Part 124

Another motion was made, and the question being put, that the said resolution be the order of the day for the first Monday in December next, it was resolved in the affirmative.

Recall of Senators.

On a motion made by Mr. NICHOLSON,

Resolved, That the following article, when adopted by two-thirds of both Houses of Congress, and by the Legislatures of three-fourths of the respective States, shall become a part of the Constitution of the United States, viz:

That the Legislature of any State may, whenever the said Legislature shall think proper, recall, at any period whatever, any Senator of the United States, who may have been elected by them; and whenever a vote of the Legislature of any State, vacating the seat of any Senator of the United States, who may have been elected by the said State, shall be made known to the Senate of the United States, the seat of such Senator shall thenceforth be vacated:

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, 53, nays 46, as follows:

YEAS.--Willis Alston, junior, Isaac Anderson, David Bard, Walter Bowie, Robert Brown, Joseph Bryan, William Butler, Levi Casey, Thomas Claiborne, Joseph Clay, George Clinton, jun., John Clopton, Frederick Conrad, John Dawson, John B. Earle, Peter Early, J. W. Eppes, Peterson Goodwyn, Andrew Gregg, John A. Hanna, Josiah Hasbrouck, Joseph Heister, James Holland, David Holmes, Nehemiah Knight, Michael Leib, Andrew McCord, William McCreery, Nicholas R. Moore, Thomas Moore, Jeremiah Morrow, Roger Nelson, Anthony New, Thomas Newton, jun., Joseph H. Nicholson, Gideon Olin, Beriah Palmer, John Randolph, John Rea of Pennsylvania, John Rhea of Tennessee, Jacob Richards, Thomas Sammons, Ebenezer Seaver, James Sloan, Richard Stanford, Joseph Stanton, John Stewart, Philip R. Thompson, Abram Trigg, John Whitehill, Alexander Wilson, Richard Wynn, and Thomas Wynns.

NAYS.--Nathaniel Alexander, Simeon Baldwin, Silas Betton, William Blackledge, Adam Boyd, William Chamberlin, Martin Chittenden, Clifton Claggett, Jacob Crowninshield, Manasseh Cutler, Richard Cutts, John Davenport, Thomas Dwight, James Elliot, Ebenezer Elmer, William Findlay, John Fowler, Gaylord Griswold, Roger Griswold, Seth Hastings, William Helms, David Hough, Benjamin Huger, John G. Jackson, William Kennedy, Simon Larned, Thomas Lowndes, John B. C. Lucas, Nahum Mitchell, Oliver Phelps, Erastus Root, John Smilie, Henry Southard, William Stedman, Samuel Taggart, Benjamin Tallmadge, Samuel Tenney, Samuel Thatcher, David Thomas, George Tibbits, Killian K. Van Rensselaer, Joseph B. Varnum, Peleg Wadsworth, Lemuel Williams, and Marmaduke Williams.

Another motion was then made, and the question being put, that the said resolution be the order of the day for the first Monday in December next, it was resolved in the affirmative--yeas 70, nays 28.

SATURDAY, March 2.

The House resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole on the bill, sent from the Senate, entitled “An act to amend an act, entitled ‘An act for imposing more specific duties on the importation of certain articles; and, also, for levying and collecting light money on foreign ships or vessels,’” to which the Committee of Ways and Means, to whom it had been referred, reported no amendment, on the eighteenth of January last; and, after some time spent therein, the Committee reported the same to the House without amendment.

The House then proceeded to consider the said bill: Whereupon a motion was made and seconded that the further consideration thereof be postponed until the first Monday in December next, and the question being put thereon, it passed in the negative--yeas 43, nays 46, as follows:

YEAS.--David Bard, Silas Betton, Adam Boyd, William Butler, John Campbell, William Chamberlin, Martin Chittenden, Clifton Claggett, Frederick Conrad, Samuel W. Dana, John Davenport, Thomas Dwight, James Elliot, Ebenezer Elmer, John W. Eppes, Calvin Goddard, Peterson Goodwyn, Andrew Gregg, Gaylord Griswold, Roger Griswold, John Hoge, David Hough, Benjamin Huger, Samuel Hunt, John G. Jackson, Thomas Lowndes, John B. C. Lucas, Nahum Mitchell, Beriah Palmer, Thomas Plater, John Rea of Pennsylvania, John Rhea of Tennessee, Thomas Sammons, Thomas Sanford, Henry Southard, Richard Stanford, William Stedman, John Stewart, Samuel Taggart, Benj. Tallmadge, Samuel Tenney, Samuel Thatcher, and George Tibbits.

NAYS.--Willis Alston, jun., Nathaniel Alexander, Isaac Anderson, William Blackledge, Walter Bowie, Robert Brown, Joseph Clay, Matthew Clay, John Clopton, Jacob Crowninshield, John Dawson, John Fowler, Josiah Hasbrouck, James Holland, David Holmes, William Kennedy, Nehemiah Knight, Simon Larned, Michael Leib, Matthew Lyon, Andrew McCord, William McCreery, Nicholas R. Moore, Thomas Moore, Jeremiah Morrow, Roger Nelson, Anthony New, Thomas Newton, jr., Joseph H. Nicholson, Gideon Olin, John Randolph, Thomas Mann Randolph, Jacob Richards, James Sloan, John Smilie, Joseph Stanton, Philip R. Thompson, Abram Trigg, Joseph B. Varnum, John Whitehill, Lemuel Williams, Alexander Wilson, Richard Wynn, Joseph Winston, and Thomas Wynns.

And then the main question being taken, that the said bill do pass, it was resolved in the affirmative.

An engrossed bill further to provide for the accommodation of the President of the United States, was read the third time, and passed.

A message from the Senate informed the House that the Senate have passed a bill, entitled “An act supplementary to an act, entitled ‘An act making an appropriation for carrying into effect the Convention between the United States of America and His Britannic Majesty;’” to which they desire the concurrence of this House.

Eodem Die, 5 o’clock, P. M.

A message from the Senate informed the House that the Senate have passed the bill, entitled “An act supplementary to the act, entitled ‘An act making provision for the disposal of the public lands in the Indiana Territory, and for other purposes,’” with an amendment; to which they desire the concurrence of this House; also, the bill, entitled “An act further to alter and establish certain post roads, and for other purposes,” with several amendments; to which they desire the concurrence of this House.

The House proceeded to consider the amendment proposed by the Senate to the bill, entitled “An act supplementary to the act, entitled ‘An act making provision for the disposal of the public lands in the Indiana Territory and for other purposes:’” Whereupon,

Resolved, That this House doth agree to the said amendment.

SUNDAY, March 3.

Importation of Slaves.

Mr. VARNUM, one of the members for the State of Massachusetts, presented to the House a letter from the Governor of the said State, enclosing an attested copy of two concurrent resolutions of the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Massachusetts, passed the fifteenth of February in the present year, “instructing the Senators and requesting the Representatives in Congress, from the said State, to take all legal and necessary steps, to use their utmost exertions, as soon as the same is practicable, to obtain an amendment to the Federal Constitution, so as to authorize and empower the Congress of the United States to pass a law, whenever they may deem it expedient, to prevent the further importation of slaves from any of the West India islands, from the coast of Africa, or elsewhere, into the United States, or any part thereof:” Whereupon, a motion was made and seconded, 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 proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which, when ratified by three-fourths of the said Legislatures, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as a part of the said constitution, to wit:

“That the Congress of the United States shall have power to prevent the further importation of slaves into the United States and the Territories thereof.”

The said proposed resolution was read, and ordered to lie on the table.

Commodore Preble.