John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

13. III.30. Thursday.

I reached the House this Morning before the Session opened— Petitions and Resolutions were called after which in Committee of the whole House on the State of the Union the Resolutions, for distributing the Presidents Messages were adopted with modifications, reported to the House, and there adopted. The parts of the Message relating to the Bank, were finally referred to the Committee of Ways and Means, without the authority to send for persons and papers, or to investigate the Affairs of the Bank— But the recommendation in the Message to sell all the Stocks of the United States in incorporated Companies which in Committee of the Whole had been referred to the Committee of Roads and Canals was in the House taken from them and transferred to the Committee of Ways and Means, by yeas and nays 91 to 77. Most of the Western members heretofore devoted to internal improvement voting for the change— The bribe of the Public lands has bought them off— There was a very warm personal discussion, between Wickliffe and Cambreleng, upon a very trifling question about printing extra copies of Papers relating to the Bank— I had a friendly and jocular conversation with M’Duffie, who told me they had nullified in South-Carolina our Tariff-act of last Summer— I said we must leave the Ordinance and the President’s Proclamation to fight it out— He said Hamilton would issue a Counter-Proclamation— I walked from the Capitol with J. W. Taylor— He says the Anti-Masons in New-York will not give up their Cause— But will very soon have a large Meeting at Albany— He gave me to read the Letter from Judge M’Lean, which is an angling for a Presidential nomination— I was idle this Evening— Drowsy from early rising.