Mr. Garland, who had been Clerk of the previous House, refused to call the names of the members elected from the State of NewJersey. We saw, then, how this power, exerted by the Clerk under sufferance and usage, which is now proposed to be sanctioned by positive en: actment, operated. Its operation was. that it prevented the House from being organized for 6 weeks; and at length, to solve the difficulty, the House dethroned that Clerk, removed him from the position at the table which he was occupying, and from reading the roll of members of the House, and took upon itself the exercise of that office according to its own direction and order, and instead of the former Clerk being allowed to Preside over the House in its organization he was precluded from that position and John Quincy Adams was placed in the chair. There was no confusion, no disorder, no disorganization then introduced except by the act of the Clerk himself, and he was acting in strict conformity to the line of conduct which he is empowered to adopt by this bill. When the Convention that framed the Constitution met, when the 1st Congress elected under it assembled, when any deliberative assembly or convention is organized, what is the process? The mass of the members are regularly elected, they have the returns of their own election, and their election is not controverted. If there be any members claiming seats in the particular i.whose right to seats is contested, those whose rights are not contested undertake the inquiry and determine who are authorized to sit in the body as members. That is the principle and the rule adopted by the Constitution in relation both to the Senate and the HoRep. When the 1st HoRep got together under the Constitution, if any of its members, or men claiming to be members of it, had had their seats controverted, those whose seats were not contested would have got together and would have decided the question whether those whose seats were contested were entitled to membership or not. The honorable Senfrom Illinois has not pretended to answer any objection that I have made; at least he has not answered any that I have taken to this bill, as I understand. “The HoRep shall choose their Speaker and other officers, ” says the Constitution. Is not the Clerk of a former HoRep, on the organization of a succeeding one, who is empowered by this act to perform the office which he is required to perform under it, an officer of the House that is to be then organized? I ask the honorable Senfrom Illinois to answer me that question. On the 4th of March, the HoRep of a new Congress is to be organized. How is it to be organized? The Clerk of the Present House is required to make out a list of the members who are elected according to the laws of Congress and of their respective States, by his own judgment and discretion. He may exclude whom he pleases, he may admit whom he pleases.