time and manner of administering certain oaths," were administered to him by the Speaker, and he thereupon entered upon the duties of his office. On motion of Mr. John Quincy Adams, Resolved, That a message be sent to the Senate, to inform that body that. a quorum of this House has assembled, and that John White, of Kentucky, has been elected Speaker thereof: and that it is now ready to proceed to business. Ordered, That the Clerk do go with said message. Mr. Wise introduced the following resolution, viz: Resolved, That a committee be appointed, on the part of this House, to join such committee as has been or may be appointed on the part of the Senate, to wait on the President of the United States, and inform him that quorums of the two Houses have assembled; and that Congress is ready to receive any communications he may be pleased to make to it. Mr. McKeon moved to amend the same by inserting before the word "President" the words " Vice President, now exercising the duties of." And, after debate, A motion was made by Mr. Ingersoll, it being ten minutes after 5 o'clock, P. M., that the House do adjourn; which was decided in the negative. A motion was then made by Mr. Ingersoll, that the said resolution do lie on the table; which motion was disagreed to. The question recurred on agreeing to the said amendment offered by Mr. McKeon; And the question being put, The said amendment was not agreed to. The question was then put, Will the House agree to the said resolution? And passed in the affirmative. Ordered, That Mr. Sergeant and Mr. Dawson be the said committee on the part of this House. Ordered, That the Clerk request the concurrence of the Senate in the said resolution. On motion of Mr. King, Resolved, That when this House adjourn to-day, it adjourn to meet at eleven o'clock A. M. to-morrow. Mr. Wise introduced the following resolution: Resolved, That the standing rules and orders of the last House of Representatives be adopted as the rules and orders of this House for the next ensuing ten days; and that a committee of nine members be appointed to revise the said rules and orders, and to report thereon within the said ten days. Mr. Underwood moved to amend the same, by striking out all after the word "Resolved," and inserting in lieu thereof the following: That a committee of nine be appointed to revise, amend, and report rules for the government of this House; and that until such committee make report, and the same be finally acted upon, the rules and orders of the last House of Representatives shall be considered as the rules and orders of this House. Mr. Adams moved to amend the amendment by inserting after the words "House of Representatives," the following: "excepting the 21st, which is hereby rescinded." [The said 21st rule is in the words following: “No petition, memorial, resolution, or other paper, praying the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia, or any State or Territory, or the slave trade between the States or Territories of the United States in which it now exists, shall be received by this House, or entertained in any way whatever."] And pending the question on this amendment, the House, at twenty minutes past five o'clock, P. M., on motion of Mr. Briggs, adjourned until to-morrow at eleven o'clock in the forenoon. TUESDAY, JUNE 1, 1841. Three other members, to wit: From the State of North Carolina-William H. Washington; From the State of Tennessee-Aaron V. Brown; appeared, were sworn to support the constitution of the United States, and took seats in the House. The House resumed the consideration of the resolution moved by Mr. Wise yesterday, proposing that the standing rules and orders of the last House of Representatives be adopted as the rules and orders of this House for the next ensuing ten days; and that a committee be appointed to revise the said rules, with instructions to report within said ten days; together with the amendments pending to said resolution. The question recurred on the amendment moved by Mr. Adams to the amendment moved by Mr. Underwood to the said resolution, as set forth in the Journal of yesterday. And, after debate, it was, On motion of Mr. Wise, Ordered, That the resolution and proposed amendments do lie on the table. A message from the Senate, by Mr. Dickins, their Secretary. Mr. Speaker: The Senate have concurred in the resolution of this House for the appointment of a joint committee to wait on the President of the United States, and inform him that a quorum in each House of Congress has assembled, and that Congress is ready to receive any communication he may be pleased to make, and have appointed a committee on their part. And then he withdrew. Mr. Pickens moved the following resolution: Resolved, That the seats of this House be numbered, and that the members proceed to draw for them by lot. Mr. Cave Johnson moved the following as an amendment, which Mr. Pickens accepted in lieu of his own, viz : Resolved, That the following be made one of the standing rules of the House: "That upon the election of Speaker and Clerk at the present, and at the commencement of each Congress hereafter, it shall be the duty of the Clerk to have the seats of the House numbered, and each number be placed in a box on a separate piece of paper, and the roll of members shall then be called in alphabetical order; and, upon the calling of each name, one of the pages of the House shall draw from the box one of the numbers, and the number so drawn shall be the seat of the member during the Congress. Said drawing shall be made as well for absent members as those present." Mr. King moved to amend the said resolution, by striking out all after the word "Resolved," and inserting as follows: "That the Speaker is hereby directed to cause the desks to be removed from this Hall, and that the seats be numbered by the Clerk, and drawn for by placing the numbers in a box, to be drawn in alphabetical order by the Clerk as the names of the members shall be called from the roll; and that at each succeeding session of this Congress the seats shall be drawn for in a similar way." And, after debate, A motion was made by Mr. William Cost Johnson that the resolution do lie on the table. And the question on this motion being put, It passed in the negative, Yeas, 93, 121. The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the members present, Those who voted in the affirmative, are, Mr. Thomas W. Gilmer William Cost Johnson John P. Kennedy James A. Meriwether Mr. Abraham Rencher Augustine H. Shepperd Truman Smith George W. Summers Joseph L. Tillinghast Mr. Robert L. Caruthers Mr. William Doan Joshua R. Giddings James Graham Willis Green Amos Gustine Richard W. Habersham William A. Harris Samuel L. Hays George M. Keim Thomas Butler King Henry S. Lane Mr. Nathaniel S. Littlefield Joshua A. Lowell Joshua Mathiot Nathaniel G. Pendleton Francis W. Pickens John Pope George H. Proffit Robert Ramsey Mr. John R. Reding R. Barnwell Rhett Leverett Saltonstall William Simonton John Snyder Augustus R. Sollers Alexander H. H. Stuart Joseph R. Underwood Lott Warren Harvey M. Watterson John Westbrook Lewis Williams Christopher H. Williams Thomas Jones Yorke Augustus Young John Young. The question on the amendment moved by Mr. King recurred; when It was agreed that the further consideration of the resolution be post-poned for the present; and Mr. Sergeant, from the joint committee appointed to wait on the President of the United States, and inform him that a quorum in each House of Congress has assembled, and that Congress is ready to receive any communications he may be pleased to make, reported that the committee had performed the duties of its appointment, and that the President answered that he would make a communication to each House to-day at twelve o'clock, meridian. A communication, in writing, was then received from the President of the United States, by Mr. Robert Tyler, his private Secretary; which was read by the Clerk, and is as follows: To the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States: FELLOW-CITIZENS: You have been assembled in your respective halls of legislation under a proclamation bearing the signature of the illustrious citizen who was so lately called by the direct suffrages of the people to the discharge of the important functions of their chief executive office. Upon the expiration of a single month from the day of his installation, he has paid the great debt of nature, leaving behind him a name associated with the recollection of numerous benefits conferred upon the country during a long life of patriotic devotion. With this public bereavement are connected other considerations which will not escape the attention of Congress. The preparations necessary for his removal to the seat of Government in view of a residence of four years must have devolved upon the late President heavy expenditures, which, if permitted to burden the limited resources of his private fortune, may tend to the serious embarrassment of his surviving family; and it is therefore respectfully submitted to Congress whether the ordinary principles of justice would not dictate the propriety of its legislative interposition. By the provisions of the fundamental law, the powers and duties of the high station to which he was elected have devolved upon me, and in the dispositions of the representatives of the States and of the people will be found to a great extent a solution of the problein to which our institutions are for the first time subjected. In entering upon the duties of this office, I did not feel that it would be becoming in me to disturb what had been ordered by my lamented predecessor. Whatever, therefore, may have been my opinion, originally, as to the propriety of convening Congress at so early a day from that of its late adjournment, I found a new and a controlling inducement not to interfere with the patriotic desires of the late President, in the novelty of the situation in which I was so unexpectedly placed. My first wish under such circumstances would necessarily have been to have called to my aid, in the administration of public affairs, the combined wisdom of the two Houses of Congress, in order to take their counsel and advice as to the best mode of extricating the Government and the country from the embarrassments weighing heavily on both. I am then most happy in finding myself, so soon after my accession to the Presidency, surrounded by the immediate representatives of the States and people. No important changes having taken place in our foreign relations since the last session of Congress, it is not deemed necessary on this occasion to go into a detailed statement in regard to them. I am happy to say that I see nothing to destroy the hope of being able to preserve peace. The ratification of the treaty with Portugal has been duly exchanged between the two Governments. This Government has not been inattentive to the interests of those of our citizens who have claims on the Government of Spain founded on express treaty stipulations, and a hope is indulged that the representations which have been made to that Government on this subject may lead ere long to beneficial results. A correspondence has taken place between the Secretary of State and the Minister of her Britannic Majesty accredited to this Government, on the subject of Alexander McLeod's indictment and imprisonment, copies of which are herewith communicated to Congress. In addition to what appears from these papers, it may be proper to state that Alexander McLeod has been heard by the Supreme Court of the State of New York on his motion to be discharged from imprisonment, and that the decision of that Court has not as yet been pronounced. The Secretary of State has addressed to me a paper upon two subjects, interesting to the commerce of the country, which will receive my consideration, and which I have the honor to communicate to Congress. So far as it depends on the course of this Government, our relations of good-will and friendship will be sedulously cultivated with all nations. The true American policy will be found to consist in the exercise of a spirit of justice to be manifested in the discharge of all our international obligations, to the weakest of the family of nations as well as to the most powerful. Occasional conflicts of opinion may arise, but when the discussions incident to them are conducted in the language of truth and with a strict regard to justice, the scourge of war will for the most part be avoided. The time ought to be regarded as having gone by when a resort to arms is to be esteemed as the only proper arbiter of national differences. |