The House decided that it would proceed to the election of Speaker, viva voce.

Mr. POTTER rose, and was understood to say that he felt highly flattered by the vote which had been given to him. Conceiving, however, that the majority did not lean in that direction, and not desiring to embarrass the action of the House, he hoped his friends would make no further use of his name.

The roll was called for the thirty-second time, when the tellers reported that the whole number of votes given in was 224; necessary to a choice 113; of which

Mr. Winthrop received

Mr. W. J. Brown

Mr. Boyd

Mr. Disney

Mr. H. Cobb

Mr. Wilmot

Mr. Gentry

Mr. Green

[31ST CONG The roll was then called the thirty-third time, when the tellers reported that the whole number of votes given in was 224; necessary to a choice 113; of which— Mr. Winthrop received Mr. William J. Brown Mr. Boyd Mr. Disney Mr. Wilmot

Mr. Gentry

Mr. Howell Cobb

Mr. Horace Mann.

101

80

15

8

5

5

224

The roll was then called the thirty-fourth time, when the tellers reported that the whole number of votes given was 224; necessary to a choice 113; of which

5

5

Mr. Winthrop received

Mr. Brown, of Indiana

Mr. Horace Mann

Mr. Boyd

101

12

Mr. Disney

Mr. Wilmot

Mr. A. G. Brown

Mr. Gentry

Mr. Cobb, of Georgia,

Mr. Bayly

1

Mr. Meade

1

1

224

Mr. HOLMES, of South Carolina, moved that the House adjourn.

Mr. HALL, of Missouri, asked the yeas and nays; which were refused.

Tellers were asked and appointed, (Messrs. CABELL, of Florida, and BowLIN.)

The question was then taken, and decided in the negative-ayes, 92, noes 100.

So the House refused to adjourn.

Mr. SWEETSER rose and offered the following resolution:

Whereas this House has balloted seven days for Speaker without an election, it is manifest that, from present indications, no organization can now be hoped for: Therefore,

Resolved, That, the Senate concurring, this House stand adjourned until the 1st day of January, 1850, at twelve o'clock.

Mr. Durkee

No choice.

1ST SESS.]

Mr. Durkee

Mr. McDowell

Mr. Meade

Mr. Mann, of Massachusetts Mr. Stanton, of Tennessee. No choice.

1

1

1

1

1

224

[DECEMBER, 1849.

them his personal desire not to stand in the way of a satisfactory organization of the House, or indeed of any organization, believing that the highest interests of the country, that the peace and safety of the Union, demanded that an organization of some sort should be effected without delay. But as he had seen his friends continuing to persist in the idea that his name was at their control, and not under his

own, he had, therefore, allowed the contest to go on, as it had gone on, until this moment. He now begged leave to say publicly, as he had heretofore often said privately, that nothing could give him greater pain than to imagine for an instant that he had stood in the way of any organization of this House which might be effected, and much more in the way of any organization which could be effected by his friends. He desired to say to them all that, while he thanked them cordially for the devoted support which they had given him, it would afford him the utmost satisfaction if they could concentrate their efforts on some other

candidate; and he should most cordially unite with them on any other candidate whom they might adopt.

Mr. THOMPSON, remarking that he knew it was not in order to debate the motion to adjourn, said that he had from the very beginning voted for the gentleman from Massachusetts as candidate for Speaker, and should continue so to do. He regretted that the gentleman should see fit to withdraw his name. He (Mr. T.) would prefer him to any other gentleman in this body, for his known ability and experience. But if the gentleman insisted upon withdrawing his name as one of the nominees, those gentlemen who had supported him wanted time to deliberate and concertmeasures. As a matter of justice and equity, therefore, he moved that the House adjourn; and he asked the yeas and nays on the motion.

The question then recurred on the demand of Mr. THOMPSON for the yeas and nays on his motion to adjourn, and they were ordered.

And the question was then taken, and decided in the negative-yeas 110, nays 114. So the House refused to adjourn.

Mr. COBB, of Alabama, moved that the House proceed to vote for Speaker.

Mr. HALL moved to amend the motion of the gentleman from Alabama, (Mr. COBB,) by substituting a resolution that WILLIAM J. BROWN, of Indiana, be declared the duly elected Speaker of this House.

Mr. MEADE submitted that the motion of the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. COBB) was out of order, because the election of Speaker was the regular business before the House unless that business were superseded by some other.

Mr. BAKER, amid great confusion, moved that the House adjourn.

Mr. STANTON, of Tennessee, on the other side of the House, submitted a similar motion, re

marking that he believed a motion to adjourn was always in order.

The CLERK thereupon put the question on that motion; and the motion having prevailed, the House, at a late hour, Adjourned.

WEDNESDAY, December 12.

Election of Speaker.

The Journal of yesterday was read and approved.

On motion of Mr. KAUFMAN, the House proceeded to vote for Speaker, viva voce.

Messrs. HILLIARD of Alabama, STRONG of Pennsylvania, DUER of New York, and MILLER of Ohio, resumed their seats at the Clerk's table as tellers to count the vote.

[31ST CONG.

of so doing, as he was sure if he had intimated his intention to the gentleman, he would have been denied the privilege of making this motion. He was sincerely desirous of seeing an end put to the protracted votings for Speaker. They had been engaged in this unprofitable business for nine days, and they were now just where they commenced on the first morning of the session. Not only were they without a Speaker, but without a candidate for Speaker. It was well known that the political party to which he belonged had a majority in this House-impracticable, it was true-but still a majority; and although they had heretofore failed to concentrate upon any candidate in sufficient force to elect him, still they had approximated nearer that point than their opponents had. There was a little portion of the Democratic party who refused to vote with the great majority of the party; but not only was

The Journal of yesterday was read and approved.

Mr. BROWN, of Mississippi, rose and said, that he would ask leave of the House to offer

the resolution which he would send to the Clerk's desk.

The resolution was read, as follows:

Resolved, That HOWELL COBB, of Georgia, is hereby chosen Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Thirty-first Congress.

Mr. BROWN remarked, that he had been induced to offer this resolution without any consultation with his political friends, and without having given the remotest intimation to his friend from Georgia (Mr. COBB) of his intention

who refused to vote with the large body of their party, but a portion of the southern Whigs who also refused to act with their party. Under these circumstances it must be appar ent to every one, that unless something else were done than to continue as they were now doing, no choice at all of Speaker could be effected.

If we exclude the Free Soilers on both sides, the Democrats have a majority over the Whigs, If you count them on both sides, dividing them according to their party predilections, we stil have a majority of one, and this if all the seats were occupied; but it is the misfortune of the Whigs to have four absentees-Mr. KING of Georgia, Mr. GENTRY of Tennessee, Mr. JULIAN of Indiana, and Mr. PALFREY of Massachusetts, who had failed of his election. This gives us the advantage by five votes. We all know, if you exclude the Free-Soilers entirely, counting them on neither side, our majority is not thereby diminished, but is increased by two or three votes.

He did not intend to demand that a vote should be taken upon the resolution. His object in introducing it had been that he might have an opportunity, on his own responsibility sirous of organizing the House, to unite with alone, to call upon the Whigs, if they were de them to accomplish that object. They being in a minority, could better do it than to ask them (the Democrats) to come over to them. If no gentleman desired to discuss the resolution he would now withdraw it.

The House proceeded to vote, viva voce, for the election of Speaker.

Pennsylvania, DUER of New York, and MILLER Messrs. HILLIARD of Alabama, STRONG of of Ohio, resumed their seats at the CLEEK'S table, as tellers to count the votes.

The roll was then called the forty-first time, when the tellers reported that the whole number of votes given was 224; necessary to a choice 113; of which

The Speakership-Debate Terminated. Mr. DIMMICK, of Pennsylvania, now rose and offered the following resolution, which was read:

Resolved, That this House shall proceed to the election of a Speaker, and continue its efforts to effect such an election, without debate from any member of this House, until an election is effected. Mr. WOODWARD said that he desired to make a single observation. The proposition which he had introduced was perfectly consistent with every resolution that had been offered. They might adopt it, and adopt every resolution which had been before the House. This one might follow.

The question was then taken on the resolution of Mr. DIMMICK, and was decided in the affirmative by an overwhelming "aye."

So the resolution was adopted.

(The annunciation was greeted with strong marks of approbation.)

The call of the roll was then again demanded from every part of the Hall.

And the House again proceeded to vote for Speaker viva voce.

Messrs. HILLIARD of Alabama, STRONG of Pennsylvania, DUER of New York, and MILLER

Mr. Durkee.

No choice.

The roll was then called the forty-third time, when the tellers reported that the whole number of votes given was 225; necessary to a choice 113; of which

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

SATURDAY, December 15.
The Speakership.

Mr. PRESTON KING rose and said, he would state to the House that if the Democratic party desired to organize the House, by the choice of a Democratic Speaker, they could do so by supporting WILLIAM STRONG, the Representative of the Berks district, in Pennsylvania. If the Democratic party would vote for Mr. STRONG, he could be elected.

The House then proceeded to vote, viva voce, for Speaker.

Messrs. HILLIARD of Alabama, STRONG of Pennsylvania, DUER of New York, and MILLER of Ohio, resumed their seats at the Clerk's table as tellers to count the votes.

The roll was then called the forty-fifth time, when the tellers reported that the whole number of votes given was 226; necessary to a choice 114, of which

No choice.

86

66

27

18

10

4

3

2

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

225

Mr. HOLMES, of South Carolina, rose and was understood to say that he did not think there were two members in the House who did