The Congressional Globe, Volume 13, Part 1: Twenty-Eighth Congress, First Session Page: 64
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Congressional aiofefc.
One other remark, and. he had done. He was
also represented to have said, that, in the event of
striking out this feature of the Constitution, some
of the slave States would lose one-half of their, pop-
ulation. He did not understand himself as having
made any such remark. What he did say was,
that, if the three-fifths were taken away in the case
of some of the States, they would be deprived of
one-half of their representation.
MEXICAN INDEMNITY.
Mr. HOUSTON offered the following resolution;
but it was decided by the Speaker not to be in or-
der, and it was accordingly withdrawn:
Resolved, That the ^President of the United States be re-
quested to communicate to this House, so far as, in his
judgment, the same may be done without prejudice to the
public interest, any information in his possession relating
to the claims of citizens of the United States upon the Re-
public of Mexico, copies of such correspondence as may
have been had in reference to the same, and his views in
regard to the adjustment and liquidation of said claims.
AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION.
Mr. HUDSON inquired what was the question
now before the House?
The SPEAKER replied, it was upon the refer-
ence of the resolutions of the Legislature of Massa-
chusetts to the Judiciary Committee.
The resolutions arc aa follows:
Resolved, That t]^.following amendment to the Constitu
tion of the IJniteJj^Kes be. and hereby is, recommended to
the consideratio^BKongress, to be acted on according to
the fifth article. The third clause of the second section of
the first article shall read in the words following: Repre-
sentatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the
several States which are or may be included within this
Union according to their respective number of free persons,
including Indians not taxed. The actual enumeration shall
be made within two years from the date of the adoption
of this amendment, in the manner provided by the Constitu-
tion, and within every subsequent term of ten years, in such
manner as the Congress shall by law direct. The num-
ber of Representatives shall not exceed one for every
thirty thousand, but each State shall have at least one Rep-
resentatn e.
Resolved, That his Excellency the Governor be requested
to transmit a copy of the foregoing resolve, and the pro-
posed amendment, to each of the Senators and members of
the House of Representatives of this Commonwealth in the
Congress of the United States.
Resolved, That his Excellency the Governor be requested
to transmit a copy of the said resolve and amendment to the
Executives of the United States and of the several States.
Mr. R. D. DAVIS claimed the right of address-
ing the House upon this question—having obtained
the floor previous to the adjournment yesterday—
but gave way to
Mr. ADAMS, who then rose and said, the Speak-
er would recollect that about two hours of the time
of the House was yesterday occupied by a debate
of an extremely interesting nature—which was,
however, entirely aside from the proposition before
the House. That debate was first commenced by
the gentleman from Virginia, [Mr. Wise,] who
wished to make a special communication to the
House, and requested the reporters particularly to
take notice of what he said. It required the gen-
eral consent of the House, and general consent was
given; and the gentleman took as much time as he
thought necessary to communicate to the House
what Ins ideas alia opinions were; and, immediately
afterwards, another gentleman asked for the same
indulgence, and it was allowed to him, and to three,
or four, or five others.
Mr. KING called the gentleman from Massachu-
setts) to order.
Mr. ,ADAMS being permitted, liy general con-
sent, to proceed, said that lie was going on to state
what took place yesterday; and he entertained the
hope that the same indulgence which had been
granted to others would be extended to him. While
the debate was still going on before the adjournment
on yesterday, the gentleman from New York [Mr.
Davis] rose and addressed the Chair; but his address
was cut off by the adjournment. The gentleman
had again risen for the purpose of addressing the
House, and he (Mr. Adams) wished to say that, re-
serving to himself the right to remind the House of
the position in which he was placed yesterday, and
resuming to himself the right to claim the same in-
dulgence which had been extended to other mem-
bers upon that floor, he was perfectly willing that
the gentleman from New York should have the same
indulgence; and indeed, for his own part, he would
be glad to see it extended to every member of the
House. The debate itself was extremely interest-
ing, and involved—.
Mr. KING again rose and called the gentlemau
from Massachusetts to order.
Mr. JOSEPH R. INGERSOLL said that, if the
gentleman from Massachusetts would allow him, he
would offer a resolution that would exactly meet
his views, by throwing the debate open to all.
The CHAIR informed the gentleman from Penn-
sylvania that the resolution could not be received
but by general consent.
Objections being made, it was not received.
Mr. ADAMS said he supposed, from the refusal
to receive the resolution, that it was not the wish of
the House that the debate should proceed, and that
he should be precluded from taking any notice
whatever of the remarks of gentlemen who had ad-
dressed the House on the subject, and-from express-
ing to the House his views in relation to the memo-
rial of the Massachusetts Legislature.
Mr. THOMASSON moved that the gentleman
have leave to express his views on the subject.
Mr. HAMLIN asked if that motion was open to
debate.
The SPEAKER said that, strictly speaking, the
debate was not in order, without leave of the House.
Mr. C. JOHNSON asked what was the regular
business before the House.
The SPEAKER replied, it was the reception of
petitions from the States.
Mr. CLINGMAN moved that the rules be sus-
pended, to allow the gentleman from Massachusetts
to proceed.
Mr. ADAMS expressed a wish to make some
remarks on the resolutions before the House; and
especially as a gentleman on the other side charged
him with arresting the progress of the business of
the House.
The CHAIR informed the gentleman that per-
mission could only be granted by a suspension of
the rules, and a vote of two-thirds.
Mr. ADAMS would not ask for a suspension of
the rules. He would rather forego his remarks
than arrest the progress of petitions.
The SPEAKER then announced the question to
be on the motion to refer the resolutions to the Com-
mittee on the Judiciary.
Mr. CAVE JOHNSON desired the subject to go
over, as he wished to debate it.
Mr. BELSER asked if it was in order to move to
lay the subject on the table.
The SPEAKER replied that it was.
Mr. BELSER moved to lay the subject on the
table, and called for the yeas and nays on it.
Mr. R. D. DAVIS claimed the right to the floor.
Mr. CAVE JOHNSON insisted that the subject
must go over on notice of debate.
Mr. ADAMS said the subject was up yesterday,
and had already gone over till to-day; and he knew
of no rule by which petitions and memorials must
go over eveiy time a member gives notice of an in-
tention to debate it.
The CHAIR reminded the gentleman that the
subject must go over if debate arose on it.
Mr. BARNARD did not understand the gentle-
mae from Tennessee as being himself desirous of de-
bating the question.
The SPEAKER said that, if no gentleman was
desirous of debating it, the question would be taken.
Mr. R. D. DAVIS claimed the floor, and said he
was desirous of debating the question.
The SPEAKER said that he had informed the
House that, if any gentleman was desirou^of de-
bating the question, it must go over. The gentle-
man from Tennessee insisted that the subject must
go over; and at this stage the gentleman from Ala-
bama moved to lay it on the table.
Mr. HUDSON asked if it was in order to lay the
subject on the table after several gentlemen had yes-
terday expressed their views on it, while there were
others who wished to reply.
The CHAIR said it would be in order.
Mr. CARROLL said he understood that a motion
had been made to allow the gentlemau from Massa-
chusetts topiocecd.
The SPEAKER said that a motion was made to
allow the gentleman to proceed; but, that motion re-
quiring a suspension of the rules, and a vote of two-
thirds, the gentleman from Massachusetts said that
he did not desire the rulesHo be suspended.
Mr. CARROLL said he did not understand that
the motion to allow the gentleman to proceed had
been withdrawn.
The SPEAKER replied, that the motion was
made while the gentleman from Massachusetts was
on the floor; and, without his permission, the mo-
tion was not in order. The gentleman himself
stating that he did not desire the rules to be sus-
pended, the motion fell to the ground.
Mr. CARROLL then moved that the gentleman
from Massachusetts have leave to proceed.
The CHAIR said that the motion was not in or-
der, the motion to lay the subject on the table hav-
ing precedence. .
Mr. BELSER withdrew his motion to lay the
subject- on the table.
Mr. HUDSON moved that Mr. Adams have leave
to proceed.
Mr. GIDDINGS called for the yeas and nays;
which being ordered, the question was taken, and
resulted m yeas lii3, nays 46, as follows:
YEAS—Messrs. Adams, Barringer, Barnard, Beardsley,
Belser, Benton, Bidlack, James Black, Jacob Brinkerhoft,
Brodhead, Aaron V. Brown, Milton Brown, William J.
Brown, Buffington, Burt, Caldwell, Cary, Carroll, Catlin,
Reuben Chapman, Chilton, Ctingman, Collamer, ( ranston,
Cross, Dana, Garrett Davis, Richard D. Davis, John W.
Davis, Debeny, Dellet, Dickey, Dickinson, Dillingham,
Douglass Ellis, Farlee. Ficklin, Fish, Foot, Foster, French,
Frick, Giddings, Gilmer, Willis Green, Gnder, Hale, Har-
din. Harper, Henley, Herrick, Holmes, Hoge, Hubbell,
Hudson, Hungerford, Washington Hunt, James B. Hunt,
Charles J. Ingersoll, Joseph R. Ingersoll, Irvm, Jenks,
Perley B. Johnson, Andrew Johnson, Kennedy, Daniel P,
King Leonard, McClelland, McClcrnand, McDowell, Mc-
Ilvaine, McKay, Marsh, Edward J. Morris, Joseph Morris,
Morse, Moseley, Owen, Parmenter, Patterson, Pettit, Pey.
ton, Phremx, F.lisha R. Potter, Rathbun, Raj nt-r, Charles
M. Read, Ritier, Robmson, Rogers, Russell, St. John,
Sample, Saunders, Sehenck, Senter, Severance, Thomas
II. Seymour, David L. Seymour, Simpson, Albert Smith,
Robert Smith, Stepens, Stetson, Andrew Stewart, Stone,
Taylor, Thomasson, Tibhatts, Tilden, Vance, Vanmeter,
Vinton, Weller, Wcntworth, Wheaton, White, Wilkins,
Winthrop, William Wright, and Joseph A. Wright—123.
NAyS—Messrs, Edwaid J. Black, James A. Black, Bli^ck-
■well, Bossier, Bower, i'owhn, Boyd, Burke, Augustus A.
Chapman, Clinton, Cobb, Cullom, Daniel, Dawson, Dean,
Duncan, Byram Green, Hamlin, Haralson, Hopkins,
Hubard, Ilughes, Jameson, Cave Johnson, Geo. W. Jones,
Preston King, Kirkpatrick, Labranche, Lewis, Lucas,
Lumpkin, McCauslen, Maclay, McConnell, Mathews,
Moore, Morris, Emery D. Potter, David S. Reid, Reding,
Simons, Slidclt, Thomas Smith, Caleb B. Smith, Steenrod,
John Stewart. Stiles, and Woodward—46.
Mr. ADAMS proceeded to address the House;
and, after stating the indifference he felt with re-
spect to the reference of the paper before the House,
and his desire to be omitted from any committee to
which it might be referred, he said that the gentle-
man from Virginia [Mr. Wise] yesterday rose and
called the attention of the House to what he was
about to say, and the attention of the reporters to
it also; and then declared that he renounced forever
this war which he said had been going on here for
several years on this subject; and that he, for one,
was sick of this war. But then a gentleman from
the highest pitch ofSouthern chivalry, [M^Holmes,]
rose and declared that, if the gentleman from Vir-
ginia was disposed to cease this war, he was not;
but that he would continue the war, rally all his
forces, and make battle. He (Mr. A.) regretted ex-
ceedingly that this most martial, most belligerent
figure should have been adopted by either of those
gentlemen. The gentleman from Virginia did say
this was not the place for such battles; and what he
said was perfectly true. This is not the place for
battles of any kind; this is the place for delibeia-
tion—for the deliberation of friends and brothers,
members of one great nation, all having one great
and common interest, and all having at heart a pas-
sionate desire for the good of the whole country.
Such, he hoped, would be the "battles," or anything
in the nature of mutual opposition, between the dif-
ferent parts of the country represented on this floor.
He had always so hoped, and lie still so hoped, not-
withstanding the martial attitudes assumed by the
gentleman from South Carolina, and in part by the
gentleman from Virginia himself, who, although he
had announced that he had relinquished the war—■
although he had said that he would no longer hold
the post in this House—the military post in this
House which he had occupied for several years—•
said that he would take another position.
The gentleman from Virginia had never acted with
more wisdom in his life, than he had done on this
occasion of the abandoment of "his position; for the
position was not tenable, and the people of the na-
tion will not support those who hold it, and to
whom the gentleman from Virginia had given the
signal for its surrender. That position js not ten-
able, thank God Almighty—the position of a repre-
sentative body, undertaking to dictate to their con-
stituents, the sovereign people, what they shall do,
and turning out of doors every petitioner who comes
and asks them to do that which they do not think
proper to grant. But m saying this, I wish to re-
mind my friend from South Carolina that I hope he
will strip off his armor cup-ii-jiu; that he will
throw aside his epaulets; that he will take off his
sword, though it may be as great a sword as
that of Durandarte, of the age of chivalry—though
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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/m1/88/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.