Litchfield enquirer., 1838-01-04

sible for not having read all these petitions, what measure of blame should be visited on the minority of the committee for not calling for their reading!
 Mir. A. called the gentleman to order.
 Mir. c. said he was ready to take his seat.
 Mir. Adams proceeded to reply to the gen. tleman from Md. (Mr. Howard.) He had not, he said, asserted that the proposition alluded to had been made; but that it was alleged to have been made; he referred to his course in relation to former controversies between this country and foreign governments; and ex- pressed his sincere regret, that on this occa- sion, for the first time, he was compelled to conclude that this government was in the wrong. He made some remarks in favor of the practice of deciding national controver- sies by arbitration, and referred to some in which this country had got full justice, as in the arbitration of the Emperor of Russia, by which gentlemen here got thousands of dol lars for their slaves. He thought the system of arbitration ought to be encouraged, and urged various considerations in its support. Mir. Dawson rose to call the attention of the House to the fact that the debates of this House had degeneratcd into personal and mu- tual abuse of each other, by the members of this house. It was with infinite modification that he had listened to the debates today and heretofore. Standing in the lobby this morn- I ing, he shrunk at the denunciations which were passed about here. It was time for gen. tlemen who were at the head of Committees to quit their system of personal attacks. He belonged to part of the country where per- sonal responsibility was acknowledged and no gentleman could hear the personal bick- erings going on here from day to day, with out supposing that the quarrels here would be settled in an honorable way. It is time that they were so settled, and to appeal to rules of order until personal responsibility was en- forced in this House. A stranger could not hear the debates here without supposing that the whole House was composed of" political scamps and vagabonds." The Underwriters and reporters who came to spread informal tion through the country, had nothing to com municate but vulgar, harsh personalities.
 He had risen only to ask the gentleman from Massachusetts to modify his motion, by striking out the words consider and report;" for, as member of the House, he could not make himself a party to the insinuaton a. gainst the Committee, which the instructions in its present form implied.
 After some further remarks from Messrs. Tillinghurst and Haynes Mir. Adams modifi- ed his motion, so as to omit the word con- sider."
 The motion of Mir. Adams to instruct the Committee to "report" was then rejected.
 The question being then on the motion to refer the memorial to the Committee on For eign Affairs, Mir. Adams went on to show that the Committee on Foreign Affairs have pre- judged the question on the memorial, and that this committee should not therefore have charge of the subject. He stated that the re- marks of the gentleman from Georgia MT. Dawson) were founded on proper spirit, and there was much truth in his remarks. He would abstain himself from personalities on all questions; but, in defence of the interests of the country, on this important question, he would expose every thing under ground and above ground when they could be avoided at whatever peril. No menace of personal responsibility or of assassination. should ev- CT deter him from discharging his duty here. He did mt come here 10 be personally re- I Sponsible 10 any one-nor dId he infeIld to incur any such responsibility. But he would maintain his own rights and discharge his own duties, at all hazards.
 Mr. Adams went to deny that the act of Ju- ly 23d, providing all appropriation for Min ister to Mexico, when Minister would be honorably sent to that government, amounted to an admission, on the part of this House, that the country had cause of war with Mex leo. No Minister was sent, but messenger was sent to demand satisfaction for all our grievances. That was an insult upon the Mexican government, and would so have been considered by any government in the world.
 After some further remarks from MT. A. the motion of Mir. Howard to refer the memorial to the Committee on Foreign Affairs was a. greed to; and the House adjourned. WASHINGTON, Dec. 27-2 PM NJ. | The Speaker laid before the House cer- tain papers from $. J. PreDtiss and l. D. Word, claiming their seats in Congress- The papers were accompanied by certificates of election from the Governor of Mississippi. The letter of the two members was read, as we'll as the certificate of the Governor of Mississippi.
 MT. Cambreleng, of New York, moved that the letter and certificate be referred to the Committee on Contested Elections.
 MT. Bell suggested that Mir. Cambreleng should give some reasons for making such u motion. He drew a parallel between the election of the members from Mississippi and the member from Arkansas, and said that the member from Arkansas had not resigned, but had reelection, and had been sworn at the opening of the present session of Con- gress. Why were not the members from Mississippi sworn also? The cases were precisely similar; and vet the member from Arkansas had been reelected, and claimed his seat upon new election.
 Mir. Yell, the member from Arkansas, re- piled to Mir. Bell, and remarked that he saw no parallel between this case and that of the member from Mississippi. Mir. Y., however, gave no reason for his opinion that the cases were not ofa parallel character, bu: said that he chose to be reelected, and had no doubt about his reelection. He did this in justice to the people of Arkansas. and if they had