness;-these are the great and important guarantees of the constitution, which the lovers of liberty must cherish, and the advocates of union must ever cultivate. Preserving these, and avoiding all interpolations by forced construction, under the guise of an imagined expediency, upon the constitution, the influence of our political system is destined to be as actively and as beneficially felt on the distant shores of the Pacific, as it is now on those of the Atlantic ocean. The only formidable impediments in the way of its successful expansion (time and space) are so far in the progress of modification, by the improvements of the age, as to

« ՆախորդըՇարունակել »