HON. THEODORE SEDGWICK, _Speaker of the House of
Representatives_.
_Ordered_, That said letter do lie on the table.
_Mausoleum to Washington._
The House proceeded to consider the amendments proposed by the Senate to
the bill entitled "An act to erect a mausoleum for GEORGE WASHINGTON:"
Whereupon,
A motion was made and seconded to amend the amendment of the Senate to
the first section of the said bill, by striking out, from the tenth line
thereof, the word "fifty," for the purpose of inserting, in lieu
thereof, the word "one hundred;"
And the question being taken thereupon, it passed in the negative--yeas
34, nays 49.
The said amendments of the Senate were then further amended at the
Clerk's table, and, on the question that the House do agree to the said
amendments as amended, it was resolved in the affirmative--yeas 46, nays
33, as follows:
YEAS.--Theodorus Bailey, Bailey Bartlett, John Bird,
Phanuel Bishop, Robert Brown, Samuel J. Cabell, Matthew
Clay, William C. C. Claiborne, Samuel W. Dana, John
Davenport, John Dawson, Joseph Eggleston, John Fowler,
Albert Gallatin, Chauncey Goodrich, Andrew Gregg, William
Barry Grove, John A. Hanna, Joseph Heister, David Holmes,
John Wilkes Kittera, Michael Leib, Levi Lincoln, Matthew
Lyon, James Linn, Edward Livingston, Nathaniel Macon, Peter
Muhlenberg, Anthony New, John Nicholas, John Read, Nathan
Read, Wm. Shepard, John Smilie, John Smith, Samuel Smith,
Richard Dobbs Spaight, David Stone, Benjamin Taliaferro,
Samuel Tenney, John Chew Thomas, John Thompson, Abram
Trigg, John Trigg, Joseph B. Varnum, and Peleg Wadsworth.
NAYS.--James A. Bayard, John Brown, Christopher G.
Champlin, Gabriel Christie, William Craik, Franklin
Davenport, John Dennis, Joseph Dickson, William Edmond,
Thomas Evans, Abiel Foster, Henry Glenn, Roger Griswold,
Robert Goodloe Harper, Archibald Henderson, Benjamin Huger,
James H. Imlay, George Jackson, Henry Lee, Silas Lee,
Ebenezer Mattoon, Robert Page, Thomas Pinckney, Jonas
Platt, John Randolph, John C. Smith, Richard Stanford,
Thomas Sumter, James Sheafe, John Stewart, George Thatcher,
Lemuel Williams, and Henry Woods.
TUESDAY, 6 o'clock P. M., March 3.
_Thanks to the Speaker._
Mr. PAGE moved the following resolution:
_Resolved_, That the thanks of the House be presented to
Theodore Sedgwick for his conduct while in the chair of
this House.
The question was taken whether this motion was in order. It was decided
to be in order.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
Mr. CHRISTIE said he should not point out the improprieties in the
conduct of the Speaker while in the chair, otherwise than by his vote,
though he possessed the right to call up to the recollection of the
House the many inconsistencies his presidency had been marked with. In
doing that, Mr. SPEAKER, I shall behave better to you than you have ever
done to me.
The cry of "order!" "order!" prevented any more being said, and Mr. C.
sat down.
The yeas and nays were then taken, and resulted--yeas 40, nays 35.
Whereupon Mr. SPEAKER made his acknowledgments to the House in the
manner following:
Accept, gentlemen, my thanks, I pray you, for the
respectful terms in which you have been pleased to express
the opinion you entertain of the manner in which I have
discharged the arduous duties of the station to which I was
raised by your kind regard.
Although I am conscious of having intended faithfully to
execute the trust confided to this chair, yet I am sensible
that, whatever success may have attended my endeavors, is
justly attributable to the candid, honorable, and firm
support which you have constantly afforded. I cannot lay
the least claim to merit for any thing that I have done;
because the generous confidence which you had reposed in
me, demanded that I should devote all my feeble talents to
your service.
Being now about to retire from this House, and, as I hope,
from the public councils for ever, permit me, gentlemen, to
bid you, collectively and individually, an affectionate
farewell. It is true that I have long wished to indulge
repose in the shade of private life; but the moment of
separation inflicts an anguish inexpressible by language.
It is a separation from men of dignity of character, of
honorable sentiments, and of disinterested patriotism; an
association with whom has been my pride and solace amidst
all the fatigue and vexation of public life. Of the
friendship of such men, long, uninterrupted and cordial as
it has been, I shall always cherish a grateful remembrance.
May you receive the reward most grateful to generous
spirits, the reward of witnessing, as the effects of your
labors, the increasing prosperity, and happiness, and
glory, of your country.
As the last words which I shall utter, as a public man,
allow me to declare, that those with whom I have had the
honor, here, to act and think, whose confidence I have
enjoyed, whose bosoms have been opened to my inspection, in
my cool and reflected opinion, deserve all of esteem,
affection, and gratitude, which their countrymen can
bestow. On this occasion I deem myself authorized, from the
present circumstances, to make this declaration; and I do
it in the most solemn manner, in the presence of the
assembled Representatives of America; and not only so, but
in the awful presence of that heart-searching Being to
whom I feel myself responsible for all my conduct. May the
Almighty keep you in his holy protection. Farewell.
A message from the Senate informed the House that the Senate have
appointed a committee on their part, jointly, with such committee as may
be appointed on the part of this House, to wait on the PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES, and to inform him that Congress is ready to adjourn
without day, unless he may have any further communications to make to
them.
The House proceeded to consider the foregoing resolution of the Senate,
agreed to the same, and appointed Mr. PINCKNEY and Mr. GROVE the
committee on the part of this House.
Mr. PINCKNEY, from the joint committee of the two Houses, appointed to
notify the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES of the proposed recess of
Congress, reported that the committee had, according to order, performed
that service, and that the PRESIDENT signified to them that he had no
further communication to make, but the expression of his wishes for the
health and happiness of the members, and a pleasant journey on their
return to their homes and families.
_Ordered_, That a message be sent to the Senate to inform them that this
House, having completed the business before them, are now ready to
adjourn without day; and that the Clerk of this House do go with the
said message.
The Clerk accordingly went with the said message; and being returned,
Mr. SPEAKER adjourned the House, _sine die_.[61]