The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-08-11
priations for the Army and Navy, and proposes est
mates for these objects to the amount of twenty MIL

lions.
For the Apportionment bill, as it passed, Mr..
Adams gave their share of credit again to the Demo
Gratis. 10 many features of that bill he was oppos-
ed but it contained one redeeming cause-that
which establishes the districtng system. The esta-
bshment of the system was owing, no doubt, to
gentleman from South Carolina, who is Democrat
1t is the most important portion OF the bi-it IS
supplement to the CONSTITUTIONAL TACT the principle
is contained in the Constitution. But how was the
bill treated by the Executive? 1t was approved but
the approval was masked Veto 80
The rari completes the system devised by the w nis
party for the relief of the country Two Tariff bills
have been vetoed by the President for reasons no douo
satisfactory 10 himself lie has now assured the power
to levy ship money, and TO fix the value OF gooo'
when the law says the value must be hxed oy Oo"
gress. Ii jures to decide whether the Executive
has he power collect the ship money, Mr. Adams
said he would feel alarm. But If the decision Is
TO be left to the Supreme Court he would not feel 80
secure; he remembered the decision given by the court
| In the OF Hampden.
Mir. ADAMS then adverted briefly to the subject OF
Distribution and in conclusion predicted that II Inc
next Congress should be, anticipated by some
Democratic, it would harmonlze with the Executive
| no better than the present one
| He moved that the Message shoud be referred To
| Select Committee of thirteen.
MIR. MORGAN obtained the floor,
| But Mr.. FOSTER rose to question OF order
The reference of the subject to the Committee he con-
| sdered to be in contraventon TO the Constitution.
| when bill is returned by the Executive
| The CHAIR stated that the decision OF the DIM
Guilty be left to the House. The point of order
was not raised under the rules OF the House
Mr.. CUSHING asked what was the motion maze
| by his colleagues
The motion was read by the clelk.
Mr.. CUSHING then said what was the mo'ioh
pending when my colleague moved the reference AS
understand the matter, the question was, VIII the
House pass the bill Now this question must take
| precedence. You must act on the DILL The Message
is already the journal and out of the power OF the
House You act ON the bill and not on the Mes
! sage
ton of order.
| The SPEAKER said that in looking over me e au-
thorities he had discovered precedent: In 1907
Veto Message from General Jackson had been re-
ferred to "a Committee and the result was tha' Tue
Committee had never report ted on IT,
Mr.. ADAMS modified his motion by inserting the
word bill.
( MIR. WISE said the Constitution is paramount law
for this House, and it gives us the rule for setting
this question. sprecise In Its language. speaks
| of the objections-which word is synonymous WIN
message-in the plural number, and 1t speaks OF Inc
bill in the singular. The message has already been
disposed of by the House,-t is spread on the Jour
| nal already. The bill yet remained to be acted on
what does the Constitution say? Why that the RE
sident shall return it (the billy with his objections
to that House in which it shall have originated, VINO
shall enter the objections at large on their Journal
and proceed to reconsider IT,. The word reconsider
has technical meaning and in that meaning IS ap-
piled to the bill To reconsider is by no means syno-
nymous with the word to refer or to commit Accord
ing the requirements of the Constitution we must
reconsider the bill and not refer it. But supposlng
the reference constitutional-he motion to reconsl-
| der according to Parliamentary law would take the
| precedence. But why refer the message to a COM
mittee What object would be gained by that course
| This is one method to smother the whole matter
Subjects referred to committees often sleep the sleep
| of death there.
| motion was made to lay the repeal on the table,
| and was carried by vote of LOG to 81.
| Mr. ADAMS said that he had modified his motion
by inserting the word "bill" This was done at the
suggestion Of friends But convinced that the Mes
sage took the bill with it, he withdrew his modifca-
ton so as to refer the Message only to the Select
| Committee.
Mr. WISE rose to point of order. He would
cite case show the Message should not be refer
red and it was the cited by the Speaker in usti-
fcation of his decision. He renewed the appeal from
the decision Of the Speaker or rather appealed from
the decision as bearing on the new case brought up
by the modification proposed by the gentleman from
Massachusetts. In 1882, bill passed both Houses
Just before the close of the session, and within less
than ten days before the adjournment, it was sent to
| the President At the next session message with
| out the bill sent Dy General Jackson, informing
the House that the bill had failed to become law.
The bill was not vetoed-the bill was not returned.
| An explanatory message sent, and that message
was referred to committee This IS the precedent
| on which the Speaker has relied in his decision. The
! case is not parallel with the present one. In that
| there was no Veto-here there is one He made
| these remarks to correct the Speaker. He then
raised the point of order that the bill must be con-
| sidered first and the Message disposed of after
| Mr.. FILLMORE, after brief reply, moved to
| lay the repeal on the table The motion prevailed,
| without count.
MIR. MORGAN rose to a point of order. He
mentioned this at the outset, he said, so that he
might not be deprived of the floor.
| After proceeding few moments without MENTION
ing his point of order, he was stopped he then
| moved the previous question. There second.
| The SPEAKER announced the question to be the
| motion of reference made by Mr.. Adams.
| Mr.. ATHERTON to point of order. He
wished to know whether the previous question did
not bring the House to vote on the reconsideration
| of the bill!
! The SPEAKER replied in the negative
| Mr.. COOPER, of Georgia, made point OF order,
which was overruled-that the main question IS that
which the House is obliged by the Constitution to
act on.
Mr. JOHNSON of Maryland, also raised point
of order, which being overruled; he appealed The
appeal, on motion of Mr. Fillmore, was laid on the
table.
After statement made by the Speaker in reply to
question from Mr.. Gilmer, that the bill could be
taken up by vote of the majority, the bill was lad
on the table by a vote of 81 to 49,
Supdry Executive documents were read and sew |
eral Senate bills referred.
The House then went into Committee of the |
Whole; Mr. Hopkins in the Char, and acted on var- |
GUS bills At a late hour the Committee rose and
the House adjourned.
From the Evening Express.
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