The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1812-05-05

authorised to pay out OF the Contingent fund
the expences incurred for the funeral OF the
late Nice-Presld.nt Of the u y. whenever
the same shall have been allowed and Ger
hhed by the committee of arrangement.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Saturday, .ftril IS, 1919.
PROPOSIT1ONFOR A RECESS.
AJoint resolution having come from the
Senate to authorize the President of the SEN
ate & Speaker of the House of Represents
tiyes toadjourn their respective Houses on the
'29th inst. TO The 9Th day of June & the same
having been twice read
or. Roberts moved to refer it to COM
mittee of the whoe.-Negatived.
Mr.. Bob stated to the House that the
Joint committee had agreed to a recess to the
18th day of May. perceiving that the Sen
ate had not concurred in this.,ronosifio,, he
moved to strike out % The SIN dan Of Jxne''
& insert g the 18th dav OF May He remar-
ked thatit must be obvious to al that the OIL
mai object OF such recess, he had contempla-
TED when he hrst proposed it. was cntirelyI,ost
BY the refusal of the Senate for some davs ia
take up the subject. He had proposed then
to adjourn to 18th June, time which would
nave allowed an opportunity TO ali to visi,
thelr family, and might nave been agreed To
IN his opinion without public detriment.-
But two weeks had since elapsed, and his
obJect was defeated. lie had before stated
II at he apprehendet there was 10 intention
on the part OF either House to take any ulti-
mate step till the expiration of the Embargo,
iHasmuch as most o. the measures Concern
ing our foreign relations had been taken he
saw no impropriety III a recess fer the inter
mediate time, which wouid be better srent
at home than here IN dong nothing 8ut
now, so far as he could culiec the Sentiment
OF the House, he did NOT find chat there n Az
anlntention 10 delay Their final proceedings
to The close or the embargo. Although he
would agree to adjourn for few tlays be-
cause he believed there vas nothing Of pres
SING Importance requiring attention before
such recess would expire yet "a lie was
wiling himself TO proceed to the final step
Whenever "a proposition for that purpose
should be made, and as he believed 1T would
be earlier than he'd been supposed, he was
hot now willing TO adjourn. The only ci>ec-
ton he had heard to short recess, was.
that it would have unfavorable effect on
the public feeling. He held no such opinion.
livery one must have seen how weary the
members had become, and that daily appli-
cations were made for leave of absence. -
Now for himself, though he should have no
opportunity to visit his family, Mr. B. said
he had no objection to give those who lived
nearer an opportunity to see theirs and to
others permission meanwhile to spend their
time as'agresably as they could.
Mr. Bi66'S motion to insert the 18th May
instead OF 9Th June, was negatived.
Mr. fright moved to strike out the 2eth
inst. and insert the 9th May as the day Of
adjournment
MIR. Grumpy stated the importance Of
this question, about now TO be decided upon
4 - nsf,1 liz =. > II.
st business before Congress, and the necessi
~ Tor certain amendments to existing laws
which could not be prepared by "Wednesday
next. To give a little time to reflection
On this subject he moved to postpone the fur
ther consideration of it to Monday. Lost.
G3r. Calhoun supported Mr.. Wrigbt's a.
mendment, and detailed several bill actu-
ally necessary Co be acted or before an adj
journment. Amongst those objects, he e.
Enumerated amendments to the law estab-
fishing Quatter-mastcr and Commissary-
Generals Department, the regulation OF
ordnance, &c. &c.
Mr.. Nsqofon added that there was rule
OF the Senate by which one member, by OBJ
jecting could prevent a bills being read
twice in one day. If they were to agree to
this resolution, therefore, they wosld tie the
house neck and heels and deliver it over in
- the power Of the Senate; as three Legs.
lative days only would intervene between
this day and the day proposed for the adj
JournWent, and no measure could lie got
through if any one member Of the Senate
objected.
Mr.. WJight's motion to postpone the day
of adjournment to May 9, was lost.
Mr.. Johnson said he had voted in such a
way on these several motions as to defeat
the objec. Of the resolution. He now moved
to amend it by striking out the 9Th June and
inserting 2Sth June; assigning as a reason
that the proposed recess of SO days would
have all the evil predicted of recess, and
none of the benefits. If recess must take
place, he was desirous that ii should be OF
such length as to afford to all an opportunity
to visit their homes; because If there were To
be recess for SO days, those who voted for j;
could not contemplate making declaration
OF war before the expiration OF the embargo
& il they did not, they might as well adjourn
TO the 28th as the 9th, for on the latter day
so many would be absent that they would
not be able to make quorum. As to the
effect on public sentiment, he believed that
the people would be much more dissatisfied
at their remaining here twenty, thirty or
sixty days doing nothing, than at an adj
journmcnt predicated OIL the motive of af-
i0rdng an opportunity u the proper depart
nents ~ prepare for war. But as he was
lesirous Of zcting, he would not vote, for the
proposition as it now stood il it must be a.
doptcd he wished the time &c be sstsGAed
fro.p - - sS daSs.