No. 169. An act to extend the charters of certain banks in the District of Columbia, to the first day of October, 1836: and then he withdrew. The House resumed the consideration of the resolution moved by Mr. Smith, on the 3d instant, and which was under consideration on that day at the expiration of the hour when the House passed to the order of the day; and after debate, A motion was made by Mr. Briggs, that the said resolution do lie on the table; which motion was disagreed to. A motion was then made by Mr. Hamer, that the further consideration of said resolution be postponed until Friday next the 12th instant; which motion was also disagreed to. The question on the resolution recurred, And after debate, the hour elapsed, and the House proceeded to the orde of the day. The House then proceeded to the consideration of the bill (No. 8) for the relief of Jesse Smith and others, The question that the bill do pass, was again stated; when A motion was made by Mr. Gillet, that the further consideration of said bill be postponed until Friday the 12th inst.; the question on which motion. was decided in the negative. A motion was made by Mr. Williams, of North Carolina, that the further consideration of said bill be postponed until to-morrow, The question on which motion, was also decided in the negative. And after debate on the said bill, A motion was made by Mr. Parks, that the rule be suspended to afford him an opportunity to move that when the House shall adjourn to-day, it will adjourn to meet again on Monday next; And the question being put, that the rule be suspended for the purpose aforesaid, It passed in the affirmative, two-thirds voting therefor. Mr. Parks then made his said motion, that when the House shall adjourn to-day, it will adjourn to meet again on Monday next; which motion was agreed to: And then the House adjourned until Monday, 12 o'clock meridian. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1836. A message, in writing, was received from the President of the United States, by Mr. Donelson, his private Secretary, which was delivered in at the Speaker's table. A motion was made by Mr. Pinckney, that the rules of the House prescribing the order of business be suspended, for the purpose of affording him an opportunity of moving the following resolution, viz: Resolved, That all the memorials which have been offered, or may hereafter be presented, to this House, praying for the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia; and also the resolutions offered by an honorable member from Maine, (Mr. Jarvis) with the amendment thereto proposed by an honorable member from Virginia, (Mr. Wise) together with every other paper or proposition that may be submitted in relation to this subject, be referred to a select committee, with instructions to report: That Congress possesses no constitutional authority to interfere, in any way, with the institution of slavery in any of the States of this confederacy; and that, in the opinion of this House, Congress ought not to interfere, in any way, with slavery in the District of Columbia, because it would be a violation of the public faith, unwise, impolitic, and dangerous to the Union; assigning such reasons for these conclusions, as, in the judgment of the committee, may be best calculated to enlighten the public mind, to allay excitement, to repress agitation, to secure and maintain the just rights of the slave holding States, and of the people of this District, and to restore harmony and tranquillity amongst the various sections of this Union. And the question being put, Shall the rule be suspended for the purpose aforesaid? There appeared (Yeas The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the members present, Those who voted in the affirmative, are Mr. John Quincy Adams Lynn Boyd Jesse A. Bynum Churchill C. Cambreleng Caleb Cushing Samuel Cushman Edward Darlington Thomas L. Hamer Mr. Albert G. Harrison Albert G. Hawes Micajah T. Hawkins Richard J. Manning Mr. Jeremiah McLene Charles F. Mercer William Montgomery William S. Morgan Two-thirds voting in the affirmative, the question was carried. The question was stated, that the House do agree to the same. The previous question was moved by Mr. Boyd; when A call of the House was moved by Mr. Mann, of New York; which motion for a call of the House was disagreed to. And it was then ascertained that the previous question was demanded by a majority of the members present; when A motion was made by Mr. Patton, that there be a call of the House; which motion for a call was disagreed to. And the said previous question was put, viz: Shall the main question be now put? And passed in the affirmative, (Yeas, 118, 97. The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the members present, Those who voted in the affirmative, are Those who voted in the negative, are Mr. John Quincy Adams Chilton Allan Heman Allen Nathaniel B. Borden William B. Calhoun Nathaniel H. Claiborne William Clark Thomas Corwin Horace Everett Richard French Philo C. Fuller James H. Hammond Mr. Gideon Hard Mr. Nicholas Sickles Thomas M. T. McKennan John J. Milligan Mr. John M. Patton Abraham Rencher William B. Shepard Taylor Webster The said main question was then, on the motion of Mr. Vinton, divided so as that the question be taken separately on, 1st. So much of said resolution as is in the following words: "Resolved, That all the memorials which have been offered, or may hereafter be represented to this House, praying for the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia, and also the resolutions offered by an honorable member from Maine, (Mr. Jarvis) with the amendment thereto proposed by an honorable member from Virginia, (Mr. Wise) together with every other paper or proposition that may by submitted in relation to this subject, be referred to a select committee. 2d. On so much of said resolution as is in the words following, "with instructions to report: "That Congress possesses no constitutional authority to interfere in any way with the institution of slavery in any of the States of this confederacy. 3d. On so much of said resolution as is in the words following: "And that, in the opinion of this House, Congress ought not to interfere in any way with slavery in the District of Columbia, because it would be a violation of the public faith, unwise, impolitic, and dangerous to the Union." 4th. On so much of said resolution as is in the words following: "Assigning such reasons for these conclusions, as, in the judgment of the committee, may be best calculated to enlighten the public mind, to allay excitement, to repress agitation, to secure and maintain the just rights of the slave holding States, and of the people of this District, and to restore harmony and tranquillity amongst the various sections of this Union." Mr. Holsey called for a further division of the question on said resolution, so that the question be put separately on so much of said resolution as is contained in the words following: "Resolved, That all the memorials which have been offered, or may hereafter be presented, to this House, praying for the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia, and also the resolution offered by an honorable nember from Maine, (Mr. Jarvis,)" and to include also in said division, those words contained in a subsequent part of said resolution, viz: "be referred to a select committee." The Speaker decided that the resolution was not susceptible of the division proposed by Mr. Holsey, because, by the rules of the House, the division must be such as to "comprehend questions so distinct, that one being taken away, the rest may stand entire for the decision of the House," and because, if the division demanded be allowed, the second member of the proposition, by said division, would be in these words, viz: "with the amendment thereto proposed by an honorable member from Virginia, (Mr. Wise) together with every other paper or proposition that may be submitted in relation to this subject," which said words contained no substantive proposition, and was not such a "distinct question" as could "stand entire for the decision of the House." From this decision of the Speaker, Mr. Holsey took an appeal to the House. And the question was put, Shall the decision of the Chair stand as the judgment of the House? And passed in the affirmative. The main question was then put, that the House do agree to the first division of said resolution, viz: so much thereof as is contained in these words: "Resolved, That all the memorials which have been offered, or may hereafter be presented to this House, praying for the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia, and also the resolution offered by an honorable member from Maine, (Mr. Jarvis) with the amendment thereto proposed by an honorable member from Virginia, (Mr. Wise) together with every other paper or proposition that may be submitted in relation to this subject, be referred to a select committee." The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the members present, Those who voted in the affirmative, are |