The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-01-22
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
SATURDAY, Jan. 10

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order was The motion of The gentleman from New
YORK TMr TayloIl which was penang al ihe ad-
iuurnment OF the House yesterday 'ha' ne DC
ed from serving as member OF lheseiee'
on the Swanwout deialcaiion
Mr. GRAY moved a call Of the House; which
was ordered. &c, ,n.rbe,s an.
sweTed 10 their names.
Their proceedings on the call be suspendedi "hich
motion was rejected, ~,
The names Of the abSentees were then caiieui
when there appeared 1876 members answering 10 their
names. :,
the call were dispensed with.
And the question curing on The motion oi Mr.
TAYLOR that he be excused from serving on me
said committee; long debate followed, 10 which
MeSsJs TAYLOR, Wise, Gray, Sbley, Prentiss
HAYNES, Mason, OF Ohio. w. Thompson, Bouldin,
T. Moore and Rice Garland participated.
When Mr.. PET RIKEN demanded the previous
question; which was seconded by the House.
And the main question, which was on excasing
Mr. TAYLOR, having been ordered 10 be now iaken,
Mr.. WISE demanded the yeas and nays, which
were ordered and being taken, resulted as follows ;
Yeas l02 Nays l02
The House being equally divided, the Speaker
exercised The right Of voting and voted in the aiiT-
alive making the yeas lO3.
So the request OF Mr.. TAYLOR 10 be excused from
serving on the committee was granted, and he was
excused accordingly.
Mr., w AOENEh now rose ana pitieIIeu q sum
lar request, accompanying II with some remarks,
which necessarily deferred.
Mr.. WISE commented ON the excuse OF Mr.
WAGNER. He said il amounted TO his he must
be excused because he had not been "a eaad'date'
for a place ON The committee. And what was the
committee A jury totry2 So the gentleman had
considered il: and SO Mr.. w. would look at Il for
moment though that a false view OF The case
Well: the House had refused to permit the SPEAKER
as sheriff to mpanne The jury but had itself elected
those who were 10 compose il and now The gentle
refused TO serve because he had not been can
ddate for the appointment. What must the House
place on jury, to try, no person bu' such as were
The chosen candidates Of the party 10 be tried
MIR. WAGeSER here explained; but ne explana-
on was not distinctly heard by the reporerl
Mr.. WISE replied The gentleman had said that
there were other gentlemen who rere candidates;
and il was true that one had declined rving as one
of the ellers expressly on the ground that he was
candidate.
Mr.. HAMER Does the gentleman allude to
MIR. WISE. Ibid
Mr. HAMER When did ever announce my
self as a candidate What said was, that under
stood that some gentlemen had voted for me- and,
therefore, it was proper that should serve as
Judge of election.
MIR WISE. The gentleman certainly did say
expressly that he was, or understood himself 10 be,
a candidate
Mr. HAMER Ibid use the word candidate, but
in the come ion have stated. The word is ordina-
ticket. or who are voted for in any election and in
the West such person can legally serve judge
Of election.
Nit WISE said the explanation did not vary the
statement ii was after the first ballot, and OF course
when plurality was sufficient 10 elect him. He
knew il had been said payfully; but the gentleman
from Pennsylvania, fMr. WAGNER use 1 the term
in serious earnest. But all this was taking him out
Of his track. The gentleman had said that he had
been candidate, while others were. Yes: no
doubt six out OF the nine would have been found TO
be E" candidates" had the Speaker had the appoint
ment Of the committee. But the gentleman took
false view Of the case The committee were not a
jury 10 try; nor were they batch of county court
lawyers, 10 meet in two separate rooms-oDe sci 10
draw up an indictment, and the other 10 find out
exceptions 10 il. They were neither committee of
advocates, nor jury TO try. No: they were the
grand jury of twenty-tour the jury 10 inquire; the
grand inquest of the country. And, in the compost
lion of such Jury, neither The riff Speaker nor
the sheriff House ought 10 be allowed TO select either
the friends of the accused only, the friends of The
commonwealth only, or al all He would refer the
gentleman from Pennsylvania to the practice of his
Keystone State: how was the grand Jury in that
State appointed By the wheel or BY ballot. But
what had the House TIL, day heard? A gentleman
from New York (Mr. Moore,) had risen in his place
and told the secret of their policy: yes Democrats
they profesSed 10 be, they were resolved that the
will OF an ascerlained admitted, undisputabe mao
ry OF the body should be defeated After, through
their official organ here preaching for weeks about
Useless debate and vexatous delays; now, after a
committee had been chosen by clear majority of
The House, they had consumed two entire days in
warning, by every conceivable device and evasion,
against the expressed will of majority. They were
nobly carrying out The example OF the illustrious
predecessor" of the present Chief Magistrate, who
had denounced all committees OF inquiry as worse
Than Spanish InquSition" They were going on
this doctrine, that a committee OF inquiry was a COM
mee to mpeach. Let them carry out their plan:
and let the committee consist of all Wings ii they
would have il 50 still, if il should turn out that the
Secretary must be impeached, they would try the
impeachment before the geneman's own Senate, in
the face Of their redoubled majority there.
Mr. w said he had no, himself been ga candi-
date" for place on this committee. If his own
feelings, and his express request 10 his friends had
been regarded, he should gladly have been excused
The gentleman from New York had assigned him
the place, and given him the title of prosecutor. Let
the party dub him prosecutor, if they would At all
events he should not show himself such sort Of
prosecutor some Of those whom the Speaker had
placed on former committee OF inquiry.
Mr.. JENlFER here addressed The House with
much animation.
Mr.. BYNUM addressed the House at conSdera-
bic len2 h. as well as with considerable warmth
lin The course of his speech, Mr.. Bynum spoke OF
the certainty that the Secretary would be blackened
IN reputation by the committee
Mr.. WISE demanded explanation; and whether
he meant TO say that the committee would intention
ally misrepresent what was true, or say what was
not true? and whether Mr. W., as one of the mem
beTs, had ever done, or would do so
MIR. BYNUM said were he not disposed, Of his
own accord, 10 do all that fair, he should dis
dain 10 answer Tie inquiry; but he was determined
10 look al the country, and TO look at his party He
had nothing to do with the gentleman from Virginia
as an individual lie should scorn 10 answer any
question which required him 10 select that gentle
man, or any other, from the rest of the committee
There were some gentlemen on the committee for
v HON he had the highest respect but demand of
the kind which had been made would of itself pre-
vent his expressing any opinion of Individuals
Mr.. WISE still insisted. The gentleman had
made some exceptions. Did he mean to designate
him y
Mr. q said IL lie crnnllnnnnn n.i.h al l., -, ..0.