Mr. John Taylor's resolutions, as amended, agreed to by the Committee, and reported to the House (ante, p. 149-50), being read the second time, a motion was made, and the question being put, to amend the same by expunging from them the fourth clause in the following words:

" That the General Assembly doth also express its deep regret, that a spirit has in sundry instances been manifested by the Federal Government to enlarge its powers by forced constructions of the constitutional charter which defines them; and that indications have appeared of a design to expound certain general phrases (which having been copied from the very limited grant of powers in the former articles of confederation, were the less liable to be misconstrued) so as to destroy the meaning and effect of the particular enumeration, which necessarily explains and limits the general phrases, and so as to consolidate the states, by degrees, into one sovereignty, the obvious tendency and inevitable result of which would be to transform the present republican system of the United States into an absolute, or at best a mixed monarchy."

It passed in the negative, ayes 68 — noes 96.

On a motion made by General Lee, seconded by Mr. Bolling, ordered,

that the names of the ayes and noes on the foregoing question be inserted in the journal.

The names of those who voted in the affirmative, are Messrs. Bailey, Ware, Anderson, Porterfield, Poage, White, Otey, Logwood, Tate, Baker, Breckenridge, M'Guire, Moorman, Spencer, Bedford, Harrison, Herbert, Magill, Bynum, Reives, John Mathews, Cavendish, Royal, Snyder, King, Fisher, Simons, Godwin, Young, Richard Corbin, Thomas Lewis, Turner, Wallace, Pollard, Gregory, Powell, Clapham, Cowan, Evans, Ingles, James Taylor, Watkins, Upshur, Darby, Claughton, Clarke, Divan, Cure-ton, George K. Taylor, Brooke, Robinson, Ellegood, M'Coy, Coonrod, Wilson, Glasscock, Caruthers, Andrew Alexander, Davis, Charles Lewis, Blow, Booth, Lee, Bradley, Drope, Crockett, Griffin, Andrews — 68.

And the names of those who voted in the negative, are Messrs. Cabell, Nicholas, Walker, Giles, Fletcher, Bolling, William Allen, Colwell, Perrow, John Taylor, Buckner, Tyler, Cheatham, Thomas A. Taylor, Daniel, Roberts, Shackelford, Peterson Goodwyn, Pegram, Booker, Daingerfield, Webb, Jennings, Horner, Haden, Payne, Greer, Benjamin Cooke, Hall, Pleasants, Heath I. Miller, Jones, M'Kinzie, Starke, Thompson, Jackson, Prunty, Selden, Price, Martin, Redd, John Allen, Tazewell, Shearman, Joseph Carter, Callis, Meriwether, Chadwell, Francis Eppes, Hudgins, Litchfield, Roebuck, Hill, Nelson, Mark Alexander, Segar, Richard H. Corbin, Scott, Butt, James S. Mathews, Willis Riddick, Josiah Riddick, Semple, Hurst, Freeman Eppes, Dupuy, M'Kinley, Barbour, Wright, Moseley, Woodson, Purnall, Johnston, Pope, Rentfro, William Carter, Hadden, Barnes, Cockrell, Browning, Gatewood, Dulaney, Mercer, Stannard, Nathaniel Fox, John Fox, Faulcon, Seward, Mason, Cary, Burn-ham, Hungerford, Meek, Shield, Foushee, Newton — 96.

A motion was then made, and the question being put, to amend the said resolutions, by striking out from the word "Resolved," to the end of the same, and inserting in lieu thereof the following words:

" That as it is established by the Constitution of the United States, that the people thereof have a right to assemble peaceably, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances, it therefore appears properly to belong to the people themselves to petition, when they consider their rights to be invaded by any acts of the general government; and it should be left to them, if they conceive the laws lately passed by the Congress of the United States, commonly called the 'alien and sedition-laws,' to be unconstitutional, or an invasion of their rights, to petition for a repeal of the said laws."

It also passed in the negative, ayes 60 — noes 104.

On a motion made by Mr. Brooke, seconded by Mr. Griffin, ordered, that the names of the ayes and noes on the foregoing question be inserted in the journal.

The names of those who voted in the affirmative, are Messrs. Bailey, Ware, Anderson, Porterfield, Poage, White, Otey, Logwood, Tate, Baker, Breckenridge, M'Guire, Moorman, Spencer, Herbert, Magill, Bynum, Reives, J. Mathews, Cavendish, Royall, Snyder, King, Fisher, Simons, Nelson, Evans, Ingles, Jas. Taylor, Watkins, Upshur, Darby, Clarke, Divan, Cureton, George K. Taylor, Brooke, Robinson, Ellegood, M'Coy,

Coonrod, Wilson, Davis, Charles Lewis, Blow, Booth, Lee, Bradley, Drope, Crockett, Griffin, Andrews, Godwin, Thomas Lewis, Turner, Wallace, Pollard, Powell, Clapham, Cowan — 60.

And the names of those who voted in the negative, are Messrs. Cabell, Nicholas, Walker, Giles, Fletcher, Bolling, William Allen, Colwell, Perrow, John Taylor, Buckner, Bedford, Harrison, Tyler, Cheatham, Thomas A. Taylor, Daniel, Roberts, Shackelford, Peterson Goodwyn, Pegram, Booker, Daingerfield, Webb, Jennings, Horner, Haden, Payne, Greer, Benjamin Cooke, Hall, Pleasants, Heath I. Miller, Jones, M'Kinzie, Starke, Thompson, Jackson, Prunty, Selden, Price, Martin, Redd, John Allen, Tazewell, Young, Richard Corbin, Gregory, Shearman, Joseph Carter, Callis, Meriwether, Chadwell, Francis Eppes, Hudgins, Litchfield, Roebuck, Hill, Marke Alexander, Segar, Richard H. Corbin, Scott, Butt, James S. Mathews, W. Riddick, J. Riddick, Semple, Hurst, Claughton, Freeman Eppes, Dupuy, M'Kinley, Barbour, Wright, Moseley, Woodson, Purnall, Johnston, Pope, Rentfro, William Carter, Hadden, Barnes, Glass-cock, Caruthers, Andrew Alexander, Cockrell, Browning, Gatewood, Dulaney, Mercer, Stannard, Nathaniel Pox, John Fox, Faulcon, Seward, Mason, Cary, Burnham, Hungerford, Meek, Shield, Foushee, Newton — 104.

And then the main question being put, that the House do agree with the committee of the whole House in the resolutions as reported, It passed in the affirmative, ayes 100 — noes 63. On a motion made by Mr. John Taylor, seconded by Mr. Nicholas, ordered, that the names of the ayes and noes on the foregoing question be inserted in the journal.

The names of those who voted in the affirmative, are Messrs. Cabell, Nicholas, Walker, Giles, Fletcher, Boiling, William Allen, Colwell, Perrow, John Taylor, Buckner, Harrison, Tyler, Cheatham, Thomas A. Taylor, Daniel, Roberts, Shackelford, P. Goodwyn, Pegram, Booker, Daingerfield, Webb, Jennings, Horner, Haden, Payne, Greer, Benjamin Cooke, Hall, Pleasants, Heath I. Miller, Jones, M'Kinzie, Starke, Thompson, Jackson, Prunty, Selden, Price, Martin, Redd, John Allen, Tazewell, Young, Richard Corbin, Gregory, Shearman, Joseph Carter, Callis, Meriwether, Chadwell, Francis Eppes, Hudgins, Litchfield, Roebuck, Hill, Mark Alexander, Segar, Richard H. Corbin, Scott, Butt, James S. Mathews, W. Riddick, J. Riddick, Semple, Hurst, Claughton, Freeman Eppes, Dupuy, M'Kinley, Barbour, Wright, Moseley, Woodson, Purnall, Johnston, Pope, Rentfro, William Carter, Hadden, Glasscock, Cockrell, Browning, Gatewood, Dulaney, Mercer, Stannard, Nathaniel Fox, John Fox, Faulcon, Seward, Mason, Cary, Burnham, Hungerford, Meek, Shield, Foushee, Newton — 100.

And the names of those who voted in the negative are Messrs. Bailey, Ware, Anderson, Porterfield, Poage, White, Otey, Logwood, Tate, Baker, Breckenridge, M'Guire, Moorman, Spencer, Bedford, Herbert, Magill, Bynum, Reives, John Matthews, Cavendish, Snyder, King, Fisher, Simons, Godwin, Thomas Lewis, Turner, Wallace, Pollard, William Clarke, Royall, Powell, Clapham, Cowan, Nelson, Evans, Ingles, James Taylor, Watkins, Upshur, Darby, Divan, Cureton, George K. Taylor,

Brooke, Robinson, Ellegood, M'Coy, Coonrod, Wilson, Caruthers, Andrew Alexander, Davis, Charles Lewis, Blow, Booth, Lee, Bradley, Drope, Crockett, Griffin, and Andrews — 63.

The House then ordered that the clerk do carry the said resolutions to the Senate for their concurrence.

IN SENATE, Monday, December 24, 1798.

The House, according to the order of the day, resolved itself into a committee of the whole House, on the resolutions of the House of Delegates, concerning certain acts of the Congress of the United States, passed at their last session; and after some time spent therein, Mr. Speaker resumed the chair, and Mr. Preston reported that the committee had, according to order, taken the said resolutions under their consideration, and had gone through the same, and had directed him to report the same without any amendment.

A motion was then made to amend the fifth resolution, by striking out the words "two late cases of the alien and," and on the question to agree to the same,

It passed in the negative — Ayes 5, Noes 12. The ayes and noes were required on the above question. Ayes — Burwell Bassett, Francis Peyton, Benjamin Temple, John Haymond, John Eyre — 5.

Noes — Creed Taylor, Richard Kennon, Thomas Royster, Archibald Stewart, French Strother, Hugh Holmes, George Carrington, John Preston, John Hoomes, Thomas Newton, Nicholas Cabell, George Penn — 12.

And then the main question being put, that the House do agree to the said resolutions,

It was resolved in the affirmative. Ayes 14, Noes 3. Ordered, That the clerk do acquaint the House of Delegates therewith. On the above question the ayes and noes were required. Ayes — Creed Taylor, Richard Kennon, Burwell Bassett, Thomas Royster, Archibald Stewart, French Strother, Hugh Holmes, George Carrington, John Preston, John Hoomes, Benjamin Temple, Thomas Newton, Nicholas Cabell, George Penn — 14.

Noes — Francis Peyton, John Haymond, John Eyre — 3.

Part II | Debate Dec. 21 | Members | Randolph Contents | Text Version