Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1835-02-02
23d Congress-2d Session.
HOUSE OF REPRESEN
WEDNESDAY. JANUARY 81 1879


Mr. J. q. ADAMS rose and sa,d tia, h. W..
DESTROYS of addressing question to the Char.
man OF the Committee on Foreign Relations pre-
hm'hary 10 which he must request the Chair 10 in
'ofm MN who was the present Chairman Of that
Committee.
Mr.. CAMBRELENC; said he would rep,y
to the question, that he was the Chairman of
he Committee of Foreign Relations having
been placed in that station by the votes Of The Com.
mittec.
Mr.. ADAMS resumed It appeared he said
from the answer given, that principle had
been introduced into the House in regard TO the Or
ganz,,'ior of The Committees. He felt much EN-.
oarrassment as 10 the manner Of presenting the
question to the House ; AM he had, therefore, ad
dressed it 10 thr Char, the usual authority in
| Ill cuscs concerning the Journals of the House.
which wece IN charge Of the Speaker BY The u
sage OF the House, the person Fl st named on The
Committee by the Speaker, considered ca oG.
clio, us Chauu,an Of The Committee, with the IT,
served power the House of slectng al Chairman
u they thought proper That power Of eec,io g n
Chairman was, however never exercised or, IT 1t
was,t was only on rare & extraordinary "cc Sims
lie understood this to he the general usage. The
person thus named is, er o6ieio. Chairman Of the
Committee and, in the event of he absence or
resignation of the person thus constituted Chair
man. the individual next named was considered us
the Chairman.
He found that, in deroga;on Of this usage, the
Committee of Foreign Relations had thought pro.
per to elect Chairman OF their own and thereby
displace from the station his honorable friend and
colleague, (Mr. K. EvERErr) If this had taken
place in regard to the most unlmportant Committee
of the House, he should have thought i. proper to
notice it. But it became doubly important when il
occurred in regard to Comm t,ec which in the
present state Of our foreign relations, was under
high respons bny TO The House and to the ma.
uan.
Here the SPEAKER interrupted Mr.. A., re-
markin, that he could not proceed without the
sent of the House.
No objection being made, Mr.. ADAMS resumed
stated, Mr.. Speaker sad he, that, under these
circumstances, felt some embarrassment, at the
moment, as to the manner of bringing the subjec CT
TO the notice of the House. The main point 10
which he Wished TO draw the attention Of the House
was This that here was Chairman Of mos, I'M
portant Committee of the House, acting as Chair
man Of that Committee, and the House know
ing nothing Of H. According 10 tho usage of the
House, every Committee and the name of every
member of Committee, stood on the records of the
House.
He looked, therefore, to the Journals Of the
House for information on this subject IL It urn
ed out that the Committee had elected Chairman,
he shcd the fact 10 be so stated II ught go on
the Journals that every individual might know
who is the Chairman. AS the gentleman from New
York had answered tina, he had been appointed
Chairman of the Committee. he would address
mother question to him. which he might answer or
not at his pleasure Was he elected by ma joriiy
Of the Committee
Mr. CAMBRELENG replied, that he had an
swered he genlleman's frs, inquiry before he was
aware that il was addressed to the Char. The
question now put, placed HIM in an unpleasant SIT
uation, and also placed the gentleman from Massa-
chuse,ts (Mr Z. EvERETT) in an awkward predc-
amcnt In the Committee, twas perfectly under
stood that nothing was to he secret. What they
had done they very willing the House should
know. At the bslloting for Chairman, neither
he nor the gentleman from Massachusetts, voted.
The gentleman received three votes and he received
four votes In accepting the station TO which nc
was thus chosen, he was so far from supposing
that he offered my indignity to his honorable
friend, the gentleman from Massachusetts, tha'
he was under the impression that he was not oes'-
rous Of holding a situation, under circumstances,
which from tho ncc,t feelings, had induced the
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. ARcHsR)o with
draw from it.
Mr.. ADAMS continued. 1t appeared that the
gentleman was elected, but by minority. Every
me mber Of the Committee was present, and the
gentleman received only four votes, minority oil
the Committee Whether the gentleman was pro-
nerly elected or not, he would not now question:
All he asked was that the fact should lie stated on
The journals of the House, tina, he was chosen as
the Chairman. fIc wished it also 10 be understood
thu, IN the manner in which he brought This Sub
iec befor, the House, he intended no. the sl'sh'es'
disrespec, to the gentleman from view ,o'k' 10,
- I'D and w 4
.proio,ed bv the Speaker as Chairman, he would
have been as well pleased to sre the Chn'rma" Of
the Comm;uce rs any other member Of the House.
Flo also believed lhst the election OF The gentleman
mad relieved his colleague from most unpleasant
and responsible situation. lie tho1sht II ne
sa..ar,, - l,jng the mater before the House,
because he had no, % .ersood it to have been
done according to any established usage Or P''"''-
pie. M.r,,, II !,
stated that the person frs. named 'c'' a. o"o"'