Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1818-04-18
ALEXANDRIA:
SATURDAY,, APRIL 10, 1918.
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT AT WASH

# resolutions, purporling to be intended
as amendments to the constitution, to the
following effect:
That the president shall not have the
power Of approving or disaPprov'ng O'liS
or Joint resolutions passed by the two
| houses Of congress. =
That the senate and house of repre-
sentatives shall appoint to Offices by joint
| ballot, and fill all vacancies in the judi
ciarye
That the senate and house OF repre-
| sentatives shall appoint BY joint ballot
| the following heads of departments:
A secretary Of the treasury, who shall
| appoint all the officers belonging to that
| department.
A secretary Of war, who shall appoint
all the officers under him in that depart
ment.
A secretary Of the navy, who shall ap-
point his officers.
| And a postmaster general, who shall
| appoint the officers of that department.
During the recess Of congress vacan'
| cies to be filed by the president, subject
| to rejection by congress at the following
session.
The heads of departments to be a.
menable to congress for all appointments
made by them; and when any are con-
victed Of any crime or misdemeanor, or
dismissed for neglect. their names to be
advertised for six months in the public
newspapers in every state.
Lastly, no member of congress TO be
appointed to any effice for twelve months
after his ceasing to be one.
These singular propositions were read
and ordered to lie on the table.
The bill authorising the Bank of the
United States, to appoint Independent
being under consideration,
A motion was made to postpone the
bill indefinitely by Mr.. Poindexter, which
led to a smart debate, in which the merits
of that institution were freely can7assed
being denied BY Mr.. Moore and Mr..
Mercer, and defended by General Smith,
who adduced undeniable facts to prove
that it had been o; great advantage to the
country. The motion for Postponement'
however, was carried by IS yeas to so
nays.
Some persons present seemed-to consi-
der this question as test of the feeling
Of the house in respect to the U. States
Bank. hope it is not so, since it 1t
were, that Institution stands not as it
ought to do in point Of legislative sup
| port. This bill, which was certainly rea-
sonable and could do no mischief, is lost
forever.
The invalid pension bill bains under
the consideration of the house in COM
mittee, Mr.. Clay appealed to them very
eloquently on the part Of little boy
whose father was killed at the battle OF
Bladensburg, and after enduring the most
Undesirable torture rom tho wound by
which he was cat of, died, recommend
ing this boy to the care Of his county
The tender age of the child. and the cir
cumstances which cast him thus on the
humanity of the country, Of themselves
sufficiently interesting, were rendered
polgnantly affecting by the melancholy
account that the unfortunate young crea-
ture was born deaf and dumb-and the
tale of sorrow lost nothing in the telling
of Mr.. Clay whose objec, was to have
the boy sent to and supported for few
wears in that admirable institution the a
sylum OF the deaf and dumb in Connecti'
cut. He therefore moved that pension
Of $50 dollars year should be approPri
ated for that purpose, to be expended un.
der the direction Of the secretary of war
| The motion was carried with only one
voice in opposition to it; and it may be
doubted whether that was any thing more
than an involuntary Stumble.