Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1831-12-17
CONG r z S S.

yesterday.
Mr.. Wilde moved to refer the question to
committee of the whole on the state OF the Un'on
to test the disposition Of the House to entertain
wide debate on so narrow ground.
Mr.. Davis of Mass. considered the whole de-
bate unimportant. Standing Committee or Sc
lect. there must be one. Names were nothing
. Mr.. Mitchell called for the Yeas and Nays on
the question of agreeing to the resolution, anu
they were taken AS follows: ~ 80.
YEAS.-Messrs Adams, Ck4aton Allen. ALI
son, Appleton, Arnold. Babcock. Banks, Noyes
Barber. isaac G.. Bates, John Blair Boon, Briggs,
Bucher, Billiard, Burl, Burgess, Cahoon, Carr
Choate, Condit, Eleutheros Cooke, Bates Cooke,
Cooper, Corwin, Coulter. Crawford, Creighton,
Daniel, John Davis, Denny, Dickson, Doddridse,
Duncan, Ellsworth, George Evans, Joshua Ev-
ans, Edward Everett, Horace Everett Findlay
Ford, Godmore, GrenneI, Hester, Howard,
Hughes, Hunt, Huntington. Ingersol. irwin Je-
infer, Kendall. Kennon, Keer, Leveritt, Lecomp-
tie, Letcher, Marshall, Maxwell, McCarty, 10,
bert Mccoy, McKennan, Mercer, Ml!llsan,
Pearce, Pendeton, Pitcher, Potts. John Reed,
Russe, Sade, Southland, Spence. Stanbcrry'
Stantllfer, Stewart, Storrs, Sutherland, Taylor,
Francis Thomas. Philemon Thomas. John Thorn
son, Tompkms, Tracy, Vance. Vinton. Wash
ington, Wamough, Wilkin, Ell sha Whittlesey,
Frederick Whitilesey, Edward d. White, Wick.
liffee, Worthington, Youns-96.
NAYS. -Messrs. Adair. Alexander, Robert
Allen, Anderson, Angel, Archer, John ). Bar
bour. Barnwell, Barrinser, Barslow. James Bates,
Beardsev. Bell, Bergen, Bethune. James Blair,
Bouck, Bouldin, Branch, John Brodhead. John
C.. Brodhead, Cambreleng, Carson, Chandler.
Chinn, Claiborne, Clay Coke, Collier, COnor. Craig
Davenport, Warren r. Davis, Dayan, Dewart,
Doubleday. Drayton, Fielder, Fitzgerald, Foster,
Gather, Gordon, Griffin, Thomas II. Hall,
William Hall, Harper, Halves. Hoffman, Hogan,
Holland, Horn, Hubbard, Jarvis, Jewett, c.
Johnson. c. c. Johnson, Kayanagh, A. King,
John King, Henry King. Lamar, Lansing, Lent,
Lewis, Mann. Mardis, Mason, William Mccoy,
McDuffie, Thos r, Mitchell, MubIenberg,
Newman, Nuckolls, Plummer, Polk, Edward G..
Reed, Roane, Root, a. H. Shepherd, Soule,
Speisht, Wiley Thompson. Verplanck. Ward,
Wardel, Wayne, Weeks, Wheeler, C.P. White,
Wilde.--90.
Remarkins on the above vote the National In.
tellisencer says
The reader would fall into great error, If he
were to suppose the vote Of yesterday, by yeas
and nays, IN he House of Representatives, as in
dicating the true sense of the House upon the ge-
neral subject of Internal Improvement. The
question regarded only the mode of transactng
the business of the House. We have not the
least doubt, that there are fully two-brds Of the
members of the House Of Representatives who
are free from any constitutional sCrupIes on the
subject Of Internal Improvement, rs will he seen
whenever any expedlent measure o! that descrip-
ton is presented for their decision.
Tn fho Of Rpn tat IN.
Mr.. ADAMS of Massachusetts, (the Ex-Presi-
dent of the United States) presented fifteen Pc
ttiops, all nunerously subscribed, from sundry
Inhabitants of Pennsy /, ania, all OF the same pur-
port. praying for the abolition Of Slavery and the
Slave Trade in the District of Columbia, and
moved that the first of them should be read; and
it was read accordingly
Mr.. Adams then observed that it had doubt
less been remarked that these petitions came not
from Massachusetts,, a portion of whose people he
had the honor to represent, but from citizens of
the State of PENNSYLVANIA. lie had received the
petitions many months ago, with request that
they should be presented by him, and, although
the petitioners were not of his immediate Cousti
tuents, he had not deemed himself at liberty TO
decline presenting their petitions, their transmits
sion of which to him manifested a confidence IN
him for which he was bound to be grateful. From
letter which had accompanied those petitions,
he inferred that they came from members of the
Society of Friends; body of men than whom
there was no more respectable and worthy class
of citizens, none who more strictly made their
lives commentary on their professions-a body
of men comprising. in his firm opinion, as much
of human virtue. and as little of human intirmi-
ty, as any other equal number of men Of any de-
nomination upon the face of the globe.
The petitions, MIR. A. continued, asked for
two things: the first was, the abolition Of slavery;
the second the abolition of the slave trade in the
District of Columbia. There was traffic in
slaves carried on in the District, Of which he did
not know but that it nil ht be proper subjecto t
legislation by Congress. and he, therefore, NOV
ed that the petitions he had had the honnr of pre-
senting. should he referred to the Committee Oh
the Affairs of the District of Columbia. who would
dispose Of them as they, upon examination of
their puiport, should deem proper. and might re-
port on the expedcncy Of granting so much "'
the prayer Of the petitioners as referred to The
abolition of the slave trade in the District.
As to the other prayer Of the petitions, the abo.
ilion by Congress Of slavery in the District of
Cojumbia n had incurred IN him that the nett