The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-04-18
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 replied TO the remarks of Mr.. Ad-
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 inhuman, and that the
Governments of Great Britain and the United
States pledged themselves to use their best ex-
erons 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
il 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 nhumanity
and injustice of the traffic in slaves did apply
to all traffic in slaves brt, as question Of con-
structon 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; butln
nd oil M he
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 il.
Mr.. Bolts claimed the floor
Mr.. Adams observed that he had not yet fin
lshed his answer.
Mr.. Bolts inquired whether he was entitled
to the floor?
The Chair responded affirmatively.
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 civilily 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 tine 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 previous order Of the
House, to the time above designated; and the
question having been taken, it was decided in
the negalive-yeas SO, nays So.
The House again went into Committee, and
voted upon the amendments pending and those
which wee 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 a, peal was not sustained.
The question was then taken on the amend
ment, and it was agreed 10; and
The House adjourned until Monday next.