Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-12-07

II.
fered with no,hing it simply fixed one day lot !,ie
choice of Electors. He must object 10 having 'hc
bin sent to any of the standing committees II
would inevitably occasion delay: for he khs"
tbat,bere existed conflict of opinion in the Ju-
dic,aIy Committee even as 10 the object ltscll OF
the bin. There had been last year, and there
would he again; and he believed that he knew
The reason though there was no need OF s'a'ihS IL
here He trusted The motion OF the gentleman
from Virginia (Mr. DromSoolc) would prevail.
! The bill would be printed and laid before every
member every gentleman would have lnll OPP
porlunjty to read and consider all its details, ana
every member Of every committee would nave
I every advantage he would have IN Inc coiiiiiii'
tee-room; and this would save time.
! Mr. JOSEPH r. lNGERSOLL said, that III
/ The facility with which the House had accorded 10
the gentleman from Ohio (Mr Duncan its leave
! 10 introduce the BILL he had proof that HE Dill
had friends everywhere. But in proportion 10 lis
great importance should be the desire OF all 10 rem
der il both perfect and permanent and The oay
way 10 secure lis perfection, was 10 suoiii' IL "
! the consideration oi one oil The stanaih9 coniiilN
tees of the House The Judiciary Commute
would exercise its appropriate duly ID ~ consueLI
ing and periecting the details OF the bill ShouId
il be sent to a Committee of the Whole, each
member would feel only his individual share IN
common duty; and, as usually happened what
was every body's duty would in practice prove 10
! he noboiy's The experience of the country IN
The late Pres dental election would show Tie oo-
vious propriely Of avoiding such succession Of
election DAYS in the different States, as opened lhe
door to frauds. and many other evils winch all
must alike deporc. He hoped that the deliberate
! examination OF this remedial measure would leaa
I 10 result so fully ma,ured, that The new law
1 nigh, stand unchanged 10 u remote poserity. tie
| hoped. with this view, il might be- sent 10 Tue
I Committee on the Judiciary. LIE entertained no
! fear that that committee would report upon 1t al
| an early day. Possibly the bill might come back
TO the House precisely in lis present shape or per-
4 haps with few particulars in addition which had
moi occurred to The author There was another
legislative BODY in the world which was, in some
| respects. a model for our own legislation, and II
was customary there for every important bill like
this 10 pass under the revision oil The law officers
ofthc Crown, and perhaps in consequence ofthis
! their acts were often better dises.cd than ours.
! MIR ELMER hoped that the posponcmen
wund prevail Sending the bin 10 STANDING"
committee would b. saving OF Time, and would
! in effect facilitate lis passage. The bill. as ii
stood, did not meet The provisions Of the Constr
/ tuition, and il must undergo some amendments
and the experience of every member must INFORM
! him, that 10 perfect bill was comparatively a
! difficult process in a Committee OF the Whole
7 House. In such 4 committee, any amendment
! that might I've proposed came before The commit
I tee only with the sanction OF the name OF The
! member moving Ill but when an amendment
! came under The sanction Of one OF the standing
! committees. il claimed and received degree Of
respect which could not attach 10 any proposition
\ of an individual member; il was presumed that
4 the committee had looked carefully into the details
! of the bill before they undertook to propose
amendments. Should the present bill be sent 10
such a committee Mr.. Z. believed il would pass
! the House without debate or further amendment
{ But should il 20 into Go nmittee of the Whole
| much time must necessarily be expended. The
object to I've attained by the passage OF the bill
was certainly one of The most important that
could be conceived subject which deeply al
! iected the tranquility and peace oi the county,
/ lf.here was any one subject 10 The maturing OF
! which the utmost attention was due, it was this
| Of the Presidential election; for should The law
be so framed as To admit the possibility OF a con-
test between the two great parties oiihe country,
as 10 the fact of which OF two candidates had
/ been actually elected. no man could tell how dis
! asirons The consequences might he. The bill
/ should be malured with all carc-thr House
oughi In know we'll what they were acting upon
! Mr. f. dii not care 10 which Of the committees
the bill was given; but this was the FIRST instance
he hal ever known, or heard of, when bill
was sent at once 10 Committee otthc Whole
Honse. lie urged this as an additional reason
! in favor OF posipone,ncnt.
Mr. BLACK OF Georgia, said that, should the
| bill lie sent in the frs; instance as proposed NJ
the gentleman from Virginia, (Mr. Dromgoole.)
10 a Committee of the Whole, il could, if neces
sary, 90 10 one of The Standing Committees az
terward. He was for the motion OF commitment
as made hv that gentleman II was reflection
! IL, .tt,a 4 In
Who'll" IouSe wou'i MOI cv"r"'se a" """'. 20"
ton and circumspeciion in maturing b!!l aS
ans one of lis own Committees. There was no
man here bu, knew that when bill Of this cha
racicr was sant 10 one OF The Standing Com
milecs it was, in effect, consigned 10 The tomb
Of the Capulcis: if il was ever heard OF again,
il came back, trn Ia one, in such questionable
shape tina! lis own friends could moi vote !or IT,
Mr.. l.. knew these committees well; he knew
how ;aey were crowded with business from The
beginning to the end OF the session. This was
bill! OF The very last importance, and he hoped if
il WAS the intention of the House To pass il al
all, they would take il up soon in Committee oi
The Whole, perfect, ami pass il. lie hoFeI il
wouli he sent 10 no law officer, whether OF the
Crown or any other. that il might be envelopcd in
technical vcrha>ily, until the common sense o'
The common people could not make ont what ii
really meant without, the aid of Philadelphia
lawyer Mr.. Il. had every degree OF confidence
in 4 Co,amitce Of the Whole House; il fire.
qucnily exhibited much greater wisdom than WAS
sometimes .ound in The standing committees
And as for the Committee of Elections, il was
the last, the very last, committee in the world 10
which he would enrust bill of this character.
He would not say that lis members were moi in
teligenl and patriotic, but they were always so
encountered with business, that il was physically
impossible for them 10 facilitate the passage OF
anv bill. The people of the State oil Georgia,
(of the acholc State OF Georgia, and not Of par
,icular district only, whom he had the honor 10
represent in part ON that floor desired that this, or
like bill should be passed BY Congress. They
were people proud Of the elective franchise, and
they desired 10 exercise within the limits of their
own Stale A taught EIc hoped every State Of
the Conlederacv would be made 10 vote for them
selves, on the question of who should be Electors
OF President and Vice President OF The United
States they desired in this matter no help from
abroad This had been tested in lale election,
in which they had shown that they were able TO
carry ont Democratic measure withou. foreign
aid II this bill needs amendment, lei il be
amended in Committee Of the Whole. In
multitude Of counseors there was safety. He
trusted il would no, be hidden within the four
walls of the committee room Of elections, or any
other committee room. He felt deep interest
in the bill, and hoped it would be perfected and
passed with as linle delay as possible.
Mr. DUNCAN said that as he was determin.
cd the people should know who was TO blame for
the procrastnaiion otlhiS measure, be should de-
mand the yeas and nays at every step. He cared
not how honest, how patriotic or how friendly to
this bin any gentleman protested himselfto be- of
one thing he was certain, and that was that any
delay must defeat the bill. He demanded the
yeas and NAYS on The question TO postpone
MIR. ELMER hoped The gentleman from Maine
(Mr Hamln) would not insist on his amend
mcnt requiring the bill TO be made the special or
der, as ii would require two-lhiras TO pass that
order
Mr. HAMLIN conserving 10 withdraw his
amendment
The CHAIR stated the question to be simply
on the pos,ponement OF the bill 10 Monday.
Mr. HAMLlN said that for that hc would
checrtulv vote, Notwithstanding the threat of the