Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1829-01-24
TWENTIETH CONGRESS-.
SECOND sLssrnN,
SATunpAY, JANuARy.l7, 1920.
IN SENATE.
The Senate did not SIT to-.lay.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
The resolution offered on Thursday by Mr.
Wiekiiic coming up US the unfinished business o.,
yesterday morning,
Mr.. Ramsay addressed the House in suppor, OF
the resolution He had been taught he laid
IRON his infancy, that Representative Of the pen.
que ought always to vote riVa voce. In Pennsyi.
wanna, the Constitution says expressly that such
shaii DC the case. The practice If aioped in This
oody' would occasion Of the delay which
some gentlemen seemed So much TO apr,chenL -
an the Aeg,siature OF Pennsylvania, they elected
eli 'her officers EZRA roce, and the whole election
was usually gone through with in abou; half am
hour That body lately elected State Trcasur.
err and the wholc matter did not occupy more ,l,an
nI.eeh mihutrs: All The delay necessary was the
Time occupied in calling over the names of the
members Mr.. r. said it was his fixed opinion
mat all persons representing either a county. n
state, or the United States, should have the votes
Mn'ch 'ney gave In their representative capacities
recorded. representative IS merely the mouth
piece, The mere agent Of those who send him. and
II rs their right TO know how he has transacted
'he'r business 1t had been said by some Gentle.
nan yes.ernay, lha'' ii any constituent wanted to
Know how his representative had voted in anv mar
ucuiar case he might call upon him and in1nire
Dut how would this he possible in such St,,es ss
missouri and Illinois, which have but one Rcnre
sentative on the !looI? Those States yvnra 49,,
as large as the State of Pennsylvania. ari The Sa
resentative might live in cue corner o! them.
We're his constituents 10 travel two or U,ree Lu,
area miles to'ask such question: DO not want
nave the Representative vote in every case rirn
rocc, ana let his vote be put on record and Ia, Iis
constituents know wha, i, has been / sir have
n I the honor OF holding offices in the State Of
pennsylvania, and have repeatedly taken Tho
oath 10 support the Constitution of fiat State as
Wen as the Constitution of the United States and
ieei partially bound by both those oaths in nv
acton on this floor; nor can see how any one Of
my colleagues who have taken the same oath can
avoid feeling as do. Sir, do not believe tItev
VIII diiier from me; bot feel confident thew win al
go with me IN this question. Here Mr. II. nuot
60 10 the House section of the Sd article of the
Constitution oil Pennsylvania which directs mcn,-
oers OF the Assembly OF that State 70 vote ,,;.,,
eoee, and said he was sincerely sorry there ,Uas
not similar regulation in the Congress of The u
h.'eo ciates' lie could see no inconvenience like
~ 10 follow the adoption of the resolution befora
Nae House. In the PENNSYLVANIA LcasI,t,,rc
they elected not only their Speaker, hit tbci,.
SierH, their Printer OF Bills, their Printer of Laws
Sneir SANK directors, their Directors Of Brilgc
companies, and Directors Of Zurnpikc Co,nnariss.
al these elections were held tiuG rote-vct tho,
ga not occupy more than half an hour. In tIis
House gentlemen had to electa Speaker. C,crt
ASSISTANT Clerk, and Chaplain Would it not be
sSked OF each member, when lie went home, how
he had voted in these elections, He had of,an
been asked how a. and y. had voted, and he was
obliged to answer that he could not tell what
replied ms constituent, not able 10 tell, Why
not! lie repliedthat the election vas held bv b,f
lot. The People always expressed srrnriss 49,
aisapprobation at this reply. Mr.. r. concluded M.
again declaring that his conscience fell bomnJ -;
MS oa'h Ia pennsylvania, and he must therefore
vote Tor the resolution Of the gentleman from Ken
lucky. lie hoped no gentiemap would shrink nm
the present occasion, but would come up nanfrllv
70 the question, and vote the resolution
hiF' bartlett said he would vote very nanfu,lv
lot the resolution if any reason could be shawn
why The present mode Of e!ectnr was M. . gooJ
one, and why the mode proposed y7c..it be iet-
ter. From the commencement of TIC Covnrn.
men, the practice Of electing by ballot had been
N s+nria l.
tenton to the mover OF the res olu,ion 70 hoar III,
evil attendedit; but he had listened in vain. lie
was opposed 10 hasty changes in legis.ationaDd me-
yer would adopt them without a strong probaii-
lty oil some beneiIt 10 ollow. In the nresenf case
the mover Of the resolution had not hem ahIs -
State single evil or Inconvenience ari,inr fron
the existing practice. lie had, indie -. placed
TIE matter upon the oten5ible ground that the
po'es oievery member would, By this means be
known TO his constituents. Now, for his own mari,
he mad never once heard il stated that any attcr,n;
hai been made to conceal the course taken bv
gentlemen IN elections in thi; House Genu..
'nen had indeed told the House that the roc,ico
OF voting UlUa roce prevailed in some ofthc States
rms might be So but, wherever il did prevail he
believed IT to have been originally aioptel he
cause The Representatives were not all able 10 read
anu write. That reason, he trusted would mo-
be held as operating in this House He presumed
mere was no danger of imposition here from
the want OF the votes being uttered in an audible
voice.
-, OIS ScH'tei"d' Hau informed the House that
the Constitution Of tbs State Of PENNSYLVANIA re-
CURED all elections in the Legislature 70 be riro
U0cc: II such were the fact, il was very GOOD ar
gumeGt Tor the practice in that Legislature but he
was unable 10 see how that bound the nlornLers
% this House
But gentlemen Ladcontended that, as The ros,-
ct exercised here is delegated power il il there
TORE, proper that those who gave IL should knoy,
h0w IL Is exercised in the election OF the officers
OF the House. Now, on this subject he consider
cd II lar TO consult the expression Of the Peonlc's
WIZ as contained in the Constitution; and there he
found that, when The People themselves are d.
iectiDg the mode OF holding, By the members Of
th's ifOuse, an election Of far greater importance
VIZ the election Of Chief Magistrate for the whole
Union, they expressly say shall he by ilot and
not era Uoce. lie would ask gentlemen yyhe-
ther me authority 70 elect President is not del.
egaed authority Whether il il not a more i'm.
portant election than that OF the officers Of r,is
House Z And whether il was not Of more con
sequence chat the People should know how every
member voted in that case than in this, And i'll
gentlemen object TO this case as an extreme one.
he would ask whether, in the regular election oil
Chei Magistrate by the Electors Of President. the
People have not az plainly sail that they shall
choose by ballot, and not pUG U0t4? Did not this
clearly slIoSy what was their view Of the natter
Did not this provision fully establish and sanction
the principle on which the present practice sfoun-
dedt ~ ii holds in the greater case shall il NOT
IN the iess' Can IL be right in the one csse. and
wrong 10 the otheE What case had pen,lerncn
brought for ia where any evil could be sl.egn 10
nave ARISEN u none, where can be the necessity
Of any change!
Mr.. Taylor said that il must be apparent fo al
That II would be very Dconyeniont 10 con,io,,s
i'7 N'cjssion rom morning n morning no {: US