Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1841-06-05
CONGRESS or TuEUNIrED STATES.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
TUESDAY,.


The Speaker announced the unfinished bushes
to be the following motion submitted yesterday bl
Mr. Wise:
Resolved, That the standing rules and orders @
the las, House Of Representatives bn adopted rs The
rules and orders Of this House f,r the next casuIng
len DAVIS and th,t committee OF nine members bl
appointed to revise said rules and orders, and to re
port thereon within the said ten days.
Which motion Mr. Underwood had moved to n
mend as follows;
Strike out all amer the word "Resovcd," and in
sert, That committee Of nine DC appointed &c
revise ameEd and report rules for the government al
this House; and that, pn, such committee make
report, and the same be finally acted upon, the
rules and orders Of the last House of Representa-
tves shall I've considered as the rules and orders OF
this House"
Which motion MIR ADAMS moved TO amend by
inserting after blouse of Representatives" the
words excepting the 2lst rule, which is hereby re-
scinjed."
tRule 81, proposed to be rcseindcd, is in the fol-
lowing words:
"No petition memorial, resolution, other m per
praying the abolition OF slavery IN the District OF
Columbia or any State or Territory, or the slave
trade between the States or Territories OF the UNI
ted States in which 1t exists, shall he received
by this House, entertained IN any way whatev-
cr."l
MIR WISE suggested that, in order that the House
might receive the Message of the President of the
United States, action upon this resolution. and
proposed amendments DC postponed by general con-
sent
but he had resolution to offer which he regarded
rs almost, II not entirely, question of privilege,
since il related to the rights Of members to seats.
lie DESTROYS that the resolution should be acted
TO day, but did not wish to interfere with the
proposition OF the gentleman from Virginia, (Mr
Wise.)
Mir WISE said he did not see the gentleman
from Massachusetts (Mr Adams) IN his seat, a
thing which was very unusual. He (Nlr. w had
no desire to debate the amendment proposed by that
gentleman; and IT 1t was the understanding OF the
House that there should be no debate, he hoped tic
question would be taken now.
IL was here suggested that the absence Of Mr.. Ad-
ans good reason why the question should not
now he put.
MIR. PICKENS said i, was clear that the motion
Of the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Adams)
could not bc acted upon without debate. lie (Mr.
P.) did not know what the temper OF the House
might he IN relation 10 II, rs he had heard 10
mlt Ks made. But, he repeated, II seemed lmpOSSI
bile that the question could be acted on without de-
bate lie would therefore, suggest that the course
Indicated by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr.
wISc) should DC pursued, and that the further con-
sidcraton OF the subject should be postponed. He
(Mr. P.) merely made the suggestion. He was not
himself disposed to debate.
MIR. WISE said il did not seem 10 him that there
was any manifestation Of desire the part Of the
House to 90 into debate. Ii there was, he should
press his motion to postpone.
Mr. MCKAY asked the yeas and nays on the
amen lment: which were ordered.
M.. = TANLN suggested that as act OF cour-
tcsy to the gentleman from Massachusetts, (Mr.
Adams,i the amendment should not be acted on in
his absence.
MIR. Adams here appeared in his seat
MIR. PlCKENS said that If there was an inten-
ton to debate this proposition now, II would he i'm
ssiole TO act upon other matters to-day He did not
wish TO interfere with the wishes of the majority al
sl..an4 gf..,.,s -.
particular business they might think proper /; but
he would suggest that the further consideration Of
the subject he postponed until the Presidents Mes
sage shall have been received and read.
Mr. ADAMS then addressed the House for near
ly three quarters Of al hour in favor OF his amend
ment.
As regarded the proposition Of the gentleman from
Virginia (Mr Wisc) TO adopt the rules Of the last
llou until further order, he said he confessed he
felt very ind ferent. lie had known this House long
enough TO lie assured that It was of very little con-
sequence whatthe rules were. The rule was, and
would be, the will of the majority; that probably
the best of adj. Heretofore, own TO the las.
Congress, YO-thirdS were required to make an al
tcrauon IN the rules; but now, he believed, TO-
Q ~ alone was sufficient TO change all the rules
lie was, therefore, IN ieren; what the House
might DO with H. rules, with the single exception OF
the 2lst rule, because, whatever rules might be
adopted, they would always be suspended whenever
there was q majority IN favor Of slspending them.
Ell, lie DOUBTED whether rwoud be found that any
one measure Of the House had been adopted under
the regular application of the rules.
Mir 4. here gave the results OF his experience in
relation TO the inpr0gsmsai OF the rules by referring
them 10 committees He believed that n simple
rule providing that al. the proceeding, OF this House
should Toe according TO the vote OF the majority
would probably be better than the volume which
we mad compiled and which II seemed was now to
be further added to-and which, il seemed 10 him.
Ill NHrs~ 81. r.
House every day As was necessary 10 their suspen
So.
THIS 2lst rule was passed on the 2s:h OF jan 30,
and q majority Of the House were well acquainted
w tn the IN Sn,ch II passed. IL passed when
n majority Of the then present members Of the House
we're ANXIOUS above all things not 20 be thought
Northumberland most especially the members
from tie South. The members from the South we're
afraid that, fhey did not vote for this rule, tuey
you'd be st down uy their constituents es AUO-
..toH.s.s and we remembered the somewhat strange,
no: 20 say Cdiying scenes which took place in this
House under these mutual charges Of AUO,iiIOnlsm.
IL was necessary, IN order 10 make political CAPT.
Ia, for all the members from the South and al, the
members from the North, who were 10 the true 20.
itcaI allegiance " that day, 70 prove that they
were not abOiitonisis. And finally q gentleman,
CsTtiny not an aGolIOnIsi, but a Southern gentle
man, sound Wing, an influential member Of the
HOuse-he might say an uLtra Wing. Il any thing
c0n.uyed at that time to bring up this resolution;
nf tie Kind rhook majority Of the House, added
Ibis TO the other rules. lie did what Northern men
with Southern principle never dared 20 proposs be-
fore him. They had Always struggled aeans. that
particular rue They knew hOR oJiols IL wa; they
hnew how their constituents Jetested u; and never
able % bring themselves the screwrng pgin,
unit. the matter was brought into this House
~ Wing. And then IL was carried. How CIR.
ried' BY los agains, liza m3Jorly Of only SIX
votes.
MA here requested the Clerk toscn5 him the
Journal OF IL; session Of the Jas. Congress, fom
which hersld for the purpose Of showing what was
the compound Of that vote.
lie then proceeded 70 say that he Unjew,o5I the
Wings ihcmseIyes made great pfetsusion, % BE-
j mocnu. Among o.her things, they were con.
much IN the newspapers about Wing Democracy.
Well the Wings were al, liberty TO take what name
they pleased BJ, at the time his rule vas adopted.
tho Democrat were the party of the then existing
Administration. The Wings at that time founded
themselves 90 the ground Of sturdy opposition 20
Executive power. How far they would be wings
on that respect, was matter nuOul which W. should
see more hereafter. But, from one vote given YES
terday, he should apprcEcnd that their Opposition 10
Executive power vas beginning 10 melt awsy some
thing like ice IN the dog days. n he m..ft ',ks
would be 50 disungu for their Opposition 20 EY
ocutIve power as tney were yeu ago. r. n.th,
probably therefore, he convenient for them TO take
the name OF Democrats, nod probably, 10 the change
at things the Democrats Of last year would become
Wings. So Far NJ least ns Executive power went,
ho thought that was likely 10 be the else.
MIR A. went on 20 prove, by further reference 10
the composition Of the vote on the 2st rule that Il
was, at the time Of rs adoption, mos, omphitc1lly