Monday, December 31.
Post Road to New Orleans.
On a motion made and seconded that the House do come to the following resolutions:
1. Resolved, That a post road ought to be established from the City of Washington, on the most convenient and direct route, to pass through or near the Tuckabachee settlement to the Tombigbee settlement, in the Mississippi Territory, and from thence to the City of New Orleans.
2. Resolved, That the President of the United States be requested to cause to be laid before this House any documents, and give such other information as he may think proper, relative to opening a post road from the City of Washington to the City of New Orleans.
The first resolution being twice read, was, on a motion made, ordered to be referred to the Committee of the whole House, to whom was committed, on the seventh instant, a motion respecting “the establishment of a post road from Knoxville, in the State of Tennessee, to the settlements on the Tombigbee river, in the Mississippi Territory, and from thence to New Orleans; also, for the establishment of a post road from Georgia to the said settlement on the Tombigbee, to intersect the former road at the most convenient point between Knoxville and the Tombigbee.”
The second resolution being twice read, was, on the question put thereupon, agreed to by the House.
Ordered, That Mr. Holland and Mr. G. W. Campbell be appointed a committee to present the second resolution to the President of the United States.
District of Columbia.
Mr. Gregg called up the resolutions for a recession of the District of Columbia to the States of Maryland and Virginia.
Mr. Huger moved to postpone the same till this day week.
Mr. Jackson moved to postpone them till the 31st December next.
Some desultory remarks were made, not touching the merits of the main question; at length the question was taken on postponing till 31st December, and lost, without a division.
On postponing till Monday next, the question was decided in the affirmative—59 for and 31 against it.
An engrossed bill to incorporate the Washington Building and Fire Insurance Company was about being read, when
Mr. Gregg expressed a wish that it might be postponed, and a speedy decision had on the question of recession. He understood this was the day fixed for that subject.
Mr. Lewis observed that the motion for recession could have had no effect upon this bill, as it did not contemplate the recession of the City of Washington, but only of the other parts of the district.
Mr. Stanford had intended to have called up the resolutions for recession, but he had just received a letter from a number of the inhabitants of the district, wishing a short delay. There were also absent from the House several members who had taken considerable interest in the subject. For these reasons, he did not intend to call up the resolutions for two or three days.
Mr. Early was averse to a postponement. He thought an early decision ought to be made, to quiet the minds and soothe the feelings of the inhabitants, who felt a deep interest in the decision. Indeed, the members themselves had had their feelings excited in no inconsiderable degree. He hoped if the gentleman who brought the resolutions forward should forbear to bring them up, some other gentleman would do it for him.
Mr. Stanford was induced to let the subject rest a few days longer, on account of those very feelings, and interest, which pervaded the whole body of the people. He would also prefer a decision by a full House, rather than by such a thin one as now appeared.
Mr. Early did not think that a thin attendance by the members was a good argument for postponement. If it was expected that every member should attend, he feared the public business would progress very slowly; but if the subject was entered upon now, and the resolutions adopted, they would have to take the shape of a bill, and it would be many days before the subject was finally decided, by which time, no doubt, the absent gentlemen alluded to would arrive.
Mr. Lyon said the bill that was moved to be postponed had nothing to do with the recession, as it was not proposed to recede the city.
Mr. Gregg knew that the resolutions excepted Washington City, but he hoped that if a part of the district was to be receded, there would be found a majority for receding the whole. He was against the recession altogether, and so he should be till the question was decided against him. The business had been so long before the House, that he could not see any reason for further delay.
On the question to postpone the bill for incorporating the Washington Building and Fire Insurance Company, there were 51 for it and 42 against it; and the bill was postponed accordingly,
The House then adjourned to Wednesday.