Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1833-12-12
J. s. TWENTY.THIRD CONGRESS-
FIRST SESSION.

Monday, Dec. 2d.-This day com
menced at the Capitol, the First Session
Of the Twenty Third Congress.
In SENATE, at ~ O'clock, the Presi
dent, pro tenn. the Hon. Hugh L.White
Of Tennessee, in the absence Of tn,
Vice President, called the Senate to or
der.
The following old Members appear.
ed, viz:
Messrs. Bell, Benton, Bibb, Brown
Chambers, Clay, Ewing, Frelinghuysen
Hendricks, Hill, Kane, King, Knight
Mangum, Moore, Naudain, Poindexter,
Prentiss, Rives, Robinson, Slsbee, Tip
ton, Tomlinson, Tyler, Wilkins, and
Wright.
/ The credentials of Nathaniel p. Tall
madge, a Senator from New York; of
Thomas Morris, a Senator from Ohio;
of Felix Grundy, a Senator from Ten
nessee; of Benjamin Swift, a Senator
from Vermont; of Ether Shepley, Sem
ator from the State of Maine; of Nathan
Smith, a Senator from Come necticut; of
Joseph Kent, a Senator from Mary land;
were severaIly presented and read, and
the new Senators were respectively
sworn, excepting Nathan Smith, who
was affirmed. Mr. Naudain, Upton,
MIR Benton, and Mr. Tyler, were then
sworn.
The Chair then presented the creden-
tials of E. r. Potter, elected a Senator
from Rhode Island, for which State Ash
er Robbins, had been previously elect
ed, and had, in pursuance OF such cleo
tion, taken his seat in the Senate and
also a certificate that the election of the
said Asher Robbins, was null and void;
which documents were read.
The Chair then stated the facts Of Mr.
Robbins having been returned as elect
ed, and his credentials read at the last
ermine on the course to be pursued as
o the qualifying Of either Of these gen
lemen.
On motion Of Mr. Poindexter, the cre-
lentials Of MIR Robbins were then read.
Mr. Poindexter then rose, and said,
hat it was not his intention to offer any
pinion on the merits ofthe course which
ad been adopted by the State of II.
sland, but merely to say, that it seemed
D him to be u matter OF course, that the
senator Just elected, and whose creden-
als were presented at the last Session
{ the Senate, should be permitted to ap-
roach the Chair and take the oath; and
lat the other gentlemnn, who contests
'e election Of Mr. Robbins, should pre-
Ia IN ha 7
ittee on Elections or the Committee on ',
e Judiciary, s. that the Senate should u
terwards receive the report of that "
and determine which Of the
,ntlemen is duly elected. But he was II
1t prepared, at this lime, to question b
e election Of the gentleman whose cre- p
entails were before the Senate at the q
st Session, until Committee Of the 81
,nate should have decided that he was a
Il fairly elected. lie was not prepar- 81
at present, TO offer an opinion on u
ese points, but he thought that the Sc a.
tor in his seat should approach and IA
&c the oath. IN
He then moved that Mr. Robbins do W
,e the customary oath. pi
W.T. CIHy SuSReSAtu tuc pIopIiety VI ~
king the collateral motion that the "
,dentials of Mr. Potter be laid on the m
,le. as
On motion Of Mr. Poindexter, it was 81
n ordered that the credentials Of Mr. pc
tter do lie on the table. M
Mr. King thought il would be the most wi
per course to leave both the gentle Io
n where they are, until it should be
ermined which was entitled to the Sc
1t. He advered to the practice Of Sc
House, in referring cases of contest sh
elections 10 the Committee on EIec- WI
ms, whose report had sometimes the th
rct Of ousting the sitting member. As ed
= was novel case, he thought it di,
Md be better that neither Of the indi- ST,
uaIs should be qualified until it should tia
determined which was entitled to the his
I. IL might happen that an important tia
siion would be determined by n sin. CO,
vote; and, in that case, IL it should be out
rwards discovered that a member wa
illegally admitted 10 seat, tho de- the
m might be vitiated. He suggested we
!, for the present, the credentials of of
Robbins should also lie on the table, to ,