H. OF R.] Adjournment of Congress. [MAY 15, 1834. Mr. ASHLEY proposed to amend Mr. HAWES'S of high importance, before the House, which yet remainamendment, by directing the money to be paid over, ined to be acted upon, and which, if the resolution were the presence of the chiefs, to all the heads of families in adopted, there would not be time enough to despatch. the tribe. This was agreed to: Ayes 68, noes 57. The question being put on the amendment, as thus amended, it was rejected without a count. He need not remind the House of the days that were set apart for private business; that Mondays only were set apart for the reception of memorials; and that, judging from the slow progress that was made with those already presented, there was little probability that there would be sufficient time left to go through the several Mr. LEWIS now moved the amendment he had formerly proposed, when the Indian appropriation bill was under consideration, providing $11,160 to be dis-States for that purpose. tributed among certain Creek Indians, friends of Chilly McIntosh, in pursuance of a treaty which he quoted. The item was agreed to; and thereupon the committee, on motion of Mr. POLK, rose, and reported both bills, as amended, to the House. Two messages in writing were received from the President of the United States, by Mr. Donelson, his private Secretary, as follows, viz: FIRST MESSAGE. Under such circumstances, then, with the knowledge they must have of the state of the business generally, he would put it to every gentleman to say, was it possible for the House to accomplish what was necessary to be accomplished before they could think of adjourning' Mr. H. enumerated, as coming within this description, the various appropriation bills; and, above all others, be said, was the commutation bill, recently recommitted, and one that he had much at heart-the bill to place on the pension roll those persons who had been engaged in To the Senate and House of Representatives of the U. S.: the Indian wars prior to 1794. There were other bills of I communicate to Congress copies of a convention be- as great importance to various sections and interests. tween the United States and his Majesty the King of the One for the construction of the Potomac bridge; one in Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, to terminate the reclama- relation to the Chesapeake and Ohio canal; and that in tions of the former for the depredations inflicted upon relation to the extension of the Cumberland road--this American commerce by Murat, during the years 1809, latter being one of paramount interest to the whole 1810, 1811, and 1812, concluded at Naples on the 14th of West. How many days, he asked the House to consider, October, 1832, and the ratifications of which were exchanged at the same place on the 8th of June, 1833. ANDREW JACKSON. would be consumed in the case of the Kentucky contested election Three or four at least. He would remark further, that scarcely more than ore or two of the subjects before the Committee on the Judiciary, and which were of high importance, were yet acted upon. One of these alone was of such importance that the House should pause before they would fix a day to adjourn, and thus leave it unsettled. He alluded to the case as to property claimed by the city of New Orleans from the United States, and which, having been referred to Congress, was sent to that committee, who had prepared a bill in conformity to their views, and which went to settle a question that had left the city hitherto in a most unsettled state. The member representing that section had yielded to the decision made on the subject by the conmittee. Was this, however, to be left undis Sundry other communications were laid before the posed of, as he contended it must inevitably be, if so early House by the Speaker; when The House adjourned. THURSDAY, MAY 15. ADJOURNMENT OF CONGRESS. Mr. BOON asked the unanimous consent of the House to take up the resolution heretofore submitted by him, proposing to fix a day for the termination of the present session of Congress. Objections having been made, Mr. B. moved a suspension of the rule for the purpose, and called for the yeas and nays thereon. The House agreed to suspend the rule: Yeas 136, nays 23. The resolution was then taken up, as follows: Resolved, That the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives close the present session of Congress, by an adjournment of their respective Houses, on Monday, the 16th of June next. a day was named? There were the Indian bills, not the least in importance, to be considered. He believed, in fact, there never were, previously, so many and important subjects presented as at this session, and now remaining to be disposed of, owing to the unfortunate state the country had been thrown into by the rash measures of the Executive, and which it was necessary that the House should act upon. However gentlemen might say that many or all these bills might be acted on next session, it should be recol lected that the next session of Congress would consist of not more than eighty-eight days. He hoped, therefore, that so trifling an extension of the time as he proposed would not be objected to. Even with this extension, he did not well see how they could expect the Senate to get through. There, the appropriation bills already passed in the House, owing to the subjects of exciting character which they had so recently under discussion, were not yet taken up. If the time was not granted, he consid ered that there could be no hope of passing through the Mr. HARDIN moved to strike out "the 16th June," commutation bill, which so many gentlemen desired, in and insert "the 2d July." He presumed the honorable order to give to the old veterans, who had spent their member from Indiana [Mr. BooN] was not more solicitous days in the service of their country, a pittance to close than he was to return to the bosom of his family; his them in independence. There was, also, he must rebusiness, both professional and private, calling upon him mind members, the affairs of the Post Office to be inquir (Mr. H.) as urgently and as imperiously as did that of ed into; and, with all these, how, he asked, was it pos any other honorable member so to do. But he was un-sible for them to think of adjourning? He hoped he willing to fix so early a day as was named in the resolu- would get credit for the assertion that his anxiety to re tion, considering the state of business, public and private, turn to his home was as great as that of any man, feeling MAY 15, 1834.] Adjournment of Congress. [H. OF R. with Cowper, in the beautiful lines he attributes to Sel-home. It was not desired by the people that we should kirk When I think of my own native land, Soon hurries me back to despair. stay here during the summer, and every one knew that, after the 1st of June, we could not continue in session without hazarding our health. He would grant that little business had been done by this Congress; and he would undertake to say that if we sat three months longer, we should not pass more than half a dozen general bills. He fully believed that our constituents wished us to close the session after passing the appropriation bills and a few Mr. BURGES was in favor of the motion to postpone; but would prefer to postpone the resolution to the time when this House should consent to do something for the relief of the country. Mr. CAMBRELENG rose to suggest to the member Mr. FILLMORE hoped that a time would be fixed for the adjournment, in order that we might begin to select and act upon the most important business before the House. He did not care what time was fixed; but he hoped it would be fixed at once. Mr. DICKSON moved the previous question, but withdrew it at the request of Mr. BOON, who wished, he said, to reply to some of the remarks which had been made. When he introdu ced this resolution, he was of the opinion that, in a time of profound peace, six months was long enough for the despatch of the business of Congress, and he thought so now. If gentleman would act, instead of debating, the business Mr. H. EVERETT did not wish to prolong the session of the House would soon be despatched. But nothing of Congress, but he was not now ready to fix the day of could be said or done here which had not some immediate adjournment. Some bills relative to the Indian depart-reference to the United States Bank; and unless the House ment, which were well deserving of the attention of the House, would be reported on Monday next. He hoped, therefore, the resolution would be postponed. would fix the day of adjournment, this kind of debate might last five or six months longer. This resolution was introduced in the ordinary way. It was not usual for the House to appoint a committee to report what business it was necessary to act upon until the day of adjournment was fixed. Mr. WILDE said, the extraordinary unanimity with which the motion to suspend the rules of the House, in order to take up this subject, had been carried, clearly indicated that the House were disposed to act on the sub- We had been here five months speech-making, Presi ject at once. Whatever individual feeling he might enter-dent-making, and Vice President-making; it had been tam in favor of an early adjournment, there were consid- entirely a political session, and not a session for business. erations, of a public character, which rendered a precipi- To continue here was only to continue the excitement tate adjournment highly inexpedient. But still he was which had been got up in the country. He was sorry disposed to be governed by the majority of the House. that he could not accept the modification proposed by the If we were not to act upon the highly important subject gentleman from Kentucky. There was a difference of of the currency, we might despatch all the other business opinion among his friends as to the time proper to be fixof importance by the time proposed in the resolution. ed, some wishing as early a day as the 31st of May, and Whether we should or should not act definitively on that others a day as late as the 1st of July; but he had fixed subject, rested with the majority of this House. In the upon the middle of June, and now left it to the majority present temper of the two bodies, it was obvious that, of the House to dispose of it as they pleased. whatever time might be spent on the subject, its fate was Mr. LOVE thought, he said, that the minority in the certain. If there was no intention to do any thing in ref House acted injudiciously in opposing the proposition to erence to the subject of the currency, there was no neces-adjourn. If the country suffers in consequence of a preBity for postponing the resolution. After we had passed mature adjournment, the majority were responsible for it. it, the Senate could amend or postpone it as they pleased. Upon them, and not upon us, would fall the responsibility It was a law of politics, as well as of nature, that no two of leaving the country in its present condition, in regard great epidemics could prevail at the same time. No mat- to the currency. He was willing to remain here, if any ter what subject we may take up, the currency question thing could be done. He denied, so far as he was conmust run into it. If we did not intend to act upon it, we cerned, the charge of President or Vice President making. might as well adjourn. At a former time, the charge might have been true as to Mr. MERCER rose to support the motion of the gen-the business of this House; but at present, the House, as tleman from New York. The calendar which he held in well as the country, was agitated by questions of vastly his hand contained 450 bills, of which we had not touch-greater importance. ed more than fifty. The Committee of the Whole on the Mr. R. M. JOHNSON said there was time enough bestate of the Union had before it the unprecedented num-fore the day fixed in the resolution to transact the whole ber of thirty-nine bills, every one of which was important. of the public business of importance, and go away with Mr. BEARDSLEY recollected, he said, only one ses less confusion than they have done at any former period son which was prolonged beyond the middle of June, and except that when we received our salary of $1,500. That that was the last long session. Two subjects of great was the only session in which Congress ever did all its moment, the bank and the tariff, were then before Con-business, and adjourned without confusion. If, by progress. The time of adjournment was at first fixed four longing the session for two months, all the business could or five weeks before the day on which the adjournment be done, he would consent to it, but we could not expect finally took place. He felt satisfied that it was the wish to clear the whole legislative docket, even if we sit to the of his constituents, and of the country at large, that we 4th of March next; but, fixing a day now for the adjourn should pass a few of the bills of general interest, and go ment, we should be able to do ten times as much business H. OF R.] Adjournment of Congress. [MAY 15, 1834 Mr. ASHLEY proposed to amend Mr. HAWES's of high importance, before the House, which yet remain amendment, by directing the money to be paid over, in ed to be acted upon, and which, if the resolution wer the presence of the chiefs, to all the heads of families in adopted, there would not be time enough to despatch the tribe. This was agreed to: Ayes 68, noes 57. The question being put on the amendment, as thus amended, it was rejected without a count. Mr. LEWIS now moved the amendment he had formerly proposed, when the Indian appropriation bill was under consideration, providing $11,160 to be distributed among certain Creek Indians, friends of Chilly McIntosh, in pursuance of a treaty which he quoted. The item was agreed to; and thereupon the committee, on motion of Mr. POLK, rose, and reported both bills, as amended, to the House. Two messages in writing were received from the President of the United States, by Mr. Donelson, his private Secretary, as follows, viz: FIRST MESSAGE. He need not remind the House of the days that were se apart for private business; that Mondays only were se apart for the reception of memorials; and that, judging from the slow progress that was made with those al ready presented, there was little probability that ther would be sufficient time left to go through the sever States for that purpose. Under such circumstances, then, with the knowledg they must have of the state of the business generally, h would put it to every gentleman to say, was it possibl for the House to accomplish what was necessary to b accomplished before they could think of adjourning Mr. H. enumerated, as coming within this description, th various appropriation bills; and, above all others, b said, was the commutation bill, recently recommitted and one that he had much at heart-the bill to place o the pension roll those persons who had been engaged in To the Senate and House of Representatives of the U. S.: the Indian wars prior to 1794. There were other bills o I communicate to Congress copies of a convention be- as great importance to various sections and interests tween the United States and his Majesty the King of the One for the construction of the Potomac bridge; one Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, to terminate the reclama- relation to the Chesapeake and Ohio canal; and that tions of the former for the depredations inflicted upon relation to the extension of the Cumberland road--thi American commerce by Murat, during the years 1809, latter being one of paramount interest to the whol 1810, 1811, and 1812, concluded at Naples on the 14th of West. How many days, he asked the House to consider October, 1832, and the ratifications of which were exchanged at the same place on the 8th of June, 1833. ANDREW JACKSON. would be consumed in the case of the Kentucky contested election' Three or four at least. He would remark further, that scarcely more than on or two of the subjects before the Committee on the Judi ciary, and which were of high importance, were yet acted upon. One of these alone was of such importance the the House should pause before they would fix a day to adjourn, and thus leave it unsettled. He alluded to the case as to property claimed by the city of New Orlean from the United States, and which, having been referred to Congress, was sent to that committee, who had pre pared a bill in conformity to their views, and which wen to settle a question that had left the city hitherto in most unsettled state. The member representing th section had yielded to the decision made on the subjec by the conmittee. Was this, however, to be left undis Sundry other communications were laid before the posed of, as he contended it must inevitably be, if so earl House by the Speaker; when The House adjourned. THURSDAY, MAY 15. ADJOURNMENT OF CONGRESS. Mr. BOON asked the unanimous consent of the House to take up the resolution heretofore submitted by him, proposing to fix a day for the termination of the present session of Congress. Objections having been made, Mr. B. moved a suspension of the rule for the purpose, and called for the yeas and nays thereon. The House agreed to suspend the rule: Yeas 136, nays 23. The resolution was then taken up, as follows: Resolved, That the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives close the present session of Congress, by an adjournment of their respective Houses, on Monday, the 16th of June next. a day was named? There were the Indian bills, not the least in importance, to be considered. He believed, in fact, there never were, previously, so many and im portant subjects presented as at this session, and now re maining to be disposed of, owing to the unfortunate state the country had been thrown into by the rash measure of the Executive, and which it was necessary that the House should act upon. However gentlemen might say that many or all the bills might be acted on next session, it should be recol lected that the next session of Congress would consist not more than eighty-eight days. He hoped, therefore that so trifling an extension of the time as he proposed would not be objected to. Even with this extension, did not well see how they could expect the Senate to ge through. There, the appropriation bills already passed the House, owing to the subjects of exciting characte which they had so recently under discussion, were yet taken up. If the time was not granted, he cons ered that there could be no hope of passing through the Mr. HARDIN moved to strike out "the 16th June," commutation bill, which so many gentlemen desired, and insert "the 2d July." He presumed the honorable order to give to the old veterans, who had spent th member from Indiana [Mr. BooN] was not more solicitous days in the service of their country, a pittance to clo than he was to return to the bosom of his family; his them in independence. There was, also, he must business, both professional and private, calling upon him mind members, the affairs of the (Mr. H.) as urgently and as imperiously as did that of ed into; and, with all these any other honorable member so to do. But he was un-sible for them to think willing to fix so early a day as was named in the resolu- would get credit for t tion, considering the state of business, public and private, turn to his home was MAY 15, 1834.] Adjournment of Congress. [H. OF R. with Cowper, in the beautiful lines he attributes to Sel-home. It was not desired by the people that we should kirk When I think of my own native land, stay here during the summer, and every one knew that, after the 1st of June, we could not continue in session without hazarding our health. He would grant that little business had been done by this Congress; and he would undertake to say that if we sat three months longer, we should not pass more than half a dozen general bills. He fully believed that our constituents wished us to close the session after passing the appropriation bills and a few Mr. BURGES was in favor of the motion to postpone; but would prefer to postpone the resolution to the time when this House should consent to do something for the relief of the country. Mr. CAMBRELENG rose to suggest to the member from Indiana that, under the state of the business before the House, it was evident that they were not, as yet, prepared to fix a day to adjourn, desirable as it was, un-others of a general nature. doubtedly, to many. They had already had enumerated to them many important bills, and he might, he said, be permitted to express the hope that, in addition to the necessity that there was for passing the appropriation bills, the same necessity would be felt as to the bill to regu- Mr. FILLMORE hoped that a time would be fixed for late the making foreign coins a legal tender, before they the adjournment, in order that we might begin to select should adjourn. Other measures of high importance and act upon the most important business before the might be expected even yet to arise, which would claim, House. He did not care what time was fixed; but he nay, demand, some share of their attention. The new hoped it would be fixed at once. and extraordinary and unexpected attitude assumed by the Bank of the United States, but upon which he would not then enter, was of this character; and was enough to induce them not to act prematurely, as he thought it would be now acting, by adopting the resolution to adjourn. He moved to postpone the further consideration of the resolution until this day fortnight, and to make it the special order of the day for that purpose. H. OF R.] The General Appropriation Bill. [MAY 9, 1834. Mr. C. P. WHITE referred to and quoted the act au- NAYS--Messrs. John Quincy Adams, John Adams, thorizing the Commissioners of the Navy to institute a Archer, Ashley, Baylies, Beale, Beardsley, Bodle, Briggs, board of officers, whose duty it was to report such rules Brown, Bynum, Cambreleng, Chinn, Samuel Clark, Clay, and regulations as, when sanctioned by the President of Coffee, Day, Dickerson, W. K. Fuller, Galbraith, Gillet, the United States, should be considered obligatory. | Gilmer, Gorham, Joseph Hall, Thomas H. Hall, Halsey, He said that, the report having been presented, the Com- Hardin, Joseph M. Harper, Hathaway, Hawkins, Howell, mittee on Naval Affairs were not even willing to recom- Hubbard, Abel Huntington, Noadiah Johnson, Cave Johnmend these rules, until the officers should have given son, Kavanagh, Lansing, Luke Lea, Thomas Lee, Leavill, their views upon them. When the report was originally Loyall, Joel K. Mann, Martindale, Moses Mason, McKay, presented, the usual number of copies was ordered to be printed. This extra number they deemed necessary; and as the number was so limited, giving only two copies to each member, he trusted there would not be any objection to it. The resolution was then agreed to. WEST POINT ACADEMY. The resolution submitted yesterday by Mr. GAMBLE, in relation to the West Point Academy, calling on the Secretary of War for information as to the number of cadets, &c., was taken up and modified; and the question being put on its adoption Mr. CONNOR inquired if the information called for was not already called for by a resolution submitted by the member from Kentucky [Mr. HAWES.] The SPEAKER having ascerta ned that it was- KENTUCKY ELECTION. The question pending, from yesterday, being on the following clause of the amendment submitted by Mr. VANCE, Viz: "In no case shall the compensation by salary, fees, or otherwise, be permitted to exceed: of a collector, $3,000 per annum; of surveyors and naval officers, $2,500 per annum; and of weighers, gaugers, markers, appraisers, and all others connected with the collection of the customs, $2,000 per annum.' McKim, McLene, McVean, Miller, Robert Mitchell, Mur- Mr. VANCE thereupon, as he had previously intins. ted, withdrew all the other clauses in the amendment proposed by him. Mr. WHITE, of Florida, moved the insertion of the in the Committee of the Whole, and there disagreed following amendments, which had been proposed by lan to: allowed to the judges of the middle and western districts After line 533, insert: "For the extra compensation of Florida, for the adjudication of land claims under the eight, for the years eighteen hundred and thirty-three act of twenty-sixth of May, eighteen hundred and twenty and eighteen hundred and thirty-four, three thousand two hundred dollars. "To defray the costs of certain suits decided against the United States, as directed in the act of May twentysixth, eighteen hundred and twenty-eight, one thousand dollars." Mr. WHITE said that, by an act passed in 1828, Co gress imposed on all the judges in the Territory the per formance of duties previously performed by a board et commissioners at a very heavy expense, of 12,000 dollars per annum: and for this extra service they were to re ceive a compensation of 800 dollars per annum. The Committee of Ways and Means not having made prov sion for the judges of the middle and western districts fr last year, the object of his amendment was to pay that for whom no appropriation had been made. The House, he said, would find, on reference to the terms of the ac', that they were as much entitled to the compensation as was imperative on them to perform the duties under t Mr. W. referred to the act, and went into a lengthened statement of their duties, &c., which he maintained e titled them to the compensation he proposed to be given to them. Mr. POLK, in explanation, said the Committee of Ways and Means had not recommended the appropr Mr. VANCE said that, as the question had been amply tion last year, not being entirely satisfied that they oug discussed, he would now ask that it be decided by yeas to have done so. They were influenced in withholdeg and nays. The yeas and nays were ordered, and resulted it in consequence of some obscurity in the terms of the as follows: act of 1828, which, it would appear, was based, in tert. YEAS--Messrs. Heman Allen, John J. Allen, Chilton on the act of 1824, granting compensation for similar Allan, William Allen, Banks, Barringer, Beaty, Beau-duties to the judges in Missouri, (where there were bu mont, Binney, Bull, Bunch, Burd, Burges, Casey, Cham-two,) for the settlement of land claims. Mr. P. read the bers, Chilton, William Clark, Clayton, Clowney, Connor, clauses in the act, and said that it was only due to t Corwin, Coulter, Crane, Warren R. Davis, Deberry, De- judges in Florida to state that they had the strung ming, Denny, Dickson, D. W. Dickinson, Duncan, Evans, H. Everett, Ewing, Fillmore, Forester, Foster, Fulton, Gamble, Gholson, Grennell, Griffin, Hiland Hall, Hamer, Hard, James Harper, Harrison, Hazeltine, Hiester, J. W. Huntington, Jackson, Jarvis, S. Jones, King, Kinnard, Lane, Laporte, Lincoln, Love, Lucas, Mardis, McComas, McKennan, Moore, Potts, Ramsay, Reed, Rencher, Aug. H. Shepperd, William Slade, Charles Slade, Sloane, Spangler, Stewart, William P. Taylor, Tompkins, The difficulty for the House to decide was, whether, James Turner, Tweedy, Vance, Wagener, Webster, by the terms of the act, all the district judges, whilst enFrederick Whittlesey, Elisha Whittlesey, Wilde, Wil-ployed in the discharge of the duties imposed by it, were liams, Young--85. entitled to their salaries? If the House were of opion testimonials as to the nature of the duties, &c., from the district attorney general, the grand jury, and others. (which were read,) sustaining their claims to this com pensation. He said that he might also add further, explanation, that the salaries paid the judges in Floria were inadequate to the expenses of living there. There were in the Territory four judges, three of whom hai $1,500 per annum--one $2,000. |