SATURDAY, May 30, 1789.]
the AUGUSTA CHRONICLE
AND
GAZETTE of the ST AT E.
FREEDOM of the PRESS, and TRI A I h» l n r v .
L br JURY, to remain inviolate forever. ConJlitutin ,f G,tr t m.
AUGUST A i Printed n
intelligence, Advertijements, &c. will be gratefully received, andZJy U*"/ '
PROCEEDINGS of CONGRESS. !
la the HOUSE of' REPRESENTATIVES of
the UNITED STATES.
Friday, April 10, 1789.
THE Houle met, and adjourned without
doing business.
Saturday , April 11.
The House afiembled agreeably to adjourn
ment.
A petition from the tradesmen, manufac
turers, and others, of the town of Baltimore,
was presented by Mr. Smith, and referred
to the committee of the whole House.
The House then resolved itfelf into a com
mittee of the whole.
Mr. Page in the Chair.
The order of the day being called for by
Mr. Sherman ,
Mr. Gooahue moved, that an addition to
the lilt of articles already enumerated in the
resolve, mi<ht be made by the following, viz.
anchors., wool-cards, wrought tin-ware, limes
and lemons, which was done. *
Mr. Parker arose, and made a motion,
that a ieled committee be appointed to take
the important business of a system of revenue
into co’niideration, prepare a bill, and report
The Chau man upon this observed, that the
motion was not in order, as the House was
then in a committee of the whole. It was a
previous question whether that committee
Ihould rile, and the Speaker resume the Chair.
Upon which the gentleman varied his mo
tion by an amendment, and moved, the com
mittee report, rife, and the Speaker resume
the Chair, and then that the aforefaid com
mittee be chosen; the gentleman enforced the
propriety of his motion with oblervations of
considerable length ; but his voice was folow,
that it was impotfible to hear him diftinClly,
so as to continue a connexion.
Mr. Uoudinot in a lengthy address combat
ed the idea of Mr. Parker . He was in favor
«f an immediate but temporary system; as
an attempt to torm a permanent plan involved
an inquiry which comprised a great variety of
particulars, that the piefent object would not
admit of: It would be neceflary, he observ
ed, to obtain information from various
sources, viz. with refpeetto the aftual imports
of the several fta es. 2dly. The produce of
the imports realized upon their amount in the
refpeCtive governmen s. 3dly. Communi
cations from the mercantile intererts through
the union, without the species of information
to be derived from the last mentioned funree,
gent-lemcn must be sensible that very ellcntial
errors might be committed,
A permanent fyrtem also included the idea
of framing fuirable provilions tor the collec
tion of the duties, which opened a field wide
and complicated.
To obviate these difficulties, the gentleman
proposed that a simple temporary iyrtem ihould
he adopted ; that the mode of collefling rtiould
he conformable to the law* already extant in
the several ftstei for that purpose t in those
rtatet where no such laws had cxilted, those
of the neat Rate ihould be adopted*
Col, jjhWrofc neat, He wii liacwifo op.
poled to «ht moticti of the Hon, Mr, /V ktr,
ai involving the idea of permanency) he there,
fote proposed tliai the gentleman ihould with,
draw his motion, in which tafe ha waif re*
GEORGIA.
piared to introduce a resolve, which in his
opinion would expedite the business before
the committee, which was, that it ihould now
be determined, whether the system ihould be
a temporary or a permanent one A previous
refoluiion of this kind, the Colonel observed,
would relieve the minds of many gentlemen,
who, in that case, would be prepared for fill
ing up the blanks
Mr. Parker , however, did not fee proper
to withdraw his motion, but rc-inforced it
with additional observations.
Mr. Madai/on was opposed to Mr. Parker’s
motion. He said, that as the commit.ee had
made foiiie pregrefa iu the business now under
their confiderarion, and gentlemen appeared
to be principally divided as to the expediency
of a temporary or permanent fvftem. It would
in his opinion, rather protratt than expedite
decirtons, to throw back upon a feleft com
mittee the invefligation of the fubjcCt. elpe
cially as it was certain, that the fame enquiries
might now be m de, with facility, which
would arise after a feleft committee had pre
pared a draught to submit to the confiderarion
of the whole. He was therefore opposed to
the riling of the committee.
Several other gentlemen spoke upon the
question, but on a division of the House, it
was finally loft.
This motion being negatived, Col. Bland’s
proposition refpefting taking the fenle of the
committee, whether the system ihould be tem
porary, was taken up.
Mr. Thacker observed, that it was importa
ble to determine with accuracy, as to the
duration of a system, before it was formed ;
when once completed, tte House could give
as long, and as lhort a period for operation,
as ihould appear mod eligible Should the
system appear to be goody no person; would
wirti it a temporary existence : Should it not
prove salutary, no afligned date for its termi
nation would Warrant its being continued be
yond experience of its beneficial efffcfts. He
was therefore for leaving the period to an af
ter consideration.
; Mr. Boudinot was in favor of the tempora
ry resolve of Col. Bland, as on the contrary
sentiment, the bill to b* framed must go to
making proviiion for the collection of the du
ties, as also to a continental Judicid Syilem,
an object of such magnitude, as would pre
clude any decisive measures cill fuch‘ time as
will entirely disappoint all our expectations of
the immediate advantages that would result
from a temporary system, which the gentle
man observed, might be matured in two or
three days.
Mr. Maddifon % Mr. Lee, and other gentle
men, spoke upon the motion, which was fi
nally withdrawn.
Mr. Maddi/on then brought forward a mo
tion to this effect: That it is the opinion of
this committee, that a committee of the House
ought to be appointed to prepare the draught
of a Bill to regulate the collection of Duties
on Impofti and Tonnage within the United
States, This motion waa adopted.
On motion of Mr, l.tt% it was resolved,
to proceed in filling up the articles in the ori
ginal resolution,
Mr, Maddi/on proposed 1 $-yoths of • dot*
lar on Hum,
Mr. Sherman, 11 an iiuemlment, proposed
If centi,
Another gentlemen propoff I 19cent!) tint
tVoi.. 111. No. CXXXIX.I
V . ' ’* ' -
without the question’s being put, the commit
tee, moved for by Mr. Maddifon, was eleft
ed, and consisted of a Member from each
state.
Adjourned to Monday, u o’clock.
™ House met agreeably to adjournment.
The additional Rules and Orders reported'
by the committee appointed for that purp-fe,
were taken into consideration, feme of th m
amended and accepted, others re-commiitcd.
A Handing committee ot Elections is enjoin
ed by one of thefc Rules, aud accordingly rho
Houle appointed this Committee, which con
fills of Mr. Clymer, Mr Ames, Mr Bmfon,
Mr. Huntington, Mr. Carrol, Mr. White.'
and Mt. Gilman.
’ committee was also appointed to confer
with the committee of the Senate, upon the
fubjeft of arrangements for the reception of
the Piclident and Vice-Piefideut, and confid
ed of Mr. Sherman, Mr. P. Muhlenburg,
Mr Benfoii, and Mr. Griffin
Mr Burke presented a petition from the
Shipwrights of oouth-Ca olina, ptaying the
attention of Co. gtefs to their litu-ition, and
that a Navigation Aft might be palled in la
vor of American velTels. This was referred
to a committee of the whole.
Adjourned.
Tueday, April 14, iygp.
The Houle met agree ible tp adjournment*
A bill for regulating the manner of tak-ng
the oath piefcribed by the Constitution, was
read the firft time. *
1 be articles of the additional rules, which
were recommitted yesterday, were read av
amended by the committee, and accented.
Order of the <fay being called for, the
Hot.fc went into a committee of the whole.
Mr. Page in the'Chair.
Mr. Laivretiee proposed that for the article
of ruin in the resolve before the committee,
' araen> Jpirin, Jamatea pruof, Should be fub
flituted i this was afterward* changed to dim
filled pints, Jamaica proof, ’as it now Stands.
Mi. Bland , after adverting to a temporary
fyStem, as the molt eligible, enforced the idea
upon the impropriety of taxing several arti
cles in the icfoive, which were absolutely es
sential to the forma ion of npiny species of
tools made use of by our manufacturers;
and in order that Congress might have time,
propeiiy to diferiminate between the articles*’
and form a complete and permanent fyrtem*-
be introduced a motion to this effeft ; That
Congress pass a law, authorising and establish
ing the collection of imports through the
Hates, agreeably to the rcveuue laws extant
in the several governments, and that the of
ficers be lubjeCt to the fame regulations aud
penalties.
Mr. Floyd observed, that the fnbjeft natu
rally divided itlcJf into two parti, , tntral
and /peetjitd articles: The lat<«: were 100
numerous, he conceived, to be taken up 0 !<•
lively 1 The quertion was, how (hall we
diferiminate t He would propose, iherefore,
to expedite the biiSinefi, that she articles
fliould be taken individually, and determined
upon, end if gentlemen would bring the
quertion 10 this iffuf, whether, fonfileiiug
she particular Situation us the country, 11 w< nld
be adviieable thus to ten the lefpefiive ini-
A proves dirtjrtclioo nwuld be untiep
