The Litchfield County Post

19th CONGRESS........2d SESSION.

IN THE SENATE:

Feb. 13.

Mr. Dickerson moved to take up the bill from the other House, to increase the duties on imported woollens, in order to its being referred, which was opposed by Mr. Smith, of Md. and supported by Mr. Eaton, who said he would farther move the reference of the bill to the committee on finance. The question was then taken, and the Senate decided that they would consider the bill; which was then read a second time.

Mr. Dickerson and Mr. Hayne rose at the same moment, the former moving the reference of the bill to the committee on manufactures, and the latter to the finance committee. Considerable discussion arose on the point of precedency, and before it was settled, Mr. Tazewell moved to lay the bill upon the table, on which the yeas and nays were called, and the motion was rejected by the following vote:

Yeas 17—nays 28.

Mr. Eaton moved the reference to the committee on finance. Mr. Dickerson said that a motion was already before the chair. The chair decided that Mr. Dickerson having been first on the floor his motion was in order. A pretty sharp debate now ensued between Messrs. Hayne, Dickerson, Smith, of Md. Holmes, and Van Buren. After some other remarks, Mr. Smith, of Md. said

He thought the reference of this bill to the committee on manufactures, was highly improper; for the chairman of that committee seemed to be infected with a manufacturing mania; or, rather, the subject was with him a hobby-horse: and he rode it so hard, that he would take all the business from the finance committee, if care was not taken. Mr. S. considered this as a very important subject—one which threatened seriously to affect the revenue, without any promise of immediate redress for that disadvantage; and it having come up so late in the session, he was not prepared to act upon it, as he did not wish to be obligated to decide upon a subject of so much moment without a full investigation of its merits.

Mr. Holmes replied—He thought the mania of which the gentleman had spoken, might be contagious, and that he had caught it; for it had led him into an argument which was rather against himself. The bill to reduce the duty on salt had been advocated by the gentleman; yet that was a subject affecting finance, and was first reported by the committee on agriculture, while, according to his doctrine it should have sprung from the finance committee. Mr. H. should suppose that it would be a case in point, that this bill should go to the committee on manufactures first, and to the finance committee afterwards. As to the revenue, he considered it a convenient hobby-horse, to be mounted either to advocate or oppose any subject whatever. The gentleman from Md. had given proof of this. When the bill to reduce the duty on salt was before the senate he supported it. There was no fear of the revenue then: but now there were great apprehensions on that head. It appeared to Mr. H. that as the committee on manufactures had so far acted upon the subject, the reference to them was perfectly proper.

The question was then taken by the yeas and nays, and decided by the following vote:

YEAS.—Messrs. Barton, Bateman, Bell, Bouligny, Chandler, Chase, Dickerson, Edwards, Findley, Harrison, Hendricks, Holmes, Knight, Marks, Mills, Noble, Robbins, Rugeles, Sanford, Seymour, Silsbee, Thomas, Van Buren, Willey, Woodbury. 25.

NAYS.—Messrs. Benton, Berrien, Branch, Chambers, Clayton, Cobb, Eaton, Hayne, Johnson, of Ky. Johnston, of La. Kane, King, M'Kinley, Macon, Randolph, Ridgely, Rowan, Smith, of Md. Smith, of S. C. Tazewell, Williams. 21.