Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1809-02-13
.CONGR f S S.
HOUsE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
FR1DAy, Ja7auary 90.
Debate ON EXTRA SESSION.
fjMr. 9uincz's Speech continued
[coNTINUED.l.

house as the dupe OF Tic cASeetis -
family / drew no conclusion OF that KIND.
But. sir. with respect to this house, | con-
Tess know not how to express my opinion.
To nv mind, it is political non-descriPt.
II acts, and reasons, AID votes, and per-
n forms al the operations of an animated be-
mo. and yet, Judging from my own per
crot;ons. cannot refrain from concluding
that all great political questions are settled
some where else other than on this floor.
IThe Speaker remarked, that it was wholly
s;,nproper to make reflections on the house
ffthe Speaker means that have not right
to state facts, and leave the people to make
reflections upon them, must appeal from
lis decision. THE Speaker said that 1t was
not within the rules Of parliamentary pro-
ceeCing 20 permit a gentleman On the floor
10 accuse the house of improper motives.
I am SAYING nothing about motives. lnre-
MY TO 4 gentleman who asks how intend
ed TO represent the house, am only about
to describe hat know concernlnglt, and
70 shew how / arrived at the conclusion,
that great political questions were settled
Somewhere else, other than Oh this floor.
The fact to which allude happened on the
day when the enforcing embargo law passed.
On that day before the house was called IN
: TO a committee of ;he Whole upon the blll,l
was informed that it had been resolved
somewhere,I know not where, FOR by whom,
that the house should be called into COM
mittee of the. whole immediately upon that
h;l.--sIlat it was to be passed in one Gay
st,S tbs
b;,I was shen actually engrossed, or epgros-
SING. and that after 1t was SO passed BID
was to be proposed and passed ior calling
on extraordinary session OF Congress III
Mav. eext. This was stated TO me, prcvi-
Gus to ng,into committee u the whole
on TIE enforcing embargo bill, as the course
lsettied. Wei, what happened why, a
erreesbly IS the information had received
we were Immediately called into commit
tee Of the whole, On that blu. We did pass
i. through all the remaining stages, at one
esssion. Notwithstanding the multitude OF
;,s nroy,sions, the greatness ct the principle
aud consequences it involved. SO tar my
previous information proved correct. II
,v;ll also be recoliectrd, that IN the course
s oe the nocturnal session on that bill, tie
gentleman from Pennsylvania Mr.. Smllie)
Gid state il as his intention, to bring Tor
ward ! bill for a meeting of Congress IN
NAV. and accordingly, the next day ne m
tro,i,ced the motion, which was the foun-
.lation of the present bill. Thus again, my
nreyious information was proved by the e.
vent accurate. The minuIeness OF this pro-
nbecv. and the precision Of its fulhlment,
satisfies my mind OF the correctness OF the
on;nion before stated, that although we de
bate great questions on this floor, that they
ore sometimes, at least, settled somewhere
else. A circumstance strongly corrobora-
tive of this opinion is fact, which happen
ed IN the debate on the motion for the COM
mittee of enquiry, which preceded this bill.
The idea of a session in May, was strong
ly cpposed by the gentleman from S. caro-
ina (Mr. D. r. Williams). In reply to
whom, my colleague Mr.. Bacon) express
sed his surprise at his opposition, and saio
expressly 6 that he had .gl0en sonie vo'es, IN
the understanding that there spas % DC az
extra session IN Nay J; that, y t'efe apa a
not, Guhe could say, for one, '1oaS' tHa' Hf
1uas taken IN TNsr, Bacon SAID, that 1t
meant only TO be understood as having CIV
en- such votes. from his own impression that
there would be an extra session, ana not IN.
tending to express any previous agreement.
Ifsuch were the intention OF my colleague
T do not wish TO avail myself OF the peculi
ar;tv Of the expression. At the time of hi'
uttering it, did consider it as strong
corroborative circumstance of the fact, tina
al the proceedings concerning the enforcing
embargo law, and the new session had beer