Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-05-12

asnos in ,hs courts Of our country should not hold
office but by the Constitution OF the u 81 the quail
fcations of President and Members of Congress are
fixed. -,
In the last clause of the 18th amended article, It was
declared that sno person consttutonay ineligible to
the Office Of President shall be eligible TO that oil ice
President of the United States w hat was the mean
ing of constitutional eligibility: Could Congress SUI
pe1add to the Constitution of the United States, save
bv two.thirds? Could it superadd disqualification
which the Constitution did not contain: Suppose MIR.
Swartwout had returned from Europe-suppose that
the laws of the United States had rendered his acts
felony and that he had been tried convicted ana pun
shed suppose the People should thlnk proper 10 eject
him Vice President or even President would the gen.
,eran's law fpassed by Congress, hinder swartwou'
from taking his seat: No; he would hold mp the Con-
stitution and say, this desgnaes my ehsiD'ilty ana
your law is a nudity; and would every tribunal III
the land declare He (Mr r. contended that tins was
not q constitutional provision, uieSs ue Soi'''''
declared the inability.
MIR r. after urpinp one two more objections, not
of constitutional character, SAID that he opposed The
bill because gave improper power |" tne hNecu''e
arm of this country-a power gwen IN no o.her cou"-
try If such enormous power were required 10 Collect
dnties il would be infinitely better that this whole sys
TEN should be abandoned He believed the great fault
of the Constitution was, that il gave the Government
this power of indirect taxation by duties ne oeeved
should have proper and ehectual responsibility
in the Government until we came back TO system OF
direct taxation Whenever that time came, we should
find no cause to complain OF Executive ABUSES III Tue
expenditure of the public monss
The committee then rose and reported progress Oh
the BILL in order 10 enable the House TO take up and
consider the amendments made by the SENATE 10 'iie
General Appropriation Bill.
The two first, which were merely formal, were con-
CURED in. The third amendment proposed 10 strike
out the item appropriatng Sio,ooo Tor Inc Doculheh
tary History of the American Revolution
MIR ATIIERTON moved that the House concur with
a., in tbo
and critical examination of the contract and the law
under which it had been made, and urged the concur
renee of the House in the amendment, with we" 10
have an inquiry instituted into all the circumstances OF
the case so that the House act Understandings
Mr. EVANS spoke in reply, referring to former DIS
cussrons in the House of this subject and conendns
that Congress was bound by the contract, and must
fulfil it, He considered the objections advanced by
Mr. Atherton involving the integrity OF Congress
and the capacity and knowledge of the late Mr. Ii
WINSTON with whom the contract made,) and re-
peled with warmth the charge that Messrs Clarke ana
Force had been guilty of any fraud or improperly
whatever. He went into recapitulation OF the whole
matter from the beg inning: insisted that the contractors
had fully complied with their engagement; stated that
the work had been printed and delivered and received
at the Departments and demonstrated with earnestness
against the proposed refusal to appropriate money TO
pay for it, He had objection to committee oil m
curry, if gentlemen thought il expedent' but, IN
the meanwhile, there was no reason why the sum
the opinions of Mr. Livingston on the work, ana scout
ed the idea advanced BIZ Mr.. ATmERTnS that it was
useless and would never be read He adrerted to the
vast expense incurred by other nations IN illustrating
their pas, history and the honorS and profits conferred
on those who collected and preserved the monuments
of that history for poscriiy. The present work was
limited in It's extent worth more by far than all ITS
cost and would he an invaluable contribution 10 the
libraries Of orr public literary and political institutions
Mr.. E. demonstrated against the cruelty, injustice,
and oppression ofatemptng TO coerce the enterprlsng
and industrious contractors for this work, by keeping
them out of their Just dues until they might, from EN-
barrassments be induced to renquish their contract
The work honor TO the country, to Congress, TO
the Secretary of State, and to the contractors them
selves; and he reoced in lending his efforts to lis con-
tinuancc and completion.
MIR SALTONSTALL followed the same side,
insisted on the sacred obligation of acknowledged
contract and the duty of the Government to comply
with it, and dwelling on the peculiar advantage oil tins
Republic over other nations III ITS beng able thus TO
secure the original monuments of its history. He
went into an enumeration Of the sub to be embraced
in the work insisting It's great value, and the mpos.
sibility of It's publication unless under Governmental
patronage.
Mr. PETRlKIN demonstrated against stopping the
appropriation bill, and with il all the wheels OF Go.
yernment TO provide for work which lie considered
as Of doubtful utility. He thought this was not the
proper time TO 90 into extended discussion on such
matter, and he concluded by moving the previous
question
Mr. HUBBARD moved call Of the House.
Mr. PETRIKIN demanded the yeas and nays; which
ordered
Mr. BARNARD moved to adjourn-but the House
refused the motion
The question was then put calling the House, and
decided as follows Yeas 80, nays 30.
There being tie,
The CHAIR voted in the affirmative; so call was
ordered The House was then called. 100 gentlemen
responded to their names the absentees were called;
1872 then answered; and the doors of the House beng
closed the call proceeded.
Mr. BOYD moved to suspend the call, and the mo.
ton prevailed SO the doors opened, and the call
suspended.
The question recurring Mr. Petrkns call tor the
previous question, il was seconded, put and carried;
and the main question being on concurrng with The
Senate in their proposed amendment Of the aPpropr'a,
ton BILL Striking out the appropriation for Clarke ana
Forces Documentary History of the ned states It
was decided by yeas and nays as follows: cas- 49,
nays Is
So the House concurred in The Senate amendment,
and this important and muchdesrcd bill now waits only
for the Presidents signature to become law
Mr.. w. COST JOHNSON presenteda request otthe
Convention on National Education, now met IN this
city, for the use of the Hall Saturday evening next
which was granted
The h 10 prevent frauds in the collection OF the re-
venue was made the special order for tomorrow