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the military ( fTu'cr, 3 warrant to
open any (freeman's)
hoofr, upon pretence of fearching
for delerfers,
I muft not omit fo mention
one more bad tendency : 'tis
» force leads to a
total mgled of militias, or tends >
greatly to dTcourage fherr.
It is laid that difunited from
Britain * wc fhouhJ b'eed at
every vein." I cannot lee the
confcquence, 7' he fia-e 5 of Hol
land do not fuller thus. Hut
grant it true. Sercca would pre
fer Launcets of France , Spain , or|
any other power, to the how\
firing, though applied by the
fair h .nd of Britannia ”
A Friend to the Prefident
PHILADELPHIA,
December 3.
This day, at 12 o'clock, his
Excellency the Prefident of the
United States met both houfes
of Congrc r s in the reprelentative
chamber, where he addrelled
them as follow :
Gentlemen of the Scna f e % and Cen
il men 0/ the Houft cj Repre-
Jentatms ,
I P is with peculiar fatlsf *dion
that I meet the lixth Congrels
of the United Stales of America.
Coming from all parts of the
union, at this critical and filter
ed ing pciiod. the members inufl
be fully pofTeffed of the lenti
ments and wifhes of our conlli
tuents-f
The flattering piofpeds of
abundance from the labors of
the people, by land and hv Tea;
the profperity of onr extended
commerce, notwithstanding in
terruptions occahoned by the
bdhgercnt (late of a great part
of the world, the return of health,
induflry, and trade, to thole j
cities which have lately been:
aftlidcd with difcale, and the
various and ineftimahle advan
tages, civil and religious, which,
fecured under our happy frame
of government, arc continued
to us unimpaiicd ; demand of
the whole American people fin
cere thanks to a benevolent
Deity for the merciful difpenfa
tions of his providence. But
while thefe numerous bleffings
arc Kcollcded, it is a painful
duty to advert to the ungrateful
return which has been made for
them by lorne of the people in
certain counties of Pennfylvapia,
where, fcduc d by the arts and
mifreprefentations of d; figning
men, they have openly refilled
the law direding the valuation
ol houfes and lands. Such
defiance was given to the civil
authority as rendered hopelefs
all turihcr attempts by judicial
p roc els. to enforce the execution
of the law, and it became nc
ccflary to dried a military force
to be employed, confiding' of
forne companies of regular troops
volunteers and militia, by whofc
zeal and adivity, in co-opcra
t’on with the judicial power,
order and lubmilfion were re
flored, and tra.y { hc offrnd
ers a ire fled. ( f thefc fomehave
been ronvided of mildemeanors,
and others charged with vafious
crimes, remain to be tried
To give due effed to the civil
1 adminifirafion of government.
1 and to enfure a juft execution of
the laws, a revifion and amend
ment of the judiciary fyftem is
indifpenfablv ncccflary. In this |
extenfive country it cannot but!
happen that numerous queftions
refpeding the interpretation of;
the laws and the rights and duties
, of officers and citizens inufl
arife the one hand, the
laws (houM be executed ; on the
other, individuals fhould be
guarded from opprrffion. Nei
ther ofthcfcobjeds is fufficiently
affured under the prefent orga
nization of the judicial d pay
ment ; I therefore earneflly re
commend the fubjed to your
ferious confideration.
Perfevering in the pacific and
humane policy which had been
invariably profefted, and finceie
ly purified, by the executive
authority of the United States,
when indications wete made on
the part of the French republic
of a difeofition to accommodate
the exifting differences between
the two countries, I felt it to be
my duty to prepare for meeting;
rheir advances, by a nomination
of minifters, upon certain con
ditions, which the honor of cur
country didated, and which its;
moderation had given it a right!
to preferibe. The alfurances
which were required of the
Ficnch government, previous
to the departure of our envoys,
have been given, through their!
miniftcr of foreign relations, and
I have direded them to proceed j
on their miftion to Paris, They
have full power to conclude a
1 treaty fubjeft to the conlfitu
tional advice and confent of the
fentfe. The charade’s of thefe
gentlemen are fure pledges to
their country that nothing in
compatible with Us honor or
intereft, nothing inronfiftent
with our obligations of good
faith or friendfhip to any other \
nation, will be fiipulated.
It appearing probable, from
the information I received, that
our common ial intcrcourfe with
Tome ports in the ifland of St. |
Domingo might fafely be renew- j
ed, I took fuch Heps as (eemed !
to me expedient to afeertain that
point. The refult being fatis
fadory, I then in conformity
with the ad of Congrcfs on the
fuhjed, direded the reflrainrs *
and prohibitions of that inter-'
courfe to be difeontinued on
terms which were made known
by the proclamation. Since the
renewal of this intcrcourfe our
citizens trading to thole ports,
with their propeity, have been
duly relpedled, and privateering i
from thole ports has ceafed.
In examining the claims of*
Bruifti fubjeds by the commif. |
boners at Philadelphia, under 1
the 6th article of the treaty of
amity, commerce, and navlga
tion with Great-Bitain, a dif.
ference of opinion, on points
deemed cftencial in the interpre
tation of that article, has an fen
between the commillionets ap
pointed by the United States
and the otj?er members of that
board, from which the former
have thought it their duty to
withdraw. It is fincerely to be
regretted that the execution of
an article produced by a mutual
fpiiit of amity and juftire (hould
have been thus unavoidably in
terrupted : it is however confi
dently expefted that the fame
fpirit of amity, and the fame
fenfe of juft ce, in which it
oiiginated, will lead to fatisfac
tory explanations. In confe
quencc of the obftacles to the
progrefs of the commiftion in
Philadelphia, his Britannic ma
jefty has directed the commrfli
oners appointed by him. under
the 7th article of the treaty re-!
lating to Britifticaptures of Ame
rican vefftds, to withdraw from
the board fitting in London,
but with the exprefs declaration
of his determination to fulfil,
with punctuality and good faith,
the engagement which his ma
jefty has contracted by his treaty
with the United vStatcs, and that
they will be inftru&ed to relume |
their fun&ions wnenever the
obftacles which impede the pro
j grefs commiftion at Phi-
I ladelplS fhall be removed, it
! being, in like manner,my fincere
determination, fo far as the fame
depends on me, that with equal j
punctuality and good faith, the I
engagements contracted by the
' United States, in their treaties
with his Britannic majeflj, (hall
; be fulfilled, I (hall immediately
inftiuCl our miniftcr at London
to endeavor to obtain the expla
nations neccflary to a juft per
formance of thofe engagements
j on the part of the United States.
| With fuch dilpofitions on both
Tides I cannot entertain a doubt
that all difficulties will, foon be
removed, and that the two boards |
will then proceed and biing the
: bufinefs committed to them ref
peClively to a fatisfa&ory con
clufron.
The a& of Congrefi* relative
to the feat of the government of
j the United States requiring that
I on the frrft Monday of Decern
| her next, it fhould be transferred
from Philadelphia to the diftriCb
jehofen for its permanent feat, it
jis proper for me to inform you
that the commiffioners appoint
ed to provide fuitable buildings
1 for the accommodation of Con
grefs and the Prefident, and for
the public offices of the govern
ment, have made a report of the
buildings defigned for thefe pur
polcs in the city of Wafhington,
from which they conclude that
the removal of the feat of govern
jmenttothat place, at the time
| required, will be praCHcable,
'and the accommodations fatis
‘ faCfory. Their report will be
laid before you. I
Genii:men c/ the IRufe 0/ R (m
frejenfative$ t
I fhall diredl the eflimate* 0 p
the appropriations nccrflary f or
the fnvice of the enfuing ycr . r
together with an account of the
revenue and expenditure, to b e
laid before you. During a p,,
riod in which a great portion 0 f
the civilized woild has been in.
volved in a war, unufually ca !
lamitous and deflruChve, it was
not to be expeCled that the Uni,
ted Stales could be
from extraordinary burthens.
Although the period is not anil
ved when the meafures adopted
to fecute our country againfi
foreign attack can be renounced,
yet it is alike ncceflary to the
honor of the government and
the fatisfa&ion of the comma,
nity that an exa& economy
Qiould be-maintainedi linvi e
you, gentlemen, to invefligate
the different branches of the
public expenditure; the exam
ination will lead to beneficial
retrenchments, or produce a
conviction pf the wifdom of the
meafure to which the expendi
ture relates.
Gentlemen of the Senate and Gen
ilernen of the lloufe 0} Repre -
Jentatives ,
At a period like the prefent,
I when momentous changes are
occurring, and every hour is
preparing new and great everts
in the political world ; when a
fpirit of war is prevalent in al
rnoft every nation with whole
affairs the interefts of the United
; States have any connexion ; un
: fafe and precarious would be our
fituation, were we to negleCi the
means of maintaining our juft
rights. The rcfult of the million
ro Fiance isuncertain, but, how
ever it may terminate, a fteady
pcifevcrance in a fyftem of na
tional defence, commenfura:c
with our refources and the fitu
ation of our country, is an ob
vious diftate of wi(dom;for,
remotely as we are placed from
the belligerent nations, and de
! (irous as we are, by doing juflice
to all, to avoid offence to any,
nothing fhort of the power of
repelling aggreflions will fccure
to our country a rational prof
peel of elcaping the calamities
of war, or na ionM degradation,
As to rnyfelf, it is my anxious
defire fo to execute the trull rc
pofed in me as to render the
people of the United States prol
perous and happy. 1 rely with
entire confidence on yo u co
operation in objeCls equally
your care, and that our mutual
labors will ferve to increafe an
confirm union among our fellow’
citizens and an unfhaken &
tachment to our government.
JOHN ADAMS.
United States, Dec, 3, i/99 #
BLANK. DEEDS
Of CONVEY AS
ror Salt al die Office cj L-v
Title Gazrt.e.
1 Nwvembcr 5.