John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

144 Washington Monday 16. May 1842.

16. V. Monday

Frazee John Lay George W.

Isaiah 40.1. “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. 2. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” This was yesterday Mr Hawley’s afternoon discourse text for Whitsunday— The theme was too large for the comment. These two and the three following verses have in them an awful sublimity still deepened by the versification of Pope’s Messiah, and the music of Handel’s anthem— This morning at 9 O’Clock I attended at the chamber of the Senate’s Committee of Finance the Committee of Conference on the disagreeing votes of the two houses upon the civil and diplomatic appropriation bill— The managers on the part of the Senate, were George Evans of Maine, Silas Wright of New-York, and Berrien of Georgia— Those of the House were Millard Fillmore myself, and Cave Johnson— Fillmore and myself were in favour of all the points insisted on by the Senate, but Cave Johnson was perfectly intractable upon every point— Sundry concessions, were concerted between the two chairman to pacify Cave, but it was all in vain— He would agree to nothing, and Fillmore and I were finally obliged to accede to a compromise offered by the Managers of the Senate; and the house had been nearly an hour in Session when we made our report— I found Levy the jew delegate from Florida making a red hot speech against the President’s Message, declaring his intention to put an end to the Florida War— The question was upon printing the message, and referring it to the Committee on the Territories which after some sparring of Cushing and Mark A. Cooper was carried.— Fillmore then presented the report of the joint Committee of Conference; upon which the speaker at first decided that the question must be taken upon the whole report at once— This is the parliamentary Law; but Atherton insisted on taking a separate question upon every point of difference; and produced a precedent to which the Speaker yielded.— Separate questions were taken on each point Cave Johnson made a bitter speech against the adoption of several parts of the report— It proposed a compromise of 75000 dollars for the custom house at Boston— It was taken by yeas and nays and carried 99 to 75.— The report for the New-York custom-house was conditional—carried also by yeas and nays. 92 to 73— The Senate adopted the report of the Committee of conference by one vote, and notice of it was received by message to the House— The naval appropriation Bill was then taken up, and in the midst of a foolish speech of Reynolds of Illinois the Committee rose, and the house adjourned— Evening with my wife, Mrs John and Elizabeth at the concert given by Braham and his Son— Met there Mr George Brown, who introduced Braham to me.