The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-05-09

law be passed providing for the taking Of any sub
sequent census Of the United States on or before
the first day Of January of any year when, by the
Constitution Of the United States, any future
enumeration Of the inhabitants thereof is required
to be taken, such census shall in all things be
taken and completed according to the provisions
of this act
And the following is the second amendment
Aad be Further enacted That, from and after
the third day Of March, 1853 the House of Rep
resentatives shall be composed Of two hundred
members, to be apportioned among the several
States in the manner directed in the next section
Of this act
Aad be IHHhsr enacted, That so soon as the
next and each subsequent enumeration of the in
habltants Of the several States directed by the
Constitution of the United States to be taken,
shall be completed and returned to the Office Of
the Department of the Interior, it shall be the
duty OF the Secretary of the Interior to ascertain
the aggregate representative population Of the
United States, by adding TO the whole number of
free persons in all the States, including those
bound to service for term Of years, and exclud-
ing Indians not taxed, three-ffths Of all other
persons; which aggregate population he shall
divide by the number 200, and the product of
such division, rejecting any portion Of a unit, If
any such happen to remain, shall be the ratio or
rule of apportionment Of representatives among
the said Secretary of the Department of the In
terror shall then proceed in the same manner to
ascertain the representative population of each
State, and to divide the whole number Of each
State thus formed by the ratio already determined
by him as above directed, and the prodnct Of this
last division shall be the number of the represent
atives apportioned to such State under the then
last enumeration Prouided, That the loss in the
number of members caused by the fractions re-
naming in the several States on the division of
the population thereof shall be compensated for
by assigning to so many States having the largest
fraction one additional member each for it's frac-
ton, as may be necessary 10 make the whole num-
her of representatives 900: Aad prouided, also,
That it, after the apportionment of the represent
atives under the next or any subsequent census,
a new State or States shall be admitted into the
Union, the representative or representatives as
signed to such new State or States shall be in
addition TO the number of representatives herein
above limited, which excess of representatives, over
two hundred shall only continue until the next
succeeding apportonment of representatives under
the next succeeding census.
The Committee rose and the House adjourned.
WEDNESDAY, MAY /, 1850.
Mr. Thompson of Kentucky was excused from
serving on the Committee on the Printing of Con-
gress and Mr.. Marshall, Of the same State APP
pointed in his place.
The Census bill being under consideration in
Committee of the Whole on the state Of the
Union, Mr. Thompson made the closing speech in
favor Of it, and the Committee then proceeded to
vote on amendments
Mr. 6s~fmaD moved TO amend the bill by
Friking out IN the hrst section, after the words
that the marshals Of the several districts of the
United States including the District of Colum-
bia and the Territories are hereby required re-
spectively TO cause all the inhabitants to be emu
merated, y the words:
"And to collect all the other statistical inform
alton within their respective districts in the man
ner provided for in this act, and specified in the
instructions which shall be given by the Secre-
tary Of the Interior and in the tables annexed"
The amendment was disagreed to-yeas 40,
nays 90
One or two amendments were adopted, many
others were proposed-the Committee having
reached the second section of the bill, rose, and
the House adjourned.
THURspAY, MAY 2, 1850.
MIR Buel, from the Committee on Foreign At
fairs, reported the following resolution:
ReSolued By the Senate and House Of Represent
aiiues of The United States of America III Congress
assembled That the free navigation of the st. Law
renee river for commercial purposes demands the
earnest attention of the American Government,
and that it is highly desirable that it be secured
to American commerce at an early day.
Pending motion to commit, the House went
into Committee of the Whole ON the state of the
Union on tho Census bill
great variety OF amendments was moved F.;
some Of them were adopted; the Committee rose,
and the House adjourned.
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1850
The House had under discussion in Committee
| nf the Whale on the state Of the Union the Cen.
| sus bill, making considerable progress. AT the
request of MIR Wilmot, the Committee laid aside
the subject informally, and took up the Presi
dents message relating to California, so that Mr.
Wilmot, who was entitled to the floor, and was
obliged to be absent from the city for some time
mil hit deliver his views He spoke for an hour
Mr. Winthrop obtained the floor the Committed
rose, and the House adjourned.
MONDAY, May G, 1850.
Various resolutions were offered during the
morning hour, of but little public interest
Mr. Stapy offered the following resolution,
which was adopted:
Resolued, That committee Of nine members be
appointed to investigate and ascertain the number
of clerks employed in the different Departments
of Government who are correspondents Of news
| papers, their names, salaries &c. Also, the num-
| Der of clerks employed during the last Admins
tration, who were letter writers and editors Of
newspapers and further what clerk or officer Of
Government wrote over the signature Of Bundel.
cund, and the amount of salary paid him, &c.
The House then went into Committee Of the
Whole, and the day occupied in considering
separately the concluding provisions Of the Gen.
sus bill, from the 18th to the 23d) The Commit
tee were occupied some time upon the schedule of
statistics to he embraced in the bill, otherwise
the final vote could have been taken upon IL. The
House adjourned, the schedule being still under
consideration.
TUESDAY, May Z, 1850.
The House were in Committee of the Whole,
and occupied the day in considering the different
articles of the amendment offered by Mr.. Vinton,
in relation TO the census bill The provisions Of
this amendment we have previously given.