The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-04-04
HOUSE oFREPREsENrar,yEs.

! way for motion 10 90 into Executive session.
The Senate however, resolving when it adjourned,
to adjourn over till Monday.
HOUSE FREPREsENTATIyEs.
The very interesting proceedings Of the House
on Tuesday, the 26th, as reported in the Iaelli-
gsacer, we copy on our fourth page.
WEDNESDAY, March q, 1850.
Leave was granted the committee on the charges
sgainst the Speaker, preferred by Mr.. Preston
King, to sit during the session Of the House.
Mr.. Wood asked the unanimous consent Of the
House to present resolutions of the Legislature of
Ohio in relation to the public lands but objection
was made
to William Woodwork was reconsidered and laid
upon the table.
The House resolved itself into Committee Of the
Whole on the state of the Union, and the Prcsi-
dents message in relation TO California being I'M
der discussion, Mr.. Ashmun addressed the Com
mttee for an hour chiefly on the political bearings
Of the Slavery Question
He was followed by Mr. Averett Of Virginia,
who, after having spoken for half an hour, gave
way for motion that the Committee rise. The
Committee rose, and the Speaker laid before the
House message from the President, tran shifting
the California report of Thomas Butler King
IL was laid on the table, and ordered to be print
ed, and the Committee on Printing was instructed
to inquire into the expedency of printing 300
copies.
The House adjourned
THURSDAY, MARoB 2s 1856
Numerous reports from the Standing Commit
tees were made to-day, which were committed or
otherwise disposed of
The House then resolved itself into Committee
of the Whole on the state of the Union, and took
up the Presidents California message.
Mr.. Averett closed his speech, and Mr.. Chand-
Ter Of Pennsylvania addressed the Committee for
an hour, in somewhat discursive speech, in which
he advocated the policy Of always voting on the
side of freedom
Mr.. Richardson of Illinois got the floor the
Committee rose, and the House adjourned.
FRIDAY, March %, 1850.
The bill for the relief of the captors of the
frigate Philadelphia, after some discussion, was
laid upon the table, by vote of l04 TO IS.
The select committee, appointed to investigate
the charge made by Preston King Of New York
against the Speaker of mutating the Journal,
reported through Mr. Holmes as follows
The testimony shows that the motion of Mr.
King WAS snomitte1 verbally and that there was
great ndistnctness on the minds of all, as to the
prto,se words ussasoy asm. Wishuaz ~a-.-r 20.
the motion TO be stated by the Chair, he moved to
the Speaker requested him to reduce his motion
to writing. BY the rule of the House, every mo
ton must he reduced to writing before the qnes
ton is put upon it, if the Speaker or any member
require it. The object Of this rule is to avoid
mistakes and misapprehensions and if the rule
in this instance, had been observed, all mistake
and misapprehension would have been avoided
Inst ead however, of reducing the motion to wri
ting and causing il to be read aloud by the Clerk
before the question was stated by the Speaker
Mr.. KING did what is done almost daily-he re-
ques,ed the Clerk to write out his motion in the
usual form. This was silently acquesced in by
the House, and without waiting for the motion
to be reduoed to writing, or read, the question
was put upon laying the motion on the table
which was carried in the affirmative.
After the motion had been disposed Of by vote
Of the House, an assistant clerk reduced il to wri
ting in the form set forth in the testimony This
he did in the form he thought would accomplish
: MIR Kings, object but did not show it to Mr.
King nor did Mr.. King ask to see it. Here it il
proper to state that Mr.. King understood his mo-
ton to apply exclusively to the bill offered in the
, Committee of the Whole on the state of the
Union, by the Hon. Mr.. Doty, for the admission
of California as a State; which bill had been
offered by him while the subject of the Presidents
, message transmitting to the House the Constitu
ton Of California was under consideration in
Committee of the Whole ON the state Of thu
Union. In other words, Mr.. King understood
his melton to be, motion TO stop debate in com
I mittee on Mr.. Doty's bill; the Speaker, however
: understood II to be motion to stop debate on tn
g California message, which would have the effec
to close debate on the bill also and bring the CON
b mittce to vote on 1t, as Che first pending quet
v ton or proposition incident to the message.
/ There was no communication on the subjec
n between the Speaker and Mr.. King, after the mo
: ton was reduced to writing; and neither wa
4 aware that it was understood differently by tn
y other As Mr. King understood the motion,
r was not in order and could not have been enter
I tanned by the Chair; and the committee have n
doubt that, If the motion had been reduced to wri
ting, and read aloud according to the rule, befor
the question was stated by the Chair, the Speak
err would have declared II out of order. As thu
motion was understood by the Speaker, it was IL
order, and was properly entertained by him. b,
an express rule of the House. il is made the duty
of the Speaker TO examine and correct the Journa
before it is read to the House it is then read to
the House. for correction by the House itself
/ Immediately after the motion had been laid on
the table, the Speaker directed the clerk, whC
usually makes up the Journal, to enter II in accor
, dance with his understanding, rs above explained
The Journal of that day was, however, made uF
by another clerk, who had not heard the direc
tons given by the Speaker, and who made the
entry in the form in which it appeared before the
ensures The entry thus made was that even
ing examined by the journalizing clerk, to whom
the direction had been given, as aforesaid, by the
Speaker, who, perceiving that it did not conform
to the directions which he had received from the
Speaker, caused the alterations to be made so as
to make il conform to those directions-whch
alterations now appear on the face of the Journal,
and constitute the subject Of this investigation.
On the following morning, as is usual before the
meeting of the House, the Journal was examined
by the Speaker for correction, and these atera-
tions thus made, as above described, were by him
approved
to the House, and no objection was made 10 the
entry. In the opinion Of the committee, This was
not mutilation Of the Journal but a proper cor
recion of it, under the authority Of the Speaker,
in discharge of duty imposed upon him by the
rules Of the House. Ia approving this correction,
he did his duty, and no more than his duty. Your
committee, therefore, unanimously propose the
following resolution;
Resolrd That the foregoing report be adopted
by the House, and be entered on the Journal and
that the committee be discharged from the further
consideration Of the subject.
! f. HOLMES.
SAMUEL +. VISTos
JAMES DUANE DorY.
T.lsN BoYD.
ALEXANDER H. STEPHENS
WILLIAM STRONG.
M p. GENTRY.
w. A. RICHARDSON.
The question was then taken on agreeing 10 the
resolution reported from the COMMITTEE and Il mas
unanimously adopttd
In the case be printed (which motion was agreed TO-
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