Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-02-08
TWEEN .EiGuTH CoNGREss--rrs, Session.
January p, lsii
,t-t -. at, ,I,rIr IlnI'sE

REPORT
OF the minority of the S,=ct Committee 10 r""'sc the
rules and orders OF The House OF Representatives.
The undersigned, nhers o! The select committee
10 revise the rules aud orders Of tIe House oi Repre-
seniatves, dSsentn. !Som much OF the report OF ,e
committee as recommends the exclusion OF The :7'ii
rule adopted The 25 day OF January, loo, ana tenn
porary adopted The beginning OF The present sts-
SION in the following WORDS to wit: "No petition me
moral resolutions other paper, PRAYING The an toh
OF slavery the District Of Columbia or ANY Siat or
Territory or Inc slave trade between The States or Ter
rtores of the United States in which 1t no" eNis's'
shall be received by tins House, entertained IN ag
way whatever beg leave to submit the journal 81 the
votes which were given IN the committee, on Inc mo
lions I, strike and 10 insert substitute Tor the same
and also TO submit the reasons winch governed their
votes on both OF thes, propositions.
Friday, December 12d, lSij. Mr. Adams, IN com
m,tee moved strike the fore gong rule, the mem
bers of the committee who were present when tins
motion was made and put Messrs. WISE, tchaii-
man, Adams, Bearcsry, lngersoll, DAVE, White,
and Chapman; absent, Messrs. Dromgoo!e and 'n'on
The vote on the melton To strike ont
Massachusetts,. Adams, Beardsley, Davis, White-l.
NAYS Messrs Chapman, lngersoli, WISE.
So the 10Th rule stricken out Whereupon MIR
Chapman moved 10 insert, IN lieu thereof The follow
ing, 10 wit
.Upon the presentation and statement Of the con-
tents Of any petition memoria reso!ution or other
paper, touching the abolition OF slavery IN the DIS
Irct OF Columbia, III any State or Territory; or
touching the Auction oil the Save i7due DrtWSth
of the States Territories, between The District OF
Columbia and any OF the States or Territories, the
question of reception shall be considered as raised
which question Of reception shalt, without debate, be
laid upon the table, aud no further action whatever
shall be had thereon.
Before the vote upon this motion vas put, MI ' IN
ton appeared in the committee and The vote upon tins
motion was
Yeas-Messrs. Ingersoli, Chapman, and Wse-3.
Nays-Mcss.s. Adams White, Beafdsey, DAVIS
and Vnton-5.
So the motion was lost. And on The u day of ia
nua-y, lsIl, IN the absence of the chairman OF the
committee, Mr.. Adams presented to the House re
port OF "Slandag rules aud orders fr conducting 6u-
siness in the House Of Representatives OF the United
States, excluding the foregoing 23th rule, and con
tanning no substitute for the whatever.
Such were the votes and proceedings OF the com
mittee The reasons of The particular votes .! the un
designed, and the reasons which will control their
votes and entire action the House upon this sub
iect they will endeavor, with the PERMISSION OF The
House, fully 10 explain.
The rule in question involves subject the most m
portant Of any, not excepting war ITSELF which has
ever forced itself upon the minds OF the whole country
from the sitting Of the convention which formed the
constitution of the Federal Government through
ry Congress which has sat under that instrument,
down 10 the present day. 1t involves the consdera
zion of the first and The last danger of tins republic
ihe compromised, the long agtlted, and the no"
seriously disturbing subject OF slavery and all It's rela
tons To Judge of the propriey Of the adoption and
application Of this rule, then, we must examine taat
subject in all its important bearings whether IT be TO
prove and to determine @tt The rule that neither The
Congress of the United Safes the General Go
in any of lis parts, has aught II DO with The
subject many of It's relations, at ALL or In establish
the contrary, that Congress Will take jurisdiction, aud
act, ITO extent al east,l npnn the question oil
slavery and its abolition, in any aod every aspect in
which it may be presented for legislative action and
proceedings. The application OF this rule depends up
what powers the Congress OF the United States has
It's subject ma.tersS!ave.y the District %! ca
Iumba slavery State Territory, aud the slave
trade between the States Territories OF the United
States and the abolition ut either The rule embraces
and applies TO other subjects; and first inquiry
is, What power ihsre in the Federal Government
these
To answer this inquiry clearly and fully, must
look into the tntion aud draw distinction which
has been sufficiently advercd TO- If at ALL in any
of the Debates teases, reports, which have been
published uttered on the subject. That distinction
:ie between the relations 81 slavery mhich
Ell JctOye The Fsdera Constitution t0rRsd and HE
relations Of Sacsry reLich ereatd by It's omotion
and adoptca The former, for brcvity, we Wal demo
lninas SIMPLY the Sate relations; the latter, The Fcderi
relations OF slavery such as belonged to the States IN
the first lnce and slch have sprung out OF
The Federal compact With this distinction kept
steadily in view, more easily arrive at the e-
ultimate control which the Congress of the United
States exercise the SUBJECT, in whole in
part.
ms The Constitution of thu T. States has left slavery
mud its relations untouched, the whole subject st'l
lett under the sole control Of the States OF the Union
or in other words that the power the subject no;
stdeegatsd to the u ). by Tie Constitution, pro-
hbted by IL TO the States, reserved Ia the States
spec,ively, to tho people These reserved powers
will be found to embrace nearly or On lie all OF the
.aatc relations OF slavery.
What are the Federal relations Of the subject. crca.
ted BY the Constitution:
They are-l Those created by the ID clause of sec
ton ID OF article lst. THIS clause gives Congress
the power ofenumerating all the population OF the s.
il apporions representatives and direct taxes "among
the several States, according TO their respective
bers which shalt be determined by adding TO the whole
number free persons including those bound service
for term of years. and excluding Indians not taxed,
ilree-fths Of all other persons These ''aher persons
were well understood to b. siasesAtf,cans OF the ne
gro race held in bondage within tie respective slave
holding States of the Union. And by The ~ clause
of the st section Of article Pad the number Of cleo
tors Of President and Ylce President Of the L. III
each State she'll be equal to the number OF Senators and
Representatives to which the State may be entitled III
The Congress Thus the representative and electoral
power, and the tax-payng responsibility On the one
hand and on the other Of the slavc!,od'ng States,
increased in the proportion OF thIte-'it's o. the
number Of their slaves. And herein ~a4 totally new
reation-a Federal relation Of slavery established
Upon this the Congress OF the IT, $ may egislac, but
no further; and 10 no other end or purpose than As
pointed out by the Const tut,on itsclf-h apporlon
Representatives and di;ect The d,h clause q!
section OH Of the lst article expressly prohibits any
capa,ion other direct tax from being aid unless IN
proportion TO the enumeration directed by the
Constitution TO be taken And by article 5.h, no
amendment even OF lie Constitution, prior II lsts,
was allowed 10 affect tins clause To this extent, then,
no more has Congress The power Of legislation lhls
relation Of slavery 1t has fully exercised lis powers Ii
has regularly enumerated the population OF the u y; it
has npporloned Represe and direct taxes has
time of war; LAID direct taxes upon slaves; aad N all
this, they have been recognised by the Federal Const
tuition, and the laws made pursuance thereof as
perry NoptttIons have been presented calling Ter tie
redress any grievances under this head o!
and there has been no necessity fer such petitions And
there had been any, or there any occasion Tor any
petitions, by OF any frauds taking the cepsns
or OF any inequality in the apportionment of Repre-
senatves direct taxes for any other reason, the
rule in question, would obstruct them II does not
apply TO any such of the Legitimate exercise OF
Constitutional powers Resolutions of the Legislature
of Massachusetts, recommending an amendment OF The
Constitution, 70 deprive The slave property Of re-
presentation in Congress- have been presented during
the present sessonhave been decided not TO be within
the rules-have been received, and referred TO com