Tellers were demanded. Mr. HOLMES withdrew the motion. Tellers were asked and ordered, and Messrs. Mr. Disney Mr. Robinson. Mr. Cobb, of Georgia. Mr. Chandler No choice. The roll was then called the forty-ninth time, And the question having been put, the affirm-when the tellers reported that the whole numative votes stood 114-a majority of the whole ber of votes given was 223; necessary to a number present. choice 112; of which So the House adjourned until Monday, at 12 o'clock. MONDAY, December 17. Mr. STANLY rose and said: Before the Clerk proceeds to call the roll I desire to trespass on the attention of the House a moment. I rise respectfully to request those gentlemen who have voted for me to discontinue doing so. I desire to repeat what I stated the other day, that I do not feel able (in the presence of others so much better qualified to discharge the duties of the Chair) to undertake them, even supposing I could be elected. It is due to the House and to the country that another person should be elected. And as I am unwilling to trespass upon the House in violation of the rule some days ago adopted forbidding debate, I will only beg leave to say, that one of my colleagues has said that North Carolina would be found willing and ready to act as she had been in 1775, when the Mecklenburg declaration was made. I wish to say, that I have no doubt North Carolina will be ready to act. She will be found in favor of the Union-opposed to faction and disorganization, no matter from what quarter they may come. Her voice in 1849 will be as it was in 1775, when she heard of the battle of Lexington. She declared in her Mecklenburg resolutions, her determination to throw off the yoke of English oppression, and she said, as I say now, "The cause of Boston is the cause of all." The people of North Carolina will always be found on the side of Law, Order, and the Union. (The close of these remarks was greeted with applause.) The House then proceeded to vote, viva voce, for Speaker. The roll was then called for the forty-eighth time, when the tellers reported that the whole number of votes given in was 223; necessary to a choice 112; of which— Mr. Boyd received Mr. Winthrop Mr. Stevens, of Pennsylvania Mr. Potter Mr. Morehead Mr. Boyd received Mr. Morehead Mr. Potter Mr. Thaddeus Stevens. Mr. Disney Mr. Strong. Mr. Conrad Mr. Robinson Mr. Howell Cobb No choice. DECEMBER, 1849.] Mr. Strong. Election of Speaker. Mr. Stanly. Mr. H. Cobb 1 Mr. KAUFMAN obtained the floor. He said that he held in his hand a resolution which he desired to present to the consideration of the House. He would, in the first instance, ask the unanimous consent of the House to preface the resolution with a very few remarks. That courtesy had been extended yesterday to the gentleman from Kentucky, (Mr. THOMPSON,) and he (Mr. K.) was satisfied that it would not now be refused to him. No objection having been made, Mr. K. proceeded with his remarks. The resolution, he said, which he wished to offer for the consideration of the House, for the great purpose, as he conceived, of conducing to its organization, and of allaying the excitement which prevailed in every section of the Union, by reason of the state of things now existing here, was substantially the same as that which he had offered yesterday with this exception, that the resolution which he was now about to offer provided that it should not commence to take effect until to-morrow. He would read it. Mr. K. then read the resolution, which was in the following words: Resolved, That if on to-morrow no member have a majority of all the votes cast for Speaker on the first vote, then, on the second vote on to-morrow, if any member shall receive only one less than a majority of the whole number of votes, he shall be declared elected; but if no member be elected Speaker on said second vote, than on the third next vote, if any member shall receive only two less than a majority, he shall be declared elected, and so on, requiring one vote less to elect for every ballot taken, until a choice of Speaker is made. The resolution having been read Mr. K. proceeded to remark, that before he referred more particularly to the resolution, he would state, in a word, what was the objection which he entertained to the resolution which had been introduced yesterday by the gentleman from Kentucky, (Mr. THOMPSON.) He (Mr. K.) conceived that it would be more satisfactory to the people of the country, that, whatever was done, should be done- Mr. BROWN, of Mississippi, interposed, and said that he had risen to a point of order. It would be recollected by the House that a reso [31ST CONG. lution had been adopted several days ago, by which all debate was prohibited. The CLERK said it was true that such a resolution had been adopted; but that the gentleman from Texas (Mr. KAUFMAN) had obtained the unanimous consent of the House to explain his resolution. Mr. KAUFMAN said he had distinctly asked the courtesy of the House to preface his re-olation with a few remarks. The consent of the House had been given, and he hoped that no gentleman would take exception to his proceeding. Mr. BROWN said he certainly had not understood that the gentleman from Texas (Mr. KAUFMAN) had obtained the unanimous consent of the House to make his remarks. If he (Mr. B.) had understood that to be the proposition, he, for one, would have objected to it. He objected to the resolution, and he objected to any debate upon it. The CLERK announced the question upon laying the whole subject upon the table. (Loud cries of "Question!") The question was taken and decided in the affirmative. So the whole subject was laid on the table. (Cries of "Call the roll! ") Mr. STRONG, of Pennsylvania, said he had been acting as one of the tellers without intermission for thirteen days. He thought, therefore, he was entitled to an honorable discharge, and he asked that another person might be substituted in his place. The CLERK invited the following gentlemen to take their seats as tellers, to respite those who had been acting, viz: Messrs. VAN DYKE of New Jersey, HARRIS of Alabama, HENRY of Vermont, and GORMAN of Indiana. The CLERK was proceeding to call the roll, when Mr. McGaughey rose, and announced to the House his intention not to give his vote upon the call of the roll to-day. His reason for this course would be found in the fact that one of his colleagues on the Democratic side (Mr. McDONALD) had met with an accident, which ren dered it inconvenient for him to attend the House to-day. His colleague would attend, if it should be necessary for him to do so. If that necessity should not arise, he would not be present, and he (Mr. McG.) should decline to vote. The roll was then called the fifty-second time, when the tellers reported that the whole number of votes given was 223; necessary to a choice 112; of which Mr. SAVAGE sent to the Clerk's table the following resolution, which was read: Resolved, That if the House fail to elect a Speaker during the present day, it will, upon its meeting tomorrow, apply to its proceedings, as far as practicable, the principle embodied in the 12th article of the Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, prescribing the mode of electing a President and Vice President. Resolved, That the House will upon the calling of the roll, cast its vote for Speaker; and if no person shall have a majority of all the votes, then from the persons having the highest number, (not exceeding three in the list of those voted for,) the House shall proceed to choose its Speaker; and if the three persons on the last vote should be voted for, and neither of them should have a majority of all the votes, then the House shall choose its Speaker, by another vote, from the two highest on the list. The resolution having been read The question was taken on the adoption thereof, and decided in the negative without a division. So the re solution was rejected. The roll was then called a fifty-fourth time, when the tellers reported that the whole number of votes given in was 222; necessary to choice 112; of which Mr. Winthrop received Mr. Boyd 97 51 Mr. McClernand 23 Mr. Cobb, of Georgia 11 Mr. Potter 8 Mr. Disney 8 5 Mr. Morehead VOL. XVI.-24 a 97 47 Mr. McClernand 26 Mr. Strong 16 Mr. Cobb, of Georgia. 16 Mr. Morehead 5 Mr. BAKER rose and said, that he held in his hand a resolution which he desired to offer, and which, he was sure, would receive the unani mous assent of this House. He would send it to the Clerk's table to be read. The resolution was then read by the Clerk in the following words: Resolved, That the Rev. Father MATHEW be respectfully invited to take a seat upon the floor of this House. Mr. GIDDINGS asked that the resolution might be again read; and the resolution having been read accordingly— SATURDAY, December 22. Election of Speaker-Mr. Stanton's Resolution. Mr. STANTON, of Tennessee, now rose and called for the reading of the proposition which he had submitted. The proposition having been read in the words following: Resolved, That the House will proceed immediately to the election of a Speaker, viva voce; and if, after the roll shall have been called three times, no member shall have received a majority of the whole number of votes, the roll shall again be called, and the member who shall then receive the largest number of votes, provided it be a majority of a quorum, shall be declared to be chosen Speaker: Mr. HOLMES moved that it be laid upon the table. And the question, "Shall these propositions be laid upon the table?" was then taken and decided in the negative-yeas 94, nays 124. So the House decided that the two propositions should not be laid on the table. The question then recurred on the original proposition of Mr. STANTON. The CLERK proceeded with the call of the roll, which having been completed the vote was announced-yeas 113, nays 106. So the original proposition of Mr. STANTON was adopted. Election of Speaker Consummated. There was now a general demand over the House that the roll be called. Mr. STANLY rose and said: Mr. Clerk, with the permission of the House, I wish to make a statement relating to myself. After the adoption of this resolution-which I earnestly hope will lead to an organization-I presume, of course, it is desirable that the members of each party should vote for their respective favorites. The other side have their favorite, and we have ours, and all who wish an organization will vote for some gentleman of whose election we can have a reasonable hope. I most respectfully but earnestly express the wish that no gentleman will vote for me, but that they will all, for the sake of their country, give their votes for him who is decidedly the favorite of the Whig party, as I shall. The House again proceeded to vote vica voce for the election of Speaker. Messrs. VENABLE of North Carolina, HENRY of Vermont, and VAN DYKE of New Jersey, resumed their seats at the Clerk's table as tellers to count the votes. Mr. Strong Mr. E. C. Cabell Mr. McGaughey. Mr. Boyd. No choice. 95 90 9 4 4 4 3 3 3 1 1 217 |