The Patriot and commercial advertiser. (Savannah, Ga.) 1806-1807, February 09, 1807, Image 2

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‘CONGRESS. HoV3E ‘T R I J-KKf-EMTATIV ES. It day , January 10. Mr. Gregs pfd’cnteff a me jnorial from iundry inhabitants of Vv’tifhing'on < oninv (dilmfct ‘ of’ Columbia) praying for a repeal of vrhat is called the’ twenty dollar aft. Re Tried to a felrffl commit ce o's three. A “bill making provilion sci the difppffal of die lections of lands heretofore rriet ved for the future difpoiiiion <>* con - grefs,” was read twice and re frired to a committee ot the ■wholeon Monday. The “bill authofffing the prefideut of die United States to accept the forvice of a num her of vohtnteft companies,not exceeding 39 tbouGnd men, v\ ?s read a thud time and pas sed. A (l hill fttppmmentarv to ,hc aft, entitled an ad making provifiort for the redemption c f t he whole of the public debt of the United Status’’was icad pti i ; d time —- Ibe ) eas T ‘ays were called for on its pas. sage. Mr. AlHon was opposed to the bill. He ronlidmd it as an afTumption of the debt of the United States, and cor.- , tended that it was utmeceflary and improper to be thus lii.ll v in paying off’ the national debt- Mr. Randolph fa id, that m j this time the commiflioners <•* rhe finking food were author ifed to pmchafe ff'e old 6 pc’ cent, and deferred flocks, at their nominal par—that is too cents to the dollar. This bid onlv prnpofes to new'tnodify the Rock, so as to enable the government to pay it off more lpeedilv. He would put a case which wind : com™ home to the fimplcft number of tire community ■■ Suppole a man ihould give i bond for 1000 dollars, beating an intei.cfc of cj per cent. Sc had it at liis op tion to pay off t! is bond with 650 dollars ■ would any man in tire U. State's hefi'ate, whether to difeharge this bond by pay ing down dollars, or to leave it to his ci .Idpcn or exe cute; 3 to pay P This was the cafe* with the people of the U. States. It was fell-evident that fu . h an arrangement might he made between t: e publpr a,.d its creditors, as would tcod to their mutual advantage. The queffion wa then tak er rod the bill pa ifed—.Ayes •, cites 1 Elliot ohferved, that e a low we; jir.ee, old. h i 1 o the conlideiaticn of :• Incite, a number of icltdu a the iuhjetUofThe na .V> defence. It.'had lot . be plea lure of the hoofe • r die in to a committee of whole, and they w . re ■re j to lie on the table. ’.■■Vi.er.it ihould be ihe piea. iu:c of the house to relume the cor.fiderauon of those re. iolutions, he (liould w:!h to withdraw two 01 * thi c*e of them. —He then gave notice, that he would, n an opportu nity offered, on Tuesday next, move that the bouie cor.fider the refoliitions, for ihepurpofc of making Rich a dis olitic n oi them a;, he had mentioned. The houle went into com r l,.itt<c of the whole on d.e bill > (ulpend the c<>u. ercial it. r cuuitc between the United \s and certain pa* ts oi toe \ of St. 1> oii:l igo. Early vvitiiuiew the a- 1 met dmrnts he had offered yefleidav, obfei ving, that ab tho’ the law had been evaded, he did not believe congress could le-gftlate upon this fub jedt, so as to provide for cases where the evil principally cx r isled. The hill was ordered to have a thud reading on Monday. The house went into com mince of the whole on the “ bill *uthoiifing a giant of lar.cl for the use of a hospital at Natchez, allowing addition al compensation to the judges of the Mississippi territoty, and extending the l ight of elective franchife therein.” Alter lome time I pent in considering the bill, the committee role and obtained leave to fit again. ‘The house went into com mittee of the whole on the “ bill providing for the lurvey of the coaftsof the U. States.” The commitee role, and the hill was ordered to have a third reading on Monday. Mr. Randolph ohferved, that in the meiFage of the Tie fide 111, communicated at the of the session, it had been announced to the house, that he had received in formation that a number of individuals had combined to getlier and armed themselves, contrary to law, for the j>ui po:e of carrying on an expedi tion againll Spain, and that ce had thought u neccfFary to. take nieafuf’es for fupprefung the enterprize, and for tire ar relling and bringing to jnffict its authors and abates. So long as the illegal movements of those persons had been f up poled to have been directed a gainst a foreign nation altoge ther, the honor of the United Stales required immediate mea fltres to he taker, for tile lup preißon of the emerprize. But every peribo would agree with him in opinion, that . the house felt a much more lively indignation, on finding, that the cutcrprize was not againll a foreign nation, but, to sub vert the union, and to ovsr tur.i the liberties of the peo ple. He had waited for fon.e information on this fubjeS, in formation of an official nature. He had continued a iong time in the belief, that as no such information had been given to th.e house, imperious reaions did t-xi!!, which forbade its communication. But the afpett of affairs s: n the Mississippi was such, thut he could not recon cile it to his duty, as the inde pendent representative- of a bee people, to rest fliti'sfied with die lute of indifference and apathy with which the lunffo had continued to fit for 6or 7 weeks. From the iu formation he had been able to coliefl, it the government ot Spain had any connection with this machination, (he was con cerned, not as the defendant but as the plaintiff. So long as he could be induced to be lieve, that by withholdingtheie communications, the public in tcu-il could be sci vcd, be fad acq u i feted in havlngt he nr wit h - ! held ; but from appearances on ;he MtlFiflipj it wou ! d lee in tiiat the Rate of things ie quired tlieproii.pt imerpoinr 011 of legitiiaiive autboiity ; and Ire was now cl opinion that no information in the piTfes r Item of the executive ought to tee wit hire Id 1. oin the house. liut he had Id modi fied the motion :e was ;>out to lubn.u, as to do aw av any oppcliuon. It did p r: e ;> i.v.t from the ne w spacers, but Tom a muchlrighcr authority, fioin evidence taken before a com mittee of the Legiflatute of Kentucky, that Spain has in celFantly labored, fincc the year 1783, to detach the Weflein Country from the union—that she had withheld the (l.ipilla tion for the treaty of San Lo renzo II Keai—that ihe did make piopofitions of a molt faithlcls nature, in order to miflcad influential charaOers that she neve;, had, nor never would, loie fight of that object, so long as she has the hopes of finding Ihe inatetials that she has found those materials, which were in ope ration, and at the moment, peihaps, when he was addrel img the house, the fate of (he wellevn country might be de cided upon, at. lea it foi a time. This offered another reafen to jollify the policy advocated loft \c.r which had been so highly condemned. lie had been informed, that the other branch of the legislature were now debating upon the means of carrying that policy into ef fect, which had been id much despised. [Mr. R. was here called 10 order.] He then said, he would not fay another word about it.; but he would fay. that a bill had just palled the houle, authorifing the pre~ ftdent to accept the Services of a number of volunteers, not exceeding So,ooo men; and lie haei underttood that a mem* her of ‘he Committee who framed the bill, who was con nected dr domed icated with the fccictary at war, did atiually make a pretpofftion lubifanti i aiiy Lhe fame os the one offer ed lafl session—he meant the proportion for incieafing the military fore* Could any man doubt, (said Mr. R.) that if the government of the Unit ed States, had lad session taken a manly and decided attitude in regard to Spain, if it had, mltead of giving us pen ar.d paper, gwen us arms, Spain would have bce/i overawed, Sc dome (tie conspiracies flopped ! arid citifhtd ? Would any man | have it. earned, that any attack j ever would have been con j templdted on N. Orleans if a 1 Ifroiig military force had been I .cnt to the neighbouring coun j ; <y 1 But what did w ; e hear | then ? \V'. heard (he laid) of j money—of dollars anl cents. J Could any man doubt (he ask . cd) that the saving of the’ cam | pnign on the Sabine, the saving ) of the hasty measures taken by j the America o general, at his own responsibility, svoukl not have been equal to the expence of raisi. g an army sufficient to pro j iect that country f On the princi ! pie of economy, therefore, the I people of the IJ. States would ; Have been gainers. A speculator j of the state of affair* in this coun ’ ti\ ; who might not he in the j habit ot reading the public pa pers or of communicating with | individuals out of doors, but . drawing It:> ideas ot the state of j the country from the proceeding ■ of the present session would nat j urally infer, that we never did j enjoy a greater degree of tran quillity than at the present time : and w hat was the tact? The U nut t -ktate* ate riot ouly threat eneci wi;!t foreign invasion but with domestic con.motion the more dangerous, because its ex tent is ?o little known, i ct (:.aia Mr. R.) we adjourn and a.., and sic and atijourr.—; i -y our books, like sellout boy s—tiu as we arc h;d, and as .no questious. lie concluded by re mat king, that the youngest me inner oi tt.c federal ..t.nii,, (stuie of h,d done 1 lo.elt hoitol, while the elder Sls tt:>, wci sieeping and dozing bUu i m u*iu A’r. Per dr T i l U r HTcittTthe ftelfov ing r- .-rdmion : j Resolved, That the Presi dent of the United Stares he and •heherrbv is directed to lay be fore d'e h< use anv information in possession cf the executive, except such as he may deem rhe public welfare requires rot lo be disclosed touching any illegal combination of private individu als against the peace and safety of the union, or any military ex pedition planned by such indivi duals against the territory of a” ny power in amity with the Unit ed States ; together with the measures the executive has pur sued, and purposes to take, for supprfs*ing or defeating the same.” Mr. Chandler. I believe I pro posed to the committee an addi tion of men to each company, and also proposed that the President should be authorised to receive more men it needed; but such propositions neither came from nor were known to th* secretary at war. idr. Alston. I have no belief that Spain has committed, or in tends to commit any attack 011 u. Ihe attack if newspapers can be believed, is to be made from our own citizens-—when the Pre sident thinks proper, he will give all necessary information to (he house. What was the amount of the resolution for raising men last winter but a declaration of war ? —and if you had agreed in the resolution you would have had officers ns ®nce heretofore, but not men.—A few days hence perhaps it may be proper, hut f see no necessity at present. Mr. j. Clay. Newspaper in formation is not that on which we ought to rely. When the trea ty of peace cf 1783, was on the tapis in Paris, the Spanish minis ter used his endeavois to p. r suade our ministers to cousent to make ihe Alleghany mountains the boundary of the U. S. that has still been the favorite object ever since.—Eithera late Span ish minister is the dupe of the conspirators, or concerned with thorn. Mr. Harwell spoke in favor of the resolution. Mi. D. R. Wdiiams asked for the Ayes and Noes. Mi. Masters—Spain has re fused to rccal her minister—eve -1 y thing evinces the disposition cl mat nation—lt is time to act, let U 6 get ail the information that can be procured. Mr. Smiiie. The resolution betrays a w.-.nt of confidence ; is the executive incapable of judg ing what is necessary, and will hv not give all necessary & time ly information, and call for means, if wanted i Mr. Holland opposed the re solution, Mr. Findley moved to post, pone the further consideration till Monday. Mr. Lloyd was in favor of the resolution. Mr. Alston wished to wait the arrival ol another mail from the westward before any thing fur ther should be done—How is the President to give us all the information J suppose men in New.York or Philadelphia, or elsewhere, are concerned n this conspiracy, the information he will give will enable them to es cape. or act with more caution $e security. Mr. Holland again spoke a gainst the resolution. Air. Dana asked for the read ing of U'*e journal of the House relative to a 1 < q le-t to the Pusi dent to lay before the house in formation concerning a treaty made with Algiers—also relative to instruction* the president might have given the envoys to France in I“S3. Mr. G. W. Campbell opposed the resolution as useless. What ever was the object of any con spiracy it is now destroyed, or already carried into effect. lie comb ated the idea that had troops been raised last session any b.ncfit would have accrued: Tim conspiracy could nQ t have been foreseen.—-Whatever con ‘p’,,?fV *W nw , ■ ■ have no evidence of •, ‘ ‘ S dangerous , 0 ,h. I'.avr UOivUrnr,. •’ m amount of? 000 0 h a ’"W whh*he man who U the author of , hat Vvno in the western citizens there ever a^not r I the purposes snpnosed’ t*: eround for *^;J Mr. Randolph. I that this conspiracy ; s ( | ( ‘■ or has succeeded to “ a ' ( H bn, if it may ha-e SII , in part can it not ,'fl The newspaper J which h c .. alluded. f e ~. h fl was the authentic nro 0 f 5 v M trial ol Judge S-U , s r i;in ( ’. f ■ disposition of t! ie SiiMnisli tilian honor and f 4me a ’ re ‘U more. Spain, vvhi! c tr fa / n( , * one)u.nd, was prcp;iri ; ,„ „( ’■ us vvith the other, .fl been the treatment of t |,. uh minister ? Why h-.. iff ■ been sent home ? Wh-n J da hatj gone, ho w his complaints St inq u ; r i„ [M hear no complaints or now made by him. N\, v ,v, *■ is the object, and can whether or not he is rc, of 15 v-nmcrnnlM Clone circumstance M r p ■ lie thought he had sllcinnul dunce. He believed if M conspirator* should au .; Vf a , ton Rouge before our u on! B jrNcw-Orleans m u<>t f v M wished uor such nn “ nniai <1 honest men” to take D o of the key of the Mi oi-ippi anl slut the cloor in r>ur fue— was not disposed t > triumpkl though he had ample crane,-■ would be no grjttifiratioii io hlil to triumph in the do'g* ace cf country—He had had lie I hand in those acts of cmivioß or of commission, which lul hi ought us to the present dull trous state He had urpectfd, lul foretold, the danger of Iniinß the Delta cf the IMistiisippiß he kne w not who the modtrl Cataline would bf, but c-cs.cteJ there would be such—Yet tbl house seemed in ?. state (.fiiidifl ference or iner.ib< l:tv, or infl ro economical the* .v r.a'cUrf ness of soul enough to afford thl purchase of a key 10 ■Ail strong box—they pursued nal row , an unaccountable pohcv-B YV hat wcuild have be t n tor feel ings of this house if the llridl forces were now scov.rin? thl lakes, were along the 45th dl gtee of latitude, within ourfol tiers ? What, if the British nf.nß ■••■ter had been ordered liomeanß his court had continued hitfl here : stuck him under the nosH clour executive ? The fetiiitjß and the measures nf this liousß would be very different d' ol * what they ought to be Bulb what they are not. I i he resolution had been to betray a want of confidence>■ the Executive; he must be indiijH ged in the cultivation of a sctptiß cal philosophy ; he should judM in politics as in religion, by w.ulß not by faith—he would notmorj gage his conscience to ti * cutive in that manner, btit >■ principle was wrong; the were euiitlccl to infurntaiion -1 V was their duty to obtatp it. I Mr. It. here adverted ta a lull that moment received horn Senate, increasing the tr.iiKit® peace establishment. R “' as °| no consequence v/heth.era were called of the war esubud'B mentor of the peace ment, provided the icuce werec ficient; many gentlemen ready to increase the p - c cSti l Llishment for war. Re t>' u)U l suppose, ihat for a peace e-'.ij blishment the fewer men thebe* ter-—He wished an ‘lb ‘ t:l | rt J gularlo.ee, not the shew 01 0, ;l wiffvo it ihe resitf; n fjt frUgex Cinsutncre, but tododjj —He bad as much confident I any gentleman, in the nU l!ia I home, but not abroad- i"- * ■ litia of Vermont, or of ‘b e ‘(j tern rut- s, are no mon fi 0 J fend New-Orleans than of Good Hope, it auddeoh tucked. t .J Mr- Smiiic was cppo*ed !) | resolution; lie coiiSide' e “ J n 1 r (; 141)1 coaspuacy, u any, a* I