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SATURDAY, April io, 1790.]
THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE
AND
GAZETTE of the SfJTE.
FREEDOM of the PRESS, and TRIAL br JURY, Ihall remain inviolate. Conjlitution of Georgia.
AUGUSTA: Printed by JOHN E. SM.IT H, Printer to ti:e State-, Essays , /ittides of
Intelligence, Adoertifemcnis, lie. will be gratefully received , and every kind of Printing performed.
PROCEEDINGS of CONGRESS.
In the HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES' of
the UNITED STATES.
Wtdnefday ' Jan. #9O.
THE order of the day for the confidera*
tion of the Bill for giving effeft to the
laws of the United States in the llate of North-
Carolina, was taken up, and the Bill parted
to be enatted.
The Bill for the remission or mitigation of
ftnes, forfeitures and penalties in certain cases,
was read a ferond time.
Ordered > That it be referred to a commit
tee of the whole House, to be taken intocou
jfideration on Wednelday next, and that 100
copies be printed.
In committee of the whole, on the Bill to
provide the means of imercourfe between the
United States and foreign nations; the mo
tion before the committed yesterday, for
striking out of Mr. Lee’s propolcd amend
ment, the words, “ by and with the advice
and consent of the Senate,” was again read.
Mr. Jackson objerted to the principle of
the Bill, as tending to eftabliHi arbitrary pow
er—as diverting the Senate of their preroga
tive as relinquishing the contToul of the
House over the Treasury of the United States.
Betides, he contended that it is the duty of
the House to fix the salaries, and this he con
ceived the Legitlature fully competent to.
The disposal of the public money is a trust
committed to us, nor can wc constitutionally
divert ourfelvcs of it.
Mr. Boudinot was opposed to the amend
ment,'and m favor of striking out the words,
and contended that the bill went to make all
thole provisions as fully as the nature of the
case would permit, which gentlemen appeared
so earnertly to contend for.- . ,
The bill empowers the President to draw
out of the public Treasury a fpecified sum, it
has also determined a point beyond which the
salaries shall not extend ; all the power pro
posed to be verted in the President, is ro re
duce the falaties, and to dispose of the ap
propriation to the best advantage. This can
not be an extraordinary or uncon
stitutional trust ; it is agreeable to the uni
form ufagiof the House in making appropri
ations where aiiy trull is icpofed It is eTy
to forefee infupferable difficulties in ailbeiating
the Senate With the President in this business.
Mr. Scott sliced whether the question was
of a legifiative or executive nature—for his
part, he thought it of a legirtative nature ;
and therefore granting any power to appro
priate the public money for purport:, where
the House could not afeertam the quantum ne
cefiiiy, wa.a«ing contrary «o the Conllmi.
tion. It wa. improper, he f.«i, -hat either
the President or Senate, or both, (hauld ex
pend money for enr fer«c.M, the amount of
which could not be fixed hr ..iw. * w# ®
therefore wholly opposed to the prmctple of
the bill, and moved that the committee lhould
rile, for the purpose of introducing a motion
in the House to ie.c r mmi« it,
Mr, Sedgwick obierved, that »♦ a , ' l ’ cre *
tionaiy power cannot be lodged ww* ***' P <r *
fun to dftfimint wb»' fuiufc fliall be paid tor
particular fervicta, it »• difficult t» concede
how the public buliueli can be rained on,
He was fuie, he fatd, lUr« waa nothing '» «*»•
GEORGIA.
i
Conrtitution againrt the delegation of ftich a
power, and, in fad, conrtant experience was
direftly opposed to the position.
Mr. Smith, (S. C.) puifiling the idea of
Mr. Sedgwick, adverted to the circt mttance
of voting 20,000 dollars rhe la It Seffiou for
the Indian btifinefs. It is true the compeilla
tion of the Commissioners was fixed, hut heir
allowance absorbed but a fma)l pioportion of
the sum committed in trust to the President and
Senate of the United States.
Mr. Lawrence opposed the motion for tlvp
committee’s riling*, he wished the committee
to come to a decision ot the question, whether
< the Senate rtiould be artbeiated with the Pre
' fident in this business or not? He adveited to
the constant practice of the House in refpeft
to the departments, who from the
necessity of the case, ate conrtantly trusted
with appropriations which it is true they may
not exceed, but without paiticuiarly fpecify
ing the funis they shall pay for certain fei -
vices.—He wiftied the gentleman would wich
draw, his motion.
Mr. Boudinot was likewise opposed to the
riling of the committee, and enlarged upon
the ideas luggefted by Mr. Lawience and Mr.
Smith.
Mr. Scott defended his motion. He said
that fei vices performed in the public office
are known and open to examination, but did:
might not be the case with the prelent bnfi
nefs; that as the bill Hands, it militates
againrt the Conrtitution; that consideration
would influence him not to withdraw his mo
tion for the riling of the committee.
The motion for the committee’s riling was
negatived.
The motion 'for striking out of the proposed
amendment, the words “.by and with the ad
vice and consent of the Senate, was put,
and carried in the affirmative.
The question then was, on the propefed
amendment without the words*' by and with
the advice and consent of the Senate, the
vote being taken, the amendment w*s not
adopted.
Mr. Lawrence proposed an additional
clause for limiting the duration of the bill to
the term of three years, and from thence to
the end of the next Sefiiou of Congrcis there
after. . . .
It was moved that the clause which enjoins
that the accounts of expeodicuies heiendeied
under oath, rtiould be 11 ruck out. _
Mr. Sedgwick was in favor of retaining
the words; there could no injury aide horn
their being retained in the bill ; they may
conduce to the public fatisfafiicn. in the dil
pofition of public monies, tales will frequent
ly occur in which a confidence in the integri
ty of public officers, inSy'be all t«.e ffitwac
tion the people may receive in the d tip of a of
their money. It is nor tube expe« .ed that
the formality of an oath i. tu be attended to,
the idea meant to !:• conv«>ed is, that jbe ac
count* ere rendered unde* the iropicfimn ot
fucb a solemnity. , . ..
Mr. Huntington, Mr. Wadfwonh and Mr.
Ames, weie severally Mavot or the tmumn
fdrfti iking obi »L« *»' ‘ ::
thuthey involved an ebf'ii day, > 8 "*
tlemeu Jiippol'td it iicccifa*y 1 c fu ' "
dent ffiould ukehie oath of owe
viit wntdJ rti** 1 ":? •* lb * tiVi,ru '
bis*,
[Vox. IV. No. CLXXXHI.J
A motion of Mr. Madison’s, that the Presi
dent caufc a regular ftatcment of the account
of expenditures to be laid before Congefs,
ocrafioned some further convcilation. This
t «
motion -va* adopted.
The whole paragraph as thus amended,
was then agreed to.
The motion for the limitation of the bill
was next di feu fled. It was moved that thru
be ft ruck out before “ years,” and two infert
cd—This motion obtained.
The clause thus amended was adopted.
The committee then rose, reported the bill
with amendments, to which the House acced
ed, and ordered that the bill be engrofl'edfor
a third reading to-morrow.
Mr. Lee called the attention of the House
to the petition of Mr. Dobbyn—and after
some obtervations on the policy of encou
raging the emigration of foieigners, and the
•pulation of the unappropriated territory of
tie United States, moved, that the petition as
lr. Dobbyn be referred to the .Secretary of
-nr Trealuty—that he may make provision in
be pUu which lie is direfted to report to the
souse, for cases fanilar to that of the peii
• tner. Mr. Madison and Mr. Page support
ed this motion.
Mr. Sherman moved, that the latter part
of the motion thould be struck out, and.that
if the petition is ,referred to the Secre ary of
ihe Treulury, it should be byway of informa
tion. (
It was fiid that there is an impropriety in
retraining the Secretary to anr patticnlar
objeft, in forming the pirn in contemplation,
aw it mull be calculated upon general princi
ples, the House having special reference to the
fubjed of revenue in committing the Imfinefs
to him— l: wae further fuid, that the proprie
ty of the Legiflatme of the United States
holding out encouragement to individuals of
foreign Pates, to emigrate to this country,
miy be doubted.
Mr. Sherman's motion was adopted, and
the petition referred to the Secretary of the
Treasury tor his information.
Mr. Sfrermin presented a petition fioni the
Piehdcm and fellows of Yale College, dating
thai they had imported a philofophica! appa
ratus for t!s>t College, the import duties of
which they had paid ; and suggested to Con
crete whether; as books and f iemific indru
tneut/t for the use of femiuaries of learning,
could not come under the denomination of ne
gociablc articles of meicbaiidiie, it would
not tend to encourage icirnce, were such at
ticies exer pted from duties, and praying that
ti c amount of the duties paid on laid *pparti-
M!S , may be remitted tor the ui'e of laid Col
ic 41*.
Mr. Ames piefented the petition of John
Wait, j.l iving jekef under M** Maine*! by
taking tenificaies for fupplie* from f-ddieis
who afterward# dcfeited—Read, and laid on
the the übie. :
lix li-u.fe took up the reroluiion ; m
the table yeftfrdayby Mr. feinith, (S.C.) ic-
tue uiifinifhed bufiitcf# at the end of
a teftion. . '
borne debate et.fned, but the House ad
journed without crnim# to any dtciUwn ua
ill.’ ttiUi.un.
fTu /. (mtiHttrf')
