Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1828-05-09
SATURDAY, MAY 5.
The Senate did not sit TO day.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE

i he Senate Giu not SIT 10 lay.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
CHEsAPEAKE AND OHIO CANAL.
Mr. Mercer moved that the Committee of tn
Whole House, to which is committed the bills O
This House, oil the following titles:
A bill TO amend the acts OF Virginia s. MARYLAND
Incorporating the Chesapeake s. Ohio Canal Com
pany;
A bill authorizing subscription 10 stock il
the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company; and
n bill to enlarge the powers of the several cor
porationS in the District of Columbia, and for othe
purposes; be discharged from the further con side
ration thereof, with IA view that they might b,
referred TO II Committee OF the Whole on the STATE
oil the Union in which they mghtbe takei
UP at any time the House hould determine, with
out waiting Tor any arrangement of the docket Il
bring up. He advcrted, briefly, 10 the great inter
est tclt IN this subject by the nation at large tn,
respectable character oil the convention lately as
sembied IN this city with respect to it; the larg,
number OF petitioners in lis favor; the assent o
the Legislatures of wo States, and their application
Tor the sanction of Congress; the amount of stock
conditionaliy subscribed, and which waited only
The action OF Congress TO become effective; the
comparatively small amount TO be subscribed OIL
the part of the Government, TO render the compile
ton OF the work MOI ally certain; the long period
during which nearly half million of persons spe.
eialiy interested in this object, had been kept i'll
state OF anxious SUSPENSE the total disconne xior
OF the whole subject from any political contest, SC
and earnestly pressed the motion.
At the suggestion of some Of his friends, Mr.. NJ
lowing bills, VIZ:
\ bill for the preservation and repair Of the
Cumberland Road;
ill for laying ont S. making national road
from w ashington TO n. Orleans;
bill TO authorize the making Of national road
from Washington TO ". West frontier OF n. York s
Pennsyi, ANA;
The bill from the Senate, for the cons,ruc-
ton of the Cumberland Road from Bridgeport TO
GAINESVILLE, III Ohio; and for completing the surveys
of that road from GAINESVILLE to the seat of Govern
ncnt, in Missouri.
by reqaest, the motion was divided, and the
question FIRST put Oh dischargiDg the committee OF
the whole from the three bills first named lin
reference TO the Ohio and Chesapeake Canal only y
MIR. Taylor suggested that ii would be best TO
include i'll the motion the discharge of the
committee oil the whole from these bills, and their
reference TO the committee oil the whole on the
state OF the union.
Mr.. Mercer thank ed him for the suggestion, and
accepted the modification ofhis motion.
MIR. Taylor then, reserving to himself the liber-
fy OF voting on these bills as he might Judge right
cont ended, ihata decision upon them was demand
ed 10y consideration OF respect TO the from
which applications i'll their behalf had been present
cd 10 Congress He persuaded, that no lengt
or'eXtent Of debate would change a single vote OF
The issue, and he hoped the House would go into
the consideration of them at once and not rise I'M
al the question was decided on way or the 9th
e..
Mr.. Canbrelcng expressed great surprise at the
Sir. NJ erccr.
Mr.. Forward strenuously urged the pIopriety o
putting an end TO the suspense long elt to the
late o! this measure bs!ore the House.
MIR. Bartlett, comceiving that this motion arose
from some idea that the order OF business reported
by the Joint Committee (Which proposes TO give
these bills the go-by) would of course, he pursued
by the House, protested against any such concu
sion, and opposed any change in the order Of tn.
docket as il at present stood.
MIR, Tucker. of 5, O.. haVinp rpDelsu the IDEA
that the Joint Committee had designated any order
Of business, but had only stated the bills which il
their opinion, ought to be acted upon; the question
on Mr.. MERGERS motion then put, and il was
decided by yeas and nays, follows: Yeas, 105
Nays, ca.
So the House agreed TO discharge the Commit.
tee the Whole from the consideration of the bill.
ieldting 10 the Ohio and hesapeake Canal, and
gave them i'll charge TO the Committee Of the
Whole on the State OF the Union, (Which by the
rules of ORDER may sit every day. and may take up
the bills before ii in any order proposed, no one
bill having precedence another for tme.)
The hour allotted for morning business having
expired
MIR. Mercer moved 10 postpone the orders oil
the day, with view 10 taking the question OH
his former motion, with respect TO the bills on the
Cumberland Road; but the motion negadved.
blr. Mercer then gave notice, that he would
move TO go into Committee the Canal bills OH
IueSdGy next.
Various Engrossed Bills were passed
The only bill which OccaslOned much discus
sion that for the relief of Anna Dubord a lady
Of New Orleans, who in the year 1919, left that
city and went TO Cuba for her health, (inten ding,
should it be restored to return to New Orleans)
and took with her thirteen slaves chiefly females
who were attached to her person domestic SER
wants Her husband, experimenting that some diff
fculty might occur in admitting these slaves to re-
turn within the United States, had certified des-
cripOn Of their persons filed with the Mayor OF
New Orleans, and provided witnesses who could
swear 10 their identity. The experiment as to
health not succeeding, Madam Dubord wished 10
return, bat would DO 50 ill it should be settled
before she left Cuba, that her slaves might come
home with her, together with their children, born
on that Isldnl On application being made to the
Collector OF New Orleans, he considered the law
prohibiting the importation Of slaves into the Uni
ted States, % pefemptory, and refused 10 aJni
them. Whereupon, as she held the slaves in her
own separate right, she applied to Congress for an
act 10 allow them TO return TO tie United States.
The case has long been before Congress, and re-
pcatcdly referred to the Judiciary Committee, who
always reported against the petition, until the pre-
sent SC ssions when iaajoiiy. Of that Committee
icing IN favor OF i, reported the present bill
The discussion, though aDimatcd, was cOnduc'
90 with good temper al sides, and rcsul ed in
'oiusS ~ lage fne tiil cnctJssci l1r ia third