Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1835-04-02
WHOLE NO. 261.

member, Gen. Mercer, from Virginia, moved
that the House recede Mr.. Polk, the Char
man ofhe Committee Of Hays and Means, in
sisted on Mr.. C's motion, having the priority:
and Mr.. Lytle, in an extraordinary TRADE, n
bused the Senatc--in the course Of whichhe
said" Let the other body 1.-THE Senate) now
take the responsibility of defeating it,Sc.&c."
. The object then, even at this early hour, is
too apparent for comment--the bill was to be-
defeated, and The odium thrown upon the Sc
nate. Let it be remarked, that M,s ioas long
before IL o'clock, and before The Cumberland
Road Bill ,rds pdssed-and that the effort tods
made by the leaders The JnrksOn party, amt
by those uho plead tie hour for the subsequent
refusal 10 pass upon the tM II was that par
ty which in this early stage, Showed deter
mnation that the ordinary appropriations
should not pass, without the three millions.
They were defeated at that timc-they
could not carry the majority with them in so
monstrous proceeding-and a committee of
conference was asked, and this same Mr..
Cambreleng made the chairman. After this,
and before the result Of the conference was
reported, Messrs. Mann, Jarvis, Polk, and
Beardsley, endeavored to prevent the House
from continuing to sit-yet the House did
continue to sit, in despite oftheir efforts, and
the chair presented several important reports
from the Directors Of the Mint, and the Sc
cretares of the Treasury and War Depart
ments, and took up the resolution for the pay
Of Mr.. Letcher. When this was done, the
committee Of conference was in the House
but the chairman would not report. A report
might have defeated the efforts which he and
his coadjutors had previously made. The bill
might have passed. II is due to one Jackson
member, Mr.. Parker, of New Jersey, to state
that he did not appear to concur in the effort
He said, "the first Congress met at 10 or Ill
o'clock in the morning, and our time there
fore, don't end till tomorrow at 10 or ii o.
clock. He asked, did the gentlemen who
formed the committee of conference on the
part of the House, mean TO report?" He
was either not admitted To the secret, or
thought the purpose Of these leaders unwor-
thy of him. Another reason assigned for not
making the report was, that there was no
quorum. That there was quorum in the
Hall, no one has denied, so far as we have
seen-and the fact is undoubted. 1t was not
that they were not prcsent-but that they re-
fused to votc-or to transact any other busi-
ness. They were resolved to defeat the bill
When an effort was made to send q message
to inform the Senate that they had completed
their business, and were ready to adjourn,
Mr.. Parker Indignantly remarked, "How can
we pretend to say that we have concluded
the business before us? and how can we ad-
journ without passing the Fortfcation Bill.
This House has passed the bill. The Senate
made large addition to it. The House had
added another appropriation. The Senate
disagreed to it. A committee of conference
was appointed, and that committee haG re-
fused to report to this House. Shall we go
away and leave this bill, when there is an ap-
prehension Of war?"
Before the Senate is abused by Jackson
men, let Mr.. Parker be answered. He was
answered at the time by Mr.. Cambreleng, as
sertlng that there was no qnorum-and when
Mr.. Reed asserted that there was, MIR. Lewis
moved call of the House. Mr.. Cambre-
leng said, 81 protest against the right TO
call the House. What member will answer
to his name? am as much in favor Of the
Fortificaton Bill, as the gentleman from N.
Jersey-5ut | say that the responsibility for
Its failure, rests upon the Senate, and not up
on us the bill was defeated by the Senate"
This was little too much for the patience
and forbearance of the House, and cries Of
no-no-resounded from every part of it,
But it did not shame the chairman of the
committee. lie was still pursuing the same
purpose as when the bill first came from the
Senate. He accomplished his object in de-
feating the bill-though surely not in throw
ing the blame on the Senate.
But upon what principle is it, that chair-
man of committee, while the speaker is in
the chair, and members in their seats, shall
refuse to make report-shall take upon him.
self to decide that there is no quorum, or that
the constitutional hour had passed? Who
vested this authority in him? The assump-
ton is fitted to the pretence. He ought to
have reported-at least, he ought to have in
formed the House that he had report to-
make. He did not do even this until forced
by the movements of others. He ought to
have left it to the House itself, to supply by
its authority the attendance Of a quorum, if
there was not one. He ought to have left IL
to the House to decide whether it was in fact
dissolved, or still constitutionally existed
BY Withholding the report, he virtually as
sumed the powers Of the whole House.
Was all this done of his own mere motion?
Or had he other Influences acting upon him,
when he assumed the tremendous RESPONSE
billty-thus to shun hrs own duty to the
House, thus to defeat most important B,ea-
sure, and leave the country in its defenceless
position. The hatred Of party fcelng-thc
devotion to power, is sometimes stronger than
love of country. and its best interests. The
manner in which the chairman was sustained
by his political friends, is ample evidence that
they understood, and concurred with him: and
the inquiry Of the public will not be gu'eted
until more is known on this point. We state
the facts which we have seen elsewhere sta
ted-which we believe-and which others
will believe, until they are drproved. They
are these. The Senate had rejected, while
in secret session, one or two invoritc Domi-
nations of the President. The Senate had
also refused to put three millions Of dollars in
his banas 10 be used ai his discrefon. He was
offended, and cf, the Cdpiioi--annonncingt to