_Ordered_, That the Vice President should affix his
signature to the address, in behalf of the Senate.
FRIDAY, May 8.
The report of the committee appointed to determine "What style or title
it will be proper to annex to the offices of President and Vice
President of the United States, if any other than those given in the
Constitution;" and to confer with a committee of the House of
Representatives appointed for the same purpose, was considered, and
disagreed to.
The question was taken, "Whether the President of the United States
shall be addressed by the title of _His Excellency_?" and it passed in
the negative.
On motion that a committee of three be appointed to consider and report
under what title it will be proper for the Senate to address the
President of the United States, Mr. LEE, Mr. ELLSWORTH, and Mr. JOHNSON,
were elected.
SATURDAY, May 9.
A message from the House of Representatives informed the Senate that
they had accepted the report of the committee appointed to consider what
style or title it will be proper to annex to the offices of President
and Vice President of the United States, if any other than those given
in the Constitution.
_Ordered_, That Mr. FEW, Mr. MACLAY, and Mr. STRONG, be a
committee to view the apartments in the City Hall, and to
confer with any committee that may be appointed by the
House of Representatives for that purpose, and report how
the same shall be appropriated.
The committee appointed to consider under what title it will be proper
for the Senate to address the President of the United States, reported;
the consideration of which was postponed until Monday next.
The Secretary was charged with a message to the House of
Representatives, with the order of Senate passed the 7th instant, on the
mode adopted by the Senate in receiving communications from that House.
_Ordered_, That Mr. LEE, Mr. ELLSWORTH, and Mr. JOHNSON, be
a committee to confer with any committee to be appointed by
the House of Representatives, on the difference of opinion
now subsisting between the two Houses, respecting the title
of the President of the United States; and, on motion for
reconsideration, the instruction to the committee was
agreed to, as follows:
"That they consider and report under what title it will be
proper for the President of the United States in future to
be addressed, and confer thereon with such committee as the
House of Representatives may appoint for that purpose."
The Secretary carried to the House of Representatives the appointment of
a committee, on the part of the Senate, to view the rooms in the City
Hall, and to confer upon their appropriation;
The rejection of the report of the committee appointed to consider what
style, &c., it will be proper to annex to the offices of President and
of Vice President;
And the appointment of a committee on the part of the Senate to confer
on a title under which it will be proper to address the President of the
United States.
MONDAY, May 11.
_Ordered_, That the consideration of the report of the
committee upon "the title by which it will be proper for
the Senate to address the President," be postponed until
Tuesday next.
TUESDAY, May 12.
_Ordered_, That the committee appointed the 9th of May, to
consider "by what title it will be proper for the Senate to
address the President of the United States", be instructed
to confer with the committee of the House of
Representatives, agreeably to the proposition in their
message of this day.
A motion for the committee, appointed to address the
President, to proceed, was postponed to Thursday next.
THURSDAY, May 14.
The committee, appointed the 9th instant, to determine "under what title
it will be proper for the Senate to address the President," and to
confer with a committee of the House of Representatives "upon the
disagreeing votes of the Senate and House," informed the Senate that
they had conferred with a committee of the House of Representatives, but
could not agree upon a report.
The committee appointed the 9th instant, "to consider and report under
what title it will be proper for the Senate to address the President of
the United States of America," reported:
That, in the opinion of the committee, it will be proper
thus to address the President: "_His Highness, the
President of the United States of America, and Protector of
their Liberties_."
Which report was postponed; and the following resolve was agreed to, to
wit:
From a decent respect for the opinion and practice of
civilized nations, whether under monarchical or republican
forms of Government, whose custom is to annex titles of
respectability to the office of their Chief Magistrate; and
that, on intercourse with foreign nations, a due respect
for the majesty of the people of the United States may not
be hazarded by an appearance of singularity, the Senate
have been induced to be of opinion, that it would be proper
to annex a respectable title to the office of President of
the United States; but, the Senate, desirous of preserving
harmony with the House of Representatives, where the
practice lately observed in presenting an address to the
President was without the addition of titles, think it
proper, for the present, to act in conformity with the
practice of that House: therefore,
_Resolved_, That the present address be "_To the President
of the United States_," without addition of title.
A motion was made to strike out the preamble as far as the words "but
the Senate;" which passed in the negative:
And on motion for the main question, it passed in the affirmative.
The committee appointed to consider and report a mode of carrying into
effect the provision in the second clause of the third section of the
first article of the Constitution, reported;
Whereupon,
_Resolved_, That the Senators be divided into three
classes;
The first to consist of Mr. Langdon, Mr. Johnson, Mr.
Morris, Mr. Henry, Mr. Izard, and Mr. Gunn;
The second of Mr. Wingate, Mr. Strong, Mr. Paterson, Mr.
Bassett, Mr. Lee, Mr. Butler, and Mr. Few;
And the third of Mr. Dalton, Mr. Ellsworth, Mr. Elmer, Mr.
Maclay, Mr. Read, Mr. Carroll, and Mr. Grayson.
That three papers of an equal size, numbered 1, 2, and 3,
be, by the Secretary, rolled up and put into a box, and
drawn by Mr. Langdon, Mr. Wingate, and Mr. Dalton, in
behalf of the respective classes, in which each of them are
placed; and that the classes shall vacate their seats in
the Senate, according to the order of numbers drawn for
them, beginning with No. 1.
And that, when Senators shall take their seats from States
that have not yet appointed Senators, they shall be placed
by lot in the foregoing classes, but in such manner as
shall keep the classes as nearly equal as may be in
numbers.
The committee appointed to confer with a committee of the House of
Representatives, in preparing proper rules to be established for the
enrolment, &c. of the acts of Congress, reported; which report was
ordered to lie for consideration.
_Ordered_, That the committee appointed to draft an answer
to the President's speech, wait on him, and request him to
appoint the time when it will be agreeable to receive the
address of the Senate, at his own house.
FRIDAY, May 15.
The committee appointed to draft an answer to the President's speech
further reported; whereupon it was
_Agreed_, That the Senate should wait on the President at
his own house on Monday next, at a quarter after 11
o'clock, and that the Vice President then present the
address of the Senate, as agreed to on the 7th instant.
The Senate proceeded to determine the classes, agreeably to the resolve
of yesterday, on the mode of carrying into effect the provision of the
second clause of the third section of the first article of the
Constitution; and the numbers being drawn, the classes were determined
as follows:
Lot No. 1, drawn by Mr. Dalton, contained Mr. Dalton, Mr. Ellsworth, Mr.
Elmer, Mr. Maclay, Mr. Read, Mr. Carroll, and Mr. Grayson; whose seats
shall, accordingly, be vacated in the Senate at the expiration of the
second year.
Lot No. 2. drawn by Mr. Wingate, contained Mr. Wingate, Mr. Strong, Mr.
Paterson, Mr. Bassett, Mr. Lee, Mr. Butler, and Mr. Few; whose seats
shall, accordingly, be vacated in the Senate at the expiration of the
fourth year.
Lot No. 3, drawn by Mr. Langdon, contained Mr. Langdon, Mr. Johnson, Mr.
Morris, Mr. Henry, Mr. Izard, and Mr. Gunn; whose seats shall,
accordingly, be vacated in the Senate at the expiration of the sixth
year.
MONDAY, May 18.
Agreeably to the order of the 15th instant, the Senate waited on the
President of the United States at his own house, when the Vice
President, in their name, delivered to the President the address agreed
to on the 7th instant. To which the President of the United States was
pleased to make the following reply:
GENTLEMEN: I thank you for your address, in which the most
affectionate sentiments are expressed in the most obliging
terms. The coincidence of circumstances which led to this
auspicious crisis, the confidence reposed in me by my
fellow-citizens, and the assistance I may expect from
counsels which will be dictated by an enlarged and liberal
policy, seem to presage a more prosperous issue to my
administration than a diffidence of my abilities had taught
me to anticipate. I now feel myself inexpressibly happy in
a belief that Heaven, which has done so much for our infant
nation, will not withdraw its providential influence before
our political felicity shall have been completed, and in a
conviction that the Senate will at all times co-operate in
every measure which may tend to promote the welfare of this
confederated republic. Thus supported by a firm trust in
the great Arbiter of the universe, aided by the collective
wisdom of the Union, and imploring the divine benediction
on our joint exertions in the service of our country, I
readily engage with you in the arduous but pleasing task of
attempting to make a nation happy.