Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1832-01-13

course could be easily forcscen-it would he suI.
fcred to lie neglected until every thing else i'm !
their hands was finished; and it brought forward
at all, it would probably be near the close of
the session, that would be lost for want of time.
and then mang'cd and deformed, tina: it's friends
would not be abb. to recognize it, And th,rcr,r,
the present BILL together with the bill abolish the
duty on alum salt, would die on their hands and
be followed To the grave by the gentleman and his
Committee; though not in the character of mourn
No, sir, said Mr.. b., this bill ought not to he
referred to a hostile Committee, TO be returned
with broken limbs and manged features, to this
Senate, for their approval. Such Committee has
nothing to do with it. 1t ought even to refuse to
receive 1T; to show which he read from the manual
this sentence; that ''whcn any member who is
against the bill hears himself named of it's commit
tee, he should asked tn be excused" &c. Mr. b.
SAID, that he hoped the Senate would allow the bill
to SO TO the Committee where it would be Perfected
and brought forward in proper time.
MT. DIckERsoN said that he aware that it
was or had been rule in the British Parliament
III certain cases of rcerencc, to commit the inca.
sure to It's friends, but tho practice of the Ameri
can Senate was different That body had STANDING
committees and it had not heretofore been their
custom to take notice of friends enemies in qucs
tons OF this kind; or tc enter into inquiry to
ascertain who were, or who were not, friendly to
the proposed measure He believed it would be
course as unacceptable it uncommon to
institute an inquiry in every of this kind for
the purpose oil ascertainlng who wcro enemies and
who were friends of tho measure proposed. He
would as the gentleman from Missouri how h,
knew that the Committee Manufactures were,
or would be- hostile to the present bill7 How does
he know that the Committee on Indian Affairs,
or the COMMITTEE on Finance, is friendly to it? 1t
would be n very strange courcc of procecdinp in
his opinion, TO institute such inquiry. Sir, said
Mr.. ~. n very important object to be attained by
referring bills to committees is to enable them
TO examine, approve, dsapprove of, and report
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS finally to decide their fatca For
instance: if upon examination and inquiry, they
should find that the adoption of the proposed mca
sure would materially niure some important inte-
rest, would be their duty to state their views of
the subject for the consideration of the Senate. 1t
was the province of the committee simply to
port its opinion-not to pass or reject the BILL
No committee, said MIR. ID. can break, suppress
or deform bill. They can only report upon it;
and if the report does not meet the views of the
friends of the BILL they at liberty to oppose it.
IT the report is DELAYED beyond the proper time,
they have right 20 demand its appearance by
rule of the Senate, which authorizes a call upon
the committee for report. The committee, Mr..
ID. said, could only modify the bill, they had
power to control it. In conclusion, he hoped the
Senate would follow the usual practice, and refer
the subject to the Committee Manufactures.
MIR. BRowN said that he to protest against
the custom of referring bills TO u committee hostile
TO its provisions. He had always understood that
1t was Incumbent upon them TO refer bills which
were introduced, to the friends of the proposed
measure-unt within three four years past that
had been the usual PRACTICE Even IN the British
Parliament body certainly not favorable to
liberty as an American Senate, it was allowed the
friends ola measure TO have the charge of it and
prepare it for an attack from its enemies by chan
ges and amendments, i'll order to give it all its
force. Shall the American Senate said Mr.. b. de-
ny them that privilege? Will ii shut ont facts and
smother the subject in its incipcnt stage? Mr.. B.
proceeded to show that the consequence of refer
ring bills to committees adverse to Them would be
an unfavorabe report, which would be laid on the
table, ana thus preclude examination and discus
sion. He said that experience during the last scs-
sion had proved to him that this would be tho con-
sequence of the reference proposed. When
any question brought forward any subject
it seemed to be the opinion of some gentlemen that
the Committee of Manufactures must have it whe-
Their it belonged to them not.
This marked new era in our Government, and
went to show that manufactures alone were TO be
heard, to the neglect of agriculture and commerce.
He should, therefore, oppose the reference of the
present bill to the Committee Manufactures
not that he hostile to that interest He said there
was member IF the Senate more favorable to its
protection, provided it was done properly and con-
situLionally He wished the facts i'm relation the
present duty to be examined and the necessity of
its continuance.
Mr.. BucKNEs, of Missouri said, that his col.
league, Mr.. BgNToN) had made the reference a
question of order, had appealed to the rules of the
House to sustain his motion for reference to the
Committee on Finance-He did not pretend that
his experience in the rules of Legislation equal
to that gentemans-but he had Away understood
That the rule which the gentleman had just read
IN support OF his argument applied exclusively to
select Commiitees-and could not be made ap-
ply to the present proposed reference to Stand
ing Committee But it was maintained that this
question should be referred to n committee not
hostile to the measure. He would ask that Gen-
tlcman how it could be ascertaincd whether
committee hostile otherwise before it had
expressed an opinion upon the subject He of
opinion that the fact Of the alleged hostility being
charged against the Committee on Manufactures
was sufficient ground to establish its claim in IA
vor of the reference of the bill to that com
mitiee.
Why, said Mr. j. have the gentlemen supposed
the existence of the alledgod hostility? Is it not
because they conscious that important in
tercst is concerned, and the danger of its being
injured by the proposed measure would naturally
create an opposition For his part, Mr.. b. suid
he wished to know how far this bill would clash
with that interest; and to ascertain this it would
be necessary to refer it to that Committee
whose time and attention wcro devoted TO
the examination of measures rotating to the intor-
est of manufactures. He was of different opn-
ion from the gentleman from Missouri, and should
be opposed to the destructive nroad which this
bill was calculated to make upon domestic manu-
features. lie felt anxious TO ascertain how far
this measure would affect tho manufacturing in
tercsts of the country, which could be done only
by a full investigation by the Committee, charged
with that subject. lie should, therefore, vote for
its reference to that Committee. lie vas Of OPT
Mon that the Committee Indian Affairs was en-
tirely iucompctent To undertake. the cosidcration