Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1848-06-09
L. S. Housr OF REPRESENTATIVES,.

Us. Housr OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
Nays 1918.
To he Signer' u Petitions Jorrordci 10 Ms
Subscriber. for presentation 20 tic House ef
Representatives.:
Most Of your petitions received by me since
the first week in January ttuain on my hands.
| wish you 10 be informed vi the reason.
By the Rules and Orders of the House,
(Rules %, 26,) after the first thirty days Of
the session, (Which began this year Decem-
Der 6ih,) petitions can only be publicly pre-
scented on eact alternate Monday. This is
accordingly called Petition Day. Another
Rule (l37) provides that on Mondays the
Rules aud Orders may be suspended, which
they cannot BIS on any other day, except Tor
two specific purposes.
The Rulos and Orders have accordingly
been suspended, SO as 10 exclude the presen.
tation OF petitions, on every Petition DaV
since the year CAME in. The first Petition
Day gave place to Two speeches on the In.
ternal Improvement System, the second 10 "A
discussion of the origin of the Mexican War,
the third to complimentary Resolutions TO
General Taylor and General Scott; and SO
Oh TO the present time.
There are two other ways Of presenting Pc
tllinns
One is by obtaining, on any day. The I'M
animous consent Of the House. This have
tried from time to time, but ineflrclually.-
Some member has always objected.
The other is by handing them at any time,
to the Clerk, by whom they are entered on
the Journal for the day, and passed 10 the
committee designed By the member presen-
ting them. The Rule providing for this (2i)
is d CONVENIENT one tor most occasions bu.
it only sends y petition silently to Il Standing
Committee. 1T the petitioners desire 10 have
their memorial printed, or to have it referee
10 a Select Committee, as many of you hsv
: dune in respect 10 the petitions forwarded
> my care, the Rule makes no provision IL
Il either case. Respecting the last point Their
might possibly be a question.
} In order 10 put it beyond dispute, | han
ded one of your petitions 10 the Clerk, will
! an endorsement asking its reference TO "A Sc
lect Committee. A day or two after, it wa,
returned 10 me, with the reason assigned, tina
there was no Select Committee on the sub
ject.
On a recent Petition Dry, when it wa,
moved, as usual, 10 proceed instead TO olhei
business, | objected 10 the motion, and pro-
posed to state my reasons, but was informed
by the Chair that the question was not deba.
table. | appealed from the decision, and
wished to argue that it was not sustained by
the Rules and Orders, but was again infor.
med by the Chair that the appeal was not de-
batable. ! then asked the unanimous con-
sent of the House for a brief defence of my
understanding of the Rules, but objection was
made. asked for the Yeas and Nays on
the motion which had been made to super
cede petitions by other business, but they
were not ordered, and the motion prevailed
! find no fault with the Chair for its ruling
on this point of order. ! think the question
at least a doubtful one but ! have no doubr
that the decision was u~prlghtly made, and
am informed that it is sustained by prcce,
dents.
| have only now to say, with this eNplana
ton, that | have resorted to every expedien'
in my power for the purpose Of meeting you
wishes.
For the present, the policy of the House il
this particular must be considered as settled
Nothing remains for me but 10 forward YOU.
petitions, through the Clerk, 10 one or othe.
of the Standing Committee, which 1 propose
to DO without further delay.
Your obCdienl servants,
JOHN g. PALFREY.