Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1835-02-02

Maine from such course of remark as he had a
copied. Mr.. r had not reflected on the COMMITTEES
lie was fully nwarc that They possessed the SAM
lndcnendenf right Of judgment ss he dd, and 81
,aimed the same right with ttsm. Tie had no
eensured the Committee, reflected on their con
duct. He haJ sud, and he still thought, that The
election of a Chairman was measure onesi'el ioi
and unnecessary, that it was eacglaed to ihilie'
wound on the feelings Of the gentleman from Mas
ssshusetfs. and implied an unnered reflection up
on b m. The Committee however, had not thoue hi
SO.
AIR. ARCHER address the House, but as be-
fore, the FIRST part of his speech was not distinctly
heart lle was undfrs'ooi, however 10 say, that
the motion OF he gentleman ffum Massachusetts,,
(Mr ADAms,) touched The regularity of proceed
fngs, and the tights Of the House The question
was, whether certain individual was officially
known 10 the House as the Chnirmnn ofone of its
Committees. But IN parliamentary aeccpiai'on
neuher the individual members of Commit
lee. nor its Chairman, were, such, known TO the
House.
The whole COMMITTED collectively taken, constr
iu,cd IN view Of the House, single undivided OF
gan for the transaction Of particular kind OF busl.
ness Hence committees did not communicate with
the House exclusively through any Of their
member. Every days experience proved that
thy were in the habit of making reports 10
the House through other members as well as
their chairman A committee certainly pos
sessel the right of dlspiacing their chairman
and substituting another in his place or they
might, If they so thought fl, ssreo That their mem
hers should take the char 81 roai Tho House
could take no ronusenee OF what passed in the COM
mittec In this respect, unless the committee chose
10 inform Them of it, Gen lfnen wtro mistaken II
they supposed there were prccodfnts OF The flcc'
tion OF chairmon by committees ana IN Illustration
of this remark he referred IA The case OF the late
Mr. Randall, who had been di- placed 10y Speaker
Macon. as Chaifmano of tho Committcc Of Ways
md Mears, during the administration Of Mr..
Monroe md reelected by that COMMITTEE. If
the election in the Committee hnd been n fair one,
there was no question for the House TO decide lie
therefore trusted iha, his friend from Massachu
sets Mr. ADAMs) would consent 10 Withdraw his
motion. Mr. A. said thai he would mike ono re-
mark which he owed TO himself lest it nigh, be
snpnosed that he concurred ~ the idea thrown out
by The gentleman from Mains, that The chairman oi
n committee ought always 10 be an individual
holding Confidential sAatons 10 the Executive
Government lie could vie d.hls assent 10 no such
opinion. Every committee OF The House wns the
organ exclusively OF the House, and such 1t
owed no duty elsewhere. To assert the contrary
would be m intrusion on the independent character
OF the House. II was false usage ard although
he had himself resigned sub situation, IN Goa
sequence Of coming INTO political collision with the
Executive, be had done only because he knew
that such notion was prevalent in the country.
Mr. ADAMS said that he would readily comply
with the request Of his friend fem Virginia Mr.
ARCHERY aud withdraw his molion If 1t were I'M
ders.ood that the Committee on Foreign Analrs
would report &c the 4nuss who was its Chairman,
md how he Ind been elected bu, he should not
Withdraw his motion until he did know this lie
had commenced with asking that question, and II
had not yet been answered save by the Speaker, IN
placing the names OF the members in certain or
der. The gentleman from New York Mr.. CAM
BRrIENa) had informed the House that Jour mem
bers oet OF ninc--thc whole number OF tie Commit
toe-had voted for him thcn Chairman, and that
he was thus elected. That four constituted ma.
oriiy Of nine he Ind not learned yoi. However,
MN qosfrHm fantas oomponcre ines," he should
no, undertake 10 settle the question of olccon-but
he wished 10 have il settled. II the gentleman from
New York Nj. chMBReIgNe) was tho Chairman
of the COMMITTEES, and ifby the votes Oft minority
81 the Committee his friend and colleague from
Massac husctts MIR EvERErr) had been displaced,
he must request vote the House requiring that
fact to be placed upon their journal. lie hoped The
House would find ont who was the Charm N. MI
A. did not know ifho fa5 he would have insert
ed his name nj length IN the motion lie had stated
ika, his object in making the inquiry was 10 ask
question OF the Chairman Of that CoNmIee, and
this he could not do till he knew who II was II
was his purpose still, 50 soon the House knew
who he was lie should then ask him what the
Committee on Forci A lia'rs had been dong, on
the most important sutj ct which had been pre-
sonted 10 the notice of Congress during the present
session and when the House might expcc, are
port. He we:tcd 10 know 10 whom he must ad
dress himself and 10 learn this, his resort would Of
course be TO the journals of the House.
Hi frrnd from Virginia Mr. ARpnGR) seemed
10 think that every member ola committee was It's
Charm H. for all were in the habit Of making re-
ports TO the House. But how did this matter stand
IN the manual The very chapter and page, nay,
the very same sentence which declared that Com
mittee had powet to elect its own Chairman, de-
.clared also that the Cbsrman only was the organ
Of communication tctween the Committee and the
Heusc.
MIR ADAMS quoted Jeiltrson's Manual in support
of what he had advanced. The gentleman had
said that such was not the practice of this House,
Mr.. A. knew i, was nj. And what did that
proved Why, that the doctrine Of the Manual,
though ii might be law in England, did rot apply
10 US. And his had been one Of the grounds he
mad at first taken. II was no, The usage OF Com
mitlees Of this House to dsplace their Chormen;
and there were two strong objections TO such
practice first, tina, il implied, he would not say
insult but it certainly amounted TO censure, on
the md ydual displaced 1t bad practice,
and Ought 10 be resisted. Obsta prinojp,is."-
And for what reason tad it been resor!ed lol Be
cause the Chairman did not agree IN politics, aud
was not on terms Of conhdenual communication
with the Executive: Il was d'shoncreblc, it was
degfadlngl What! Must the Chairman OF every
Standing Committee in that body be IN close init