The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1850-09-17

for the regulation o. the !ree Feopie oi coio' l"
this District.
Mr.. Seward moved iii amendment providing
forthwith for the abolition of slavery in this
District and for the payment Of q sum of&2OO,
900, to the ow ners of such slaves, for damages
in their liberation; and for an election within
six months in this District, to determine wheth.
er the law shall or shall not go into effect
Mr.. ,iaHgum and Mr.. Dawson denounced
tl;is amendment and the motives from which it
must have cmanated.
Mr. Dayton and Mr.. Baldwin believed the
an,e;dr' # iaexpedient at this time. 1t was
too i,asts sad too immature.
Mr. Pratt and Mr.. Atchison deprecated the
extreme hazard of the experiment, if made, OF
abolishing s;avery in this District.
Mr.. Chase was in favor of the abolition OF
slavery in this District, and said they who
thought that this slave trade bill was the last
step in this matter were mistaken. The friends
of freedom would not stop here. HE main
tanned that the act of abolition would lntiict no
danger upon the Union. =,
This very animated and somewhat excited
discussion was further continued by Messrs.
Butler, Foote, Winthrop and Badger. I! =.
On motion Of Mr.. Rusk the Senate adjourned
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
The Speaker announced that the bill rovi-
ding additional appropriation for the pay of the
per diem mileage OF the members Of the present
Congress was passed yesterday, and not reject
ed as then stated by the Chair, in consequence
Of an erroneous count of the vote.
The bill making appropriation for the sup
port of the Military Academy at West Point
came up in order, and the amendments OF the
Senate were concurred in. So the bill is final
ly passed, .,,.
during the morning hour the reports from the
select committee on the subject Of certain pay.
ments of claims made by the late Secretary OF
the Interior, (Mr. Ewing.)
Mr.. Viuton spoke about half an hour in fur
ther explanation of the facts attending the pay
ments alluded to.
Mr.. Brown, of Mississippi, spoke the remain.
der Of the morning hour in censuring the action
of the late Secretary OF the Interior, and the &C.
ton of Mr.. Vinton, one Of the members of the
Select Committee Of Investigation, who he said
had placed the report Of the committee in the
hands of the Secretary of the Interior, before it
had been even reported to the House; and his
further action in resisting the printing of the
report, and thus attempting to stiAe it.
Mr.. Vinton made disclaimer Of having pla.
ced the report in the hands Of the Secretary
and of any intention to have the report stifed.
On motion by Mr.. Ewing, of Tennessee, the
House proceeded to the consideration Of the
business on the Speakers table.
The Senate bill granting to the State Of Ala.
bama the rightof way and donation Of public
land, for the purpose of locating and construct
ing railroad from epoint al which the Nash
vile and Chattanooga railroad crossesthe Ean-
| nessee river TO the town of Chattanooga, was Ia:
ken up. The bill was read twice. :...
Mr.: Ewing asked that the bill be put upon it,
passage. -;
Mr.. Viuton moved its commitment to the
committee OIL public lands.
The bill was discussed by Messrs. Ewing
Bowlin, Hubbard and Bissell, in favor of the
immediate passage of the bill, and Messrs. Vim
ton, Venable and others, in opposition to the
BILL
The bill was finally referred to the commit
tee on public lands-yeas, 96, nays TO-.
Mr. Gott, from the select committee to in
vestigate the charge that the Hon. Joshua r
Giddings had distracted from the files of the
Post.office Department and forwarded to Ohio
certain papers relating to the appointment o.
the Postmaster at Oberlin, Ohio. made report
in which they state that neither from the wit
nesses examined in Washington, nor by the
testimony taken at Oberlin, could the commit
tee ascertain who abstracted the papers; anc
that the committee were unanimously Of the
opinion that there was no proof that the Hon
Mr.. Giddings distracted the papers, nor trans
mitted them to Ohio, or that he was in any
way connected with the transaction.
The report was ordered to lie Oh the table
and the committee was discharged from the
further consideration of the subject.
Mr.. Boyd stated that the representatives
from the State of California, Messrs. Wood
worth and Gilbert, were present, and desirous
to be sworn in.
Mr.. Venable raised the question Of constitu
tional right of those representatives to take
seats having he said, been elected before Cal
iforna was recognized ne st'to, and before
she was admitted into the tHion.
J n. RovI SOW. " the table and had read theiI
credentials They certify to the fact by the
Governor of the State of California, that the
Representatives were elected in November, lS
40, under the sixth section of the act appended
to the constitution of California, which sixth
section (being ready directed the constitution
| To he Snhmitted tn the neonla for rattle tion