Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1839-12-16
SPEECH OF J. @. ADAMS.


to the clerk in the chair, under painful o.
E my own duty The clerk, in the performance Of
an official duty assigned to him by the laws and
the constitution Of the United Stutes commenced
reading the roll Of the members here assembled,
for the purpose cfconslitutng the house of rep
resenlatives Of the 26th Congress. After calling
the roll, commencing with the state Maine, until
he came TO the state Of New Jersey, and the MEM
, bers whose names had been called having answer.
ed, asceraiaing their presence here he pause, al
ter calling one OF the names Of the members from
New Jersey, and stated TO the house tint Of the five
other members from that state the seats were
tested that l,e, deeming himself not authorised to
, decide which of the two parties Of five members
were entitled 10 seats, refer the matter to the
decision ofthc house and then Immediately or
shortly afterwards, question arising upon pro-
position being presented l. the house, he again in
The discharge of n solemn duty, declared thnt he
could put no question until The house was organ-
Zed.
i Now, fellow citizens am reduced to the ne
cessity ofappeaIing to you. The clerk has said
that he will not proceed in the CALL according to
established usage aud custom. tie has referred
the question 10 n majority of the house, and ihcn
he refuses to put to this body that or any other
question, with tho exception that upon further
consideration. and having IN The Interim consulted
the constitution Of the United Stntes, lie discover
Ell yesterday that he might put the question OF
! adjournment. lie therefore put il; hut lie gave
Follow citizens, M what predicament are we
thus placed? We are fixed MS firmly and inn
moveably as these columns around the house,
We eau neither 60 forward nor backward and
the clerk tells tls that he will persist in both the
decisions lie has made. What then is our posi- |
ton? have waited here four days (for we are
now drawing TO the conclusion OF the fourth day.
wilh.a fixed determination not TO enter into this
controversy. it was my mtenlion not TO have
said one word on this question. At the last
SION OF the hast Congress, foreseeng hat the very
case which Inns now occurred weald arise, offer.
ell q resolution with the design OF preventing such
nm occurrence. 1t was not ri,e pleasure Of the
house TO consider il and, iherefre, well MS for
ether reasons (among which is the difficulty Of
making myself heard, under which | have labor
ed siuce the commencement OF this SESSION. de-
iermlned TO say nothing; and should have per-
sisted in that determination if | had not that,
un'er these two decisions ofthe clerk, it would
he impossible nay, that the house might meet
and stay here until doomsday, and not I've able to
organize. This is orr position. Now, it seems
to nea very extraordinary state Of things Here
is body OF men assembled 20 represent the PEG.
pie, and n more full aud complete representation
OF The people of the Uniteil Stiies never did as.
seinble AID, probably, never wil again, within
these walls Here weare, aud, NJ final induce.
hent to rae 10 address thB house, here al.
so under the injunction of solemn duties.
The Clerk told us that he acted under The con-
victton of duty ] concede the point He has
acted and he has pronounced his two decisions
underline conviction OF solemn duty. do not
question even whether that sense Of duty was cor
irectly applied in his Two decisions, but say that
zoe placed in position, aud that ice have sol
etnn duties too.
What is the first? To organize--to organize
in some form other. iftere is difficulty in re-
lation to any portion OF us, we must do what Mr.
Jefferson says was done when Lord DLnmore
dissolved The Legislature of Virginia on sudden
What did they do? They adjourned to tavern
they constituted themselves convention, and
they acted MS the Legislature Of the State or Col
ony. They actually, instead of being assem-
bied in the place from which Ike act of the Cow
erIor had excluded them, AL CURSED to another
place, formed themselves into u convention, and
here acted in the name of the state. This was
irregular. Well, think that on the 4ili day 0fthe
session OF the 20,h Congress TINT is be- il we can
ever get organized, it is rather late 10 make ojec
lions on the score OF rregularity. address my
self you, therefore. call upon you, in the name
OF the People, to organize; for you have not only
duties 10 perform, but you are under high res
possibility TO the People TO perform, that duty.
Organize. When you have done That, you can
undoubtedly take aqnestion as heretofore.
now callupor the whole house to discharge
that duty, and, in the discharge OF my duty most
reluctantly performed, call upon the majority
that majority which has the power-to organize
the house. Fellow citIZens we have been recent
" told, in the oifcialergan OF the present Admin
islratlon that there majority in this house
without the members of New Jersey or counting
them as adverse, devoted TO the Administrations
And not only has the official organ stated this fact
nut II has gwen the precise number OF that ma
jority as one hundred and twenty one members,
and every one Of them here. Que hundred ind
twenty one! Now, call nPon them, III the name
other coantry-i will net say in the name ofthe
Administration, for ! have right to speak Ia
their nnme-but l call upon that majority, in the
~
is the interest and policy of their country, 70 Or
ganize: and offer to this assembly the following
resolution--a resolution which lies upon The table
ofyOur clerk, but which, like many others, is there
i'll the limbo of vanity and the paradise of fools
because The clerk has repeatedly said that he will
not put the question.
member, friend OF mine from Kentucky,
(Mr Underwood,) liais morning offered another
resolution, and there are number on the table
which may 60 to the end of time and lie OH the
table for the clerk says he will not PUT the ques
ton on my one ofiiiem. We cannot control the
clerk-he is here despot. So he has acted and
so he will act, unless you by the native power
which you possess from the people of the United
States, set aside all his decisions, aud act for your
selves.
This resoi uaion, of which there is copy on
the table, was offered yesterday or the day before
by the gentleman from Kentucky, (Mr Graves -
multitude ofresolutons have been offered since,
but they all went into The same position. 1t is in
the following words:
Resolved, That The Acting Clerk of this house
shall proceed with the call Of the members from
HE different states ofthe Union in the usual way,
calling the Of such members from New
Jersey as hold the regular and legal commissions
from the Executive of that state.
After reading the resolution, MIR. A proceeded
TO remark "I'he Acting Clerk shall proceed in
the usual way that is TO sny, he shall do what,
had ii not been for peculiar circumstances, it
would have been his duty TO do.
Mr.. Graves lby permission Of Mr. Adams, who
yielded The floor for the moment) indicated TO Mr..
A. that some modification of the resolution seem
ed now to be required. Mr.. G. had understood
from a conversation with n member of the house,
MI AnnIh ilnI