Newspaper Page Text
COMPENSATION,
Os Mu meters’ of Congress
From the National Intelligencer.
It must be a subject of regret
to every ingenuous mind, to ob
serve the avidity with which the
slightest pretexts are seized to
misrepresent facts, and to traduce
the motives of the, wisest and the
best cf mem A life marked by
the most scrupulous regard to
justice, and governed by the pu
rest principles of virtue, affords,
bo exemption from the shafts of j
those who, regardless of honor i
t him selves, are ever ready toim-l
yute the want of it to others.—;
Our regret might be diminished j
the effects of misrepresentation j
were confined to those v,ho are!
innocently condemned. The e- j
vil, however, is much more ex
tensive. “Too many, mistakingl
assertion for proof, are ready to I
adopt what is proposed with con-;
fide nee and sanctioned by ain ho- J
Tity; and even those who would s
never willingly commit intention
a! injury or encourage an umv-or- ]
thy sentiment, have often to la-1
Taent the wrongs they have in
ilic tt and by adopting opinions which
thev find to be erroneous.
Few subjects, which so easily
admit of correct information, have
been productive of more miscon
ception, than the hill “to change
the mode of compensarng the’
members of Congress.” In some
newspapers we are told it is dou
ble, in others treble the former
allowance.—The following cal
dilation, the result of a careful
examination, will show how little
reliance is to be placed on the as
sertions of misguided zeal or de
termined malevolence ; and prove j
to every candid and liberal man, :
that in this instance they are e
qually unfounded and unjust.
By examining the journals of
Congress it will appear, that from
the commencement of the govern
ment to the end of the last ses
sion, the average length of time in
which Congress have been in ses
sion in any one year is 160 days.
Taking this then as die ratio
o£ the future session of Congress,
and allowing for this time fifteen
hundred dollars f the sum propo
sed in the hill to be allowed J will
Rive for each day's attendance
9 dolls 37 1-2 cts.
Instead therefore, of members
receiving 12, 15 or 17 dollars a
day, as some would induce us to
believe, it appears that little more
t tan half the original allowance
will be added to the compensa
tion h* e ; at the commencement
of the government.
Is it necessary to ask any can
did and liberal man, who rtffets
on the difference between six dol
lars in the year i790, and six nom
in -1 (dollars iu 18 i6, whether this
moderate increase is not absolute
ly necessary ?
Upon the propriety of chang
ing the mode of compensation, i
wiii barely remark, that the mem
b j rs themselves, who could onl\
k? ow the evils which existed,were
the befit judges of the remedy tr
2c applied ; i.'{at the most serious
- ✓ . i
mconvei'.ielFceS attended the for
mer mode, and threatened to be
increased every year; and fiift,
if tile present is hot found upon
trial to answer the objects for
(which it was deigned, it hereaf
ter can be easily changed to a per
diem allowance.
- A Private Citizen,
!
From the Washington-city Weekly
Gazette,
GOV. TOMPKINS.
Considerable misrepresenta
tion havinggone abroad ccncern
;ing the nomination of Governor
j Tompkins for the office of Presi
dent of the United States, we have
1 taken §6 rue pains tw acquire a clear
understanding of the fact. The
following maybe relied on :
There has been no nomination
jat Albany of Governor Tomp
kins as a candidate for the prefsi
klency: But the Republican mem.
jbersof the New-York legislature
I have, unanimously, by resolud ms
adopted in general meeting, re
commended to the Representa
tives from that state in Congress
uo support Gov. T. for the chie
magistracy, in any convert tioi
ti congress that might be held a
Washington; and that, if it should
be found that the Governor wa>
not the choice of a republics!
majority, then to support any o
tlier respectable democratic can
didate,/?,;/ a Virginian . It is dis
tinctly understood, that the voice
of tne New York Republican del
egation, in the alternative, is in fa
vor of Mr. Crawford, in prefer
ence to all others. T here may,
in this respect, perhaps, be a sol
itary truant It will prevent mis
takes to remark that the ‘•Argus’
is tlte only print at Albany to be
depended on for an expression of
the sentiments of the democratic
party in that commonwealth.
COKGIU2SS.
WASHIN GTON’s MoNUME NT.
The following is the report of the ;
committee, under the resolu
tion of the 16th of February,
in relation to the remains of;
George Washington.
The joint committee of both
houses, appointed under the re-!
solution of the 16 th February last, j
4 To examine into the proceed
ings of a former congress on the
death of George Washington, and
to take into consideration what
further measures it may be ex
pedient to adopt at the present
time, in relation to that solemn tk
interesting subject,’
Respectfully Report—
-1 hat they have carefully St
attentively examined into the sub
ject referred to them, and sub
mit to the consideration of their
respective houses, the following
ft solutions:
Re&olvecl, by the Senate and
House of Representatives of the
United States of America , in Con
gress assembled, That in pursu
ance of the resolution of Con
gress, of the 24th December,
4 799, a marble monument be er
cted by the United States, .to
commemorate the military, politi
cal, and private virtues of George
Washington:
That the? receptacle of his re
mains be prepared in the founda
tion of tire Capitol** and that the
monument be placed over the
j same, End in the of the
[great hall of the eapitol;
| That on the four sides of the
monument he be represented—
As the defender of his coun
try, against the French and In
dians, in the war before the rev
olution ;
As the protector of his rights,
against British invasion, and the
captain of her armies in the war
of Independence;
As the first President of the
United States, wisely adminis
tering the public affairs during
eight years of peace—other na
tions being engaged in war ;
Asa private citizen, voluntarily
retired from public office, and en
gagedin the employment of agri
culture.
And be it further resolved , That
the President of the United States
be, and is hereby authorised to
take measures to carry‘the fore
going resolution into execution.
We observe in some of the En
gUsh papers bitter complaints
nade, that although the article of
he commercial treaty with this
ountry, relative to the abolition
>f the discriminating duties was
tarried into effect at the British
Custom Houses, by virtue of an
-rder in council of August last, ii
‘ad not taken effect in this coun
ry. The Morning Chronicle
says that they have been making
us a present of millions, so that
before the treaty begins to opt r
ate on this side, the spur to ship
ping to this country will be over,
—l6 millions having been alrea
dy shipped from Liverpool alone.
That paper expresses a hope that
at the ensuing parliament, some
member will move tor an account
of tonnage and produce from and
to the U. States, that the amount
of the loss sustained may be es i
mated.
A Belfast article- in the Pilot
complains particularly that oi
shipments of linens, which has
been made to New-York, 4 pei
cent, higher duties were charged
them than if it had been shipped
in American vessels. The dit
ference is in fact a little mort
than 4 per cent on the value oi
the goods.
Boston Daily Advertiser,
Our Neighbors. —The Quebec
Gazette of the 15th Feb. contains
the following among other re
marks on the recent correspond
ence of the Secretary of State
with the Spanish Minister—They
are of a different complexion from
former articles of Canadian man
ufacture :
44 Will there be war between
Spain and the United States ?
This will depend upon the spirit
of Ferdinand the adored ; that
the Americans will keep what they
have got, and ardently desire to
have more, that they will trade
where tficy can advantageously ,
and make their country a ref uge
ora populationot all nations, is
not to be doubted • T hey w ill fight
rather than forego any of these
“jadvantages, we have ample ml
\dcnce~A<%\6 we are greatly mis
jlakened if the government nrd a
great proportion of the population,
would not be glad of a declaration
I°f war on the part of Spain, f The
beat of the drum would immedi
ately assemble a large army be
yond the Alleganies for m expe
dition to Mexico, nay, they would
even enlist for Peru; the Deca
turs the Porters the Perrys, ar*d
hords of Privateersmen, would
glory in a war with Spain.—But
will Great Britain interfere? Such
an event no doubt would be un
pleasant; but after the result of
the last war , it is not to be expect
ed that even in that case the Uni
ted States would readily yield up
any of their present
LATB j
FOREIGN NEWS. j
Frtn i the Baltimore Patriot.
T.y capt. Lane of the schooner
General Jackson, arrived at this
port from Bordeaux, we have
been favored .with papers and fet
ors to the 16th of February.—
Extracts follow. ■* Captain Lane
verbally states, that the people
generally of France, were in a
veiy disatisfied state.; greattreu
bics had openly evinced them
selves in Lyons and at Paris.—
At Bordeaux on the morning of
the 6th of February, the TRI
COLOR FI) FLAG had been
hoisted on one of the Castles, but
was immediately taken down, and
forty-five men put under arrest.
Lord Wellington left Paris ; it is
not said where lie had gone'-
‘The Paris prints take great
pains to prove that these distur
bances were mere bagatelles —
They however admit them to
have produced inquietude in the
capita!—admit the existence of
uneasy sensations in the people ;
and state that a number of arrests
had been made at Lyons, among
others, Doct, Montain and M
Rosset had been seized, and an
adherent of theirs had been taken
at Roanne. The royal papers
compliment the national troops
and the police, lor their vigilance
andfidel ty on the occasion.—— -
They add, the French people,
tired of revolution, respect and
cherish their king. It is evident
irom the intelligence received that
France is far from being satisfied
with her present condition, and
that leaders of talents, and some
great, prominent, concentrating
interests, alone, are wanting, k >
cause a serious and extensive ex
plosion.
(by THE GEN. JACKSON.)
Extract to a respectable merchant
in Baltimore , dated Bordeaux
Feb. 5.
“Our market for American
produce is at present calm.—Cot
ton, however, keeps very steady.
The stock of tobacco in the port
is small; it consists chiefly *of
third quality of Virginia, and is
held at 1 1 5 f.”
Lavalette was supposed to be
in England. A general Lavaile
was arrested near Lyons, &i sent
to Paris, being mistaken from his
name for Lavalette.
The king had ventured to the