ADAMS: IKE CONTROL OK 1 HE I'URSE. I99 



a recent humiliation in having been compelled to pass a Senate 

 amendment to the general appropriation bill on tlie issue of treasury 

 notes. No one reason would have sufficed to secure a majority for 

 the resolution. In any case there can be no doubt that many who 

 voted for it expected either that the Senate would recall the obnoxious 

 amendment or that a new postoffice bill would be rushed through in 

 the closing hours. 



The resolution and bill were at once sent to the Senate and the 

 resolution was read to that body.* Without debate Mr. Crittenden, 

 by unanimous consent, reported the following resolution, which was 

 agreed to by the Senate: "Resolved, that the Senate and House being 

 of right equally competent, each to judge of the propriety and constitu- 

 tionality of its own action, the Senate has exercised said right in 

 its action on the amendments sent to the House, leaving to the House 

 its right to adopt or reject each of said amendments at its pleasure: 

 Resolved that this resolution be communicated to the House of Rep- 

 resentatives, and that the bill and amendments aforesaid be trans- 

 mitted therewith."! By this move the Senate evidently thought to 

 throw the responsibility for the failure of the bill upon the House. 

 In still another way perhaps the Senate might virtually be the vic- 

 tor in the contest, in case the house should withdraw its constitu- 

 tional objection and ask for a conference committee on the question 

 of advisability merely. 



The House received the resolution of the Senate^ and was ready 

 with a new method of attack, which, however left the constitutional 

 question in suspense. Mr. Phelps, from the committee of Ways and 

 Means, reported a new postoffice bill which was read a first and 

 second time, ordered to be engrossed, read a third time, and passed 

 without debate.^ Then the bill was sent to the Senate. This was 

 the same bill as that originally sent from the House, and brought the 

 Senate to face a double difficulty inasmuch as it was without the 

 many .Senate amendments, and the responsibility for failure to pass 

 could not but fall on the upper House. The bill reached the Senate 

 at half-past twelve o'clock, || and those Senators who were most 

 earnest in their endeavors to secure its passage, or the passage of 

 some postoffice appropriation bill, quickly concluded that the course 

 of the Senate must be modified somewhat. Mr. Stuart moved the 

 appointment of a conference committee. This was a favorable 

 opportunity for interference on the part of those Senators who did not 



*Cong. Globe, t8.=i8-.=)0. p. 1(^:?1. 

 + Ibid., p. 1634. 

 i Ibid., p. 1674. 

 S Ibid., p. 1674. 

 1 Ihld.. p. KUii. 



