The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-02-12
CONGRESS-.

CONGRESS.
On Thursday, during the reading OF the jour-
nal, the names of the following gentlemen were
announced to supply the vacancies produced by
the permission given to others to resign their
places in the Committee on Foreign Affairs
Messrs. Holmes, Shepperd, of N. c., Chapman,
of Alabama White, of Louisiana, and Cooper,
of Georgia.
A small number of resolutions and petitions
were received by general consent. AS it ap-
peared that much time would be thus consumed,
Mr.. Fillmore arrested the progress of their pre-
sentation, by motion to go into Committee OF
the Whole-but was reminded by the Speaker
that the business pending for the morning hour
was the motion to lay the resolution from the
Committee on Manufactures on the table.
call OF the House was ordered-and 176 mem
bers finally answered to their names. Further
proceedings in the call were suspended. The
question being put, shall the resolution be adopt
ed, was decided in the affirmative by vote of
1O8 to 70.
Mr.. Stanly offered resolution that the Com
mitlee on Public Expenditures should be al
lowed to employ clerk After an explanation
from Mr. Stanly, of the necessity of the assis-
lance Of clerk to copy sundry papers in the
Departments required for the information of the
Committee-objection were made by Mr..
Brown, of Pennsylvania, who thought it was
asserted that numterless abuses and extrava-
gances had been already discovered, previous
to the last election, and that few had been left
concealed. If abuses were yet o be ferreted
out, he thought the members of the Committee
might make the discovery themselves, without
further expense. He was followed by Mr..
Merrwether in reply; by Messrs. Profit,
and Williams of N. Carolina, who advocated
. the appointment of the clerk, and by Mr.. Gil
mer who explained the progress made by the
committee on retrenchment. Mr.. Linn made
some remarks, showing the amount OF drudgery
to which the members Of the committee were
subjected, and the indispensable necessity Of
assistance; when he concluded, he moved the
previous question. The vote was taken by the
yeas and nays on the resolution, and decided in
the affirmative-yeas liz, nays So.
The House then went into committee of the
whole on the state of the Union, Mr. Briggs in
the chair, and took up the Civil and Diplomatic
Appropriation bill. After some conversation be-
tween Mr.. Fillmore and Mr.. Gilmer, relative to a
postponement of its consideration till tomorrow,
Mr.. Gushing proposed an amendment substitu-
ting $15,50O for the $12,500 appropriated for
the payment of the clerks of the House. The
salaries of two clerks had been struck out be-
cause their appointment had not any other legal
sanction than an appropriation law. Mr.. Cush-
ing said that the same objection applied to many
other appropriations, and if the principle adopted
by the Committee of Ways and Means were ad-
hered to in one instance, he should insist on its
being adhered TO in all Several others partici-
pated in the debate-among them Mr.. Fillmore,
in explanation of the views of the committee,
Of Hhch he is chairman. Mr.. Gentry, who
moved a recommitment of the bill, that all the
reforms alluded to by Mr.. Gushing might be
made; and Mr.. Wise, who maintained that
under the exception contained in the 18th rule,
legitimated by an appropriation law. That
rule prohibits the report on general appropria-
ton bill, of an appropriation for any expenditure
not previously authorized by law, unless in con-
tinuaton of appropriations for such public
aoorks and objects as are already in progress. 1t
had been usual to regard the term aoorks alone,
and to affix no force TO the word objects. And
yet, under.this part of the exception, additional
clerk labor might be legitmaed by an appropra-
ton law, the employment of clerks having been
already authorized by law
In the Senate the bill to confirm certain land
cliims in the State of Louisiana, and the bill to
enable claimants in Arkansas, Mississippi, Mis-
souri,, and Louisiana, to institute suits to test
the validity of land claims in those States, were
ordered to be engrossed for third reading.