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Adams, John Quincy. Personal Diary. Adams Family Papers.
Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, Mass.
Washington. Thursday. 10 December 1840
10 V:30 Thursday.
Clay Henry
Crittendon, John J.
Ingersoll, Charles J.
Jenifer Daniel
Dawson, William C.
Smith, John J.
Abbot, Charles
I went to the Capitol an hour before the meeting of the house this morning, calling
at Lewis Johnson Shop which is removed to East of Gadsby's,where I left a letter
to him from John Otis. From the Clerk's Office of the House, I sent into the Senate
chamber a letter from Joshua Bates to Judge Haight. I examined the manuscript document
of the last session N.185 and upon comparing it with the printed document found as
Mr. Greenhow had stated to me last evening that in the manuscript the word ladino
is inserted in the translations of both the permits to ship the negroes, for which
in the printed document the word sound is substituted.
At the meeting of the house Stanly moved to reconsider the vote for printing 15000
copies of the President's Message with the Documents upon which the vote by yeas
and nays was 89 to 90. I then moved that a select committee of five members be appointed
to ascertain and report to the house whether the house document of the last session,
N-185, has been falsified and, if so, by whom. The falsification was made with liberty
to send for persons and papers and I stated the fact of the difference between the
manuscript and the printed document--then read that note on the false translation
of the word ladino in the reprint of the document at New York and the censure
upon it in Judge William Jay's letter of 20 October last to Lewis Tappan, published
in the American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Reporter, Nos. 8 and 9.--No answer was made
to me, and no objection to the adoption of the Resolution, but when the Speaker put
the question several voices in the negative were heard--a division was called and
the vote stood 57-46. There were of course upwards of 40 who did not vote.
An order passed for the appointment of the Standing committees; and Tillinghast offered
a very long resolution calling upon the Secretary of the Treasury for information
respecting the execution of the sub treasury law, which after some discussion was
rejected by the House. The annual report of the Secretary of the Treasury upon the
finances was received and referred to the Committee of Ways and Means and 5000 extra
copies were ordered to be printed. A message from the President was received recommending
an immediate appropriation of 151,352 dollars 39 cents for the Navy Pension fund
to meet payments which will be come due on the 1st of January. Several other resolutions
were offered and the house adjourned over to Monday.
As I was returning home I met in the avenue Mr. Greenhow, who enquired if I had examined
the document N.185 in manuscript. I told him that I had and found it, as he had said,
and that I had offered a resolution to ascertain by whom the fraud has been committed
and that I had taken care to exonerate him entirely from all blame in the matter.
I met at my door a man named J. J. Smith who has a claim for an increase of provisions
an old soldier presented by Mr. Naylor at the last session for which he solicited
my aid, which he will have--A young man named Charles Abbot came to request me to
deliver a lecture here, which I shall take into consideration. Mr. Barnard sent me
his lecture on the Morals of Politics which I read to my wife.
