498 CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS. 



war." He thanked heaven the war was at an end. He 

 thanked heaven peace had come in our time ; and he 

 trusted that if there had been much treasure squandered in 

 war, this establishment, so sublime in its design, so magnif- 

 icent in its conception, was not to share in the calamities of 

 war. His objection to the gentleman's scheme was, that it 

 would launch the institution on a political sea. Leave the 

 superintendence of the establishment to the Board of Re- 

 gents, of whom three were members of the House, and 

 three members of the Senate, and who in some sense con- 

 stituted a committee of Congress, and leave to them to 

 report upon the state of its affairs from time to time. If 

 their fidelity and discretion could not be confided in, then 

 we had fallen on evil times. But he would not oppose the 

 motion ; he would leave it to the judgment of the House to 

 dispose of 



Mr. Truman Smith, of Conn., thought this proposition 

 altogether premature. He had oiFcred a resolution in the 

 ordinary form — a resolution which real)}' ought to have been 

 ofl:ered early last week — for the adoption of the ordinary 

 rules and orders of the House, and had connected with this 

 a proposition, as at the last session of Congress, to raise a 

 committee to revise and report upon the rules, from time to 

 time. If this resolution, as ofiered, should pass, then they 

 would have a committee upon the rules and orders of the 

 House, and the gentleman from Tennessee could then ofier 

 his proposition, and refer it to that committee, who would 

 take such action upon it as they might deem proper. He 

 was now very apprehensive that there was to be no end to 

 this discussion, and no end to their eflibrts to amend the 

 rules, if they were to favor propositions of this character at 

 all ; and he desired to ask of the chair whether it was com- 

 petent for him to move the previous question ? 



The Speaker replied that the previous question might be 

 moved ; but the question on the amendment, having been 

 first moved, must be first put. 



Mr. Smith inquired, in case the previous question was 

 sustained, if it did not cut off the amendment ? 



The Speaker said the previous question could not be put 

 until after the question was taken on the amendment ; and 

 he read from the Manual on this point. 



Mr. Smith. If the previous question is moved, does it 

 stop debate on this proposition ? 



The Speaker replied in the negative ; but said he would 

 regard the previous question as moved, so that, when this 

 amendment was disposed of, no other could be moved, and 



