Tri-weekly journal. (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1847-188?, 1848-01-22
JAMES X. POLK.


can furnishes the following sketch of the de-
bate which followed the reading of the message:
The message being read, several motions
were made in reference to it,
Mr.. Truman Smith moved to refer it TO the
committee on Foreign Relations.
Mr.. John Quincy Adams rose and addressed
the Speaker. Immediately the whole House
crowded around him in breathless attention.
de moved that the message be referred to a
select committee, of which he wished not TO
be member, and hoped report would be
made which would show the Pre- sident that
he was bound to communicate information of
this public nature which the House of Repre-
sentatives had called for.
Mr.. Holmes, of South Carolina, in a S train Of
fervor, comnlimentad A. d., ri5 T,cr yvOuIu
In all his official acts; as he had done in this
act, take Washington for his guide.
Mr.. Schenck replied, and in indignant terms
asked if the President was to be the master of
the people and their Representatives--to tell
them that although they had called upon him
for information in relation to some of his pub
lie acts, and he possessed it, yethedecmed him
self more capable than they to say whether it
ought 70 be made public, or not;-that he did
consider it inconsistency with the public in
terest to make it public, and therefore he should
not communicate it. He should keep it 10
himself.
Mr.. Houston, of Alabama, next took the floor
and warmly defended the President in the mat
ter, and replied to the remarks of MIR. Schenck.
Mr.. Toombs, of Georgia, followed, and de-
clared in preference for the motion to refer the
message TO a select comm ttee.
The question was not whether the President
would be justified in certain cases in withhold
ing from Congress information in relation to
public affairs which might be called for, but
whether this was one of those cases.
MIR. Charles J. Ingersoll E(the Chairman Of
the Committee on Rules, which reported the
new rule for member to address the House if
he chose, from the Tribune or Clerks Desk.)
next rose to debate the question.
Some member suggesting that he should take
the Tribune, he did so, and read from the
Clerks desk, from Marshall's Life of Washing
ton, authority from Livinston, Washington,
Madison and Marshall, for the course Mr.. Polk
had elected to pursue in this matter, and then
gave his views as corresponding with those Of
the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Houston)
who had proceeded him. He replied that 10
Mr.. Toombs and also to Mr.. Schenck, and clos
ed by moving to refer the message to the COM
mittee of the whole house and make it the or
der of the day for Tuesday next.
Mr.. Collamer of Vermont next addressed the
House on the subject He stated the magni
tude of the great question which the informa-
ton called for related to. The power todeclare
war was vested in Congress. The President
had taken this power into his own hands. The
House had called upon him for some important
information in regard to the matter, and there
fore ii was not one of those cases in which the
President could properly withhold the infor-
nation called for.
Mr.. Tompkins, Of Mississippi, next obtained
the floor, but gave way for motion to be
made.
The motion TO refer the Message to the Com
mittee OF the Whole and make il the special
order for Tuesday next, was putand carried
Mr.. Tompkins has the floor on it, when 1t
comes up.
On motion the House adjourned.