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Mr. PARKER opposed the amendment. He said the operation of the proposed clause from the Senate might tend to increase the building of American vessels, but would most certainly tend to the injury of the mercantile interest in general. The collusions alluded to by several gentlemen, he observed, had undoubtedly taken place; and, if there is not some effectual provision, like that in the bill, adopted, the commerce of the United States in a few years would be transferred to foreigners altogether.

Mr. MADISON was opposed to the amendment. He added a few remarks, corroborative of the sentiments delivered by Mr. PARKER; and then the question being put, the amendment of the Senate was disagreed to.

The House again resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole House on the Message from the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, of the 7th instant, together with the papers therein referred to, relative to the execution of the act for calling out the Militia to repel the invasions of the Indians; and, after some time spent therein, the Chairman reported that the Committee had again had the said Message and papers under consideration, and made a farther progress therein.

MONDAY, December 17.

The bill sent from the Senate, entitled "An act in addition to, and alteration of the act, entitled 'An act for settling the accounts of the United States with the individual States," was read the second time, and ordered to be committed to a Committee of the Whole House on the second Monday of January next.

The House resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole House, on the Report of the Committee to whom was referred the Report of the Secretary of the Treasury on the petition of the Executors of Edward Carnes, deceased; and, after some time spent therein, Mr. SPEAKER resumed the Chair, and Mr. SEDGWICK reported that the Committee had had the said Report under consideration, and come to several resolutions thereupon; which were severally read twice, and agreed to by the House, as follow:

Resolved, That all persons having claims upon the United States, not barred by any act of limitation, whether founded upon certificates, or other written documents from public officers or otherwise, (except Loan Office certificates, certificates of final settlement, Register's certificates, and certificates issued pursuant to the act making provision for the Debt of the United States,) shall exhibit the same at the Treasury of the United months, or be forever barred

States within

from payment or settlement.

Resolved, That the accounting officers of the Treasury be authorized to settle and adjust, after the expiration of the term aforesaid, all such of those claims as shall appear to them proper to be admitted, and to report to Congress upon all such as they may not think proper to admit.

Ordered, That a bill or bills be brought in pursuant to the said resolutions, and that Mr. GOOD

[DECEMBER, 1792.

HUE, Mr. FITZSIMONS, Mr. DAYTON, Mr. PARKER, and Mr. NILES, do prepare and bring in the same. A message from the Senate informed the House, that the Senate recede from their amendment disagreed to by this House, to the seventeenth section of the bill, entitled "An act concerning the registering and recording of ships or vessels.

The House again resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole House, on the Message from the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, of the 7th instant, together with the papers therein referred to, relative to the execution of the act for calling out the Militia to repel the invasions of the Indians; and, after some time spent therein, the Chairman reported that the Committee had again had the said Message and papers under consideration, and come to no resolution thereupon.

Ordered, That the Committee of the Whole House be discharged from the further consideration of the same, and that the said Message and papers do lie on the table.

TUESDAY, December 18.

A memorial of the officers, now residing in the State of New York, of the late American Army, in behalf of themselves and their brethren the soldiers of the said Army, was presented to the House and read, praying that the depreciation which accrued on the certificates of Debt granted them in reward for their military services during the late war, may be made good to them, or such other relief afforded them as the present circumstances of the United States will admit. Also, a memorial of the Pennsylvania line of the late Army, to the same effect.

Ordered, That the said memorials do lie on the

table.

The House resumed the consideration of the amendments reported by the Committee of the Whole House, on the 6th instant, to the bill for enrolling and licensing ships or vessels to be employed in the coasting trade and fisheries, and for regulating the same. Whereupon,

Ordered, That the said bill, with the amendments, be recommitted to Mr. GOODHUE, Mr. FitzSIMONS, and Mr. PARKER.

The House proceeded to consider the Message from the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, of the 7th instant, together with the papers therein referred to, relative to the execution of the act for calling out the Militia to repel the invasions of the Indians, which lay on the table. Whereupon,

House do come to the following resolution:
A motion being made and seconded that the

authorized to employ such part of the military force
"Resolved, That the President of the United States be
and of the Militia of the United States, as he may judge
and (if he shall judge it expedient) to carry on offen-
necessary, for the effectual protection of the frontiers;
sive operations against the Indians of the five lower
Cherokee towns, called Chickamagas, and such other
of the Indian tribes as may hereafter commit acts of
depredation against the lives and property of the citi-
zens of the United States:"

A division of the said motion was called for. Whereupon,

DECEMBER, 1792.]

Reduction of the Army-Coasting Bill-Indian Trade.

The question being put, that the House do agree to the first part of the said motion, in the words following, to wit:

66

Resolved, That the President of the United States be authorized to employ such part of the military force and of the Militia of the United States, as he may judge necessary for the effectual protection of the frontiers; and (if he shall judge it expedient) to carry on offensive operations against the Indians of the five lower Cherokee towns, called Chickamagas:"

It passed in the negative-yeas 21, nays 27, as follows:

YEAS.-Abraham Baldwin, Robert Barnwell, Abraham Clark, William Findley, Thomas Fitzsimons, William B. Giles, Christopher Greenup, Samuel Griffin, Thomas Hartley, Daniel Huger, Richard Bland Lee, John Milledge, Andrew Moore, Frederick Augustus Muhlenberg, William Vans Murray, John Page, Josiah Parker, Thomas Tudor Tucker, Abraham Venable, Alexander White, and Francis Willis.

THURSDAY, December 20.

[H. OF R.

The SPEAKER laid before the House a Letter and Report from the Secretary of the Treasury, on the petition of Ludwig Kuhn; which were read, and ordered to lie on the table.

A memorial of the officers, now residing in the State of Maryland, of the late American Army, in behalf of themselves and their brethren the soldiers of the said Army, was presented to the House and read, praying that the depreciation which accrued on the certificates of Debt granted them in reward for their military services during other relief afforded them as the present circumthe late war, may be made good to them, or such stances of the United States will admit.

Ordered, That the said memorial do lie on the table.

REDUCTION OF THE ARMY.

Mr. STEELE laid a resolution on the table, to the following purport, viz:

NAYS.-John Baptist Ashe, Elias Boudinot, Shear- "That a committee be appointed to prepare and jashub Bourne, Benjamin Bourne, Elbridge Gerry, bring in a bill to reduce the military establishment of Nicholas Gilman, Benjamin Goodhue, Andrew Gregg, the United States to regiments or corps, conDaniel Heister, James Hillhouse, Philip Key, Aaron sisting each of non-commissioned officers, priKitchell, John Laurance, Amasa Learned, George Leo- vates, and musicians, with such proportion of commisnard, Samuel Livermore, Nathaniel Niles, Theodore sioned officers as the President may think proper to Sedgwick, Peter Sylvester, Israel Smith, John Steele, continue in service; and to repeal so much of an act Jonathan Sturges, Thomas Sumpter, Thomas Tred-passed the 5th of March, 1792, entitled 'An act for well, Jeremiah Wadsworth, Artemas Ward, and Hugh Williamson.

And so the said motion was lost.

WEDNESDAY, December 19.

The SPEAKER laid before the House a Letter from the Secretary of War, enclosing an extract of a letter from Brigadier General Wilkinson; also, a copy of a letter from James Seagrove, relative to Indian Affairs; which were read, and ordered to lie on the table.

making further and more effectual provision for the protection of the frontiers of the United States,' as may contravene this intention."

This motion, Mr. STEELE said, he was influenced to bring forward, from two motives: the first was, to afford more effectual protection to the frontiers; the other was, that, by this reduction, a sum of money might be drawn from the War Department, to be applied to the reduction of the Public Debt, so that a necessity for new taxes, to effect that object, may be superceded.

COASTING BILL.

The select committee to whom the coasting bill had been recommitted reported sundry amendments; which were taken into consideration by the House, and all of them agreed to.

Resolved, That the Committee of the Whole House, to whom is referred so much of the Report of the Secretary of the Treasury made on the 3d instant, as relates to a plan for the reimbursement of a certain loan made of the Bank of the United States, be discharged from the consi- tion, which enjoins that every change of the masMr. CLARK objected to a clause in the 12th secderation of the same; and that a committee beter of every packet or ferry boat shall be reported appointed to report a bill authorizing a loan equal at the custom-house the first opportunity. to the sum borrowed of the said Bank, to be applied to the said reimbursement, and providing that so much of the dividend in the stock of Government in the said Bank, as may be necessary, be appropriated for paying the interest of the sum to be borrowed.

Ordered, That Mr. SEDGWICK, Mr. LAURANCE, and Mr. MURRAY, be a committee, pursuant to the

said resolution.

The House resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole House, on the bill to regulate trade and intercourse with the Indian tribes; and, after some time spent therein, the Chairman reported that the Committee had had the said bill under consideration, and made several amendments thereto. Ordered, That the said bill, with the amendments, do lie on the table.

Mr. DAYTON stated the inconveniences to which

the masters and owners of the small coasting craft and packet boats belonging to the State of New Jersey would be particularly exposed by this injunction, where the masters are very frequently changed.

posed to insert the words "ferry-boats excepted." To remove this objection, Mr. GOODнUE proThis motion was adopted.

It was then ordered that the bill be engrossed for a third reading.

INDIAN TRADE.

The amendments reported by the Committee of the Whole to the bill to regulate trade and intercourse with the Indian tribes were taken into consideration.

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Objections were made to the 5th section, which contemplates legislating and punishing crimes committed within the boundaries of the Indian countries. It was contended that the cases mentioned were fully provided for by treaties, or by the laws of the respective States; the whole ground, it was said, is covered by these provisions; and therefore there appears an impropriety, if not an absurdity, in enacting, in a subsequent law, that certain punishments shall be inflicted for certain crimes, which are sufficiently recognised by the several treaties already formed; that the attempt would operate unjustly; the provisions may reach our own citizens, but cannot affect so fully as they ought the savages. It was moved that the whole section should be stricken out.

In opposition to this motion, it was said that the power of the General Government to legislate in all the territory belonging to the Union, not within the limits of any particular State, cannot be doubted; if the Government cannot make laws to restrain persons from going out of the limits of any of the States, and commit murders and depredations, it would be in vain to expect any peace with the Indian tribes. The power of Congress to legislate, independent of treaties, it was also said, must be admitted; for it is impossible that every case should be provided for by those treaties. The question being called for, Mr. CLARK rose and observed, that he conceived it was of importance that the House should vote with their eyes open; and, to enable them to do this, he said he should read the ordinance of the late Congress, passed in 1787, respecting the settlement of the Western country. He observed that he believed 'very few of the members had turned their attention to it. He accordingly read such parts of the ordinance as he thought essential to the point, which was to show that the clause of the bill now under consideration would in its operation violate the solemn stipulations with the settlers contained in the ordinance, as full provision is contained in the ordinance to institute all civil and criminal processes. The motion for striking out the section was negatived. The amendments of the Committee of the Whole were agreed to, with some amendments. Various subsequent amendments were moved, with various success, some being agreed to and others rejected. Without finishing the discussion of the bill, the House adjourned.

FRIDAY, December 21.

Mr. SEDGWICK, from the committee appointed, presented a bill providing for the reimbursement of a Loan made of the Bank of the United States; which was read twice and committed.

A petition of Robert Ralston, Assignee of the estate of Thomas Barclay, was presented to the House and read, praying that payment may be made to him as legal representative of the said Thomas Barclay, for the amount of certain claims for services rendered by him to the United States previous to the 16th day of May, 1791.

Ordered, That the said petition be referred to

[DECEMBER, 1792.

the Secretary of the Treasury, with instruction to examine the same, and report his opinion thereupon to the House.

The House again resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole House, on the bill to ascertain the fees demandable on Admiralty proceedings, in the District Courts of the United States, and to amend, in part, the act, entitled "An act for the government and regulation of seamen in the merchants' service;" and, after some time spent therein, the Committee rose, and reported progress. APPROPRIATION BILL.

Mr. LAURANCE, from the committee appointed, presented a bill making appropriations for the support of Government for the year 1793; which was read twice and committed."

Mr. STEELE proposed that the bill should be postponed to the first Monday in January. He observed that he had laid a motion on the table for a committee to report a bill to reduce the military establishment of the United States. This appropriation bill makes provision for the present establishment; and if it is acted upon and passed immediately it will preclude an opportunity for discussing the merits of the proposition contained in the motion which he had made.

The motion for the first Monday in January was negatived.

Mr. STEELE then moved the last Monday in December; which being put, was carried.

INDIAN TRADE.

The House resumed the consideration of the

bill to regulate trade and intercourse with the Indian tribes. A motion to amend the fifth section by altering the clause which makes it felony for any citizen or citizens of the United States unlawfully to invade any Indian settlement, to fine and imprisonment for that crime, occasioned considerable debate. This motion was finally superceded by one to recommit the bill; which being carried, it was recommitted to the select committee which reported it. On motion, Mr. BALDWIN and Mr. MURRAY were added to the committee.

MONDAY, December 24.

An engrossed bill for enrolling and licensing ships or vessels to be employed in the coasting trade and fisheries, was read the third time and passed.

A memorial of the merchants and traders of the borough of Wilmington, in the State of Delaware, was presented to the House and read, praying that so much of the existing revenue laws of the United States as do not allow a drawback upon goods, wares, and merchandise, unless they are exported from the district or port into which they were originally imported, may be revised and amended.

The SPEAKER laid before the House a Letter from the Secretary of War, accompanying the copy of a Letter from the Governor of Georgia. together with an enclosure, relative to Indian affairs in the Southern department; which were read, and ordered to lie on the table.

DECEMBER, 1792.]

Reimbursement of Loan.

[H. of R.

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Treasury Mr. FITZSIMONS suggested to Mr. CLARK a probe directed to lay before this House an account of viso, agreeable to his own idea, that the interest the application of the moneys borrowed in Ant-be at six or eight per cent. werp and Amsterdam, for the United States, within the present year.

REIMBURSEMENT OF LOAN.

Mr. CLARK replied that he had no doubt it might be had at six per cent., or less.

Mr. WILLIAMSON said he wished the gentleman would point out how he would contrive to preThe House resolved itself into a Committee of vent foreigners from being our creditors, even by the Whole on the bill to provide for a reimburse-confining the Loan to the United States. At an ment of a Loan made of the Bank of the United States-Mr. WHITE in the Chair. The bill was read by the Chairman, and then considered in paragraphs.

The first section being read

Mr. GILES said he was rather in favor of postponing the subject; but if it is peculiarly advantageous to the interest of the United States to make provision for this object immediately, he suggested whether it would not be better, if possible, to provide for it without having recourse to the expedient of a new loan. He was averse to increasing the Debt of the United States by additional loans. He was rather in favor of applying the property belonging to the United States in the Bank of the United States for the purpose. He therefore moved that the section should be stricken out which provides for a loan, in order to substitute a clause providing for the sale of the shares in the Bank, owned by the United States, that the proceeds may be applied to the reimbursement of the Loan.

Mr. SEDGWICK doubted whether the motion was in order, as it went to a totally different object from any specified in the bill.

The Chairman remarked that a motion to strike out the section was in order.

Mr. FITZSIMONS observed that, if the idea of the gentleman was adopted, he was clearly of opinion that the sale of the shares would not produce a sum adequate to the object, as bringing such a number of shares to market would undoubtedly reduce the price greatly below the present market price.

Mr. GILES said he was rather desirous of a postponement of the subject; he was not prepared to decide upon it; he suspected many gentlemen in the Committee were in the same predicament; he would therefore withdraw his motion for striking out, under a pursuasion that no sudden decision would take place.

Mr. FITZSIMONS stated several reasons why the Committee should proceed in the business; particularly as it involves an economical disposal of property now lying useless, and a provision for the support of the public credit; no increase of the public debt is contemplated, said he, but directly the reverse.

Mr. CLARK said he never, while he had a seat in the House, would consent to a foreign loan, unless the exigencies of the country were much greater than at present. He had rather pay seven and a half per cent. to our own citizens than five per cent. to foreigners. He objected to the indefiniteness of the section, and moved to amend it by adding a clause which should confine the Loan within the United States.

interest of six per cent. you will in fact give a premium of above two hundred thousand dollars per annum, which might be saved by opening a Loan at five per cent. in Europe. Devise what contrivance you please, (said Mr. W.,) it must be a foreign Loan.

Mr. BOUDINOT observed that the motion of his colleague amounted to the same thing in the result as the motion for striking out the section. The Loan is now at six per cent.: to say that a new Loan shall be made at six per cent. to pay it off, is losing all the advantages proposed by the bill. He was therefore against the motion.

Mr. GILES moved that the Committee should rise and report progress. He observed that very material information was wanted, in his opinion, to enable the Committee to proceed understandingly in the matter.

The motion for the Committee's rising was put and negatived.

Mr. CLARK's motion to amend the section, by adding the word "within" before "United States," was also negatived.

The Committee proceeded through the discussion of the remaining sections.

Mr. MADISON offered several observations to show the propriety of postponing the bill for a few days, in order to the members having time to revolve in their minds several propositions which have been suggested in relation to this subjectwhether by an appropriation of the sum, which it is said now lies dormant in the Treasury, whether by a sale of the shares in the Bank, or by a Loan, to provide for the object.

Mr. FITZSIMONS stated some objections to what fell from the gentleman last speaking. The gentleman's idea goes to an immediate interference with an appropriation already made, and leaves to a contingency a provision to supply its place.

Mr. MADISON replied to Mr. FITZSIMONS. He thought the gentleman offered as good a reason as he could have suggested in favor of applying the money in the Treasury to the object now in question.

Mr. GILES urged postponement. He remarked that the zeal shown by some gentlemen to precipitate the matter to a decision, amounted to an exercise of deliberation on the subject.

Mr. SEDGWICK stated several reasons which rendered it absolutely necessary that no delay should take place.

A motion being made that the Committee should rise and report the bill, the same being put, was agreed to.

The Committee rose accordingly, and reported the bill, with one amendment; which was, to strike out the word "fifteen," in the first section,

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referring to the time for which the Loan should be made. This amendment was agreed to by the House, and the bill laid on the table by general

consent.

WEDNESDAY, December 26.

Mr. BENSON, from the committee appointed, presented a bill to provide for the allowance of interest on the sum ordered to be paid by the resolve of Congress of the 28th of September, 1785, as an indemnity to the persons therein named; which was read the first time.

REIMBURSEMENT OF LOAN.

The House proceeded to consider the bill providing for the reimbursement of a Loan made of the Bank of the United States, which lay on the table. Whereupon,

A motion was made and seconded to amend the said bill by striking out the first section, in the words following, to wit:

[DECEMBER, 1792.

Mr. SEDGWICK, who was of the committee that reported the bill, rose to reply to Mr. MADISON. He said, that the subject involved a degree of delicacy at present which perhaps it would be better not to express. It is known that money has been borrowed for certain purposes which has not yet been applied; but this money, he thought, ought not to be diverted to other purposes, without providing a substitute to replace the sum which might be diverted, and such provision ought to be made before the time when it would be wanted to answer the original appropriation. In reply to Mr. STEELE, he said, this new loan was not intended to increase the debt of the United States, but to decrease it by paying a debt bearing an interest of six per cent. with a loan at five.

Mr. MADISON said, that either the public money lying dormant in the Treasury is or is not appropriated. If it is appropriated for carrying on the Indian war, he was of opinion it could not be touched by a diversion in favor of the Bank, upon "Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Repre-loan to answer the original specific appropriation. the uncertainty of having it replaced by a fresh sentatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the President of the United States be, Perhaps (said Mr. M.) I am ignorant of my situaand he is hereby, authorized to cause to be borrowed, on tion; if so, I hope gentlemen will relieve me by behalf of the United States, a sum not exceeding two explaining candidly the real state of the matter. millions of dollars, at an interest not exceeding five per Mr. BALDWIN had recourse to the two acts for centum per annum, to be applied to the reimbursement empowering the President to borrow twelve milof a loan made of the Bank of the United States, in pur-lions of dollars, and afterwards two millions. The suance of the eleventh section of the act entitled An act to incorporate the subscribers to the Bank of the United States: Provided, That no engagement or contract shall be entered into which shall preclude the United States from reimbursing any sum or sums borrowed within years after the same shall be lent

or advanced."

former was to answer an existing demand against the United States; the latter was made at the Bank for another purpose, and all that is demandable is the first instalment and interest, which he was willing to have discharged, but he was opposed to replacing it by a new foreign loan. He remarked, that the United States had been reguMr. STEELE declared himself in favor of the in- lar in paying off their interest and instalmentstention of the bill. He wished the honor of the and of the foreign debt there is only a part decountry to be preserved, and its debts duly dis- mandable-but the disposition of the whole is discharged, as much as any man; but he could not liked; and it is in the power of the United States approve of the repeated practice of making new to alter it, by making provision for the whole loans. The facility of borrowing money is mostly amount, if they please to do so. The President is attended with dangerous consequences, both to authorized to do this, provided he can do it on adindividuals and to States. For his part, notwith- vantageous terms. The creditors were not constanding the unpopular appearance of direct tax-sulted when this law was made, and the United ation, he would prefer it to the system of loans. He was anxious to hear the opinions of other gentlemen, and wished the subject might be fairly discussed, in order to afford an opportunity for which, he had moved that the first section of the bill be struck out, so that, if this motion should prevail, some other plan than borrowing might be substituted.

Mr. GILES seconded the motion.

Mr. MADISON was desirous to hear the reasons that could be given by the friends of the bill for requiring so much greater a loan than the sum demandable by the Bank. He observed, that there was a large balance of money lying in the Treasury unappropriated, at least, to his knowledge. If, however, this balance was appropriated by the Executive, he wished to know it. He did not suppose but that if it was, it must have been done with propriety; and he would be one of the last men in the House to injure any existing appropriation.

States will be guilty of no breach of faith provided they pay their interest and instalments as they fall due.

Mr. GERRY went over the laws respecting the former loans, and the law for redeeming the public debt, also the act for making the loan at the Bank. From all which, he argued that the question was simply reduced to this: Whether the President shall be empowered to take up a loan at five to pay a sum borrowed at six per cent. interest, and provisionally to make use of the money obtained by loan which is at present lying inactive? And if this be not agreed to, the United States must go on paying to the Bank annually, for ten years, two hundred thousand dollars; and, at the end of that time, fifty-five thousand dollars more will have been paid there, if the President was now authorized to borrow at five per cent. The question, therefore, was, is this sum worth saving? For his part, he was against paying a higher interest anywhere than five per cent.; and, with re

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