Wednesday, May 31.
Answer to the President's Speech.
The House again resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole on the Answer to the President's Speech, Mr. Dayton's amendment being under consideration.
Mr. Hartley was persuaded there was but one wish in the House with respect to peace, notwithstanding insinuations to the contrary; but he could not agree with the proposed amendment, as he wished the negotiation to be left wholly to the President. The treaty entered into with France provided for their being placed on the same footing with other nations, and wished that right to be recognized by negotiation, and he doubted not the President would do it; for as he must see that peace was the desire of all, he would take such steps as would be best calculated to lead to it. He was against encroachments on the Executive, as, if they once begun, there was no knowing where they could stop. He thought there was no danger of war; it would be a disagreeable thing for men who fought in the Revolutionary war, to be obliged to unsheathe their swords against France; but he trusted before they rose, means would be taken for putting the country into a state of defence.
The question was then taken on the Address as amended, and resolved in the affirmative—yeas 62, nays 36, as follows:
Yeas—John Allen, George Baer, jr., Abraham Baldwin, David Bard, James A. Bayard, Theophilus Bradbury, David Brooks, John Chapman, Christopher G. Champlin, James Cochran, Joshua Coit, William Craik, Samuel W. Dana, James Davenport, John Dennis, George Dent, George Ege, Thomas Evans, Abiel Foster, Dwight Foster, Jonathan Freeman, Nathaniel Freeman, jr., Albert Gallatin, Henry Glenn, Chauncey Goodrich, William Gordon, Roger Griswold, William B. Grove, John A. Hanna, Robert Goodloe Harper, Carter B. Harrison, Thomas Hartley, William Hindman, David Holmes, Hezekiah L. Hosmer, James H. Imlay, John Wilkes Kittera, Samuel Lyman, James Machir, John Milledge, Daniel Morgan, John Nicholas, Harrison G. Otis, Elisha R. Potter, John Read, John Rutledge, jr., James Schureman, Samuel Sewall, William Shepard, Thompson J. Skinner, Thomas Sinnickson, Jeremiah Smith, Nathaniel Smith, Samuel Smith, William Smith, (of Charleston,) George Thatcher, Richard Thomas, Mark Thomson, Abram Trigg, John E. Van Allen, Peleg Wadsworth, and John Williams.
Nays—Thomas Blount, Richard Brent, Nathan Bryan, Samuel J. Cabell, Thomas Claiborne, Matthew Clay, John Clopton, Thomas T. Davis, John Dawson, Lucas Elmendorph, William Findlay, John Fowler, William B. Giles, James Gillespie, Andrew Gregg, Jonathan N. Havens, Walter Jones, Edward Livingston, Matthew Locke, Matthew Lyon, Nathaniel Macon, Blair M'Clenachan, Joseph McDowell, Anthony New, Josiah Parker, Samuel Sitgreaves, William Smith (of Pinckney District), Richard Sprigg, jr., Richard Stanford, Thomas Sumter, John Swanwick, John Trigg, Philip Van Cortlandt, Joseph B. Varnum, Abraham Venable, and Robert Williams.
Resolved, That Mr. Speaker, attended by the House, do present the said Address; and that Mr. Venable, Mr. Kittera, and Mr. Nathaniel Freeman, Jr., be a committee to wait on the President, to know when and where it will be convenient for him to receive the same.
And then the House adjourned.