Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1831-12-23

After the CO nsideration Of Executive bust
ness,
The Senate adjourned.
HUOSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
The House assembled, and the Speaker tool
the chair at ~ o'clock.
Petitions and memorials were presented.
Among the petitions were two by Mr.. RxEp
of Massachusetts, from certain manufacturers O
that State, praying for . drawback on the ex
portation of nails. manufactured from foreign
iron, to the amount Of the duties on such iror
when imported
CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO CANAL.
Mr. MERCER presented memorial from the
President and Directors Of the Chesa peake and
Ohio Canal Company, praying for an extension
of!heir character, 20 a. to be enabled to proceed
With the construction ofthe western section OF
the email, and alan for further aid in the pro-
gress of thai ypSertaking.
1t wa> referred TO the appropriate committee
Mr. DoDDRIDeE presented 4 memorial from
the Potomac Bridge Company praying that the
law Of last Congress on that subject may be
amended, and for assistance in the reconstruction
ofthe bridge.
The SPEAKER presented a memorial from Viz
ginia, on the subject of the claims Of that State
upon the United States, for services rendo. I'd
during the revolutionary war.
Mr. BARBOUR said, that it would be better TO
refer the memorial to select committee than to
| the claims were very voluminous, and the inves.
tlgation ofthem would be attended with more
labor than a stading committee could probably
bestow upon it. He therefore moved that the
memorial be referred to a select committee.
Mr. LEWIS ConpIcT said it was usual 10
refer memorials of that description to the Com
mittee of Claims. He doubted the propriety
of departing from that usage in the present
case, and moved I'll at the memorial be referred
TO the Committee of Revolutionary Claims.
Mr. DooDRIDGE objected to the amendment.
select committee was, in his judgment, pro
per for the investigation of the subjec.. II did
not involve the examination into testimony, or
any OF the ordinary questions Of inquiry which
were on some occasions thought 10 render select
committees dangerous, with respect to their
mourning a suspicion of Partially in their re
ports. The question extended to resolves of the
old continental Congress, the articles of confed-
Grafton, and the proceedings in Congress rea-
ting to the subject down to the adoption of what
was called the funding system. Mr.. ID. went
INTO brief history of the nature of the claim,
which originated from law of Virginia, of
1879, offering 10 such persons as enlisted to
serve during the war, or who, fer being dis
charged, should again come forward on bein q
required, half-pay for life, and which had not
been adopted in the settlement of the Virginia
claims under the law of 1890.
Mr.: Barbour said the number Of the claims
ton IN standing committee, already preoccu-
pied by business.
Mr. CoNDIcr said he had no desire to prevent
al investigation of the subject to the fullest ex.
tent, but he understood the Committee on Reyo.
iutlonaPy Claims was not at present very much
pressed.
Mr. MUHLEaBURG said that that committee
had already before them more claims than thew
could at present act upon.
Mr. CHinN urged the reference of the memo
r'al to select committee, in order to a more
speedy adjustment of the claims. There were
now pending claims to the amount of $500 600,
and the State had paid already Sl5O,OeO. It
was matter OF extreme Importance that they
should arrive at a speedy conclusion in the mat
ter, for the iast Virginia Legislature had passed
la" forbldding the auditor to pay any claim
unless specific provision were made for il. 1t
was now TO be ascertained whether the Gene
raj Government would assume the debt. He
was moi sufficiently conversant with the mode
OF proceeding in the House to say whether their
OBJECT would be attained in the speediest mar
ner by reference to c select committed; he
would leave that to the decision of gentlemen
more experienced in that Hall than himself, but
such appeared to him to be the committee best
adapted to the end proposed.
The question was then taken on the motion
OF Mr. CrNDIcT to refer the memorial to a
Standing Committee. The motion was mega
tived.
The question recurred on the motion to refer
to select committee, and carried in the affirm
alive without division
The Select COMMITTEE was ordered to con-
siSt of seven.
The memorial was subsequently, on the motion
OF MIR. PATTON, ordered TO be printed.
Inc SPEAKER then presented a memorial
from VaTious merchants oflhe city of Richmond,
praying for q reduction of the duties on tea.
POSTAGE.
The petition presented by Mr. ARNOLD was
from Samuel Martin, Campbell's Station, Ten
neSsce, praying the House to abolish the postapc
on newspapers, to render printers letters free
10 dispense with the allowance of two cents
each to postmastCrs on free letters, to pay the
"hoe expense of the Post Office Department
from the general revenue on the payment of the
national debt, and to promuIgate the pucIlc laws
more generally throughout The Union
MIR ARNOLD SAID, he did not rice for the pu7
pose OF making speech TO the House, but with
view OF offering suggestion to their consi
a"ratlon. The propositions Of the petitioner
might appear wild, and, indeed, on first reading
them, the holiness Of one or two of them was
starting 10 him. But on reflection, when he
came again to read them, he arrived at a con.
clusion that they were OF vast Importance and
well worthy Of the attention of a deheratiye
BODY 1t 1t were true, and who could DENY the
act, that upon virtue alone depended the stobi
MY OF our happy institutions, was it not our
1uty to call IN intelligence to the aid Of virtue
~ opening every fountain of Information 10 the
1eoPle5 Mr.. A. proceeded to discuss the sub
tance OF the propositions in the petition, with
new OF illustrating their important bearing on
he interests Of the community, and concluded
y movlnR that the petition be laid on the table
md printed.
The mOtion rva1 or-oo5 -