Part 123

Counting Electoral Votes.

A message was received from the Senate informing the House that Mr. SMITH of Maryland has been appointed a teller of the votes of President and Vice President of the United States, on the part of the Senate, conformably with their vote of the twelfth instant, and are now ready, in the Senate Chamber, to proceed therein: Whereupon, Mr. SPEAKER, attended by the House, proceeded to the Senate Chamber, and took seats therein; when, both Houses being assembled, the PRESIDENT of the Senate, in the presence of both Houses, proceeded to open the certificates of the Electors of the several States, beginning with the State of New Hampshire; and as the votes were read, the tellers on the part of each House counted and took lists of the same; which, being compared, were delivered to the President of the Senate, and are as follows:

The PRESIDENT of the Senate, in pursuance of the duty enjoined upon him, announced the state of the votes to both Houses, and declared that THOMAS JEFFERSON, of Virginia, having the greatest number, and a majority of the votes of the Electors appointed, was duly elected President of the United States, for the term commencing on the fourth day of March next; and that GEORGE CLINTON, of New York, having also the greatest number, and a majority of the votes of all the Electors appointed, was duly elected Vice President of the United States, for the term commencing on the fourth day of March next.

The two Houses then separated, and the House of Representatives being returned to their Chamber, Mr. SPEAKER resumed the Chair.

The list of the votes of the Electors for President and Vice President of the United States, as declared by the PRESIDENT of the Senate, and herein before recited, was read at the Clerk’s table.

THURSDAY, February 14.

A new member, to wit, GEORGE CLINTON, jr., returned to serve as a member of this House, for the State of New York, in the place of Samuel L. Mitchill, appointed a Senator of the United States, appeared, produced his credentials, was qualified, and took his seat in the House.

MONDAY, February 18.

Ordered, That Mr. ROGER GRISWOLD, Mr. J. CLAY, Mr. BLACKLEDGE, Mr. HUGER, and Mr. NICHOLAS R. MOORE, be appointed of the said committee, on the part of this House; and that the Clerk of this House do carry the said resolution to the Senate, and desire their concurrence.

The House proceeded to the further consideration of the bill authorizing the Secretary of War to issue military land warrants, and for other purposes, to which the Committee of the whole House, to whom it had been committed, reported no amendment, on the thirteenth instant; and the said bill being twice read and amended at the Clerk’s table, was, together with the amendments, ordered to be engrossed, and read the third time to-morrow.

The House resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole on the bill for the relief of Philip Nicklin and Robert Eaglesfield Griffith; and, after some time spent therein, the committee rose, reported progress, and were discharged from the further consideration thereof, and the bill was recommitted to the Committee of Commerce and Manufactures.

TUESDAY, February 19.

Richard Taylor.

The House resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole on the report of the Committee of Claims, of the thirteenth instant, to whom was referred the memorial of Richard Taylor, of the State of Kentucky; and, after some time spent therein, the committee rose and reported a resolution thereupon; which was twice read, and agreed to by the House, as follows:

Resolved, That the prayer of the memorial of Richard Taylor is reasonable, and ought to be granted.

Ordered, That a bill, or bills, be brought in, pursuant to the said resolution; and that the Committee of Claims do prepare and bring in the same.

FRIDAY, March 1.

Presidential Oath of Office.

The SPEAKER laid before the House a letter addressed to him signed, “Th. Jefferson,” notifying, that “he shall take the oath which the constitution prescribes to the President of the United States, before he enters on the execution of his office, on Monday, the fourth instant, at twelve o’clock, in the Senate Chamber.”

Ordered to lie on the table.

Eodem Die, 4 o’clock, P. M.

Removal of Federal Judges.

On a motion made by Mr. JOHN RANDOLPH, that the House do come to the following resolution:

Resolved, by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, two-thirds of both Houses concurring, That the following article be submitted to the Legislatures of the several States, which, when ratified and confirmed by the Legislatures of three-fourths of the said States, shall be valid and binding, as a part of the Constitution of the United States:

The judges of the Supreme and all other Courts of the United States, shall be removed by the President, on the joint address of both Houses of Congress, requesting the same, any thing in the Constitution of the United States to the contrary notwithstanding:

A motion was made and seconded that the said proposed resolution be referred to the consideration of a Committee of the whole House; and the question being taken thereupon, it was resolved in the affirmative--yeas 68, nays 33, as follows:

YEAS.--Willis Alston, jr., Isaac Anderson, David Bard, William Blackledge, Walter Bowie, Adam Boyd, Robert Brown, Joseph Bryan, William Butler, Levi Casey, Thomas Claiborne, Joseph Clay, George Clinton, jun., John Clopton, Frederick Conrad, Jacob Crowninshield, Richard Cutts, John Dawson, John B. Earle, Peter Early, John W. Eppes, William Findlay, John Fowler, Peterson Goodwyn, Andrew Gregg, John A. Hanna, Josiah Hasbrouck, Jas. Holland, David Holmes, John G. Jackson, Walter Jones, Nehemiah Knight, Michael Leib, J. B. C. Lucas, Andrew McCord, William McCreery, Nicholas R. Moore, Thomas Moore, Jeremiah Morrow, Roger Nelson, Thomas Newton, jun., Joseph H. Nicholson, Gideon Olin, Beriah Palmer, Oliver Phelps, John Randolph, John Rea of Pennsylvania, John Rhea of Tennessee, Jacob Richards, Samuel Riker, Cæsar A. Rodney, Thomas Sammons, Ebenezer Seaver, James Sloan, John Smilie, Henry Southard, Richard Stanford, Joseph Stanton, John Stewart, David Thomas, Philip R. Thompson, Isaac Van Horne, Joseph B. Varnum, Matthew Walton, John Whitehill, Alexander Wilson, Richard Wynn, and Thomas Wynns.

NAYS.--Nathaniel Alexander, Simeon Baldwin, Silas Betton, William Chamberlin, Martin Chittenden, Clifton Claggett, Manasseh Cutler, Samuel W. Dana, John Davenport, Thomas Dwight, James Elliot, Ebenezer Elmer, Calvin Goddard, Gaylord Griswold, Roger Griswold, Seth Hastings, William Helms, John Hoge, Benj. Huger, Simon Larned, Thomas Lowndes, Nahum Mitchell, Erastus Root, William Stedman, Samuel Taggart, Benjamin Tallmadge, Samuel Tenney, Samuel Thatcher, George Tibbits, Killian K. Van Rensselaer, Peleg Wadsworth, Lemuel Williams, and Marmaduke Williams.