The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-04-19
CONGRESS-.

The Senate did not sit on Saturday
The House, after the reading of the journal,
resolved itself into Committee of the w hole
on the state of the Union. and resumed the con-
sideration of the Civil and Diplomatic Appro-
priation bill
Mr. Bolts eplied to the remarks of Mr.. Adj
ans, and said that with regard to the slave
question, the South neither asked the power of
the North to protect it, nor feared the power Of
the North to destroy it. The gentleman from
Massachusetts, who signed, with his own hand,
the treaty Of Client, remarked, the day before
yesterday, that not only the African slave trade,
but the traffic in slaves, was declared in that
treaty to be unjust and inhulnan, and that the
Governments of Great Britain and the United
States pledged themselves to use their best ex-
ertions to arrest it. He would ask the gentle
man whether that was the construction which
he put upon the treaty when he signed it If
it was-and as he did not believe it, he would
not charge the gentleman with the fraud-it
was the grossest fraud that was ever committed
on any country in the world.
Mr. Adams had no hesitation in saying that,
in his mind, the moral force of the inhumanity
and injustice of the traffic in slaves did apply
to all traffic in slaves but, question OF con-
struction and meaning of the article as between
the United States and Great Britain, he did not
put that construction on it. That article, so
far as these two Governments were concerned,
applied solely to the African slave trade; but In
his mind, nevertheless, it applied also to the
traffic In slaves every where.
Mr.. Bolts here interrupted Mr.. Adams, and
expressed desire to proceed with his remarks.
Mr.. Adams said that, as the gentleman from
Virginia had asked him question, he wished
to answer it.
Mr.. Bolts claimed the floor.
Mr.. Adams observed that he had not yet fin
ished his answer.
Mr.. Bolts inquired whether he was entitled
to the floor?
The Chair responded affirmativey.
Mr.. Adams hoped, then, that the gentleman
would ask him no more questions.
Mr.. Bolts pledged himself that he never
would, unless the gentleman would answer him
with more civility and he then continued his re-
marks, in the course Of which he said that the
treaty never could have received the sanction
of the Senate of the United States if it had
been supposed, at the time of its ratification, to
be susceptible of the construction which the
gentleman from Massachusetts had placed up
on it.
The hour of twelve having arrived, the COM
mittee rose and reported progress.
Mr.. Andrews, of Kentucky, then renewed his
motion to reconsider the vote by which the de-
bate was limited, by a previous order of the
House, to the time above designated; and the
question having been taken, it was decided in
the negative-yeas 80, nays 95.
The House again went into Committee, and
voted upon the amendments pending and those
which We: subsequently, submitted after
which the bill, as amended, was reported to the
House.
MI. Bolts offered an amendment requiring the
printing for the Executive Department to be
given out by contract, to the lowest bidder.
Mr.. Wise objected to its reception, as it pro-
posed to alter an existing law.
The Speaker overruled the objection.
Mr.. Wise appealed from the decision of the
Chair, but the al peal was not sustained.
The question was then taken on the amend
ment, and it was agreed to-; and
The House adjourned until Monday next