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Congress of the United States.
HOUiE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Saturday, April 5.
SPANISH AFFAIRS.
Debate the motion of Mr J. Randolph to amend
tit Secret Journal by inter ting in it the message
oj the president of the 6 th of December.
Mr J. Randolph. I rife to execute the pur
pole which I intimated yefUrday. On the
fifft page of this journal [holding in his hand
the journal of the secret proceedings of the
honlr] I ft id it Rated that the Speaker laid be
fore t.ie hoafe a letter and communication
from the president of the United States w hich
were read : that they were referred to a teleH
committee: and I find th>t then follows the
report of the committee w ithout any notice of
the mt-flage of the president on which it was
grounded. This I take to be a departure
from the regular fy Item of keeping the journal;
because I peiceive in other parts of it messages,
tho’of a private nature, accompanying other
communications, inserted. 1 deem it not lef»
important to the character of tliofe who corn
pole the feleft committee, of w hich I had the
honour to be one, than to the character of thr
government of the United States that a full
and fair view fliould be given to the publick
of the Condn& of the government on the one
hand, and of the Jegifl .ture on the other. J
heg pardon for using ihe phrase government :
by government I mean the executive depart
ment. I shall feel it incumbent on me, in or
der to impress on the house, the sense I enter
tain of tlie importance of this motion, ro enter
into lonic little hiftory of the tranfaHtoos
which have taken place with closed doors, in
which, tb -ugh I may not undertake to fav
wh.it the message of the president contain*, J
flitil feel myfelf at liber’v, according to the
course purlued here, to fay what it does not
contain.
It is true that on the 6 h of December, that
message was referred to a committee.
That com niitee met, and one of the members,
a gentleman from M'.ffachufetts, whom 1 do
not now fee in his place, as soon as the com
mittee met, proposed that they should recom
mend to the house the making an appropria
tion of money to enable the executive to nego
tiate abroad. I understood, though it may
not have been so expreffid, that tie objelt
was the pure hale of the F oridas. There was
a great variety of sentiment uitbe committee,
and other gentlemen of the committee, of
whom 1 was one, objefled, that in '.he confi
dential niefLge of ihe prtfdeut, there was not
a fy liable about the purchase of the Finndas,
or an appro, nation of money for foreign ne
gotiation, that there was not a worJ in it to
induce us to believe that Spain was willing to
make the sale or to come to an amicable ad
jufbnent of differences with us ; but that on
the contrary, a direlt and oppofi'e inferchce
Could only be drawn from its contents.
On coming to towrn, and con veiling with
gentlemen us this huufr, I was apprized of the
cxifteiv’e of a projeA for the purchase of the
Flori as from Spain; and! was prepared to
have confident any exprellions in the execu
tive mclTige as having this meaning, which
coi'ld ai all warrant it. There was such a dif
ferrm e of opinion in the committee that they
came to no din A conclufi in. Circumffances
of an imperious nature called me to Balti
more; w here I Raid, I think, fix days. On my
return on Saturday, 1 found from the informa
tion of a gentleman fro.ll Maryland (Mr.
Nicholson! that there had been confiiferable
cxcitcmen' in consequence «>f the committee
not reporting. Without even changing my
clothes or going to my lodgings, I immediately
met the tvn mittee, and it was agreed to write
to th- fiecrefary of war, and learn from him the
number of troops necdfiry to prated the
tout hern frontier from Spanifii inroad and in
folts. But alilio’ in the publick message of
the president, at the opening of the IVflion, we
heard much of Span fb outrages and intuits,
and though the private message held a language
In coo lona nee with the publick, 1 found a
back* ardnefs in the head of (lie war depart
ment, and generally «f the executive govern
men' on taking a decided altitude as to Spain ;
an I I found what was w«nfe, before 1 left
town to go to Baltimore, from a converfarion
with whit ha» been conliJcred thr head of the
firlt executive department under the govern
ment, that France was the great obffacle to the
rompromile of Spatvfh differences ; that
France wanted money, and that «e muff give
her money. From the moment I heard that
declaration, all the objrftions I originally had
to ihe procedure were .iggr-vaied to the high
est poffi'ile degree.— I vonfi.iend it a bate
pm ff rati on of ihe national t haraficr, to excite
one nation bv m >ney to holly anotiier nation
out of its propertv, and from that moment,
find to the iafl moment of my life my cot.fi
deuce in the principles of the man enter,aiu
i.ig ta fe fcn'i.nents died, never to live again.
\V v di, fir, during mv a'ofec.ce in Baltimore, ihe j
difpatehes contained in thr message of the 17 h j
of January arrived. This I flull hue otca j
fion to mention again. The house began to !
aA on the lubjed of our foreign relations, j
(l'nt!eai;n wh<> in leled committee had de- j
dared they cotifidercd the executive message as 1
a rtqoili ion to boy tiie Floridas, though
there was not a word in it about tiie Florida*
or about money, took a different ground in the
Houle. They said that though the executive
oii not recommend to Congress to purchase
tt e country, vet that thev v ers adequate to
\iv C the bufmel't this ciredion , iliat if they
»h n i.*, thev were at liberty to d v > it. But un
furtauatelv for this new dodrine, and the pre
' ions one broached, and unfortunately for the
whoietyftem gentleman fiepped forwarsi to
enforce, one gentleman asserted that he was
ready in his o.vn pea foil to vouch that the
vouilc in q ••rfi'on was in consonance with the
(-•• •• wufii.*s of tn* executive ; and tnis is one ■
o! ibi'u-nafnns which calls mod imperiod!v
Arctic motion which 1 am zbcut so n.akc.
V J
What was afterwards done the House wii! per
ceive. I pass ever the motion made to reftrift
the purchase to the country not in dispute with
Spain, and to exclude from that purchase the
country in dispute thereby testing the princi
ple, whe’her we were aftually buying land or
peace. In lpite of every obstacle, of ali oppo
fiion, and the contrartiftory votes given, the
bill was sent to the Senate, and on the next
day, the 17th of January, after the bufineis
was out of our pcffcffton, we received difpatcb
es from our minister at London, which had
arrived before Christmas. It will be recollec
ted that it was attempted to be it fimia'ed by
individual members, that inasmuch as we re
reived the original paper and not a copy, the
dtfpatches had just arrived, and there had not
been time for tranferibing them. But in re
turning from the house, 1 was so wJI couvjn
ced to the contrary, for I had inyfelf received
iet'er-j from Loudon of a contemporaneous
date, that 1 made inquiry of the Secretary of
state, and was told that they had been received
the "»ek before Christmas, at the fame time
wit!; mv letters.
While I am up, I will undertake to rectify a
trivial inaccuracy (for I with everv thing
w hich I state on this floor to be liturally ex
all) which on some former occasion eitaped
me. I said that the existence of tnofe dispatch
es was unknown to a high cabinet ininifter;
although it is certain that I so understood, it is
no less so that I was mifLken. But though
their existence was not unknown yet their con
tents were. That minister had no reason to
believe that they contained, on the contrary he
had every reason to believe that they did not
contain, any thing relative to our differences
with Spain ; and as to their being sent to the
house he knew nothing of it until after they
had been received. They were no sooner
opened here, than they excited an inftantane
oils lenfation, and produced a declaration that
the course we had taken was wrong 5 they
produced also an imprtlfion that i f would be in
vain on the fndjeft of our differences wuh
England to assume a manly attitude towards
her, if we became the panders and caterers of
the luftful appi life of France.
The qutfti ’tiis now reduced to 'his point—
whs’hrr the publick ft) ill read the fe. ret jour
nal without underitanding one word about it,
or fti dl read it intelligibly . F.»r it is impoßi
ble so decide how far the report nf >he feicA
committee is confident wJi the mtfsage of
the president, unleis the mes-age i« also puhiifii- j
ed. A difficulty may ne railed by biymgthis is 1
a confidential mefsagr.— But this is got over by
the publicity given <0 the proceedings on it.
I: wa* cotifiden-tal, he. auferhc proceedings
on it w ere so. F.<r intiance—let us fupnofe
I that the U. Su es w ere ~rearing for some
I strong and de- :fi>'e m-aftne agaioft Spain
which it was polri k to conceal fr m her till
taken ; but a« to anv thing de< ifive in the
mclsage, no man can conten t that it contains
any thing of this nature. When I speak of
the melsage, I do not allude to the communi
cations of the minister of the Untied S ates,
with the authdrifed agents of Spain. Though
I fee no reason why even tliofe ftiould not be
publifticd, as the negotiation has been entirely
doled by the abortion in which it has termi
nated. I however reffriA my prelcn: motion
to the rrefsage.
The publick, from this vague and desultory
Ike.eh, may acquire some principles by which
to appreciate the conduit of members in this
House. They will fie what members were
disposed to have adopted that course w hkh the
tn .ft authentick information from Europe re
commended. They will fee who were indif
poled to ailing through the intervention of
any foreign power, and more cfpecially in the
finpe of a bribe, an.) when such a course wa 1
not asked for by the Executive. They will
fee who were these members; and I believe
there are now hot few who would He willing
to take the refponfibiHty 011 theintdves w hich
properly belonged to another department of
the government ; and to do ail tiic dirty work,
which would other wife have foiled their fin
geri. Thev will fee and beware.
•Mr. J. Randolph '•oncludcd bv moving that
the melsage of the Pr< Gderil of the 6 h of De
cember last be piintei'; that it be it teted in the
Journal of the ferret proceeding* ; and that a
new edition of that journal fhoo.d be printed
for the use of he members.
Mr. Leib afkcd whether it was confident
with rules of the house to have he message
now read ? If it were not, he could not concur
with the gentleman from Virginia in voting for
s he motion under conli 'oration, though he
agreed with him in the propriety of taking off
the injullion of fecrecv from ali the {tapers.
Mr. J. Randolph allied, whether, when the
journal was read, the clerk had not begun to
read the message, when the reading was dis
pensed with ? This was his recoliertion and if
so, It mull be confidcred as a part of the jour
tnl, rrfpeAing which tna iujunltion of letrecy
had been taken < ff.
The Cleii said this « :-s the fnA.
Mr. Ltib then said, before he derided on the
j rel »lu'ion, h* wilhed to hearths tntfsage read.
The Sp ates laid it would be mofl acceptable
j that the li uife (liuuld decide w hether the read
ing were {'roper.
Mr. J Clay. I was sftnnifhed w hen I found
this journal w i.hoot the melsage. Five nus
lagej appear to h«v, been received, all of
w rit i» .appear on the journal, excepting this,
which ;s th? only na (’age of anv confluence,
f did believe when the iiijuuHion of lecreey
was removed, it app ed to all the papers recei
ved bv the house, an a 1 did not conceive mv
felf hound to conceal one tittle of what occur
red white we had 10. Red floors. I ftiould
therefore wish tny friend from Virginia, to to
amend his motion, as to include &li the docu
ments. I confi ler this rLenttiallv neccfsarv
to elucidate the tranlsAmns of th : s fruufe. It
teems to have been LlhtonabJe for gentlemen
.0 declare what were their motives, for the
several votes thev have given during the time
>ur doors were fliut, I had but one motive,
which I hope will continue to govern me as
as I have a feat i.i this house. My obkA
f was to be prepared for war while 3 endcavo
ed to maintain peace. 1 voted for the re ou
tioti for the incresle of the army because « vt |y
bodv knows, who is the lead acquainte WI
the hate of the fouth and fouth weftcrn ron
tier, that the miiitia in that quarter arc not able
to defend it. They are indeed but a people o.
yeftcrday—aliens to your habits and language
—and indeed aliens in every feofe of the word.
We had ften that frontier t'.vaded bv Spain—
I was not willing therefore to withhold from
the executive the means of chastising this ag
greflion, I therefore voted for the refolutton.
I aifo voted for the appropriation of money,
becaule I was w illing to show Spain that while
w! were prepared her j
we we re ailo willing, by amicable negotiation
to aojulf our differences, f therefore voted
for an appropriation for the purchase of a
country which I deemed highly valuable to us.
Whether the money appropria'ed was to go to
trance or Spain did not influence the vote
I gave. I did no' know then that any
circumstances were CONCEALED FROM
THE HOUSE calculated to throw light upon
the fubjt-ft, and of tne contents of the message
of the 17 ! h January, I was totally ignorant,
as it was handed in the day I went to l’hilatiel
phia, and was immediately afterwards returned
to 'he president. I could have wtflicd that be
tween the 24th of December and the 17th Jan
uary, there had bren found time to make an
official copy of it, since wc have heard that it
would have had a considerable bearing on the
votes of the members of this house ;Jc I should
conceive that it would be very important as
forming an item in the tranfaftions of the ses
sion. Wnenwecame here the pubiick ex
peftation was highly excited. We had been
injured and insulted by Spain on land and by-
England at sea. The nation required the a
doption of meafurts to procure reorcls, and to
prevent similar aggreflbns in future. What
have been the coofequencei r We have passed
an aft appropriating two millions to purchase
the Floridas and to chaflife Spain, and we have
passed an aft prohibiting the importation of
certain goods from Great-flritain as a peace of
sering to her. It is in my opinion necertsry
that all the documents (ltouid be pubhflied to
give the people an opportunity of judging
whether their representatives have been faith
ful to their truth There are parts of those
documents which I suppose will not be pub-
II (lied, which had a considerable influence on
mv mind on the votes which I gave. I AL-
L.U >E TO THE THREAT OF HOSTIL
ITY BY FRANCE.—
Tilt Speaker here called to order.
Mr. Clay concluded by observing that as they
had puui.lhed five mtflages which had contain
ed nothing, he hoped tiiey would publish the
one that contained something.
Mr. Dawson exprefstd himfclf in favour of
giving publicity to the message, which he be
lieved could do no pofliole injury. So far as
i t went, bethought it favored both the refoln
tions—as well that for raising an army, as that
for conducing a negotiation by the appropria
tion of money.
The reading of the message being called for,
Mr. Speaker said he thought it was in order to
read it, as it was inserted on the private journal.
The Speaker then said, the reading of the
message of the president of the 6th of Decern
ber is called for; —the speaker has decided that
that document is part of the journal ordered to
be published, and may be read. From this
decision an appeal is made to the honfe on
which appeal there can be no debate.
When, without taking a queftiun, two fuc
cefflve motions were made to adjourn, the lad
of which prevailed.
Monday, April 14.
Mr. J. Randolph (aid, he was about to call
the attention of the House to a fubjeft which
he should not probably have brought into view,
nut for the change wrought in toe date of the
revenue, in consequence of the Peace conclu
ded with Tripoli. Among the different arti
cles from which monies were drawn, there
were none so heavily burthened as (alt; and it
would be recoilefted, that it was one of the
neceflaries r.flife, and an article, the free use
and consumption of which, was of a material
mportance to the agriculture of the country.
Two acts had been parted laying a duty on this
article. It was no new thing to wilh—it was
indeed extremely dcfirable, to diminifl), if not
to take off this duty—and for that purpose be
submitted the following refojution :
ReioheJ, That the committee of ways and
means be indru&ed to enquire into the expe
diency of repealing lo much of any act as lay s
a duty on (alt, and to report such a provision,
as niav in their opinion, be calculated to meet
the deficency occasioned by that repeal.
After considerable debate, the motion ol>
rained wi'hont a division.
The bill for the lase guard of merchant vef
fels it; the vicinity of the United States, was
read a third time.
Mr. Dana üblerved that the Yeas and Nays
had bren called on fevetai cctafuns to fiiew
the difference that ful sided in the Houle. He
hoped they would be taken on this occasion to
manifeft their concurrence in opinion.
The cas and Nav«. were accordingly taken,
and were—Yeas 8-7—Nays 5
The bill for carr y nig into effeft certain In
dian treaites, wns read the third time andpsrtcd.
The bi ! l making appropriations for carry
ing in'o cffeft the treaty between the United
Statts and the Chickasaw tribe of Indians, was
read a third time—and after fom.e debate rela
live to the provisions of the fame, the quedion
was taken bv yeas and navy on the palfage of
the bill. Yeas 68, Nays 33.
The hi!! refpeftir.g claims ro land in the In
diana territorv and (late cf Ohio, was read a
third time and parted without a division.
A mrrtage was received from the Senate,
dating that they had agreed to the refoituion
authoring the adjournment of the two Hou
ses, with an r.mrndment, fixing Monday next
as the time of adojournrr.ent.
The houle immediately took up this amend
ment, which was obtamed—Ayes 73.
I hr house resolved itfelf into a committee
of the whole —Mr. Gregg ".i the chair—on the
bill fupplcmentary to the 3, entitled “. An adt
making provition for the redemption cf the
wfhafe public < ebt cf tl a United States.”
Mr. Fauium confidertd the object con
templated by this till too important and the
fubjedt too abstruse, to be likely at so late
a period of the lethon to command that atten
tion they merited ; and therefore moved that
the committee should rife, with a view to post
poning the further confederation of the biil
to the neat session.
MelTrs. Tailmadge and Quincy supported,
and Messrs. j. Clay and j. Randolph opposed
this n otion, which was Unagreed to—Ayes 32,^
! Noes 42.
When the biil was confiJered by two fec
tiers, and lcn.c prngrefs made in it, w hen tbe
commit re rose and obtained leave to fit again.
The following mcilage was received from the
President of the United S'ares.
lo the Senate and House of Representatives of the
Untied States.
During the bio* kole of Tripoli by the squa
dron of the Unitto S'ates a small cruiztr, under
the flag ®f Tunis, with two prizes, (all of tri
fling value) attempted to enter Tripoli, was
turned back, warned, and attempting again to
enter, was taken, and detained as a prize by the
fqoadron. Her restitution was claimed by the
Bey of Tunis, with a threat of war in terms to
serious, that on withdrawing from the blockade
of Tripoli, the commanding officer of the
squadron thought it his duty to repair to Tunis,
w ith his squadron, and to require a categori
cal declaration u hetber peace or war was in
tended. The Bev preferred explaining him
feif hv an ambj.ffador to the United Slates,
who on his arrival renewed the n quest that the
veflel and her prices fliould be restored. It
was deemed to give this proof of friendflrip to
the Bey, and the ambaffiidor was informed the
vefTtis would be restored. Afterwards he made
a requisition of naval stores to he ftnt to the
Bey in order to (court a peace for the term of
three years, with 3 threat of war, if refufed. I:
has been refufed, and the ambaffad*! is about
to depart without receding from his threat in
demand.
Under these circumffaftcesj and confiderin£
that the feverat provisions of the adl of March
it,, 1804, will cease in cotihquence of the rati
fication of the treaty of peace with Tripoli,
now advised and consented to by the Senate,
I have thought it my duty to communicate
these fadfs, in order that Congress may confid
er the expediency of continuing the fame pro
visions for a limited time, or making others
equivalent. Th : JLFf'TRSON.
April 14, 1806
Referrtd to the cemmittee of Ways and
Means. —-
Tuesday , April 15.
The Speaker laid before the House a report
from the iecretary of the treasury, transmitting
a statement of receipts and expenditures for the
year 1804.
The House took up the amendment pro
posed by the Senate to the bill authorifing a
detachment of the militia, to fubflitute, in that
part of the bill relative to the militia t« be
called into aftual service, “ as the President in
his diferetion fiiall deem most proper”—in the.
room of “ which from their local situation fliall
be deemed most convenient.”
The House concurred in this amendment-
The bill has confequcntly passed both Houses.
On motion of Mr. Masters , the House re
solved itfelf into a committee of the whole, Mr.
Varnum in the chair- on the bill “ for forti
fying the ports and harbours of the United
States, and for building gunboats.”
The firft ftdtion was read as follows :
Setftion 1 That a sum of money not exceed
ing 150,000 dollars, in addition to the sum
heretofore appropriated, fliail he, and the fame
is hereby appropriated, to enable the President
of the U. States to cause the"*ports and harbours
of the United States to be better fortified and
protected.
Mr. D R. JFilliams moved to strike out
thisfedtion; which motion was disagreed to
Ayes 20
Mr. Masters movrd to strike out the sum
of “ 150.000 dollars,” for the purpose of insert
“ ing 500.000.”
A division of thequeftioo having been cal
led for : the question was put on finking it
out, and loft—Ayes 27.
Mr. Masters moved a new fefiion—viz.
that a sum not exceeding be appropri
ated to enable thePrcfident of the United States
to cause the ports and harbours of New-York
to be better fortified and prote#ed.
Mr. Smile opposed this motion.
Mr. D. R. Williams moved to amend the
motion bv adding Charleston after New York.
Mr. Eppes moved to add Norfolk.
Mr. Early moved to add New Orleans.
Mr. R. Nehon moved to add Baltimore.
Mr. Goldsborough moved to add Georgetown.
Mr. Q« ■ncy spoke at confiderabie length in
favor of making a lioeral appropriation for the
fortification and protedion of our ports and /
harbours.
Messrs. Dawson, Smilie, Slo3n, and Lyon
spoke against Mr. Mafters’s motion, which
was disagreed to—Ayes 51.
Mr. Dawson stated that the fate of the frig
ate Philadelphia was well know, and added
that the frigates Eofton and General Green
had been condemned as unfit for service. To
fupplv tiie defi.iencrs in the naval eftablifb
rrent, he offered a new feftion appropriating
a sum not exceeding 500, coo dollars to enable
the President to cause three additional frigates
to be built.
Mr. Lyon moved to add, after figates , or
two seventy fours. This amendment was dis
agreed to—Ayes 28.
When the fedton offered by Mr. Dawson
was likewise disagreed to—Ayes 40, Noes 54.
A new feftion offered by Mr. R. Helots,
authorifing the President to’ fell such of the
national vefels as in his opinion shall be in
such a situation as to make it the interest of the
United S’ates not to repair the fame, was
agreed to —Aves 63.
The committee then rose and reported tlie
biil, which the House took into confidcration.
