Herald Of The Times

Twenty Fourth Congress: FIRST SESSION

In the Senate, on Wednesday June 8th, Mr. Grundy, from the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads, reported the bill from the House of Representatives, to re-organize the Post Office Department, with amendments.

Mr. Knight, from the Committee on Manufactures, reported a bill explanatory of an act to remit the duties on railroad iron; which was read twice, and ordered to be engrossed.

Mr. Benton, from the Committee on Military Affairs, reported, without amendment, a bill from the House to establish an arsenal in North Carolina; which, on motion of Mr. Brown, was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading.

Mr. White, from the Committee on Indian Affairs, reported the amendments of the House to the bill making appropriations for the expenses of the Indian Department, for Indian annuities, &c. Several of the amendments of the House were concurred in.

One of the amendments of the House was an increase of the appropriation for the removal of the Creeks, so as to embrace the whole of them, being about 31,000, at $30 a head. The first estimate was for 12,000, at a lower rate. It was asked of the chairman of the committee if it was possible to effect this operation of removing the Creeks during the present year, and the reply was, that if they could be got into the humor, their removal might be effected before the next meeting of congress.

While this motion was pending, on motion of Mr. Calhoun, the further consideration of the subject was arrested, by a motion made by Mr. Calhoun to lay the whole matter on the table; which was agreed to.

INCENDIARY PUBLICATIONS.

On motion of Mr. Calhoun, the Senate then proceeded to consider the bill to prohibit deputy postmasters from receiving and transmitting certain papers described therein, in the States in which they are, or may be, prohibited by law.

The question being on the passage of the bill, a discussion took place, in which Mr. Webster, Mr. Buchanan, Mr. Davis, Mr. Grundy, Mr. Clay, Mr. Calhoun, Mr. Walker, Mr. Cuthbert, Mr. Morris, and Mr. Ewing, of Ohio, engaged.

The question was then taken by yeas and nays on the passage of the bill, and decided as follows:

Yeas—Messrs. Black, Brown, Buchanan, Calhoun, Cuthbert, Grundy, King, of Ala., King, of Geo., Mangum, Moore, Nicholas, Porter, Preston, Rives, Robinson, Tallemadge, Walker, White, Wright—19.

Nays—Messrs. Benton, Clay, Crittenden, Davis, Ewing, of Illinois, Ewing, of Ohio, Goldsborough, Hendricks, Hubbard, Kent, Knight, Leigh, McKean, Morris, Naudain, Niles, Prentiss, Ruggles, Shepley, Southard, Swift, Tomlinson, Wall, Webster—25.

So the bill was rejected.

The Chair laid before the Senate a report from the Secretary of the Treasury, on the subject of domestic exchanges.

On motion of Mr. Benton, the Senate proceeded to the consideration of executive business; and after some time the doors were re-opened, and the Senate adjourned.

In the House, on motion of Mr. Lawrence, by general consent, the House took up the bill to repeal so much of the act of March 2d, 1799, as required the issuing of certificates upon the importation of wines. After some remarks from Messrs. Lawrence and M'Kim, explanatory of its object, the bill was read a third time and passed.

REVENUE SERVICE.

On motion of Mr. Sutherland, the bill to regulate the compensation of certain officers of the Revenue service, was taken up.

The object of this bill is to increase the compensation of the officers of the vessels employed in Revenue service of the United States.

The question being on its passage, after some debate, in which Messrs. Bond, Sutherland, Lawrence, Gideon Lee, Gillet, Hardin, Speight, and Boon participated, the main question was then taken and decided in the affirmative—yeas 146, nays 52. So the bill was passed.

MICHIGAN AND ARKANSAS.

The bill to establish the northern boundary of Ohio and to provide for the admission of Michigan into the Union on certain conditions, was next taken up.

Mr. Vinton offered the following amendment to the 2d section, at the end thereof, as follows:

"And provided, also, and it is hereby further expressly declared, that if the convention provided for in the 3d section of this act, shall not give the assent therein required, the boundaries of the States of Ohio and Indiana shall nevertheless be, and forever remain, fixed and established between them and Michigan as the same are in this act above specified and described."

Mr. Hannegan moved to strike out the word "Indiana" from the amendment, remarking that he would not consent that the boundary line of Indiana should be brought into dispute, or be subjected to the revision of Congress.

Mr. Thomas said a few words in explanation of the theory upon which the committee acted in framing the bill, and then moved that the committee rise.

The motion was agreed to—yeas 75, nays 54.

The committee then rose. And at half past six the House adjourned.

In the Senate, on Thursday, June 9, the day was chiefly occupied on a bill respecting the public lands in Michigan—the provisions of which were debated by Mr. Clay, Mr. Wright, and others.

The point at issue was, whether the exemption from taxation for five years of lands purchased from the United States, which exist by compact in the other new States, should also be allowed in Michigan. Mr. Clay and Mr. Webster were against altering this compact—Mr. Wright and Mr. Ewing, of Ohio, were opposed to the exemption, on the ground that it tempted to speculation by capitalists, without in fact benefitting actual settlers. The bill was finally passed, in the form contended for by Mr. Wright.

The bill regulating the deposites was discussed, but no question was taken.

In the House, the bill for the establishment of the Northern boundary of Ohio and the admission of Michigan into the Union, was discussed all day and night, until Friday morning, when the committee rose, reported the two bills, and adjourned till Saturday.

In the Senate, on Friday, June 10th, on motion of Mr. Benton, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill to increase the present military establishment of the United States.

Mr. Nicholas moved to recommit the bill with instructions to report an organization precisely similar to that adopted for the peace establishment in 1815.

After a few words from Mr. Benton, Mr. Preston, and Mr. Calhoun, the bill was ordered to be recommitted.

PUBLIC DEPOSITES.

The Senate proceeded to the consideration of the bill to regulate the deposites of the public money.

Mr. Leigh moved an amendment providing that each bank shall have on the day of, and thenceforth to keep in its vaults specie to the amount of one-fourth of its business capital.

[It is optional with the bank to accept the deposites under this condition.]

Mr. Webster pointed to a state of circumstances, contingent but not improbable, when it would be found that our specie basis is not sufficiently broad; and inasmuch as this bill would have the effect of coercing banks to keep a certain amount of specie in their vaults, it would be a restraint on exportation and beneficial to the country.

Before any question was taken the Senate adjourned.

In the Senate, on Saturday, June 11, the following bill was considered and ordered to be read a third time.

A bill repealing the 14th section of the act to incorporate the subscribers to the U. S. Bank. [This is the section which makes current in payment of the revenue, the bills of the Bank of the U. S.]

SICK AND DISABLED SEAMEN.

On motion of Mr. Davis, the Senate took up for consideration a bill in addition to the act for the relief of sick and disabled seamen.

Mr. Crittenden moved an amendment to give the persons employed in rafts and flat boats on the western waters, an exemption from the tax of 20 cents a month, still reserving to them the privileges of the hospital fund in cases of disability.

He justified his motion on the ground of the diminished and diminishing condition of this species of craft.

After some remarks from Mr. Davis, Mr. Clay, Mr. Porter and others, the motion was agreed to, and the bill was again ordered to be engrossed.

On motion of Mr. Ewing, of Ohio, the bill to change the mode adopted in sales of the public lands, was taken up.

Mr. Walker stated that there would be great opposition to the bill, which, instead of producing harmony at the sales, would lead to more discord and bloodshed and confusion than before.

The consideration of the bill was then postponed, and made the special order for Wednesday next.

On motion of Mr. Benton, the Senate went into the consideration of executive business.

In the House, on Saturday, June 11, the reading of the journal was disturbed by an assault made by one of the reporters upon an individual in the reporter's box on the left of the chair. Both persons were immediately taken into custody, and a select committee appointed to investigate the matter, who subsequently reported that one be discharged and the other detained for an assault.

PENSIONS.

The House went into committee of the whole, on the bills reported from the committee on revolutionary and invalid pensions; and about one hundred bills granting pensions were considered, reported and ordered to be engrossed for a third reading on Monday.