Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1839-12-13
their claims, why then ask advice of the


Congress. He had the power to pass over
a member, dlsfrapchse sta'e-simply be-
cause his seat was disputed. What an
enormous precedent was this for the set
Element Of similar contests in future.
The discussion was prolonged until the
hour of ad joutnment, at four o'clock, which
took place without any action bang taken
on the several propositions before the
House.
There is every reason TO believe that
several days will be consumed in carrying
on talk upon The subject. It's paramount
interest has thrown the question of the
speakeIshlp for the time, into the shade,
The Senate exhibited remarkable con
trast to the House to-day. every thing in
II being carried on in Qnletness and order.
/ Iblriy.slX Senators were present. The
only proceedings of interest were swearing
IN Of Messrs Belts of Connecticut, White
Of Tennessee, and Tappan Of Ohio. The
other business was simply in the why OF
organization, aad the Senate adjourned at
an early hour.
Most Thursday, Wednesday andTburs.
day were spen, in debating Ibis question,
without any other result than leaving the
matter in worse confusion than they found
it Monday We cannot of course attempt
to follow the discussion in all its tortuous
windlngs. The debate took wide vange.
and was prosecuted with considerable
spirit, though in a rather commendabe
tone. It was late on Thursday, when
Mr.. Adams rose and said
Fellow citizens, and members elect Of
the 26th Congress- address myself to
Won, and not TO the Clerk in the chair
under painful sense of my own duty. The
clerk in the performance Of an official duty
assigned to him by the laws and the con-
s'itutlon of the United States. commenced
reading The roll Of the members here as
sembed for the purpose Of constituting the
House Of Representatives Of the Goth Con-
gress After calling the roll, commencing
with the State of Maine, until he came to
the State Of New Jersey, and the mem.
bers whose names had been called, having
answered. ascertainng their presence here,
he paused, after calling one Of the names
from New Jersey, and stated 10 the house
that Of the five other members from that
state, the seats were contested that he,
deeming himself not authorized 10 dec ide
which of the two parties of five members
were entitled to seats. must refer the mat.
ter 10 the decision of the House, he again
} in the discharge of solemn duty, declared
he could put no question until the house
was organized.
Now fellow cit zens, am reduced to
| bp pF IN
Clerk has said that he will not proceed in
the call, according to established usage
and custom. He has referred he question
to majority of the house, and then he re-
fuses to put TO this body that or any other
question, with the exception that. upon
further consideration, and having in the
interim consulted the constitution of the
United States, he discovered Yesterday
that he might put the question of adjourn
: ment. He, therefore. put it but he gave
notice that he should put 10 other ques ion
, Fellow citizens, in what a predlcament
f are we thus placed We are fixed as
firmly andlas lmmoyeably as thes eIcolumns
around the house. We can neither 90 for
ward nor back ward, and the clerk tells us
that will persist in both the decisions he
has made. What then is our position !?
have waited here four days, for we are
now dra wing TO he conclusion of the fourth
day, with fixed determination not to en-
ter into this controversy. |. was my in
tenion not to have said one word on the
subject. At the last session of the last
Congress, foreseelng that the very case
which has now occurred would arise, |
offered resolution with the design of
,h I.
, not the pleasure Of the House to consider
it and, therefore, as well as for other
reasons, determined to say nothing and
should have persisted in that determine
ton ii | had not seen that, under these
two decisions of the Clerk it would be i'm
pos> e-nay, that the House might meet
and stey here till doomsday, and not be able
to organize. This is our position. Now
1t seems to me n very extraordinary state
of things. Here is a body of men assem-.
bled to represent the people, and a more
foil and complete representation of the
people Of the United States never did as
scmbe, and, probably, never will again
within these walls. Here we are, and q $
n final iDducement for me to address This
House. here we are also under the ipiunc
ton of solemn duties.
! The Clerk told us he acted under the
convict ion of duty, copcede the point.
He has acted and he has pronounced his
two decisions under the conviction of
solemn du'y. do no, question even whe,
ther that sense Of duty was correctly
applied in his two decisions, but | say that
ace are placed in position, and that zoe
have soIemnduies too.
' What is the first , To organize to
} organize in some form or other, II there
is difficulty in relation to any portion of us
we must do what Mr. Jefferson said was
don, when Lord Dunmore dissolved the
Legis 'alure of Virginia on a sudden
What did they do ? They adjourned to
favprn lhnv cnnsi I'M ed hem alucS n Con.