Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1835-01-23

Saking the regular routine OF business, iounI IT.
self engaged in debate, which so far as con-
Germs the public, was of no little moment, and, so
far as it was only personal or particular, was yet
sufficiently piqHam to interest the hearers more
than ordinarily.
Mr. Adams opened the debate by statement
Of facts, as he understood them; which, as con-
firmed and enlarged by those who followed in
debate, were substantially as follows. On the
resignation Of Nh Wayne, who was Chairman
Of the Committee of Foreign relations Mr..
Camberling of New York was appointed to fill
the vacancy in the Committee occasioned by his
retirement On the committees next meet
ing, a motion was made by Mr.. Jarvis OF
Maine, one Of the members thereof, not consl-
dering Mr. Everett Qhe next in order to Mr..
Wayne on the committec) as chairman, to pro-
coed to the election of a chairman to the com
mittee. and an election was held. All the MEM
bers being present. they balloued with the fol-
lowing result Mr. Everett. acting Chairman,
not voting:] For Mr.. Cambreleng four votes;
for MIR. Everett three; for another Member
one. No choice being made at this bal
loting, a second was held at which the votes
were for Mr.. Cambrelehg four; for MIR.
Everett g. and Mr. Cambreleng, having ma
jority Of all the votes given, was declared to be
elected, and is now acting as Chairman of the
ceeding, Mr.. declared 10 be contrary to
usage, which recognized the first named men,
Der of Committee as its Chairman, and the
other members as entitled to preside in the or
der in which they were named. Mr. A. also
considered this election as unusual, because the
gentleman now understood 10 be acting as
Chairman, had been placed in that position by
the votes of minority Of the Committee, Chat
is, by four out of nine) In the British Parlia-
mentary practice, as quoted by Mr.. jefferson in
his Manual, it is indeed stated that " The person
g first named is generally permitted to act as
" Chairman: but this is matter Of courtesy, eve
cry Committee having right to elect their own
I" Chairman" &C. What was courtesy there,
had, however, certainly become usage here,
and was the established law of practice in this
House. Under this usage the Committee ofthe
House had been so constituted that Mr.. Ever
EFT became Chairman by the occurrence of the
fact Of Mr.. Wayne's resignation. The object
of MIR. Adams was not, however, to move to set
aside this election, however incorrect he thought
il, but to make the records of the House cor
respond to the fact: and he therefore moved, in
substance, that the name Of the Chairman Of
the Committee Of Ways and Means be entered
Of record on the Journal Of the House, which,
at present does not conform to the fact.
This was motion upon which debate took
place. which wandered occasionally pretty far
from the merits of the particular question, into
questions Of greater moment bearing upon the
state of our foreign relations with France. The
generally acknowledged; but it was no less ge
neralIy admitted to be contrary to the practice
of the House. and only justified, by those who
approved of it in this case, on the ground that
the Chairman of the Committee Of Foreign Re-
lations ought to be person who held conhden-
dental political relations to the Executive for
the time beng-a doctrine, on the other hand,
utterly denied. The debate resulted, after con-
suming the whole Of the days sitting, in lay
ing the motion of Mr.. Adams on the table, by a
majority of twelve votes.
What will be most interesting to our readers,
however, in this connection, will be the facts con-
corning the proceedings of the committee, up
on the Presidents recommendation OF Reprl
sails against France, which came out in the
course ofthe Debate. They were substantially
as follows: Before the withdrawal ofMr. Wayne,
a question had been taken on concurring in the
Presidents recommendation, and determined
against it. A majority ofthe committee are still
opposed to that measure; indeed it was declared |
by the acting Chairman that he did not believe
that single member Of the committee was in
favor of now Tesorting to the measure OF Repri |
sails. The committee, however, have voted down
a proposition to make a declaratory report: |
one portion Of the committee entertaining the |
opinion that when proposition is specially re-
ferred to committee, il is their duty to report up
on III in one way or other-but the majority enter |
tanning the opinion, as declared in the debate,
that as the committee were determined to do
nothing, they ought to say nothing. In this po-
,ition the Presidents recommendation OF contin-
gent Reprsals against France now appears to
stand in The Foreign Relations commute of the
House Of Representatives-Ndt. Int.