Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1816-11-19

i.stil, toadd to the standing rules OF the House.
one which went to dispense with the reading of
f.utions and memorials when they were offer
eu unless at the particular request of some
member, the House should call for tho reading OF
At out. that III every ease, the member (yyho
offered - was to lay ON the table short state
ient at its contents and tie petition itself YEAS
,obe endorsed with the name of the member
who offered 1.-THE resolution was SUMMARIZED
Dy Stessrs. Estill, Eoddridgc, Tnacwell * Nier
Ger toi ~ and opposed by Messrs. Austin,
banks, blackburn and Wyatt.
. Inc former contcndcd, that there was very
htte use in reading the petitions 10 the house as
very few attended to them; expecting To hear
thchI again iii the committee or through the
committee; that much time was thus uselessIv
consumed, perhaps 10 or - days in each session:
,hat the present rule was adopted i'm no other
legislative body; in congress, il was usual for
the member who offered petition, to accom-
pany 1t with summary statement of its con-
tents, which was more attcntivoy listened to
tian the petition itself would be it read ly tic
clerk; andwhcn offered there il was usual for
the members to ask leave to refcrit but. in
the resolution proposed. the reference was a
matter of course, us il was the right of cyerv
man who thinks himself aggriersd, and makes
ms application in respectful manner to he
heard, and have his case enquired into that il
was erroneous to suppose, that any petitions
which! were either irrelevant or disrespe ctfnl.
wonid he submitted, as none were received
without an ehdorser, which would be suffici-
ent guarantee against any abuse that though
the rule, which was proposed to be superseded,
was AN old one, and antiquity was something
yetevery rule was made, and ofcourse changed
TOR the sake of convenience, aud within the
.ast aora years, some OF the most valuable rules
ma" heen adopted; that il the petition isnow
read. still the documents, on which the merits
of the petitionitself depend, are never read
that 1t the petition be read, and its reference
was opposed, as ii sometimes happened many "A
young and difiidcnt member, unused 10 speak
ing or to the house ,woud be deferred from vim
dicatirg the petition, altlo he himself brought
1t forward, and thus many an excellent petition
might be irretrievably lost that it was the du-
tyof the committees to examine and report the
facts; and, that after all, it was provided by
this resolution, that the petitionitself might be
read, it, at thcsinstance of any member. the
house should desireit.
On the other side, it was contended. that the
rule proposed 70 be- changed, was an old one :;
under which the House had acted for more than
80 years, without experiencing the least incon-
venience from it; that we should beware Of in
novatiop, but upon the strongest grounds that
the new rule scould save no time because when
the committee made their report, every mem
Der would wish to hear the petition on which
that report was built, and thus, though il was
not read at first, il would be atlast that If par
t!cN!ar persons, too, should wish to embarrass
ami delay the proceedings Of the House, they
might keep the committees employed in max
ing reports upon irrelevant matters that ma
ny matters, too, might be sent to a committee,
which the member might honestly deem TO be
always agreeable for a member 10 be Il Judge
OF what was respectful to the House; and that
the House was better judge of the respect
due TO Itself tilatany member could be that it
was the duty ofevery member to attend TO what
was going on, even lift were a vapid petition
and that by hearing it read when il was first
presented, the longer time would they have
to consider its propositions, and the better
would they be able TO decide them and that
many petitions which are now excluded by the
rule OF the house, because they had been rejec-
ted at previous session, unless new matter
was presented with them, would creep into a
committee, because they were not read in the
House, which might at once recolect that thew
had been acted on before.
After the resolution had been argued at much
length. the question was pnt on Mr.. Banks's
proposition to postpone it till the 3lst of March,
and carried. Ayes %, noes 1850 the resolu-
ton was, in fact, rejected.
Mr.. ColaDa reported the engrossed bill for
partially suspendins, &c.-He moved to fill the
blanks in the bill .icith 3Ist Of august Mr. Mat
thews OF GreeDbrier) said, he would prefer the
3lst OF May--that these unchartered banks mad
gone INTO operation in violation of the law-that
he had always regarded them with jealous eve
cthat they had taken the Virginia paper out
OF circulation, and prevented the western
people from procuring it to pay up their state
ana federal taXes-that they would not give.
ort tais paper In exchange for their own-and,
tti1t as II was probable the LIST of July would
De the time fixed on for the presumption of specie
payments by the old banks if some dav was nor
tlSed before that period for the winding up of
the unchar.ered ones, they would come ONT with
ther Virginia paper, and pounce npon the
vaults OF the banks forspecie.-Mr Colstoprepli
ed, That the gentleman had acted unfairly in
reasoning from a law which hadnof vet Dassed
ana he wished TO know how that gentleman
was so positive that the law would fix ON
the list OF Julv-tllat he had entertained verx
unnecessary fears, that the uuchartered banks
would pounce upon the chartered ones for fl,eir
specie for, though they had some Virginia ma
per at FIRST, they had parted with great deal or
1t; and ne did not believe, the banks i'm HE
part OF the country had ) 2000 ofit-besides
II the banks resumed specie payments on the
Isl of July, they need not come TO Richmond
tor specie, but might as well go TO Baltimore
tor 1t with Baltimore notes--That so far from
obstructinS the collection Of the revenue tI,ex,
had facilitated it; for they had made bargain
with the U. States collector, if he would fake
their paper, they would exchange il for the dis
trlct or Baltimore n0tes, such as would suit the
government that they never did refuse tn ex
Change their paperfor those notes; that il would
have been unreasonable to ask of them yirr;n;a
notes, which in that part OF the country. were
alta premium of Is per cent-that he hoped. no
discrimination would now be made between
these three banks, and those which were YES
terday INDUCED with a suspension of the law
After some further remarks from Messrs
Matthews, Williams and Sexton, the question
was put on the 3lst of August aud carried with
our division. The bill was then passed. and
sent up to the senate for concurrence
Mr.. Cook moved for a writ of election for the
county of Princess Anne, to supply the vacancy
oceasioned BY the death Of Willis Dye Agreed
to,
And the House adjourned.
0,oyd,,f Norsr,he,, 10