Newspaper Page Text
Congress of the United Slates
Mouse of representatives.
Wcdnefday, Nov. 18.
Mr. Quincy. The house will ob
serve, that in the Meffege of the Preli•’
dent of the 27th of Ofctober, there is
an express reference to his .Proclama
tion, rnterdifting our harbors and wa.
ters to the Briufh armed vessels, and
prohibiting our intercourse with them.
According to the mod approved rules
of parliamentary proceedings, this pro
clamation ought to be laid before the
Houle. In Great Britain, whence we
draw so many of our precedents, the
king lays all proclamations, affe&ing
the peace or foreign relations of the
kingdom, before Parliament. Such,
too, has formerly been the case in this
country. ‘lhe celebrated proclama
tion of Neutrality, iflued in 17931 was
Jaid before Congrefson the brit day of
the hellion. It is true that this procla.
mation has been pubiifhed in the news
papers but that is not official informa
tion for this House, But if it was, I,
as an individual cf the Koufe, have
searched for it in vain. I had expect
ed to find it among the documents ac
companying the report ofihe commit
tee appointed on the fubjeCi of aggrcL
fions, but not finding it there, I iubmit
to the house the following resolution :
Refolvcd, That the President of the
Gniied Siates be requeued to caofe to
be laid before this Houle, his Procla
mation interdicting our harbors and
waters to Bririfh armed veffels', and
forbidding intercourse with them, re
furred to in Hs Meffoge of the 27th of
October last.
Mr. Crowninfhicld could fee no
neceflity for the call, nor couid he dii*
cover the objeft of his colleague in
w filing to make it. The course was
unulual, and he thought unneceflarv.
On o her occasions, the President had
iflued'Proclamations, which were ne.
ver laid before the House, nor called
for bv the House. In the case of ihe
aggreifion by Whitby, off New York,
a proclamation hacl been iuued, but
had not been iubmitted to them-. Sq,
alio, in the case of the famous vVeflern
Conspiracy, a proclamation had been
iflued, which had not been laid before
the House ; yet in neither of these cases
had a call for the proclamation been
made. His colleague had cited the
pradice in Great Britain—The prac
tice in Great Britain could have no in*
fluence on that house. lie might as
well have cited the practice of Fiance,
Get many, or any other country. —
But be doubted whether such was the
practice in Great Britain. A call was
never there made, except on particular
occasions, and then it was refuffed or
complied will*, as Ministers pieafed.—
He bad r;o other objection to the re
solution, than that he few no xtcceffity
for it. ‘
Mr. A’fton. It is immaterial to me
whether the resolution passes or not —
but to make the heft of ir, it is making
much ado about nothing. Every man
can lay his hand to the proclamation
•—lt has been published in ail thenewf
pacers. But, fays the gentleman, that
is not official information. Did not
the gentleman come here on the 26th
of Ottober, on the ttrength of anew I
piper copy of the proclamation ? I
imagine be did. I certainly received
no other information, and I took it
for gianted that it was core£t. This
is the ii.lt resolution of the kind ever
laid upon our table. —■-
Mr. Quincy observed, that the pa
per be had req netted was an official
document, such as had always been
communicated —that the house. had a
right to have ii in an official way—
'J hat although it had been pubhfhcd
in. the .new {papers, yet that the fame
was the cale with President Washing
ton’s Pioc arna.ton 1792, and yet ibis
Wis no realon for t.iat ‘Brefident for
not cornaiunica mg i. to the houtr.—
Jt was 10 much a matter oT centric that
lie had no doubt it was an accidental
ntudinn. ii:s colleague(Mr. Crown•
inthiekij had said, that he might find
it iu any newfpoper ptibhlhed in this
city. He was not in the habit of look
ing into thole papers, either lor official
duty or official documents. The op
pumion to Uas reloluiion was io uti
expected and so extraordinary, thru
he could not reconcile it tc any general
principles prevalent in that house. —
Pofiibly an explanation might be found
in one or rhofe papers to which his
colleague referred. He had, indeed
observed, that a motion winch he had
made a few days since, and which the
House negatived, had been commented
upon in a certain deniLpflkial paper,
and a general rule of conduct preferib -
ed to the members of the, house,? in a
very extraordinary Lot them
keep a ftendv eye on every e ffort to
ensbarras, or -to lead them from the
flraight line of correct policy. Let
them weigh well ike advice of an enemy
before they adopt it. Let them ait as
they have done in the prefeat inflance.”
tive any Proposition from that quar
ter — Vote Him Down.
Mr. Quincy said, he would not dis
grace the house so much as to i ttimat
that members would be influenced b
such advice as this ;anu yet lit? couta j
scarce conceive it pnffible tha t 1 user i
Primer should have the buldnefs to
preferibe the treatment which trvmber
iliouta give one another on that fi > r
—to denounce particular individual
to be voted down . if he had not bej.i
him more llrength than his own. i
- not have referred to it, if’ th
extraordinary oppofiiion to a motio
like that he had made, had no’ the ap
pearance of an attempt to cairy tha
determination into execution.
Mr. Crowninlhield really did not
know wheat his col eagne meant. He
had not dropt any exprefiion. which
ought to wound his feelings. As to
any thing which hal appealed 10 the
newspapers, the house could have no
thing to do with it. If the newspapers
had injured his colleague, there was a
proper remedy.
Mr. C. said, lie bad no idea of wiih
holding info;mation Iron! the koule.
His oppufuion to ihe refotation arose
foicly from the fubjebi of it being a!,
ready known. The executive had
pursued the fame course in this that he
had in cases of a like nature ;he had
caused the Proclamation to bepublifh
ed in the National intelligencer, the on
ly paper .of an) consequence printed
here. That si former president had
communicated a copy cf his pr-ocLm-s
tion, had not hearing on the case. Pre
fident had no weight with him in any
case. He could yet fee no necefiuy ,
for the call.
Mr. Harwell did not rife to eppofe
the refutation, he was willing that the
Proclamation fhoitld be sent to tbctn
by the President ; hut the gentleman
had expressed his furprize that he did
not find that proclamation contained in
the report of the committee. The on
ly rcafon was that they had supposed it
was sufficiently official in the newfpa*
pers, and h?d referred *0 them when
occasion required, as they would have
done to any other authority. He held
it a corrett proceeding, that it was the
right of any member of that house to
call for any Information relative to i
ny fubjecl ; he should always favor
luch an application ; he therefore did
riot rile to oppose the gentleman’s mo
tion, but to apologize for the commit
tee’s not having reported it.
Mr. Dana. The observations ofthe
gentleman from Virginia. (Me. Bur
well) correspond with that candor,
which I have with plea fare observed
to charaQerizc him. 1 have no doubt
out die newspapers copies of this pro
clamation are corvetl > but they are not
official information on which this house
can att. If this proclamation, like
many others, contained no important
principles on which the house might
be called to aft, -hi official copy might
ne dispensed with, hut as it contains
important pi maples, which liiay. form
the buffs of ettr deliberations on lome
points, it certainly ought to be laid be
fore us.
I apprehend the gentleman from
Noitli Catolina (Mr. Alder;) is in a
uiiliake as to the mode ol convening |
Congress. It is true we are here now <
under a newspaper proclamation, but J
it is not trie proper course. IVc are
here gathered together, as if by the
found cf a trumpet, and not one of us
can g.vc any evidence ui a conffitu
tional cal!. When the extraordinary 1
call was made in 1803, every member ‘
had a letter directed to him by the Se :
crctary of State, covering a copy oi
the ptoclamatton making the call.—
I bis too was the mode adopted during
the adminifiration of Mr. Adams, and
is certainly the regular way.
The house divided on the refolurion
70 in the affirmative —54 in the nega
tive. Mr. Quincy and Mr. Burweil
were appointed a committee purluant
to this refutation. In the|courfe of the I
day Mr. Quincy reported that they |
lad peif urm and that lei vice and that the ;
Frdider.it would cause a copy of the 1
proclamation to be laid before ,the r
home tomorrow. j
Thursday, Nov. tg*
\lr. Milnor moved, that the conri
mi.teeof the whole hou>e be discharg-.
•t from the farther consideration of*
he report of the committee of elect ions
>r the petition of |ofliua Barney,
vlr. M. faul he made this motion with
i view, should it succeed, to move foi
a recominitrnent cf that report to the
cointniit'.-e of elections.
Affe. a defultorv diicuffion ©f fome
length, the queffion was taken on the
motion to discharge, and carried—77
m the affirmative. The report was
then committed to the committee of
elections. Thus has the House eon.
lamed the greater part of five days
on this fubjdd, and it is now no near
er a conclusion than the day the peti.
•ion was prelented.
Mr. Daw lon, Iron the committee
•ppotnted on that part of the presi
dent’s mtffage which relates to the mi-’
aaiy and naval establishments, report
d the following resolutions :
hcjolved , That a fura not exceed
ing ddl'ais be appropriated for
he pur pole of esefcting a national
r oundery in the; Ct'y of Washington,
for the pur pole of calling ordtiance.
lufclved , 1 -hat the Secretary of
War be authorized, under the direc
tion of the President ol the United
States, o fell to such individual (fares
as may wish to purchase any aims be
longing to th:? Unoed Stares, which
nay he fold without injury to the pub
lic Cervjce.
Committed to a committee of the
whole.
Mr. Lewis called for the order of
-he day on the bill authorifing theerec
'ion of a bridge over the Potomac in
the did rift oi Columbia. The houle
accordingly went into committee of
: the whole cn this bill. After fome ob
let vat 10 ns from Messrs. Neilon, Key,
Sloan and Lewis, the queffion was
taken on the motion to Ur ike out the
fit ft fed!ion, and loft—in ihe affirma
**.ve -111 ihe negative 78.
1 he committee then proceeded to
fill up the blanks—when they had got
nearly over, they differed on the a
mount of toil tofe, reported progrels
and had leave to fit again.
The house adjourned till 11 o’clock
to morrow.
Friday, Nov. 20.
Mr. Paik offered the following re-
folution :
Refolvcd , That a committee be ap
pointed to inquire into the expediency
of amending ihe ordinance for the go
vernment ofthe North Western terri
tory, passed the 13* h of Julj, 1787 so
far as it relates to the jurisdifction of
the taper ior judges of the Miff iff ippi ter
riioi y.
Referred to a committee of five.
Mr. Eppcs presented a petition from
sundry inhabitants ofthe City of Wash
iugton, praying for an aheration in the
af.l of incot poration, so as to give them
’ ward inUead of general elections for
members of the city council.
Referred to a committee of five.
Mr. Park presented a petition from
the truffees ofthe Vincennes Univeifi
ty, praying that a tax may he impoferi
on Salt, manufafclurtd at the United
States fait works on the Wabash, and
on licenses to Indian traders, the pro
l ceed;. of which should be given to said
Univetfity.
Referred to the committee of cr jm .
mrree atid manufatiuics.
r I he house refolvcd itfelFinto a com
mittee of the whole on the Bxidgs-
Bh.l, tlie Blanks were filled up>—-fonie
trifling amendments made—the com
mittee trofe ind reported, the house
concurred, and the bill was ordered to J
a third reading on Monday.
The house resolved itfelf into a com- *
mittee of the whole on the bill allow
ing additional com Den tation to the se
cretaries of the MifLlfippi, Indiana,
Louisiana, and Michigan Territories;
the blank was filled up wi.h 1000 dol
lars, and concurred in by the house.
A motion to adjourn till Monday
was loft.
Saturday, Nov. 21.
Ordered , That the clerk of the house
furnifh for the use of the fevcral (land
ing committees, and the committee of
poll offices and post toads, such maps
as rnay be required by them relpec
’ tivelv.
Ordered, That the clerk furnifh the
several landing committees with co
pies of Gray don’s Digest of the Laws jg
of the U. States. \
The house resolved itfelf into a com
mittee of the whole on the report of
the committee to whom was referred
be petition of James Jay. There*
port concluded wiih a refoiution au
thoiifing the president to purchase the
right to use a secret mode of correfi.
poiwVnee invented by the memorialiit
in England during the revolutionary
war. This system of correspondence
has been declared extremely ufeful by
general Wa&ingtoru On the queftiom
of agreeing to the report of the felefifc
committee, a difeuffion of fome length
ensued. The report was opposed on
the ground, that this was a secret of
which the house could know nothing—•
that it w r ent to authorife the president
to expend the public money, on aa
objetfc of uncertain utility—on a sub
jett at any time to be destroyed by J
the inventor himfelf, or to be detefled ‘
by a chemical analysis.—That the pre.
sent tc.obe of correspondence betweea
the government and its agents was
found to answer every requisite pur.
pofc, and it would therefore be a ufe*
Ids expenditure of the public money.
The report was supported on the
ground, that ‘here was every evidence
which could be required, that the in.
vention o f the petitioner was a ufeful
one, that it could not be fully explain,
ed to the howfe, without defffoying
us utility, which confided in its fecre
cy—tha-t -there could he no danger ir*
entruftmg the p-efident with the dis
cretion proposed to be given him, and
if the hou'e feared that too large a
p/ici; would be given for this inven
tion, they could limit the president in
the hill.
The report of the seLet committee was
supported by Mesars. Upham, Cook. Da
ra, Quincey, and Sloan ) and opposed by
Messrs. J. Clay, Gardiner, B. R. Wil
liams, Taylor and Burweil.
I he report was adopted in committee
of the whole, and their report was imme
diately taken up the house. The avs
awd noes were called for on the question
of concurrence with the committee ofthe
whole, when the subject was farther di
cussed. The of concurrence
seas carried— a\es 54—noes 53, and 3
committee of five appointed to bring in a
bill.
Mr. Quirteey presented a petition from
sundry inspectors of rhe ofthe
port of Boston, praying for an augmenta
tion of their salaries.—>—/?eferred to the
committee of wavs and means.
Mr. Van Cortlaodt presented the pe
tition of Peter Landais, representing tha c
he had rendered important services to this
country during the revolutionary war, iu
capturing a number of the enemy's ves
sels, for which he had never received anp
compensation, except £4OOO allowed hinx
in part at last session, and praying tor ftv*>
ther compensation.—•Tieferre.ii to tbfc com
mittee of claims.
Some other petitions., of trtnor impor
tance, were presented a nd referred.
‘i he house adjoined till Monday, U
o’clock.
’ WoD'day, Movember 23.
On motio' i)o j Morrow, a committee
was ins'ir clt£ j to fcn q U i re into the expedi
ency oi allowi pi naions to those mein
bcrß° . the *.<l l liTia, or of volunteer corps,
wbr , have oeen wounded in defending tha
w cstern. frontiers.
A Hill allowing additional eompcotu
tion r 0 the secietaiies of the Mississippi,
Indii a na Louisiana and Michigan I'ernto
ries wa4 rea d a third time and passed.
The third reading of the bill author:.
*1 aji he ertdion oi a bridge over the po
* uuac, in the district of Columbia, was ta
’ am up- Mr. Nelson moved for Us rc
qammututat w a select committee, tor
