Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1824-04-27

fercd his motion. II was not until last night that
the committee the detcrminat ton that il was
proper that they should proceed in their inquiry
This, Mr.. L. SAID, was necessarily previous cues
ton TO be determined. For, if the committee Ind
been of opinion that the subject was not for anv
reason, mt to be inquired into, il would not have
been proper to give to the President the lntimatou
IN question. After the committee had decided the
preliminary question, the next step was TO require
'he attendance of MIR. Edwards. The House will
perceive That the committee propose to apply to the
executive ior no power, but TO notify him of the de-
cisioh requiring the attendance of Mr. Edwards as
III regard inrtf'ot comsty nd respect which is ,c
nom inns toasc to co-ordL' ate branch of the go.
verninent. Mr. L. believed that the notification of
ooth these decisions of the committee was necessary
ioi The purpose OF apprzing the President of the
sos oil .his Housc for requiring the attendance of
an individual who was known to be absent ON di-
spiomatic services, SC.
MIR. Webster oil Mass, did not sec that any diff
Guilty was presented by this question to the House
Here, said he, is ton referred 10 COM
'ntee OF this House, i'll the of nvestiga ting
WINCH, the personal attendance of an individual
u'nerstoou TO nave been recently dispatched on a
foreign service, is found he necessary aud is re-
CURED All that the committee aim at, therefore
Is to inform the Executive Of so much TO shew thai
business before us requires the personal attendance
al one whom he has dispatched, is about to dis
patch OH foreign diplomatic service. This is all
Housc.
Hlr. krcncr, of Penn, rose, and observed that
before he voted on this question: he mus, know whc-
Their the committee can wait for the return of the
person proposed To be sent for. Hc knew not, for
his own part, where Mr.. Edwards was to be found
The session was now its close, and it would be
unnecessary to send for him if, when he came, the
House had adjourned, the committee was not
prepared to go on If we do send to Wheeling
when Our messenger gets there MIR. L. will be gone
and we shall be pursuing him from town to town,
nobody knows how long. lit was in order, he should
move that the resolution lie on the table.
The motion to lay the subject on the table was
decided in the negative, by large majority.
Mr.. McLane of Delaware, said the objection he
had 10 the matter now before the House, would ap-
ply as we'll to the resolution Of the gentleman from
Georgia, as {? the recommendation of the commit
tee lie could perceive necessity for the further
interpositon of the House, and it might be improper
To call for it. We have referred the memorial TO
committee, said he, with what proprety is not for
me now to say, and have vested that committee
with full power to send for persons and papers. We
could give no greater. Under the authority already
possessed, the committee were authorized 10 send
for this individual, without iuterferencc and he
thought they should do Ifthe public character of
the individual rendered it improper to compel his
attendance, without the interference of the Execu-
ii"e II would be competent for the committee, with
out applying to this House, to request such nerfer-
cnce. lie had some experience of parliamentary
proceedings aud he believed it unprecedented for a
committee vested with full powers, call upon the
House TO do what might be as well done without
their aid lie could easily conceive, that subject
of no great magnitude, in itself, might be clothed
with much artificial importance, by such proceed
Tgs; ami he saw no proprioty in tho committee re-
porting the journal CT their private proceedings from
time To time, 10 this House. He avcrse to the
repeated agitation of the subject in this manner to
the prejudice of other busincssby the daily or week.
ly report of the ournafo the committees proceed
ngs. He desired a full and prompt uvestig
the pronpter the better hut he thought the commit
tee had ample power the subject, and he hoped
the House would not be called upon to &c, unnecss-
sariy In the business.
Mr.. Cutlibcrt, of Georgia, referring to the in
tination as he understood it of the Committee
that the presence of Mr.. Edwards was so ncccs-
sary that the investigation of the charges made
By l,:.r, could not GO without his presence
said he thought there could be no such inlis-
pcnsable necessity for the presence, of Mr.. Ed
wards here. The House would perceive, he
said, that any individual, intending to do Sc
rious mischief to another might select particu-
lar moment to prefer charges against another
and by abandoning his position, preventing an
investigation Of his motives as well as charges,
leave an erroneous impression on the public
mind. TWAS desirable that the accuser should
be where he places his accusation the common
sense Of mankind shows that the accuser ought
to abide by the consequences of his accusation.
But if he flies from that responsibility the inves-
stigation 'lou should therefore, be delayed.
Such would be TO furnish the individual with
an opportunity of doing all the mischief he de-
sired. Unless it could be ascertained that the
individual in question could be brought to this
place within reasonable time, twas desira-
BILE, it appeared to him, that the investigation
of his charges should not be delayed until he
could be sent for.
MIR. Webster replied to the gentleman from
Delaware, as TO the report made from the COM
mittce. twas certainly no unusual thing for
the Chairman Of n Committee to make motion
in this House, by the instruction ofthe commit
tee and, if portion of the minutes ofthe COM
mittec were coupled with it, he did not see that
chat would alter the case, as to the eXpediency
or propricty of the practice. With respect to
the suggestion, which had been made, that send
ing for Mr.. Edwards would procrastinate the in
quiry, the gentleman from Georgia was not to
suppose that the committee was going wholly
to suspend this investigation, to wait for any
body's attendance.
Mr.. McLane, still fully impressed with the
correctness of the view which he had taken OF
this matter moved TO re-co0,mit the report OF the
select committee.
~ur. haieoit'h saiu, ne Hopcd the H1otlon ior
rc-commitnent would not prevail and lie rose
for the purpose only of calling the attention of
the House 20 a fact, that the select committee
hare ncted, by tie authority, and in the name of
this body, ami that whether gentlemen think
that .s{r. Edwards ought to be brought before
the committee or not, the writ is now on It's
way that it will be served upon him and that
he will brought here, whether we vote in one
way or another, on this question. In case this
inquiry is to be prosecuted, said .Hr. Il. l can