The Congressional Globe, Volume 13, Part 1: Twenty-Eighth Congress, First Session Page: 280
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280,
CONGRESSIONAL GLOBE.
•■■■fepjjp
.Ciy^STON.. ?« ed House ad-
journ: rejected—ayes 59, noes 74. * .
Mr. SCHENCK moved a call of the House, and
demanded the^yeas and nays on the question.
The SPEAKER decided that the previous ques-
tion haying been ordered, a motion for a call for the
House was not' In order.
file question was taken on the light of Mr.
Loiir'kin to; his seat as a representative from the
State "of Cfebr^ia, "and decided in the affirmative—
yeas 100, nays 45. '
The House then proceeded to vote on the right
of Mr. Cobb to Ms seat, and the result \yas—yeas
100, nay"s"28.
Mr. JENKS moved an adjournment; which was
negatived.
The House next voted-on the right of Mr. Stiles
to his seat; which was decided in the affirmative—
yeas 8.9, nays 23.
Mr. RAYNER moved an adjournment; which was
negatived; but a count was demanded, and 20 voted
in the affirmative, and 75 in the negative. So the
motion was not carried.
Mr. RAYNER inquired if there was a quorum
voting.
Tne SPEAKER replied that a quorum was not
necessary on a motion to adjourn.
Mr. RAYNER said he should object to anything
being done without a quorum.
The SPEAKER said the objections of the gentle-
man from North Carolina was not one that he could
entertain until, by a test, it were shown that there
was not a quorum present.
The House then proceeded to vote on the right of
Mr. Clinch to his seat.
Mr. G. W. JONES rose, when his name was
called, and inquired if Mr. Clinch was one of the
gentlemen whose certificates had been submitted to
the Committee of Elections, and by them reported
on.
Mr. C. J. INGERSOLL said members were sent
there by the people, and that was certificate enough.
Some gentleman explained that Mr. Clinch's
certificate had been seen; and
Mr. HARALSON was understood to say that
he had seen the governor's proclamation of Mr.
Clinch's election; and that was deemed sufficient.
The vote was taken, and resulted as follows: yeas
88, nays 29.
So that he was declared entitled to his seat.
An adjournment was moved, and determined by
tellers—Messrs. C. Johnson and Jenks—who re-
ported 6'4 in the affirmative, and 21 in the negative.
The House then adjourned, at 7 o'clock.
IN SENATE.
Thursday, February 15, 184-1.
Mr. PORTER presented a communication from
the treasurer of the State of Michigan, addressed to
him, enclosing a statement of railroad iron imported
by that State, and actually laid down on railroads
within her limits; which was referred to tke Commit-
tee on Finance.
Mr. HANNEGAN presented a joint resolution
instructing the senators and requesting the repre-
sentatives from that States to endeavor to procure
an appropriation for the completion of the harbor of
Michigan city: referred to the Committee on Com-
merce.
Also, to use their exertions to procure the estab-
lishment of a western armory within that State: re-
ferred to the Committee on Military Affairs.
Mr. FOSTER, from the Committee on Claims, to
■n liich was referred the memorial and resolutions of
tiie legislature of Kentucky, on the subject of making
compensation to the heirs of Christopher Miller for
hislservices against the Indians in 1794, reported a
bill for their relief; which was read and ordered to a
second reading, and the report accompanying to be
printed,
Mr. ATHERTON, from the Committee on Pen-
sions, made an adverse report on the petition of
Eugene E. T. Smith, for increase and arrears of
pension; which was ordered to lie on the table and
be printed.
REPAIR OF PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE.
The bill for repairing and repaving a portion of
Pennsylvania avenue came up m order, as m com-
mittee of the whole.
Mr. MILLF.R, chairman of the Committee on
the District of Columbia, said he had been instruct-
< d to move two amendments to the bill. The 1st
;.-<'tion of the bill, he said, proposed to appropriate
sx>8,000 for the repair and repaving of Pennsylvania
avenue. He wished to amend-that section, by sub-
stituting $40,000, instead of the |2&j000. He would
state the reason for the change. The bill, as re-
ported by the committee, contemplated leaving the
avenue, as far as the grading was concerned, in its
present position, but dividing that portion of it lying
between west First street and west Fifteenth street
into three parallel strips—the centre strip to be 40
feet wide, to be covered with gravel; and the side
parallel strips to be 34 feet wide each, to be paved
with small oval stones, not larger than three inches
in diameter: thus not to disturb the sidewalks at all.
But the amendment proposes to extend the present
sidewalks 13 feet, and to have planted on the out-
side of such extension an additional row of trees;
and then to divide the remainder of the avenue into
three parallel strips—the centre strip to be 28 feet
wide, and covered with gravel; the side strips to be
each 27 feet wide, to paved with the small oval
stones above mentioned. The width of the avenue,
from curb to curb of the present grade, is 108 feet;
and its extent, from First to Fifteenth street, is 6,500
feet—which would make 77,880 square yards in all.
Mr. M. here examined in detail the estimates and
cost under the plan proposed in the bill as it origi-
nally stood, as compared with thyJan proposed by
the amendment, and showed thflpe extension of
the sidewalks would cause an increased expense of
$12,000—thus making the necessity for |40,000, in-
stead of $28,000. The committee, he said, thought
it was proper that the plan of the amendment should
be adopted. Inasmuch as the avenue was very
wide, a part could probably be taken from the trav-
elling part of the street, so as to extend the side
pavements 13 feet, and afford room for an additional
row of trees, and then leave sufficient width in the
centre for all travelling purposes.
Mr. ALLEN was surprised at the proposition
now before the Senate, when gentlemen knew that
the treasury of the United States was not overflow-
ing. The people were not in a condition to pay
taxes for the purpose of being uselessly squander-
ed. But, notwithstanding that, it was proposed to
make an expenditure which would incur an addi-
tional tax upon them. And he stated the fact for
the purpose of letting it be known by the nation that
it was proposed to appropriate, as a beginning,
$40,000, not to make Pennsylvania avenue a proper
highway for the accommodation of the citizens, but
to beautify and embellish it as a matter of mere or-
nament to this city. Here was a street not less than
a mile in length, now one of the broadest and most
beautiful in the world; and it was proposed to
destroy it for all useful purposes, by constructing it
and paving it anew, at an expense of perhaps $200,-
000—beginning with an appropriation of $40,000 in
in the present exhausted state of the public treasu-
ry. It seemed monstrous to call on the government
at this time for an appropriation for any such pur-
pose; and he was surprised that the proposition did
not attract more of the attention of the Senate than
it did. There was §10,000 provided in the bill for
the gravelling and paving another part of the city,
independent of the $40,000 provided for this partic-
ular street, and it seemed to be claimed as a matter
of course. And no attention was paid to this prop-
osition to draw from the treasury, as if the treasury
could take care of itself, and required no guar-
dianship whatever. It seemed to him that
this proposition, which should be met and condemn-
ed in the Senate, should be sent to the county for
their unmitigated contempt. He moved to lay the
bill on the table; and on that motion demanded the
yeas and nays. He subsequently withdrew the mo-
tion.
Mr. MILLER said he hoped that this bill would
not fall beneath the anathema of the senator from
Ohio, [Mr. Allen,] but that the Senate would pro-
ceed to consider it. It was not a novel bill. It had
passed the Senate at the last session of Congress,
and, to his recollection, with the vote of the gentle-
man from Ohio.
Mr. ALLEN observed that the senator was mis-
taken. He called for the journal.
Mr. MILLER said he might be mistaken; but
the. bill passed the Senate at the last session, and
failed in its passage through the other House, for
want of time. The bill now reported by the Com-
mittee on the District was the same which hereto-
fore passed the Senate. Whether the yeas and
nays had been called upon it he did not recollect;
but it did not receive any serious opposition. That,
however, had nothing to do with the question. In-
stead of crushing the bill in the manner proposed
by the Senator from Ohio, [Mr. Allen,] by laying
it on the table, the .Senate should proceed at on.ee to
consider it. It was a Ml, he thought, which called
for due consideration at tiie hands of the Senate.
The gentleman would not deny that Pennsylvania
avenue had always been considered a government
street, laid out by the government, and that the ne-
cessary expenses for the purpose of keeping it in
order "had always been thrown upon the govern-
ment. Nothing was asked in the bill but what was
absolutely necessary to put the avenue in a proper
state of repair; and if, in doing so, a little ornament
could be added to the street, he trusted there would
be no serious objection on that point. The orna-
ments would not increase the expenditure at all,
over and above the cost of a few trees, and the con-
duits for turning the water off the sidewalks. The
original bill, as he had stated to the Senate, and
would state again, in order that it might be tho-
roughly understood, proposed merely to pave the
avenue—to put it in a state of repair, so that it
might be travelled upon with safety and conveni-
ence by the public. It was not necessary for him
to state to members of the Senate that some money
at least should be expended in repairing Pennsylva-
nia avenue; for every Senator in the body knew
the fact, if he had ever travelled upon it. The only
question was, the manner in which the repairs
should be done. Now the committee had investi-
gated this matter; and, upon reflection, and a care-
ful examination of estimates furnished by experi-
enced persons, the cheapest manner of repairing the
avenue had been adopted. It had heretofore, at
great expense to the government—at the expense of
about $100,000—been Macadamized. That im-
provement was now worn out. It was absolutely
necessary^hat something should be done for its re-
pair. Three modes had been presented to the com-
mittee. One was to pave the avenue by means of
wooden blocks—another to pave it with granite;
and the third, to make the pavement of small oval
stones. The committee had thought proper to
adopt the latter mode; because, in the first place, it
was the cheapest proposition by twenty-five or
fifty per cent.; and, in the second place, they be-
lieved it to be the best kind of pavement, and the
most durable—certainly the best fortravelling upon.
How could this bill be said to be extravagant? He
put the question to the Senator from Ohio, [Mr. Al-
len.] In what way was it extravagant? The gen-
tlemen had made the assertion that a great deal of
money was about to be expended for the purpose of
ornamenting the street. It was not so. The only
additional expense which the bill proposed to incur,
was in widening the side-walks about thirteen feet.
A pavement of brick could be made as cheap as a
pavement of oval stones; that is, at 50 cents a
square yard; but it would neither bo as handsome
nor as durable.
Mr. BENTON inquired how much was to be ad-
der! to the side-walks?
Mr. MILLER said he believed they were now
twenty-one feet wide. By adding thirteen feet they
would be thirty-four feet in width. The committee
thought that altogether it would not add much to the
expense, and it would certainly benefit the street.
By means of this extension, they would be enabled
to plant an additional row of trees, leaving the pres-
ent row wheie they were. The additional expense,
as he had stated, would be about $10,000 or $12,000,
and that was all. It was necessary, in making
any improvement at all, to remove the curb-stones,
for the purpose of altering them so that the water
which now floods the side-walks would be rirniayl
off. For this part of the work, then, there womd
be no additional expense. Under these views the
committee thought proper to adopt two amendments,
and to present them to the consideration of the Sen-
ate. If it was not proper to leave the side-walks m
their present state, that body would, of course, say
so. The bill would then stand precisely as it stood
when it passed the Senate at the last session of Con-
Mr. ALLEN wished to know upon what author-
ity the Senator [Mr. Miller] had been justified in
saying that he (Mr. A.) had supported the bill hy
his vote on that occasion?
Mr. MILLER replied that he had stated it upon
his general recollection.
Mr. ALLEN desired to know if there was any
ground for making the assertion.
Mr. MILLER said that, to the best of his recol-
lection, there was no objection made to the bill at
all, and that was the ground which he had for infer-
ring that the senator from Ohio [Mr. Allen] had
supported it.
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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/m1/304/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.