Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1823-01-23
CONGRESS-
saIDAr, JANUARY ~.
IN SENATE.

kEUkdktfto1 "Ah'hE
ton for the expenses Of government fo
the current year, was reported by Dir
Lowrie. from the Committee Of Finance
without amendment. The bill was sub
seouently taken upin committee OF the
whole, and ordered, to a third reading
and was thereup0n, on notion OF Dir.
Lowrie. read third time, by general
consent, passed and returned to the
House OF Representatives.
The resolutions offered yesterday by
Dir. Lowrie and Dir. Noble, respective
Iy, were seyerally taken up anu agreed
to.
The bill to abolish Imprisonment for
debt, was taken up, when
Mr.. Johnson, Of Kentucky, submit
ted some amendments in addition to
those offered by Mr.. Van Buren, and
then all the amendments were ordered
to be printed, and the bill postponed to
MONDAY next.
AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION.
hr. Taylor, OF Virginia, rose TO ask
leave, of which he yesterday gave notice,
to introduce a resolution proposing an
amendment to the Constitution OF the
United States. Mr.. T. prefaced his
motinn with few remarks. he advert
ed to the circumstances which led to the
former amendment of the Constitution
in relation to the election OF President
and Vice President of the U. States, by
which it was required that the pe.son
should be designated Tor each office by
the electors; he described the evil which
that amendment was intended to cure,
and SAID that if it had been foreseen that
the evil could occur in different form
the remedy would have been extended to
meet it. sir. Z. deprecated aay impro-
per fastidiousness IN recurring to the
Constitution, either tor instruction or
for its improvement If ever the time
,hsuld arrive when it would be consider.
ed as unwise or ridiculous to do so, the
cowers of the Constitution would be-
come RENTED, and merged IN leglsla-
ton and precedents and we should
gradually return to the spirit, the prin-
ciples and the practice. OF the British
governments, where precedent and le-
cislation controlled every thing. mr..
+ inculcated, impressiyely, . constant
attention to the Constitution, the prac-
tice of testing every act OF legislation
BY it. and vigilant care not only that
its powers should be vigorously eAercis-
ed but that it should be repaired and
improved whenever the public good
should require it to be done. II an ap.
preparation of money, he argued, were
necessary to repair a public road, 1t
might be said, with equal proprlety,
that an appropriation Of attention and
care were necessary to keep the constI-
tuition in repair. lnattention to that,
ne said, would produce IN it burrows
and dilapidation, and would bring it
into the same disuse, that neglect would
cause in public road Mr.. L. after
other remarks of the same character,
and to enforce the same general senti-
ment, went on TO say that whenever
anv opinions or wishes were demOnstra-
ted to be general with the people, they
ought to be attended to and put in prac-
tee 1t was manifest, he thought, that
this was the case in regard TO the present
mode in the last resort, OF electng the
President of the United States, and that
the people universally deprecated the
election of the President by the House
of Representatives. Thinking SO, he
had sought to provide remedy, and
therefore asked leave to introduce the
following Joint resolution
Rssotrei By she Senate and House Of
REPRESENTATIVES If the United states a
.America. t,co thirds Of both Houses
coneurrns, That the following amend
ment of the Constitution of the United
States be proposed to the Legislators Of
the several states:
S. The electors of President and
Vice President shall meet on the -
day Of - next preceding the explra-
ton of the time for which the existing
President may have been appointed,
vote for a President and Vice President,
according to the constitution, and make
two lists of all persons voted for, to be
signed aud certified by them /; one to be
delivered sealed to the President of the
United States, within - days there
after, to be opened and examined by
him; and if it shall appear that no per-
son has received the votes of majority
Of the electors appointed, the President
of the United States shall forthwith, by
proclamation. and also by notifications
TO the Executives of each state, publish
the number of votes given to each person
as President, whereupon the said cleo
tors shall again meet on the - OF
next succeeding their first meet
ing, and vote for one of the two persons