The Congressional Globe, Volume 13, Part 1: Twenty-Eighth Congress, First Session Page: 78
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75
Congressional globe.
Mr. McCONNELL then presented a petition,
which was received and referred.
Petititions were presented by Messrs. FICK-
LIN, BLACK, SLIDELL, and VANMETER.
Mr. GRIDER offered to give a notice; but being
objected to, it was withdrawn.
Mr. GIDDINGS presented a memorial, and
moved its reference to a select committee of five
members, with instructions to inquire into and re-
port the facts of the case; and that, for this purpose,
they have the power to send for persons and pa-
pers.
Mr. McCONNELL called for the reading of the
petition; and it was read by the Clerk as follows:
To the Congress of the United States:
The humble petition of William Jones, now a
prisoner in the United States jail in Washington
city, respectfully represents:
That your memorialist is a free citizen of the Uni-
ted States, born free in the State of Virginia, and
has always been an industrious and honest citizen,
chargeable with no crime; that, while enjoying his
liberty in this city, he was seized, and, without any
charge of crime, was thrown into jail, where he
has been confined for several weeks, and is now ad-
vertised to be sold as a slave by Die marshal of the
■ United States to pay the expenses of his imprison-
ment, unless his owner shall appear; that your peti-
tioner has no owner but his God, and owes no ser-
vice bvit to his country; that it is hard for him to be
imprisoned without fault, and then sold to pay the
expense. He therefore prays that Congress will
exert their powers for the protection of the weak,
and procure for him that liberty and j ustice which
are his right, and which he has a special claim for in
the District, which is under the exclusive legislation
of your honorable body.
WILLIAM JONES,
mark.
Witness: D. A. Hall.
Washington Juil, Dec 28, 1843.
Mr. PAYNE inquired whether the gentleman
who presented the memorial was aware, of his own
knowledge, there is such a person as William Jones.
Mr. GIDDINGS said the paper enme to him
witnessed by one of the most rcsscctable attorneys
of the city, Mr. D. A. Hall; and he had no doubt it
was perfectly correct and true.
Mr. DELLET remarked, that if the paper was
witnessed by a respectable attorney, the aid which
the petitioner asked he could have obtained by apply-
ing to that attorney and securing his assistance,
much more readily than by applying to this House.
There was not a single fact set forth in that paper,
to which the attention of the House was called, that
was not. properly ti mutter for judicial investiga-
tion; and he would ask if the Congress of the United
States were to be called upon by petitions m tliis
way to legislate upon the juclieinl business of the coun-
try. They were called upon to do what it would
be disgraceful and discreditable to suppose was
neglected to be done by the proper authorities.
The SPEAKER remarked that the petition must
go over, if the gentleman intended to debate it.
Mr. DELLET moved that it be laid upon the
table. Upon this question the yeas and nays were
demanded.
Mr. GIDDINGS desired tu put a question to the
gentleman from Alabama.
Mr. McCONNELL culled the gentleman from
Ohio to order.
The SPEAKER observed that it would be irreg-
ular to continue the debate after a motion to lay
the subject upon the table. The yeas and nays
being taken, resulted—yeas i>5, nays 100.
So the House refused to lay the memorial on the
table.
Mr. BRODHEAD moved its reference to the
Committee on the Judiciary.
Mr. SAUNDERS, in the course of Ins remarks,
(which were not distinctly heard,) waft understood to
be opposed to the reference to the Committee for the
District of Columbia; and he intimated to the gen ■
tlemen from Ohio [Mr. Gjddixgs] that a plain course
was open to him, if the fact were as represented, by
which tne petitioner could be discharged without
any difficulty.
Mr. McCONNELL desired to raise the question
whether the petitioner was a citizen of the United
States; and, as a consequence, whether he had the
right to petition the Congress of the United States.
Mr. SAUjNDERS was proceeding to make some
further remarks, when
The SPEAKER informed him that the question
was not debatable.
Mr. SAUNDERS said he was not going to de-
bate it; he merely wished to say a word or two re-
specting the facts, which he thought would relieve
the House of any further difficulty.
Mr. McCONNELL moved a suspension of the
rules, that the gentleman from North Carolina might
have leave to proceed.
Here were cries of "Order, order."
The SPEAKER said, if debate arose upon this
memorial, it must go over till to-morrow.
_Mr. SAUNDERS again stated that it was not
his intention to debate the question.
Mr. KIRKPATRICK was understood to sug-
gest an instruction to the committee to which the
memorial might be sent, to report a bill to repeal the
law under which the petitioner was confined.
The SPEAKER replied that such amotion would
be in order when the subject came up to-morrow.
The subject then went over.
Mr. GIDDINGS then rose to give notice that,
at an early day, he should ask leave to introduce a
bill to prohibit the officers of the United States
from interfering in the capture of persons suspected
of being fugitives from slavery.
The SPEAKER said the motion could only be
received by common consent.
Mr. GIDDINGS asked if it was not always in
order, on petition days, to give notice of a bill.
The SPEAKER replied that it could only be re-
ceived by common consent.
The notice was not received, as objections were
made.
Mr. HARPER presented some petitions from
Ohio.
Mr. TIBBATTS rose to give notice of his inten-
tion to ask leave to introduce certain bills.
Mr. GIDDINGS objected to all such notices; and
they were not received.
LADIES' FAIR.
Mr. CALDWELL presented a memorial, with a
few remarks, in the course of which, he stated that
it came from the gentle sex, and asked for no ap-
propriations.
Hie Clerk read the memorial, at the request
of the gentleman who presented it; and it appeared
that it came from the ladies now holding a fair in
this city, for the benefit of St. Matthew's Church,
and that it stated that for four months they
had been engaged in the preparation of articles for
the comfort and convenience of the m«nbers of the
two Houses of Congress, whose attendance they re-
quested at the exhibition.
Mr. McCONNELL moved that the memorial be
referred to a committee of one—the gentleman who
introduced it. And he took occasion to remark, that
the ladies holding this fair could get enough to re-
lieve nil the suffering humanity which he had seen
in this city yet, by diminishing the fees of the
priests. [Laughter.] He afterwards remarked that
he withdrew his motion to refer, as he believed the
memorial was not referable.
Mr. CALDWELL said the memorial asked for
no appropriation.
Mr. McCONNELL "said, well, 1 withdraw it;
but^as to the priest's fees, I stick to that. [Laughter.]
The question was then understood to be with-
drawn.
The SPEAKER then continued the call for peti-
tions; and many were presented.—
From Georgia: By Mr. COBB.
From South Carolina: 13y Mr.
From Virginia: By Messrs
and STEENROB.
From Pennsylvania: By Messrs. JENKS, WIL-
KINsi, A. STEWART, BIDLACK, and IRVIN,
Fiom New York: By Messrs. LEONARD
HUNGER FORD, DANA, PATTERSON, and
MOSELEY. ' '
From Connecticut: Mr.CATLIN presented addi-
tional documents m support of the petition of Ebene-
7er Gray for a pension '
ago; which were reie.rre
sions.
Mr. WELLER called the attention of the House
to the vote just taken on ordering the printing of the
memorial presented by the gentleman from New
^.ork, [Mr. Dana,] from certain persons interest-
ed in the navigation of the New York canals, under
the impression that the paper presented was a me-
morial from the State. He did not object to the
printing; but as it was not usual to print memorials,
and there was no reason why this one should be an
HOLMES.
GILMER, LUCAS,
.. J • .. v A 1LH jl' IjlJtllC"
, presented by him some days
ed to the Committee on Pen-
exception to the general rule, he moved the recon-
sideration of the vote on ordering the printing.
Mr. STETSON observed that the gentleman did
not say that he voted in the affirmative; and unless
he did so, he could not move the reconsideration.
Mr. WELLER was not certain that he. voted at
all; though if he had voted, he would have voted,un-
der the impressions he held at the time,with the ma-
jority. But the practice of the House had been to
consider all as voting in the affirmative when no di-
visions were taken.
Mr. HOPKINS observed that when questions
were carried sxib silentio, the practice of the House
had been to consider every member as voting in the
affirmative.
The SPEAKER dccidcd that the gentleman from
Ohio had a right to make the motion.
Some further conversation took place between the
SPEAKER and Mr. STETSON; when
Mr. DANA callcd for the yeas and nays on the
question; but a sufficient number not rising to sus-
tain the call, they were not ordered.
The memorial was then read; after which
Mr. DAN A called for tellers on the question; but
the call was not sustained.
The question was then put on the motion for re-
consideratioh, and carried without a division.
The question recurring on the motion to print, it
was put to the House, and decided in the negative.
On motion of Mr. JACOB THOMPSON, the
memorial of the Legislature of Mississippi for build-
ing a light-house on St. Joseph's island, was taken
from the files of the last session, and referred to the
Committee on Commerce.
Petitions were further presented—
From Massachusetts: By Mr. ADAMS.
From Indiana: By Mr. SAMPLE.
From Maine: By Mr. HERRICK.
From Alabama: By Mr. CHAPMAN.
REPORTS OF COMMITTEES.
The several standing committees were called on
for reports; and the following were presented:
Mr. HOPKINS, from the Committee on the Post
Office and Post Roads, made an unfavorable report
on the petition of Joel Beamer; and the committee
was discharged from the further consideration
thereof.
IMPRISONMENT FOR DEBT.
Mr. CAMPBELL, from the Committee for the
District of Columbia, presented a resolution that
the said committee be instructed to inquire into the
expediency of bringing in a bill to abolish imprison-
ment for debt within the boundaries of said District;
•which resolution was adopted.
HOME SQUADRON.
The following resolution, submitted yesterday by
Mr. Hale, was taken up, as the first business in
order:
Resolved. That the Seen tary of the Navy he instructed
to report to this House v.'hen the home squadron was first
established by law, v. hat have been the annual expenditures
therefor, anil how much of the estimated expense of the
next year is intended for that purpose.
Mr. HALE observed that, at the time of the in-
troduction of the resolution winch was now the sub-
ject of debate, he did not suppose that it would have
clicked so wide a discussion as had taken place.
To prevent any further misconstruction, he wished
more fully to state the objects he had in view, and
to disclaim others which had been imputed to him.
In the first place, he would repeat what he had
stated before, that in view of the facts stated 111 the
annual message of the Chief Magistrate, that the
country v.as prosperous in all the various depart-
ments of industry; that the products of agriculture
had been bountiful in the extreme, and that we were
at peace with all the earth,—it was also stated that in
this tune of ^encraland unprecedented prosperity the
expenditures of the Government exceeded our rev-
enues some four or five millions, ^withstand-
ing all this, gentlemen, instead of seeking how to pro-
vide resources for the Government, and to bring down
its expenditures wjthm the annual revenue of the
count} 5, were studiously devising new objects of ex-
jjendituie, and looking out for occasions for addi-
tional appropiiaiions. It would seem, from this
state of things, that the maxim that a national debt
v, as a national blessing found peculiar favor with,
some gentlemen on that floor. Not holding to such
opinions, he had, on coming here as a Representa-
tive of the people, cast his eyes round to find out
the point at which this much, talked of but little
practised retrenchment and reform should conv
rc#nce; and on doing so} it struck him that the Navy
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United States. Congress. The Congressional Globe, Volume 13, Part 1: Twenty-Eighth Congress, First Session, book, 1844; Washington D.C.. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth2367/m1/102/: accessed May 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.