Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-02-15


n .alc testimony What occasion Gould there be now
-, ,hc c,,po-pcn Of clerk! The honorable chairman
, s,,ral ,r;nn an in taking testimony III the face
ii ,hi~ DECISION OF tin House ms acciS /" r. stal
and unauthorized course by the committee. The House
SAYS ovou shall not send Ior witnesses IN this cast;
,bc committee replies "lrue, but if they come OF their
nw, accord we will examine them. The House de-
,er,;ncs that the committee shall not administer the
necessary outis 10 give validity to the tes,imony-he
committee determine that they sill take the testimony
.-iao en,L ar aGidaru Sir, what IS this but CON
TEMPT offered to the authority cfihs House what but
The rankpst Usurpaiion VI power Wy ohe Vi 'ie e"i''
tees of this House:
Notwithstanding the inlimatoa Il The chairman, he
(hlr b. coulno; think probable that the committee
would peIsst in unwarranable course e procedure
II however he should m mistaken in this. still there
cnud ~. no sort OF necessity for this appointment No
one could doubt Oh this Suycc, who would reflect mo-
men on The mode Of proceedings not only IN this bn all
hr other committees Of this House Al the appointed
hou all The members assemble III inc iool' take !hei'
sea,s ana are ready proceed with business An ndi
rIua who has voluntarily come forward is then pre-
seni,d hy the chairman aud his verbal statement IS pro-
posed 10 lie heard by the committee As he progresses,
each member notes down IN ms own memorandum book
scb pn,s in his statement as he conccives 10 be most
;mnoI,au, 10 be remembered Some note largely and
others slightly they conceive the Information to be
more or less valuable. Aflerward, in the framing
s,ruc,on ofthe BILL each refer TO his notes for such
facts he believes be important to be consi-
IL
there be 10 the committee TO have clerk? Is il too
much labor for each member TO perform, 10 take down
such notes Of the testimony IL is precisely snch labor
nc NIL our Judges and lawyers perform in every import
an: trial in our courts. why should not perform
equal labor in the performance OF our duties here Sir
the price 10 be paid this clerk is not too nconside
RI bl. = sum 10 be mentioned here Four dollars day
for some ninety or one hundred days, may well be saved
in these times of economy and REFORM especially when
the same services be WELL nay better performed
by the committee themselves. lie would net6iarge
that appointment was Intended Tor some needy ia
yor,e, hanging about the Capitol for employment, but
he would say there sort OF necessity for creating
| mere sinecure like tins.
lie could not imagine but leading object for
pressing their appointment earnestly on the House.
Look 10 the structure of that committee only two
from the South, and (hmselG from all The nigh
ty States of The West the other six from the North,
including Pennsylvania. Could any one doubt what
sort of bill would be finally reported by such CON-
mt,ee Now sir, il may be desired 10 collect rayt
rolume Of testimony to lay before the public to sustain
such bill If so, clerk might we'll be thought ne
cessary to make out the compilation. But, sir, could
such ex parte statements be worth the printing, State
men,s made by interested persons, whose whole for
tunes may depend the testimony which they voun.
leer before the committee lie would never vote
dollar in the publication Of such budget, would
he paw four dollars day to clerk to make it lie
therefore hoped the resolution would not be adopted
labor OF collecting testimony on the committee. and the
aid of clerk necessary. In Great Britain the
tariff vas laid nineteen or twenty articles bu
here there were three thousand hundred articles
which would require the consideration Of The committee
before they could properly discriminate in the imposition
of duties Were they then TO into all The necessary
investigation on such "A subject, without even ordinary
| faces OrweGc they 10 save a few hundred dollars
when millions, and in fact the interests Of the Who'll,
country were 4, stake?
4 Mr. TURKEY 10 put an end TO this discussion, moved
10 Law the resolution on The table.
| Mr. RANDOLPH called for The ayes and noes. which
were ordered and resulted as ollowsavcS -, noes So
The SPEAKER voted in the negative, the motion wa:
neoaiived,
MIR. HABrRsnAM then spoke in opposition to the re
solution. He said it had been declared on the part o
the House that not necessary TO take The
ton of witnesses and that lhe House would incur the
expense and therefore there could be necessity fol
the employment of clerk, nor any proprety in incur
ring the expense of 81 day TO obtain testimony infor
mally which the House had declared 10 be
ry lie concluded by moving The previous question
The House sustained the motion for the previous
question
MIR. ArHERroS renewed the motion to lay the reso
luton on the table, which determined in the nirma
tive by ayes and noes, by minority of "a to 50
Mr.. GnplsGs then moved that the House 30 n,'
Committee oflhc " hole on the Of the Union an,
proceed with ihe consideration of private bills. TIL,
! motion was agreed and MIR. Casey called 10 ht
cha and
The residue of The day was consumed with the consi
Iteration, in Committee Of the Whole. Of bills Of phi
v;tc nature.
Al harpast three o'clock the committee rose and re
ported that il without quorum
| The House then adjoumed.