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SATURDAY, June 27, 1789,]
THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE
AND
GAZETTE of the STATE.
FREEDOM of the PRESS, and TRIAL hr nr p v • • , , „
- ' lALh7 J U R Y »to remain inviolate forever. Confi notion of Gtorgia.
AH GUST A-. Printed, by JOHN E. SMIT H, Pointer to the State; Ejfayr, Article, of
Intelligence, Advertijements, (s?c. will be gratefully received, and every kind of Printing performed. *
PROCEEDINGS of CONGRESS.
In the HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES of
the UNITED STATES. '
(Continued from our luji.)
IVednejday , April 22.
Agreeably to the order of the day, the
House went into a committee on the bill for
preferring the form and manner of taking
the oath required by the sixth article of the
Conflitution. /
Some debate was held on the fubjeft, which
was supported by Mr. Lee, Mr. Maddifoh,
Mr. St urges, Mr White, Mr. Sherman,
Mr. Baldwin, Mr. Burke, Mr. Sylvester,
Mr. Smith, and Mr Seney.
Having gone through and amended the
fame, the committee rose and reported • and
the consideration of the report being poftpon
od, the House adjourned.
Thurjday , April 23.
The House met agreeably to adjournment.
The committee appointed to confer with
the committee of the Senate, upon the modes
or forms to be observed in fending papers,
bills and meflages, to either House, reported
—consideration of which was postponed.
Upon motion of Mr. White, referring to
the arrival of the President, the House ad
journed till to-morrow.
Friday , April 24.
The report of the committee read yefier
day, was taken up and difcufled. Some gen
tlemen conceived, that certain parts of it held
up a diftin&ion between the Senate and House
of Representatives, unfavorable to the dignity
of the latter—two members being required by
it to carry a mefiage from the Heufe to the
Senate, while the Secretary was to be the
meflenger from the Senate to the House. A
considerable debate ensued upon a motion for
recommitting this Report.
On one fide of the queftioh ii was observed,
That a diflinftion was proper, and did not
imply a comparison : I hat the tonflitutio.i
favoured this difiinftion ; the House was the
mofi numc.ous body, and the propriety of a
larger number on the part of the Houle was
fandioned by custom, used upon all occasions ;
that the real dignity of the House depended
upon supporting the constitutional diftindions
of each branch of the Legislature; that many
advantages might result from two members
being on such committees, as it would con
duce to preventing iniftakes : that the Senate
bad a right to determine their own mode ;
that it was evident, by an attention to the
report, that the Senate did not mean to arro
gate consequence to themselves ; but designed
that the forms propoled fiiould be reciprocally
yefpedful.
On the other fide it was contented, That
the Senate evidently alfumed a superiority :
That it was necefiary to guard the earliest
movements to aristocracy . That the mode
propoled was complex and burdensome : That
one member was adequate to all the purposes
of carrying a mefiage : That the conflitution
held out no diflindions r The House was fully
equal to the Senate, and in (< me particulars,
were pofleiled of powers that the Senate do
sot enjoy 1 as the originating money bills, Sec.
The Report was fiually recommitted,
Mr. Storm** moved, that the Hvui’e now
GEORGIA.
receive the report of the committee providing
the mode for taking the oath agieeably to the
constitution. This motion paired in the ne
gative.
Mr. Gale, of Maryland, moved, that the
enabling style of ‘Senate and House of Repre
fentatives,* of the United States, be amended,
by substituting * the Congress of* the United
States, as being more agreeable to the Con
stitution. This was objected to by several
members j but the vote being called for, the
enacting clause was repealed ; but without
fixing upon a substitute.
It was then moved, that the report of the
committee of the whole House, in their refo
iution upon the fubjeft of revenue be taken
into consideration. The report being read,
the article of distilled spirits, Jamaica proof,
came firft in order.
Mr. Bcudinot observed upon the sum an
nexed to this article of 15 cents per gallon,
that he thought it too high; would produce
smuggling, and defeat thepurpofcs of govern
ment. The duty also proposed on Madeira
wiue, according to a calculation he had made
on a cargo of 200 pipes, would amount to
2600 or,5000!. a sum which gentlemen must
be sensible would prove a molt powerful sti
mulus to smuggling. To colled so heavy
duties, there must be a great number of re
venue officers, who must be very vigilant
too, and the collection would render them
odious, and government unpopular. As an
evidence of the bad policy ofexccftive or high
duties, he beg’d to recite an tnlfance: Mo*
lasses a few years since ir, this port, was liable
to a duty of fix pence per gallon : Ihe con
sequence was, that nothing was collected; but
when the duty was reduced to 1 peony per
gallon, a large sum was realized in the trea
sury. He would therefore move that 3 cents
be struck off from the sum proposed.
Mr. Maddi/on spake in favor of the sum
proposed. Rum, he observed, if any article,
ought to bear an high duty. It was agreeable
to the genetal ideas of the people ; and though
he was sensible that smuggling was the gene
ral consequence of exceflive exactions upon
trade, yet the sum proposed was not so high,
he believed, as to produce that effect to any
considerable degree. He hoped to fee a dif
ference in the conduct of merchants, from the
opinion now thrown out, and that they would
combine to support the laws. He hoped to
fee the time when it would become infamous
to defraud the revenue, injure the fair trader,
and pour contempt upon government.
Mr. Jackjon, of Georgia, was in favor of
a diminution of the duty. He observed that
it would produce all the evils winch had been
mentioned : More especially in the Hate he
had the honor to reprefenr, which abounded
in creeks and inlets, exceedingly favorable to
the smuggling business.
Mr. Wauj'worth, of Connecticut, was op,
posed to so high a duty : He thought is cents
too much, and would propose ftriktng off one
half the original sum. There was not money
in the hands of the merchants, fufficicut to
pay such duties* »
Mr. Fiizftmment asked, whether gentlemen
had made a calculation of the amount of the
duties proposed, for it ought to be considered,
whether they were too much 01 not, before a
reduction was madet For his part he did not
think they would be found to exceed the funi
required' Geoilcmcu had obfwtd, “ that
CVoL. 111. No. dun.i
there was not money fufiuient to pay these
duties : If that was the case, the duties might
be collected in fonie other way. As to ihe
practicability of collections, that was merely
matter of opinion The bill upon this part of
the fyflem, would belt explain that part of the
business. There were few large cargoes of
wine imported : It was caly to find a mode to
adjust the payment of duties; time mud be
given. As to the Imuggling to the fouthwan!
referred toby gentlemen, it was counteracted
by a variety of conlideratiuns. He wts op
posed ro a diminution.
At this rtage of the debate, the Speaker re
ceived a meffige from 'he Senate, the purport
of which was, that they had appointed three
members 10 join a committee of the House,
to confider what style, or title, or whether
any other than what the constitution contains,
Ihould be given to the Prefi.lent and Vice-
Piefirlent; also to determine upon the time
and place, to adxnimfler the oath to the Prefix
dem, and by whom. Alter some debate, a
committee, confiding of Mr. Ben/cn, Mr.
Carrol/ , Mr Sherman, Mr. Muddtr*n, and
Mr. Amts, was appointed. The fnfijecl on
the duty on fpints was then renewed.
Mr. Lawrence observed, that gentlemen
appeared to have two objeCfs in view, to be
effefted by a high duty on rum ; but if reve
nue was one, high duties operated a.Mind;
them ; if the reformation or the people, finug
glmg was acknowledged to be unfavorable to
morals i but on the contrary, had a powerful
tendency to corrupt them i That no reliance
could be placed, but upon the efficacy of the
laws, in the colleCliou of the duties: He
thought twelve cents too high ; but if no gen
tleman propoled less he thould vote for that
sum.
Mr. Tucker thought 11 cents much too
high ; he therefore moved, that 7 cents be
struck off from the original sum : High duties
had a tendency to reduce smuggling to a fyf
teni, which would greatly add to the evil,-
and render the cure extremely difficult : Be
sides it held out powerful temptations to the
officers of the revenue to swerve from their
duty and become corrupt.
Mr. Maddi/on observed, that he was not
convinced by all that had been said, that 1 y
cents weie too much : The people expeded
that this article would pay a higher sum, than
had been colletted from him : A duty of one
fixth of a dollar had been laid by one of the
states, an evidence, that the propoled duty was
within their ideas. Corruption of morals had
been mentioned as the consequence of smug
gling ; but it ftiould be remembered that other
things had a similar influence : Injurttce and
fraud, had a powe fol tendency, and this
would be the necessary consequence of a de
ficient revenue ; no fubftiftute had been pro
posed for the defalcation this essential dimi
nution would occasion : And it must be ob
served, that smaller articles w uld be ftnug
gled with much greater facility: and if wo
abandon the idea of realizing a considerable
sum front obvous and bulky goods, such as
runt, Sec there would a great deficiency eu
ftie. We ought to suppose that the people
will be aftuted by better motives, than *0
riik their fame, their honor and justice by
evading the duties: lor his pax lie expected
a different conduct from die good feufe of his
cotioiiymtii t and ihe united exertions of the
grtst My of mculuni* to f..ppou the Uwh
