Daily Richmond times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1849-1850, 1850-06-20
CALIFORNIA IN THE HOUSE.

CALIFORNIA IN THE HOUSE.
The House of Representatives did not 90 into
Committee of the Whole on Monday, to take up
the California Bill, but an effort was made by Mr..
Doty, its mover, to force its passage, in very ex
traordinary manner.
Mr.. John A. King, of New York, moving to go
into Committee of the Whole, Mr.. Doty moved
to amend the motion by instructng the COM
mittee to report to the House, when it should
rise after its next sitting, the Presidents Califor-
mia Message, and also bill to admit the State of
California in precisely the form of Mr.. Dotys orr
ginal bill now before the committee. The Speak
err decided that the amendment was out of order.
on these grounds
"The House has the power to instruct the Committee
of the Whole the State of the Union to report bill
On that point there can be doubt. But in order to
bring such motion before the House, it is requisite to
move a suspension OF the rules The motion pend
ing to go into Committee Of the Whole the State of the
Union is privileged motion by the rule and the gen
tleman cannot add to that by way of amendment any
thing that is not privileged also If the House had sus
pended the rules, the gentleman might then introduce
resolution lnstructng the Committee OF the Whole on
the state Of the Union to report the bbut it cannot be
done as privileged question"
The Speakers decision was supported by Mr..
Winthrop, and sustained by the House. Mr..
Wentworth then moved to suspend the rules for
the purpose of receiving resolution to instruct
the Committee of the Whole to report the Cali
fornia bill. Mr.. Toombs and Mr.. McLane raised
House was that the Commit tee of the Whole
should transact its business in particular way,
and the motion of Mr.. Wentworth was in effect
motion to alter that standing rule; which could
only be done upon one days notice of the motion
therefor The Speaker decided that Mr.. Went
worth's motion was in order. As the point is one
of permanent interest, we quote his remarks in
support of the decision:
"The Chair will state to the House his opinion on
the point OF order raised by the gentleman from Geor-
ga. If this resolution introduced resolution
day. when the States We're called Tor resolutions, the
Chair would unhesltangly rule it out OF order il is
not now proposed as the regular order of business
resolution day. but il is proposed to uspend the rules
OF the House. in order to introduce it, The chair holds
that you may repeal any rule of the House under
suspension otthe rules, you may suspend the opera
ton OF the rules OF the House under suspension of the
rules; and therefore, motion to suspend the rules,
to offer resolution of this kind in the opinion of the
Char, in order, though such a resolution resolu
ton day would be very clearly out OF order.
The Chair will illustrate If motion is made to
amend one of the rules OF the House, the rule referred
by the gentleman from Georgia would require that the
motion should lie over one day but that rule be
suspended by vote OF two-thrds we'll any other
rule, and all the rules of the House conflicting with
the resolution proposed TO be introduced, by vote
OF two thirds be suspended In taking this view ofthe
subject, the Chair will state, that he has bestowed
much reflection upon this point having been sugges-
ed to him at an early stage OF the session and he is
clearly of the opinion that such resolution would not
be in order resolution day, because majority OF the
House cannot suspend the rules ofthe House resou-
ton day, any other days but two thirds of the House
a
suspend is in order"
The Speaker was again sustained; but some
members took the view that whilst the motion to
suspend the rules was in order, the question to
the admissibility of the resolution of instructions
could be raised after the rules were suspended
That point, however, was not reached for the
vote being taken, the House refused to suspend,
yeas l2l, nays II; two-thirds not voting in the
affirmative.
This vote is instructive as affording decisive
test to show what Southern members are in favour
of the independent admission of California, and
what Northern members are not afraid to meet d.
rectly the issue between that measure and the Sc
mates BILL and to vote against the former in order
to be able to vote for the latter. The division
was perfectly sectional one, with these excep-
tons; that Messrs. Houston, of Delaware Hay
mond, of Virginia. and Stanly, of North Carolina,
voted for, and Messrs. Nc Clernand, of Illinois,
Miller, of Ohio, Robbins, and Ross, of Pennsylva-
MIA, voted against, suspending the rules. There
were doubtless. amongst the yeas, number of
Northern members who woud readily vote for the
Senate bill, if the question before them, but
whose policy it is 10 do themselves as little hurt
as possible at home, by taking ground on every
occasion for the admission of California. But the
vote is complete test of the Southern strength of
the California bill, or, in other words, of The Pre-
Slde'aFS policy. Three Southern representatives
are all who ventured to abandon the Southern
cause on this critical question. One of them re- |
presents State which is Southern only in name, |
and Free Soil in fact. Mr.. Stanly has long since
iouho more sympathy amongst the Free Soil
wings OF the North than amongst his Southern
colleagues And Mr.. Raymond we presume, is |
iaacleusiy calculating upon the Northern afiilia-
tons of his constituents.
1t does seem to be an unaccountable infatuation
that the Cabinet should, in view of such evidences
Of the sentiments of Southern Wh;os. nersist
against the most solemn of Gen. Tavlor's nledoes
in pressing his policy upon Congress. We look.
with inexpressible pain, upon the extraordinary
spectacle now presented at Washington. The
Administration seems to repose its whole conf |
dence in the Northern division of the WING party.
regardless of the undenable truth, that, if ever it
that majority must be obtained by changes in the
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