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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