contents of which he briefly stated to be a prayer for the amendment of the constitution of the United States, in relation to slavery; and sent the same to the Speaker, who decided that the prayer thereof came within the 21st rule of the House and that it could not be received. Mr. Toland appealed from the decision of the Speaker. And the question being put, Shall the decision of the Chair stand as the judgment of the House? It passed in the affirmative. JANUARY 9, 1841. The resolution introduced by Mr. John Quincy Adams on the 23d ultimo came up for consideration, and was read as follows, viz: Resolved, That the Postmaster General be directed to report to this House the names of all the postmasters throughout the Union who have been removed from office since the 3d day of March, 1829, with the names of the persons appointed in their places; underscoring the names of all those removed for official delinquency or misdemeanor; and specifying the nature thereof, the complaint upon which the removal was made, the evidence in support of such complaint, and whether the officer removed was made acquainted with the complaint, confronted with his accuser, or allowed to be heard in his defence. A motion was made by Mr. Hopkins to amend the same resolution, by adding thereto the following: Resolved, That the power of removing officers is vested in the President of the United States. Resolved, That this power was conferred to enable him (the Executive)" to take care that the laws are faithfully executed," and cannot be exercised arbitrarily or capriciously, without an abuse of power, tyrannical in its operation, corrupting in its tendency, and converting a remedy for unworthiness and misconduct into a terrible engine of Executive power. Resolved, That the patronage of the Executive Department has increased to an alarming extent, and ought to be restricted and diminished so far as is compatible with a safe and faithful execution of the laws. Resolved, That it is the right of the representatives of the people to examine into all abuses and usurpations which may be apprehended to exist in any of the Executive departments, in order that they may be corrected and prevented, if possible, by legislation; and, in flagrant and wanton cases, exposed and punished. Resolved, That the power of appointment and of removal from office, vested in the Executive, may be greatly abused; and its exercise ought, therefore, to be watched and strictly guarded, so as, if possible, "to prevent the power and patronage of the Executive from being brought into conflict with the freedom of elections." Resolved, That the representatives of the people have a right to inquire into the causes for which any Executive officer has been removed or dismissed from office by the Executive. Resolved, That, in prosecuting such inquiry, the House of Representatives has a right to call for, and have furnished to it, all official documents, papers, and letters, relating to the removal of such officer, which may be on file among the records of any of the Executive departments. Resolved, That a select committee be appointed, whose duty it shall be to inquire and report a bill imposing such restrictions upon Executive patronage as may be consistent with the foregoing resolutions, and compatible with the constitution of the United States, and so as more effectually to guard against abuse and corruption in the exercise of the power of removal from, and appointment to, office. Mr. John Quincy Adams submitted a question of order: Is the said amendment, proposed by Mr. Hopkins, in order? The Chair decided that the said amendment was in order. From this decision Mr. Adams took an appeal to the House. A motion was made by Mr. Banks, that the said appeal do lie upon the table; 80. And the question being put, It was decided in the affirmative, yeas, 95; nays, JANUARY 21, 1841. Mr. John Quincy Adams presented a petition of inhabitants of Allehgany county, in the State of Pennsylvania, praying for the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia and the Territories; for the discontinuance of the "inter-State" slavetrade; and for the passage of a resolution refusing to admit any State into the Union whose constitution permits slavery; and moved that the said petition be referred to the Committee on the Territories. The Speaker decided that, under the 21st rule, so much only of said petition as relates to the admission of a State into the Union, whose constitution permits slavery, could be received. On motion of Mr. Connor, so much of said petition as was received was laid upon the table. Mr. Adams presented a petition of inhabitants of the town of Perrinton, in the State of New York, praying for the abolition of slavery and the slave-trade in the District of Columbia, and the slave-trade between the several States; and that no new State may be admitted into the Union whose constitution tolerates slavery; and moved that the said petition be referred to the Committee on the Territories. Mr. Banks moved that it do lie on the table. A motion was made by Mr. Connor that the vote by which that portion of the petition of inhabitants of Alleghany county, Pennsylvania, this day presented by Mr. Adams, was laid upon the table, be reconsidered. And the question being put, Will the House reconsider the said vote? 50. It passed in the affirmative, yeas, 104; nays, The said vote being reconsidered, The question recurred on the motion of Mr. Connor, that so much of said petition as was received be laid on the table; when Mr. Connor withdrew said motion. A motion was then made by Mr. Black, that the said petition be rejected. The Chair stated, and so decided, that as only so much of said petition as prays for the passage of a resolution refusing to admit any State into the Union whose constitution admits slavery had been received by the House, a motion to reject the whole petition was not in order. Mr. Black appealed from so much of said deci sion of the Chair as admitted any portion of said petition to be received by the House. And, pending the question on the appeal, the hour set apart for calling the States for petitions expired. FEBRUARY 1, 1841. The House, in further execution of the special order of the 14th ultimo, resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union; and, after some time spent therein, the Speaker resumed the chair, and Mr. Casey reported that the committee had, according to order, had the state of the Union generally under consideration, particularly the bill (No. 598) to authorize the issuing of Treasury notes, and had come to no resolution thereon. Under a decision of the Speaker, that it was in order, as relating to the special order now under consideration, ! |