State Journal

CONGRESS.

Thursday, June 9.

House. The Bills for the admission of Michigan and Arkansas into the union were under consideration in Committee of the whole. The latter being taken up, Mr. Phillips said it was now past midnight. Exhausted in body and mind, he could not feel that it was his duty to remain and consent to the precipitate action, by which it was evidently intended to force through the committee two bills of the importance of those under consideration.—He therefore moved that the committee rise.

The motion having been put, there were ayes 19, noes 92—not a quorum.

The committee then rose and reported the fact that they were without a quorum.

Mr. Reed moved an adjournment—ayes 24, noes 92.

There being a quorum, the House again went into committee upon the bill for the admission of Arkansas.

Mr. Adams moved to amend the bill by introducing a clause "that nothing in this act shall be construed as an assent by Congress to the article in the constitution of the said state in relation to slavery and the emancipation of slaves."

This motion was debated at some extent by Mr. Adams, Mr. Cushing, Mr. Hard, and Mr. Briggs in favor of it, and was negatived at 4 o'clock in the morning, by a vote of 32 to 98.

Mr. Mason of Virginia, moved the committee rise, and report the bills to the House. [This was about 7 o'clock in the morning.]

Mr. Slade moved to amend the bill by inserting the following:-

After the words in the first section, "that the State of Arkansas shall be one, and is hereby declared to be one, of the United States of America, and admitted into the Union on an equal footing with the original States, in all respects," add, "whenever the people of said State, shall by a convention duly elected, expunge from its present Constitution so much thereof as prohibits the General Assembly from passing laws for the emancipation of slaves without the consent of the owners; and shall also provide in and by said Constitution, that no negro or mulatto, born in, or brought into said State after its admission into the Union shall be held or transferred as property, or in any way subjected to slavery or involuntary servitude, unless in punishment for crimes committed against the laws of said State, whereof the party accused shall be duly convicted."

After some conversation, and considerable confusion,

The motion was rejected.

Mr. Wise then obtained the floor, and expressed his determination to speak till ten o'clock. (the hour when the session of the House, according to its rules, must be opened by the Speaker) if he died by the effort. With various interruptions, he persevered to that hour.

Mr. Chambers, of Kentucky, then rose, Mr. Wise having temporarily yielded the floor, and called upon the chair to decide, whether the committee could continue to sit, it now being ten o'clock, the hour assigned by the rules for the House to meet, and the speaker to take the chair. After various motions, and the refusal of the committee to rise, Mr. Wise resumed his remarks, and continued till after eleven.

Mr. McKennan obtained the floor. The members of the House were, he said, evidently all worn out by this protracted sitting; many had not slept, and others had not broken their fast. All had need of repose. We have (said he) fought the bill manfully, and done our best to stave off the decision upon it. I hope the committee will rise and report the bills, and that we shall adjourn over till to-morrow.

The committee rose, and reported the bills, and House then adjourned over to meet on Saturday, at the usual hour.

Monday, June 13.

House. The Michigan and Arkansas bills came up for final action. Mr. Adams spoke long and zealously against the boundary part of the former. When he concluded, further debate was cut off by the previous question, and the bill was ordered to a third reading, 158 to 45.

The Arkansas bill was then taken up: and Mr. Adams moved the amendment which he offered in committee, withholding the assent of Congress to the slavery article in the Constitution of that State. Mr. Williams, of Ky. moved the previous question. Mr. Adams said he had not yielded the floor. The chair decided that Mr. Williams was entitled to the floor. Mr. Adams appealed: and the previous question being applied instantly, the decision of the chair was sustained. The question was then taken on the third reading of the bill to-day—and carried.

Both bills were thereupon read a third time, and by means of the previous question passed forthwith.

Tuesday, June 14,

House, A joint resolution fixing on the 4th of July as the day of adjournment was adopted.

Wednesday, June 15.

Senate. The joint resolution from the House, as above, was concurred in.

Thursday, June 16.

Senate. The deposite and distribution bill under consideration. Mr. Wright moved to separate the objects by making two bills,—negatived, 21 to 25. Mr. Walker moved to amend so as to make the distribution according to the representation in the Senate and House of Representatives. Agreed to, 23 to 22. On motion of Mr. Wall the bill was so amended as to require the Secretary of the Treasury to appoint one deposite Bank only in each State. The bill was finally ordered to be engrossed, yeas 40, nays 6. [According to this bill the surplus revenue of the U. S. is to be divided among the several States quarterly, for one year, after deducting $5,000,000 to be retained in the deposite banks.]