The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-04-27

served would be snbysriys the very purpose cr which
the law enacted and mlsss es bs snsasv,ss dis
confidential character ID 10 believed Were neyer psioIs
sought % be made Paos IIa ne woaS
render such disclosures hereafter inevitable.
And whereas cn.sLg; -, JAsso sslsseLL member ,I Of
OF has this day declared TO this House in
h place that he il In possession Of or has had access
cret service fund which asked for in said resolution
refused to the House Of portion thereof with
proof and documents in relation thereto and has disclosed
The the House and to the public and the said In
sERsoLl AYERS that he found procured the said niora
ton from the Department OF state; therefore,
Rsotpsd That select COMMITTEES OF i've members be ar
pointed to inquire how the seal Of confidence imposed by
law heretofore uniformly preserved in relation % the OK
Penditure Of said secret fund has to be brokers and
how the said CHAs lseERsOLL has obtained the
uon he has communicated TO this House sna 70 me
been procured whether by the ac Of sa IoEHsoLL him
self or BY any oeer Of any department ofs government
and thu. the said hsss s 2s ssIs s
practicable the result oftheh Investigation.
Several messages in writing were received from
the President Of the United States by the hands Of
j. X Walker, esq, his private secretary.
THE SECRET SERVICE FUND
Mr.. LEAKE moved that the resolution of Mr.
ScHENcK be laid upon the table.
Mr.. G. s. HOUSTON. The resolution Is not yet
received. ] object.
Mr.. scHENCK TO the sPeaksr) Have not /
the hOorl
The SPEAKER No debate can be entertained
at present The resolution is not received.
Mr.. BOYD. | object-it Ia not a question Of
privilege
The SPEAKER. The first question to be deei-
ded Is, will the House receive the resolution and
the next, is the resolution question of privilege!
Mr.. SCHENCK. A question Of privilege is al
ways 10 order.
The SPEAKER. Ifthat question can be made;
but the question Of the reception Of the resolution
necessarily takes precedence, a.. ,r.Er-. "a. -
MIR. SCHENCK. Does not the fact Of the ques-
ton privilege present itself TO be decided as the
very first thing
The SPEAKER. The House may refuse to re-
eeive any proposition Of the kind. or course, the
Speaker cannot act until the House has determined
whether il will receive the resolution or not.
Mr.. G. s. HOUSTON. Under the decision Of
the chair, then this is not question Of privilege.
The SPEAKER. The char has not 50 decided,
That question cannot come up until the House has
decided whether il will receive the resolution.
Mr.. SCHENCK asked the yeas and nays on the
reception Of the resolution.
Some conversation followed las To the fate Of Mr..
Com, resolution) in which Messrs. TlBBATTS,
REUBEN CHAPMAN, and the SPEAKER took
part.
The SPEAKER. The gentleman from Georgia
fMr CoBBl rose TO privileged question, which was
resolution TO close debate the bill IN relation To
the Smithsonian institute. The gentleman from
Ohio GMr ScHEScKl rose to question OF privilege,
which is another and very different thing. The
chair decided that II 1t is a question OF privilege, It
will override all other business. The gentleman
from Ohio submitted his resolution, which was read
for information. The gentleman from Kentucky
[Mr. BoYpl objected to its reception. The chair
decides that in that case, the question is, "Wi the
House receive the resolution"
Mr.. COBB TO the Speakerl desire 10 make
an inquiry. In the event Of the House determining
to receive the resolution, and the Speaker then de-
Gliding that il is not question Of privilege, what will
be the situation Of the paper before the House.
The SPEAKER That OF any other question
Mr.. COBB. 1.-THE Speaker should decide, after
the resolution has been received, that 1t is not
question of privilege, will the resolution he before
the House for its rejection or adopaont
The SPEAKER. The Chair will act upon all
these questions Of order in their proper time.
Mr. COBB. My object in making the inquiry is
IN direct the attention OF the Speaker to this point
that the question of privilege ought to be determined
now before the question OF reception. Alter the
House shall have received the resolution, II will
then be before the House, whether a question of
privilege or not, and must override the resolution
have introduced whereas, if 1t is not question Of
privilege the Chair ought not at this time to enter
min any other question respecting IL except under
suspension of the rules.
Mr.. T. B. KING submitted that the gentleman
from Ohio [Mr. ScHEscKl claimed to introduce his
resolution as a question of privilege.
The SPEAKER There Is no debaiable qucs-
ton before the House.
Mr.. KING. do not rise to debate, but to a
noint of order The gentleman from Ohio makes a
question of privilege. The question Is, IL 1t proper
for him to introduce the resolution as such' And 1t
is for the Chair to decide whether it question Of
privilege or not
sion once or twice. The gentleman from Ohio rose
and presented paper. The gentleman from Ken
ncky mr. BoYpl objected to its reception. As TO
the character and qualifications Of the paper, the
Chair will, at proper time, decides but the Chair
cannot touch or act upon that paper until the House
has decided whether it shall be received.
Mr. BOYD. desire to say word in ex-
PLANTATION. insist that this paper cannot be
received. II is out Of order to make any
such motion as that submitted by the gen.
teman from Ohio, because the gentleman from
Georgia mir. CoRBl had offered a resolution, which
was the question before the House; and the PROPOSE
ton of the gentleman from Ohio not being either a
privileged question a question ofprivege, can
not interfere with the business before the House.
think that the Chair is under the necessity Of so
deciding and the genemans motion, like all others,
not of privilege ought to be at once rejected by the
Chair On that ground alone l objected. with
draw the objection. But in my opinion the only
from Georgia; and that that of the gentleman from
Ohio must be ruled out Of order.
The SPEAKER. A question of privilege over
rides every other sort Of question.
Mr. BOYD. Is it question of PRIVILEGE
The SPEAKER. The Chair will decide that
question when the objection to the reception of the
resolution is withdrawn.
Mr. BOYD. have withdrawn it.
The SPEAKER. Then the Chair decides that
there is nothing in the resolution which brings il
under the category of question of privilege
Mr.. SCHENCK. appeal from the decision OF
the Chair, and ask the yeas and nays.
Mr.. S. was proceeding to make a remark.
Mr.. S. JONES inquired whether the gentleman
had right to debate!
The SPEAKER said not.
Mr.. SCHENCK desired to call the attention Of
the Chair to the matter and language of the resou.
ton. He thought that there was an inquiry of that
character in relation to member Of the House
and an inquiry in relation to the rule of the House
in lts communication with the executive department
It was a matter of privilege to the House and the
whole country.
The SPEAKER. The Chair has no hesitation
in deciding that it is not question of privilege
and cannot be offered as such.
M. I that the whole aubiect bf