Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-01-21

not be within the competency of the committee to repo
it. but it seemed to him to be within the ooects
which it was constituted They supposed IT was with
the province of the committee TO bring III such rule
and orders as would facilitate the transaction OF put
lie business and prevent disorder, which too often oe
| Cured there He considered that one OF the oes
means to effect that object would be TO take away In
. desks before the seats of members. The comnlltte
thought that the members too comfortable here
do the business of their constituents We cannot con
fine the gentlemen who wished to speak to one houi
| as was proposed by the gentleman from New lorh
| MIR Clark on yesterday, and they had set up n
hour glass nor had they the water glass of more an
Gent times, by which to measure the speeches OF IN
members. He thought it better to make the seats
members as uncomfortable possible, and they wou
the sooner rid themselves of the ediosness OF aenhe
nv yacatinq them AS it was now, the Speaker 1nigh
look round to see if members not tired of so lon
debate and he found almost as many members IN thei
places at the conclusion he drd at the commence
ment Remove the desks, and adopt benches, and tn
countenances of members would soon ihucate 70 INC
speaker that il was time for HIM TO STOP
| Mr. n referred to the mode in the House OF Com
mons where they have benches, as precedent to 60
vcrn the House of Representatives,. In mat oooy h'
said where there SIX or seven hundrea mcmoers
tboy did moi occupy much time as they dd III
thai Honse which he attributed solely to the uncom
Portable manner in the arrangement OF seats. ne
lhouu it much better to compel members to write az
their letters and resolutions at home ana come thefe
with their propositions ana business cut ana W
DIV for the action of the House. On score OF econo
INV he thought it best to remove the desks; that II
would exneJt the public business more than any other
rule which could be adopted.
| Mr. RANKS did not rise to make speech on the
Question before the House He happened not to be
nj the session of the committee when tins par
t;cor nroposton was agreed to-; but had he been pre-
sent he should have opposed it there he would here
| He concurred with the gentleman from Massachu
sets that this proposition was not within the province
of the committee 1t did not 60 TO amend the rules
nor did il make new one But what was the intend
ed effect of the proposition The gentleman from
New York said that il would force members to be less
prox in their speeches, by removing the convenences
which enabled the listeners to prevent cnnui and wea
riness during the delivery of long speech
But what are gentlemen to do when they want 10
write amendments to bills pending before the House
or how they TO keep themselves informed OF the de-
tail of public business when they have no means OF
keeping and referring to the documents printed foi
their use: Would the gentleman have the members Of
this House rushing to the Clerk table every time they
wanted to write an amendment or refer to document
Did he not see the confusion and disorder that would
thereby ensue, But the gentleman introduced the prac
tce in the British Parliament, which he highly extolled
and recommended for our adoption. ] am, sir, Amer
can in all my feelings and do not want to 60 to the Br
fish Parliament for an example Our practice in thin
respect has been tried for number of years. and has
been highly beneficial. II was remarkable fact, that
the plan now proposed By the gentleman, tried oI
long time in the Virginia Legislature; bat finding the
inconvenience and disorder resulting from the mem
bcrs having no place to write their amendments, that
body caused their Hall be furnished with desks MIR
B. hoped the resolution would not be adopted, and
moved the previous question on it.
Mr. LEWIS WILLIAMS said if it was in order he
would move to lay the resolution on the table.
Mr. HOLMES said the Chair had decided that il
was not in order to introduce it into the rules, did
not come under the rules Of the House, within the
province Of the Committee the Rules. If such was
his decision motion to lie on the table was not
sary.
The CHAIR said that not the motion he decd-
ed TO be ont of order.
Mr. ADAMS said he made the objection, because il
was not in order for the committee to introduce the
solution and understood the Speaker TO decide that il
was not in order
The SPEAKER said he did not decide upon tla,
point but he decided that the motion OF the gentle.
man from New York (NIr Hoffman, to admit the dis.
trct attorney into the Hall not in order at the time
he made it. AS the gentleman, however, made the OBJ
lection, the Chair decided that the resolution was in
order.
Mr. BANKS had no doubt that the decision was cor.
rect for the Chair decided on questions OF order and
not consistency.
Mr.. LEWIS WILLIAMS said as the Chair decides
that the resolution was in order he would inquire who
Their it is in order to move to lay il on the table.
The CHAIR was Of opinion that, as the resolution
separate proposition, 1t was IN order 10 move
Law il on the table
Mr.. l.. WILLIAMS then moved to lay on the table
that particular resolution.
The question then taken on laying 1t on the Ia
| BILE and decided in the afhrmatve-ayes I'D, nays ~
Mr.. COLES said he believed II was now III order 10
him TO move an amendment the oit and 18th rules
| and he would therefore submit the following, which hi
hoped would receive the favorable consideration of TIL
| House:
"All petitions, memorials, and papers touching tl
abolition Of slavery the buying, selling, or trans
errng Of slaves in any State, District Territory
the United States, shall, upon their presentation b.
laid on the table, without being debated, printed, read
or referred and further action whateyer shall be hat
thereon.
Mr.. ADAMS said he had substitute which h
would offer for the motion Of the gentleman iron
Virginia
The SPEAKER would inform the gentlemen that
was not in order to submit their motions, because Their
were other amendments to the rules proposed by
member of the committee, mir. Banks,l with its ap
probation.
Mr. BANKS observed that he would waive the con
sideration of his amendments for the present. II
was not anxious about them, though he would like
have some Of them considered at more favorable op
portunity.
The SPEAKER said, that being the case the gen
tleman from Virginia MR. Coles] had the floor, an
it would be in order then for him to offer his amend
ment.
Mr. Coles resolution was then read; after which,
4 Mr. c. observed that, the proposition contained i
it had been already adopted this session, by tn
House, he should think, from the service it had jus
performed it ought to be entitled to kind reception
That resolution, he said, almost literal copy G
the one passed at the second session of the Twenty
fourth Congress, and Familiarity known as Mr. Patton
resolution. There was no material difference betwce
the two He would not detaln the House by sayin
any thing more on the subject, but as he had som
weeks ago proposed to the House measure of a SIM
lar character which not then received, brief ex
PLANTATION would be necessary 1t was known to tn
House that the subject ofAboton petitions had crea
ted much disturbance here, we'll as throughout tn
country. 1t was believed, that there had not been
dozen members here, who wonld have voted to gran
the prayers of these petitions But day after day, wee
after week, and month after month"; the subject involve
in them had been debated on that floor, not only OF
structing the business of the House, and denying jus
tce TO other petitioners but creating excitement ea
louses and heart-burnings throughout the country
Surely, Sir, we can prevent the mschiefs that thes
petitions are calculated to produce.
If we cannot prevent them from coming into tn
House. we can least get the difficulties in whc
the conflicting views of members with regard to ther
have accustomed. Some gentlemen think that the
he think ahopld