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.
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.