Edwardsville Spectator

CONGRESSIONAL EPITOME.

FRIDAY, MARCH 31.

Senate. Mr. Barton, from the committee on Public Lands, reported the bill which had been referred, to authorize the President to cause reserved Lead Mines to be exposed to sale, without amendment, but with an expression of the opinion that it ought not to pass. He also reported the bill from the House of Representatives, for the relief of purchasers of Public Lands, with amendments. Mr. Hendricks offered another amendment to the bill, which, with those reported by the committee, was ordered to be printed. Mr. Benton submitted the following resolution for consideration:

Resolved, That the President be requested to cause a report from the General Land Office to be laid before the Senate at the commencement of the next stated Session of Congress, showing, as nearly as can be ascertained from surveys heretofore made, and from other information, the quantities and locations of so much of the public lands of the United States, of Missouri and Illinois, as may be unfit for cultivation on account of being wet and marshy, or subject to inundation from the overflowing of the rivers, or covered with standing water in ponds or lakes.

The Senate went into executive business, and when the doors were opened, took up the proposed amendment to the constitution limiting the term of the President—which gave way for an adjournment to Monday.

House of Representatives.

After some private and local matters had been attended to, a communication was received from the Secretary of the Navy in favor of the establishment of Docks for the repair of public vessels. Two communications were received from the President; one stating that the United States had been placed by the Colombian Government on an equal footing with Great Britain in respect to commerce and navigation, and recommending a reciprocal arrangement; the other accompanying a report of the Secretary of War relating to the improvement in the navigation of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. The House went into committee on Mr. M'Duffie's resolutions, and that gentleman spoke nearly four hours in reply to the arguments which had been advanced against the amendments.

SATURDAY, APRIL 1.

The Senate did not sit.

House of Representatives. Some local matters were attended to, and the House went into Committee on Mr. M'Duffie's resolutions. Considerable warmth appears to have been manifested in the closing scene: and at length the Committee rose on the motion of Mr. Webster; the House then, on his motion, discharged the Committee from the further consideration of the resolutions. Mr. M'Duffie moved to modify his original resolutions as he had previously done in the Committee. The resolutions were accordingly modified. Mr. Cook, of Illinois, moved the amendment which he had previously moved in the Committee. Mr. Wickliffe, of Kentucky, moved to amend the resolutions, by striking out the words, providing for a convention. Mr. Saunders, of N. C. then moved the previous question! [This question entirely excludes all the propositions to amend.] The motion prevailed.—Ayes 86, Noes 60.

The question now being, "Shall the main question be now put?"

Mr. Powell, of Virginia, wishing to give an opportunity for the sense of the House to be taken on the amendment of Mr. Cook, asked for the ayes and noes on the question. The motion was sustained by one-fifth of the members present. Ayes 40.

The question was then taken by ayes and noes—Ayes 123, Nays 64.

The main question being then about to be put, Mr. M'Duffie moved to take the vote on the resolutions separately, which was ordered accordingly.

The question being then on the first resolution, the ayes and nays were ordered on motion of Mr. Hayden, of New York.

Mr. Sloane, of Ohio, made a motion to adjourn, which was negatived.

The question was taken by ayes and nays on the first resolution and carried. Ayes 138—Nays 52.

On motion of Mr. Little, of Md. the question was then taken by ayes and nays on the second resolution, which provides for an uniform district system, and lost:—Ayes 91—Nays 101.

The third resolution, which provides for the appointment of a select Committee, was then put and carried.—Ayes 113.

Mr. M'Duffie then moved that the Committee consist of seven members.

Mr. Allen of Massachusetts, moved for twenty-four.

The question being on the larger number, 24, there appeared—Ayes 105.

The Committee was then ordered to consist of 24 members.

MONDAY, APRIL 3.

Senate. The resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, as it respects the periods for which any person may be elected President of the United States, was read the third time; and on the question, "shall the resolution pass?" Mr. Randolph rose, and addressed the Senate against its passage until 3 o'clock. The question was then taken and carried:—Ayes 32—Nays 7.

House of Representatives. Thomas H. Sill, a representative from Pennsylvania, in the room of the late Patrick Farrelly, deceased, appeared and took his seat. Mr. Little, of Md. desired an error to be corrected with regard to his vote on the second resolution of Mr. M'Duffie—he had voted in the affirmative. Mr. Cary, of Geo. requested his vote to be recorded—he had voted in the negative, on both resolutions. Their requests were complied with. A petition from the Central Committee of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Convention, praying the U. S. to take stock, was presented, and referred to the Committee on Roads and Canals. Mr. Livingston of Louisiana, offered a resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution so as to give the election of President directly to the people, either by districts or general ticket in each state, as the legislatures direct—to be unchangeable for eight years, and in no case to be changed within three years of any presidential election—and in case of no election, the states to choose from the two highest. Mr. A. Stevenson, of Va. offered one, providing that in case of no election primarily, the legislatures shall choose from the three highest—each state to have one vote. All the amendments that had been proposed were referred to the select committee on the subject. The Panama Mission, and the Penitentiary in the District of Columbia, came severally under consideration in Committee of the whole—but our summary is already so extended, that we have not room for particulars.

TUESDAY, APRIL 4.

Senate. Mr. Chandler presented a resolution of the Legislature of Maine in relation to an Observatory at Brunswick, in that state. The resolution offered by Mr. Benton, respecting public lands unfit for cultivation, was agreed to.

House of Representatives.

Mr. Drayton moved as an amendment to the Constitution, that if there be no election of President, &c. by the primary colleges, the two highest shall again be voted for by colleges, and the vote to count by states—the members of the first colleges not to be eligible to the second. A joint resolution from the Senate proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, as it respects the periods to which any person may be elected President of the United States, was read twice and committed to the Committee of the Whole on the state of the Union—ayes 62, noes 50. The report of the Committee on Foreign Relations on the Panama Mission was again taken up in committee and amendments offered to the resolutions already before the Committee.

A friend intimates that we were in error in speaking of the association to which the west is indebted for the missionaries not long since arrived, as composed of young men. The error, if one, arose from ignorance and misinformation. We understood the name of the institution to be "The Young Men's Missionary Society" and concluded, rather naturally, we think, that it consisted principally of persons coming under that description. Whatever may be its proper designation, or the age of its members, we feel grateful for the benefits designed to be conferred on us through its noble liberality and zeal.

It has also been hinted that the "Western Baptist" has been misconceived by us as much as we supposed he had been misunderstood by others. It is not—and never was—our intention to defend all the propositions or peculiar opinions of this writer. Let him attend to that. Given.