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c omn^.ss
House ff Represent stives.
JV Jrtesfhy, Dpc-mber, li.
f onx\ituiion'i! amendment
Mr Pi hens of \ T . t . rose to
*o» i m ndmentto the Con-»titU*:iTr> of the
Un’*t*;l St- ten ; on ‘vh ih having op foi* r
TO* r ‘fc/is nns exoressed his views he
w tt not nrjly rent irk thats onlv once
lute! i-h question e *er heeo rtallv tried
in this Bouse an! »Tat Wa- at a mo
rn • i -if nub c emh*rr ISS nmu
nm favorable *0 H? matilfe leliber-utou
on.Uih its merits* This was the first
fir of present, n*■ the subj *et
fu’U fi»r considervion. Several >f the
a :e> had siit< •, the first ae tauon of the
q s >1 in .is House, e.iren to the
f ’ op tion s h hr sarm,iori and rer/xn-1
n * b i’io >. > v*i'»n-» whei were. ;Vlas
**> bn . its; North Carolina and V;r l
;;; . and had at one stssiojlu* feceiV^ed
t'te v nation of tile Senate T o{ the U. S*
‘II v 1 ; hert was a.period, tavorabk to a
pi p v dtf»eiidoient o£ the cot turutsoo,
i v..s J»e pr t*nt m rrteni, when we are
1 . idly m. p< mcc. at home and abroad.
TvC: P ill !! imieduced ihc following re
iptut on :
u ‘■‘■vcd. &v the S truie and Mouse of
y? t ivei f the flriilcd ‘States of
yf ijjffc., tea ta i a. >s<noted . two th rds I
ft ,o‘h t .uses cer.vuring therein.;
‘i ■ - fbtrTolfllwmgj amendment to ttits
G o ; u>>u»tipii ,ot the oin ted States be
~r po ed to the Ijjj# -1.-ainsv of the se.v
--r S’;)'’ ?'* ‘i h wiicn hi luefl by toe
f .sla'un-ft of h* fviU L>i. of tbe>:;id
sj-;;ite v shu* be valid, IQ all ill cnls'ulld
jburhosts, ss u part of tin. said consutii
•lon* . ‘
For the purpose of choosing of Re
present ui ives * \ the congress of the U
s» each state shall be divided, by
it* Legi lature- into a number ot
fr’cts quid to the uuinber of Repre-
■Mtat ves to which the state may be
••€ • ’-{■ and. s- .*> F
E,*ch district shall contain, as nearly
as 01 v be. equal numbers which shall
be de erminrd by add.ng to jthg whole
n . bet ( >f pe 1 sons, inetuflmg those
bound to service for a term of ye us. 8c
txy vduig Indians not u#ed, tbreeinuis
cf W 01 h persona*
In;each c)i trict the qualified voters,
5011 ‘ik'xet one Representative#
For the pm pose of cnoosuig Electorll
oi PresKlent nml Vic e President ot the
U.rvt and t iCh ;e sh< li bt divid
e bv its Lepidature, into a oi
di t cts, cqjr.d to the number of Ev >
t, is o w «ch ill sta e may ue eul-tled.
di *ricobyb contain* as nearly ns,
o , eqn 1 numbers ; which shah
‘J termmed by ddding to the whole
bhtlbi r r Iree pcrs» ns, including
Boon.'* 11 ftn a ierm ot years, and?
<e* lu ii g India 1 s not taxed, three-tilths
ji, r om -—hi each di ‘tt lCt»
X ‘M qi? ihect to vote tor Repre^.
.n sit the c.»>ngres-. ol the Uni
tv « shall choose, one Ktccior
t tire shall “.ave po>v v r to re
g-: at’ e o .num of bo ciuig eiettttins,
re 1 u ns- ot the Utcctbis
c(fe e . in case aR thq, Ettciors shad
no turn ei at the ume and place appmn
ted for giving theu votes, a majority of
tin* i kc.otT met t»‘*all nave power, and
so t». with ♦shall proceed to supply the
nev
’ (’ vi ,ion oi the stites into districts
f;ijVflh. o»‘ nig es; n ai>ves tfi the
cJr wol th* U*'»itd btues and m-
V sti»c‘s tor ch -OMiig Electors 01 Prc
sst enl and Vice-Pies-di. the Unite.t
ates, shall taite place ♦.* soo as cmi
yvv.':'et tly u..»y i>v. alter each enum.ia
tun a*td aidiortionment of Representa
tt\e. sha 1 be made, which dismu
sb l, 1 nuun tinahertd, unul autr thv
•tier t mtt ennmerution and apportion
im.nl o Heproen .dive: .
m uuen vva- lead a first ami
sec one tT. cv and referred to a commit
teje ot re whole house on the state o
tjm iMxm* %,'y .
i ‘}% m T} ‘ y ’
Mr IVr gt't, of Mi- If6lll ti»e Jomnut
te.. w honWl l\e Vi 1 )].ct was refei#ea
1*- p t r tel a iadlr zc the settle
■Ac-di&.'iyi)aymeiit of certa'fi ciaime -
advices ofr iMs bln
l\ t[uires me accounun^ -wfiMjfr#;
J Vie tocreibl-a i sctile uji accotn i
ft >cTi'Kcj d%t enmeois oi mitl
* c iK and into seivsce under the author
ity -of*the »Utts, tor the delenct 01 am
part <*i toe Untied si*ates dgdiim the
ttvvaS on ot tne eaemy during the-Mau*
\Va ih the Sain.* manner asiU on; Uvt
i uve piihci l *i..s as ucco a fur tnc
v o» otimhi«a called >ut updei the au
tn 117 of the U S — pay mant ih red
t** mavie in 6 fuse . eat
HbL tuioi* the purposw, p*ovnkd-wtac
bxat .s uiteiXbtetf a*»aii accept Ui| **auit
ft* of their claim*.
I’h bill Was t vi<j|f re id an! commit
ted.
MV. y >hft m-o.fKv, fro n the mil*t \ry
« f committee, reported * bill* to establish
irh,-e additional Mliftat Academie** one
in this district, one a’ VI >u i D:ar’rorn
S C. and op in the vicinity of N. w
port K.en. at th'i coniine. oi Ohio 8c
I Licking r<ver. Tne bill received the
‘< usnal readme, and was coto nitied to
the sa ie com ittee to who n was com
mitted the b'»l for the establishment of
a corps of inv.il'ds.
\lr* Cmd'.c* of N J. from a select
committee reported a hdl suoplem mta
ry to the act here tofore pass?d m y for the
enconr »g-aunt of V irxui \ > in-’ r Read-
On motion or Mr. 1’ M. Nelson of
Va.
Resolved) That the committee on mil
itary affairs be ins»ru:ted to uiqnre
into the expediency of making provis
ion for the payment of snch airearages
of military clothing as may be due to
.■.soldiers discharged from the army of
the United .States-
Mr* Bennet offered v for consideration
the following resolution.
Res need, i hat the committee of ways
and nie.ms he instructed to enquire into
the expediency of repealing or fmodify
ing the act I tvmg duties on retailers of
wmH. spirituous liquors and foreign
merchandize.
M * U w ides of S. 0. re narked- that
as a neuioer of the csmmicte#<arf way s
and means. he certainlv could hive no
oh ection to any enquiry Which the house
niig it direct ; hu- »n ni‘s opinion, there
never had a moment when- th. re was
less induce nent to repeal this tax- than
now—-and stronger reasons might per
haps be adduced for increasing than for
reducing it. He had risen only to say,
that he did not wish those who, with him
would vote for the enquiry, because re
quested by a member, to be considered
as at all pledged to co-operate in t?iie -
ultimate object of the mover,
THE STAR SPANGLED TANNER.
On motion of Mr tfeitd <ver of N Y.
the house proceeded to the considera
tion of his .motion to appoint a can nit
tee to enquire into the expediency of al
tering tne flag of me U.S.aes
’ Mi Wend over said he 4e mcl it im
proper, in the presen, stage of the bu*
smess, to discuss the merits of the pro
position to alter the flag as the object
of his motion was e .qinty only. As to
a.y ess nttal alteration, be hoped no
man in the House wouid consent to
* change adlag. u »dcr wmeo had been
falsified the pieu etions of European
orrators and paHigr ipniscs, when they
said the Yankee cockooats were to oe
bkjeett Mr,* VV. said, was to make a’
|a? essential variation. vVheiv'first adop
ted he flag bore one it r an l one
st->;)e for every state: Waeu tw » addi
tional. slates entered the Union, the
” flla'gjfed'heyn. cite red by a special act,
by the add; ion* of two star & stripes,
Which m.de the flag correspond to the
Let. >r ec t’ iat alteration, four states
have been added and the flag still re
: mams the same. Conceiving.*, this opL
to oe correct, and that the flag Might
be appiopr. .tely altered he hoped that
the Home would consent to that propo
sed enquiry
Mr Robertson of Lou. said lie had for
hi . part no objection to the proposed
alteration ; auci Suggested the; expepien
cy ot some g< a? rat law for altering the
flag in future* by ptoctarnation of toe
Executive, on the admission of new
states into the Union*
Mr- lay lor of N. Y was in favor of
the enquiry ; and tor a reason and tferent
from t .at assigned by his colleague —.
hud been tntoi ed by naval gentlemen,
that our flag could be seen and r cog
nized on the ocean a a greater distance
than that of any other nation, if the
stripes and stars were increased* the
flag would become less distinct, to dis*
* tarn observation, which Mr . was de
| sirous to pi event, and there lore was in
favor oi restoring the flag to us original
H naraciei oi thirteen stats. and
ana eslabiisntng it permanently me
a me.
motion of Mr YVendover was
agreStlti # and W comm.ttee ordered, to
be appoiTKed accord.ngiy.
N AilONnL UNA Vfc.HSI i'Y &c
Mr. Aihertun oi N- H. ottu'ai lor con
sidei atiou a resPiuupu emoraciug
pioposiuon of an amendment to tne con
uiuruonui oi the U. States, in the ioi
owing words;
** i t.e Congress shall have power to
establish a National University/’
f ;if!V r3 <d ou tiiC usual question, will the
now ptocted to me eonstderatioa
lie ie o. nil on ? 11 wfs decidedftlhe
* tgaUYtf thus:
; . K * y ‘ *
considering i|% 54 1
»t 85
On motion of Mr TM A r U ? of Va.
fwho suggested the great *e£dsomy uld
saving to the. United States, $* Will l as
benefit to the soldiers of such a provi
sion ) it was,
Renh'd, That a commit’ee be ao
* pointed to enquire into the expe lieocv
of authorising a communication for no
ney of the bonn y la *d to soldiers of
the resul*r x army» and that they report
therein by bill or otherwise.
Friday Dec. 15
Amongst the petitions prase Ued to
day one by Mr- Archer 01 M l. from’
a nu her of the inhabitants of tlar'.iVd
county, Md- stating the almost total
failure of the crops of corn* their ina
bility to provide it in sufficient quanti
ties for their support, and praying t >e
interposition of Congress by a tempo
prohibition of the exportation of
grain. Referred to the committee of
commerce and manufactures-
UNIFORM BANKRUPT LAW.
Mr. Jfopkms an ol P- from t»e com
mittee on the judiciary reported a bill
“ to establish an uniform system of
Bankruptcy.”
THE EXCISE ON’ SPIRITS
Mr- Hardin, ot Kv. rose to propose a
resolu ion to the House. His object in
off-ring it thus cully was, that Congress
might not make, such an impression of
the public tunds as to make his nun tons
in-tpplicaole. tie said he discovered
from .the Pres denPs dessage, tha. af
ter meeting every demand on the Trea
sury and many of them were of an ex
traordmury character, arising from the
late war, there would remain m live
t reasury at the close of tile year, an
excess of nine millions of dollar ; aid
also that, on making a fair and accu -lie
calculation of the amount
support the civil list, military and naval
establishments, paying the interest, a id
gradually redeeaii tg tne priuc p.il d’ i e
publ c dei) , mere would remain a ,uiv
plus of fiye#mii)i >ns of dollars b.y md
the necessity amu and exp nd tuYc.. n
that case the excise couid certainly be
dispensed With lie tnereforc meant to
m ike a motion to or.ng into view that
oojeci, before some extraordinary dispo
sition was made til tne puoic money :
in amnucb, as there was already on me
tabie, a bill io establish a National Uni-’
ver .ity, t ie first o,)st of vvfticu Wd, to uc
200 000 dollars, without taking into
view us endow meat ; another odi for
th. ee or four addit oual Mifuary Acad
emies, which would cost the nation be
tween five hundred thousand and a mil
lion of dollars ; another for a cops of
invalids of 2000 men, which is to cost a
million a year or more ; and a proposi
tion to commute the bounties of land
given to the soldiers into specie, widen
w.ilcost perhaps ten million’ more’ j e
wished fiist lo see the excise taken off
and tbeh, if any surplus remai tl th y
migh? tad;, df h y tho e, abou Mi tv
ry Acartqiu.cs and Invalid Corps Af
ter adding that the lax in question was
a peculiarly oppressive one* and opera
ted with great inequality Mr H of
fered the following, rosoiiuion. with a
view to call for t:e consideration of it at
a future day j
Resolved., I hat it is expedient to re
peal the act, entitled u An act, to repeal
the ; existing dunes on licenses to hstil
li“ audio lay odnr duties in Leu of
those at present imposed on licenses to
distillers of spirituous 1 quoi s,’Yxc; pt
such parts thereof as m v enable the
government to collect toe sums now
due under said act, or may become
due belore the repeal of said act takes”
eff et. .
lhe question being stated* on order
ing till si . solve to lie on the table—
Mr. LsWjides ot S» C. said* he was glad
of the course the gentleman from Ken
tucky had given to his resolution* suppo
sing that he meant to permit it to l,e on
the table, until the Annual Report of ihe
SecVetaiy of the Treasury should come
before the House. When that Rejiort
should arrivegjfbe view which *he gen
tleman from Kentucky and the House \
would laKe of ihlit suojeci* would be dif
ferent frorp that whicn they would now
take.—By inferences* drawn hom the
amount receivable nto the i
and not the amount actually accrued ;
from an amount Irom which no deduc
tions were made for clai us to come m
under approbations ol the lasi ->e 3 s.ou
—he waa satisfied an erroneous impre
sion had .been made on the iiouae oy to.
Message, noth in rctJrense to the d.sp .
-bie sdrpius m tne 1 and t
tire proportion between tne annual ex
penses and the annual receipts in la
Treasury. From the surplus e t o.atcd
must be deducted the amount of appro
pnations for the pay meat of uemauu*
imt |et &s£***
dtls ‘)’ a Mill;i, , . 0.14:1c*
dtif estimate bftlie raffed;•> art) lU turo
receipts f<BS tlj* iit*Jsusv,Mr.
J? e was satisfied the genV. hn
froru R*-Mucky would rcveruHn v. t W« ®f
this subjrct wifely different fromuiiu**
he now expressed \ *■
lhe motion of Mr. jfcneffft I, es on ilia
table
On motirn of Mr* John*nsrtf Ky. the
committee on post offices ad »ost Fnodrf*
were instructed to enq .iic into the expo
diency ot opening • road iron Louisvide
on the Ohio, to Newcastle, and thence
by Boone c im house. &c. to Cincmua*
ti.
COMMISSTOMER OF CLUMS.
Mr borsrth of o*6 agaro culled for.
lhe consideration of the motion
by him a »ew„days ago, to le luest the
President to order the commissioner \,f
claims to suspend the execution of tA*
act under which he was appointed, until
Congress should have acted on that
subject.
The House having agreed to coraid,
er tnat resolve, a debate arose, desulto
ry but animated which continued for
more than two hours.
I he lesnlt of the debate was ip leavff
the question where it found it V he rest,.’
lutum being again ordered to lie 6n tl e
table.
The Speaker laid before the House %
letter from the acting Secretary of \V ip
transmitting in compliance w.ihan or
der ot the Hoiiae at the last session 4
plan of system for the organ.z.ni,. n and
discipline of the militia of the U uud’
Su.es ; which on motion of Mr. Hi*- T
son of Ohio, was referred to the Maiu*
Committee* t
v'.h-. *>W**zi
Wednesday, Dec 18.
. Alter the reception and reference of
various petitions,
Mr LovJndes of S* C front »he com.
mmeeol ways and means', reported a
b. I for the relief Henry M Icolin ; and
a bill to discharge from his impugn
ment John Hicatid late a oayrn ister in
the army which were severally twico
raid amffo manned* {f ’
lae Compensation .Sub] ct.
Mr. Jahnsvn, ot liy from Inc urn.*
mi.tee appointed on ‘he subj-M, ‘ub
mitted a report relative to the comp o
satiop of the members o%ongress, eih
bucing an elaborate and ample view of
the subject, accompanied by aJiill to re
peal tha. present compensation law, uid
in lieu thereof to provide a dailv allow,
anceot dollars, and dollars
for every twenty miles travelling to and
froni the seat of government* J
The report and bill having been read,
Mr bjlitison, ol £y. moved, t-iv mis
bill be made the ortlcrof the dav for th* -
second Monday in January. H,* rea
son lor moving so distant a day, to
give time to many me • bera to arrive,
who had not yet reached herd, and 10 u
void having the subject di cussed during
the h'd.d tys, when the douse was *i ,*
ally »hm from tne absence allowed ti *
membtrs. “ V.
_4r. a Nelson, or Va- objected to .
distant a day and moved h a the t>»|
be made the and and *r for to mo|vow.
A short (leUat aros< on ihe propriety
of an early or distant day
Mr Nelson’s motion was adv*xa'e<T
by himself and Mr Barbour, on tiro
gtiu.ict that the subject h»d been so ,
much agitated and so fully disrupt'd,
it wa.*s already understood, and fur
ther time for its consideration was un
necessaiy that the measure was car (
ried through rapidly at the fate session *
a:d as it required no more time to re
peal a law.tnan to make it, further de
lay was useless* , .
The motion made by Mr Nelson, was.
opposed by Messrs Hi osvenor, Calhoun*
Robertson, Halbert and JPickering, wmv *
were in lavor of a more distantly, he- 4
cause between this time and January
:he HoUbC would be less full ;• and that
newing the snoject as one of uncomt
non importance, one which was
with the ia.ure lu
)f the country, proper ti ne for d‘i.b-r
--ition was necessary *; that as tile house J
had been accused for acting r ashly in J,
passing the existing law, they might (
be as properly reproached with coward
ice by a Hasty and precipitate retrac
tion &c. .
Mr, Gaston conceived that tht honor* \
of the house required that they should
> 1 .he one hand avoid unnecessa-y de- >j
iiy and on the other an unbecoming*
• ecipitancy, moved that the bill be
iiade the order for Lite fiist.Monday of 1
J Inuaiy
fbe qrestion being first taken on Mr*>
John-.on's mdtiou sos the second Mouk
aay, rraa earned oy a Urge nrajorny* k