Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1839-12-12
Saturday, Dee. Z, 1899.
IN SENATE

On motion, the Senate adjourned.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
At IL o'clock, the CHAIRMAN (Mr. Adams) called
the House to ORDER when the journal Of yesterday was
read; after which,
Mr.. DROMGOOLE suggested an amendment to the
journal, with regard to the declaration which he had
made on yesterday He had said that he would count
all the members from New Jersey who presented them
selves, unless otherwise directed by the House The
words by the House omitted i'll the statement on
the journal, and he moved that they be inserted.
Which motion put to the House. and agreed to.
Mr.. LINCOLN then suggested another amendment.
He wished to have stated the Journal, Immediately
after the amendment which had Just been made, the
precise decision which the Chair had made namely,
that those gentlemen from New Jersey who held the
certificate under the Constitution of the United States
and laws of New Jersey the members entitled to
vote.
Mr.. LINCOLN then moved that the dicision be en-
tered upon the journal in the words Of CalRNAS, now
delivered.
Mr.. DUNCAN had no objection to having the jour-
nal amended, if there any in it; but he OBJ
ectcd TO making journal now, which would decide
the very question of difficulty which we have been
contenlng about for days. The matter proposed to be
entered The journal the very matter which We
iad been contcnding about and he objected 10 any
such introduction upon the journal
Mr.. TlLLiNGHAST thought that the gentleman
from Ohio mistaken with regard to the motion.
The gentleman from Massachusetts, only wished to
nave entered upon me lonr1ii tne uec>ion Wnch le
CHAIE had made, in the words in which il was made at
the time.
Mr. DUNCAN said, if he was not mistaken, the
Clerk had written the decision of the Chair yes
tcrday, mme datcy its being made and presented It
the Chairman and asked if it correct; and the
Chair had agreed, at that time, that it correct.
Mr. SALTONSTALL appealed to the members pre-
sent to say il the statement by the Chair, few mo-
ments ago, not precise repetition of the decision
of the Chair yesterday, If 50, he til ouch. it but
u q, IL
way.
Mr. SMITH of Maine had distinctly understood the
Char, reply to the question Of the honorable gentle
man from Virginia, (Alr Dromgooc,) 10 decide that
"those gentlemen from New Jersey who had been
turned the House i'll accordance with the C0nstitu-
ton of the United States and the laws Of New Jersey
were entitled to vote upon the motion of the honorable
member from South Carolina; to lay upon the table the
resolution of the gentleman from Virginia (Alr. Wisc;)
and he should have felt bound to have voted sustain
that decision of the Chair, upon the appeal ,hcrcrom
made b. the gentleman from New York He concndcd
that the gentlemen who had been, by ma ority of the
people OF New Jersey elected represent them Com
gress, alone legally elected, both by the laws OF u
Jersey and the Constitution of the L. States and could
alone be legally returned to this House. and in accord
ance with the decision Of the Chair, he presumed that
the gentlemen they elected would vote. But when the
decision of the Char read by the Clerk, put by
him upon the records of the House, 'sthat those gentle
only who have the certificates of the Governor of
~
entitled to seats in the House, which decison as thus
recorded. he had observed the Clerk TO submit the
revision of the Chair before il read, and to which
he had understood the Chair to assent, he had fell;
bound to vote against such dcclsion-a decision setting
aside and prostrat;ng the ncstimable privilege
the free institutions of this country. He satisfied
that the record did conform to the decision of the
Chair frs, pr"mu gate h.,t 80" IN sir"'
with that which had been subsequently read IRON the
Clerk 5 desk, by authority of the Chair.
WISE had understood the dccISIOn OF the Char
on Yesterday to be as the Char had repeated it this
morning: and he presumed that the Chair had consider
cd the statement made by the Clerk the ,urnal al
that time as an abbrcviaton Of that decision; and
knowing that that not the tine 10 correct the Jour
nal and that when il read this morning, would BE-
the time 10 correct it, exception was taken 10 the entry
made BY the Clerk. This not the time to make Il
Journal to be sure, but this III" time TO correct II,
and to place the facts upon it they did occur He,
therefore, demanded that the journal might be so cor
rected as state the facts.
Mr. CUSHING said he understood the decision OF
the Chair 10 be as repeated this morning, and the
porter of the Globe bore him out in this opinion MIR.
c. here read the decision reported IN the Globe.
Mr. ATHERTON understood the Char to have de-
cdcd on Yesterday, that the persons entitled 10 vote,
were those who produced commissions according to the
Constitution of the t. 5 and the laws of New Jersey
but he had doubt that It the intention OF the
Chair identify the individuals who dad produce those
commissions, because, otherwise, he would have been
deciding nothing He understood the Chair, at that
time to refer the commission of Mr. Randolph, and
to those who had produced similar commissions to his,
as the persons who were entitled to vote.
Mr. TILLlNGHASr said it seemed to him that
every gentleman must agree that the decision of yester-
dav was precisely the of made by the Chair
this morning; and il seemed 10 him that the journal
ought state the precise words OF that DECISION III
seemed to him that this the very object OF the Jour-
nal and seemed to him that there ought to be no dIt-
fcuty about the matter.
TN - ,r1,. nunaU
to be difference of opinion with regard to the phrase,
olouy which shonld be spread on the record " all
gree and the Char confirms it to-day, that he dd m
tend TO decide, and actually does now decide, thai
Messrs AYcrgg, Yorke, &c., were entitled to vote;
and gentlemen wish TO spread on the record the rea-
sonins Of the Chair which caused that decision The
Chair and those who sustain him. wish to put on me
record the reasoning which induced hum TO make the
decision which he DID Now, he did not know whether
was customary for the Speaker the House TO spread
on the record the reasons for his decisions Ii so, he
had no objection to the present amendment and u this
was the practice Of the Speaker OF the House, ne
saw no for departing from the general course
Mr.. LINCOLN then submitted his amendment, in
writing, in the following form:
"Thr Chairman decided tina. those persons were en-
titled TO vote who had produced commissions from the
Governor from New Jersey, in conformity with the
Constitution OF the United States and the laws OF the
State of New Jersey
MIR. BRIGGS did not agree with the gentleman from
r.
Chair for his decision. This was the decision OF the
Chair, in his opinion and not his reasons.
Mr. BYNUM said he would state his recollection OF
the decision of the Chair He heard the Chair distinct
ly that those pe-son5 were entitled TO vote
who held commissions unner the Constitution and Laws
of New Jersey, but he had not heard word mentioned
from the Chair about the Constitution of the United
States He looked upon the whole of the decision as
usurpaton of the rights of the members of the House
and of the people of the country, and he was not now
tbn IN hp altered the
pose of sutnr the Interior designs of any set of ndl
viduals He wanted the Clerk to state positively what
did take place. and nothing else We have arrived al
most novel and extraordinary stage of proceedings,
and he called upon the Democracy of the House. not
TO permit themselves to be gullcd by the techncatcs
which gentlemen introduce here. He hoped that the
facts as thew occurred, would be stated the Journal
but he had no idea of having the record encumbered by
the additional amendment of the gentleman from Mas
sachuses render better excuse for the decision OF