Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1811-11-21
ESS.
-~e:Q CD CO Go:<~>--
HOUSE IF REPRESENTATIVES..
NOVEMBER IL.
Concluded Jron, oar last. J

iutions, he could readily bring forward a.
| nendments to the present resolutions, CT in
trnduce new ones so as to attain his object.
| Mr.. A. said it would be recollected, that in
some former years the dividing of the mes
sage into too many parts had created some
confnsion, By making it difficult todetermine
to which committee certain parts ofthe mes
sage belonged. In the present division this
| confusion he presumed had been avoided
At all events, he thought it perfectly correct
that the several subjects in the message
should be first sent to select committees be-
fore they were acted upon by the house
This was the usual course, and it appeared
to him the best.
MIR. Randolph said he was called upon
by the very respectable and venerable gem
tlcman from Pennsylvania, to point out bet
ter plan than that which is proposed to
shew why this course, which had been the
practice of the last ten years, ought not to
be followed. He would ask the gentleman
from Pennsylvania if he had ever known this
house in committee of the wholeon the State
of the Union under similar circumstances
with the present; or ever known when
member asked for discussion in this commit
tee that it was refusedf What, said he,
would have been the surprize of the COM
mittee had he called for the reading of the
documents which accompanied the message,
and this he might have done, as he had heard
them read but once, and then there was so
much noise in the house he heard them inn
perfectly. This would have necessarily de-
layed the business, but it was his wish to
embarrass the committee. The documents
are in thehands of the printers, ofcourse the
committee must have risen and reported pro-
gross. This proposition, if received with
common temper must appear a reasonable
be agreed to-
The originaLmction to rise and report the
resolutions, was carried, there being72 mem
bers in favor of it.
The House took up tkc resolutions.
MIR. Randolph said, that he had been in
formed by the chairman of the committee Of
the whole, that the documents accompany
ing the message had not been referred to the
committee ofthc whole on the State Of the
Union. If so, he submitted TO the Chair, whe-
Their the proceedings which had been had
were in order. The House had been in COM
mittee of the whole on the message, and left
the documents behind them. He did not
think tiIis was the kind of treatment tu which
the message was entitled He moved that
| the report be recommitted to the committee
| of the whole on the State of the Union, to-
gether with the documents, and called for
the Yeas and Nays upon this question.
Mr.. Aston said, the documents were not
| referred, and for the best reason. They are
! never taken up in comm ittee of the whole,
but are left in the House and can always be
referred to, and any motion be founded upon
them, which could not be done were they be-
| fore the committee of the whole.
MIR. Smile said it was perfectly immateri-
al to him which course was taken. He had
no object but the interest of his constituents.
t,.1.. ~
| tracing the public business, they will act ac-
ccrdiDgly. For his part he could not. He
wished to take up the business in regular
way, and proceed with it.
| The Speaker said, the clerk found, on ex-
amininghis minutes, that the documents were
| referred along with the message.
1 Mr. Randolph observed, that if the fact is,
| as the Clerk had stated it, it offers an ire
| fragable argument for recommit.ing the re-
| port, because the House had been in commit
tee of the whole without having possession of
these papers. If the documents were not
referred, we ought to go back for the rea-
| sons before offered, but ifthey were, we ought
| to go back to get possession of them. In Ell
Their case, we ought to go back and get right /;
| it would be better to turn back and soberly
enquire our way, than to so blindy spurring
on III wrong road.
| MIR. X. wished to say one word in reply TO
a remark Of the gentleman from Pennsyiya-
MIA, whicf, at the time, lie believed to be
out OF order. He had said, Z" if gentlemen
can justify themselves in protracting the
public business. well. lie had no other views
than the interest of his constituents" Amin
situation that other gentlemen have other
| views, and that other gentlemen can justify
themselves for protracting business. NJ. X.
made no professions of patriotism in that
House. Hispropcrty was in terra 6T1na, and
he was born in the state which he represen-
ted, and he loved it the better for it. As to
| protracting the public business, we all know,
said he, how it is protracted, as his friend
from North Carolina had said the other day,
" the public business will not be done until
the roads are good in the spring" He no.
| ped, however, that while the gentleman
from Pennsylvania IS satisfied as to his own
| motives, he will believe that other gentle
| men have as clear ccnscicnces as himself
! Mr. Widgery hoped that the House would
| proceed with the public business, without a.
ny pickering or personality. lie hoped they
we're nett together, like band ofbrothers, TO
| consider and act upon such measures as
shall best pro mote the interests Of eurcom-
mon country. He thought the course propo-
sed by the gentleman from Pennsylvania
would be the best. A discussion would come
with more propricty after the several
4 commit rrg had rer,rrfoI II. III "a L..