knowiedged by an eastern author, Mr. Morse, an authority which lie presumed would not be till - putcd by the northern gentlemen,efpecially when it was considered he was a clergyman. Mr. Morse declares that grog is a necefl'ary article of drink in the southern Slates. Mr Jackson took notice -of the petition of the college of phyfuians, which had been lately read in the house on the fubje<ft of distilled spirits.— He disapproved highly of their interfering in the buftnefs. He thought they might with equal propriety, interpose their offices to prevent the life of many other articles which were deemed pernicious or of a poisonous quality—He instan ced mujhrooms—They might petition Congress to pass a law inrerdidtingthc use o( ketchup, because ibnie ignorant perfonshad been poisoned by eat ing mulhrooms. Mr. Jackson then gave a ihort lketch of the liiftory of excises in England. He said they al ways had been considered by the people of that country as an odious tax, from the time of Oliver Cromwell, to the present day—even Blackftone, a high prerogative lawyer, has reprobated them. He said, lie hoped this country would take warn ing by the experience of the people of Great-Bri tain—and not facrifice their liberties by wanton ly contracting debts which would render it ne cefl'ary to burthen the people by such taxes as would swallow up their privileges. We are, said he,toomuchin the habit of imitating that coun try —and I plainly perceive that the time will come, when afliirtfhall notbewalhed withoutan excise He then expatiated on the unequal operation ofexcifes—and inllailced the experience of this State. A few counties, said he, approximate to the capital, have borne the weight of the whole —while the clillant parts of the State did not feel the burthen—and by an induction of several par ticulars, he shewed its unequal operation in the l'outhern States. It will, laid he, deprive the mafsof the people of almost the only luxury they enjoy, that of diltilled spirits. He did not fee the necelfity of parting this law the present ses sion. The amount of the produce of the duties laid the lad session, is not yet known—nor is it yet ascertained whether the citizens will fubferibe to the aflumption. Let us not lay a tax for a pur pose, which may never exirt—.for my part, said he, 1 hope they never will fubferibe. He then adverted to the excess of the duties already laid, and the probability of a great encreal'e of that excess—and urged the propriety of waiting at least another quarter to lee what that excess may amount to. These observations he enforced by recurring to the recent t ran faction's of the States of Mary land, Virginia, and North-Carolina-—and he ex peifted to hear very jliortly that the AHembly of Georgia had exprelled limilar opinions with the latter States on the business of the aflumption. He concluded by expressing a general dilap probation of the various parts of the bill. M. Parker said he had seconded the motion of the gentleman from Georgia not because he was more averse to this particular clause, than 10 t'ie fublequent parts of the bill. He exceedingly disliked the several provisions contained in it. He then adverted to the general process of the revenue business the last fellion—and oblerving on the conduct of the mercantile intereft,to which so much credit had been given, laid, he thought they were not entitled to the liberal encomiums ■which had been bellowed on thein for their prom tiuule in paying the duties, as the certainty and increase of the revenue, had served to enhance the value of the public securities, of which it is ■well known, they hold a very considerable pro portion He then touched on the subsequent parts of the sill, which he reprobated, as hollile to the liber ties of the people—as contrary to the general sen timent, nor only as partial and unequal, in the mode of afleflment, but particularly oil account of the mode of collecting the tax. lc will, said he, convulse the government—l twill let loose a swarm of harpies, who, under the denomination of re venue officers, will range thro the country, pry ing into every man's houfeand affairs—and like a Macedonian phalanx bear down all before them —And tho the government has proceeded with adegree of prosperity and success beyond the molt sanguine expectations, yet he very much doubt ed the policy of trying its strength by an expe l imept of this nature. Recurring to the atftual and probable produce of the duties already laid, he attempted to Ihew that the additional sum of upwards of 800,000 dollars contemplated to be railed by this bill, is not neccllary. He controverted tlie policy of the measure, and contended, that it would, in all probability, ra ther diminifli than increase the revenue of the United States : For the mercantile part of the community, who have been applauded for acting so honorably in making their entries, and pay ing the impolV, will fiad it for their interell to al wr their condu<£t ; they will combine to defeat the excise, which will in its operation bear so unequally on them. Ileobje&ed -very particularly to the : biil on ac count of its tendency to promote smuggling.—- Mr. Parker laid no man was more heartily dil pofed than he was, to give his approbation oi every juif measure, for fupparting the public credit—and doing every thing in his power to fupporr tlVe conlthutional operations of the go vernment ; but this mode of 1 ailing a revenue, heconfidered as particularly odious to the people ; and at the present moment, he was not i'atisfied that such an encreafe of the public burthens are neceflary. Mr. Stone said he had no objedlion to the de sign of the bill, so far as an additional revenue was neceflary ; but the mode of railing it by ex cise, he exceedingly d.ifliked. He had no doubt that other means might be deviled—but, at pre fenr, he thought the committee was not futiici ently informed refpedting the adl'ia] and proba ble amount of the revenue from the duties alrea dy imposed, to determine the neceflity of an ad-' dition to the revenue. He therefore moved that the commit tee fhoultt rife, without any further difcullion of the bill at this time, and that a fe ledt committee should be appointed to make the neceflary previous enquiries upon the fubjedt, and report to the house. Mr. Fitzfimons observed, that there was alrea dy on the table a statement from the proper offi ces of the produdt of the revenue, from Sept. 1 789, to Sept. 1 790. This statement was read The'motion forthe committee's rising was put and loft. The question on Mr. Jackson's motion for striking out the clause, was put and negatived by a great majority. Mr. Fitzfimons moved that the third clause should be struck out, and that a clause should be inferred referring to a clause in the collection law. The objedt of this motion was to ffiorten the proposed term of credit forthe duties, to four months, which, Mr. Fitzfimons observed, was as long a period as was generally required to turn Welt-India produce into cash—and an extension of the credit beyond that time would be no ad vantage to the merchant, and would prove inju rious to the revenue. Mr. Goodhue said he hoped the clause would not be struck out. that no possible injury to the revenue could arise from extending the time of credit beyoiid four months, especially as the duties will be secured by fufficient bonds or deposits. He hoped the bill \fould be made as easy and as palatable as possible, for in any event it will be an unpleafan: business. Mr. Lavvrance, Mr. Partridge, Mr. Ames and Mr. Sedgwick, severally objected to the motion. Mr. Sherman was iiv favor of it. He said it appeared to liitn to be neceflary that the revenue of the United States fltould be as (table as pofli ble ; he considered an undue extension of the credit for the duties, as tending ro defeat that ob ject, while it proves no advantage to the feller of the duticd articles ; it rather creates a remifsand :arelefs habit in doingbufinefs, and in its confe rences will render the revenue unproductive. t- 1 ♦ • • The motion for {h iking out was negatived The committee proceeded in the difcuflion as far as the twelfth fetftioti,without making any es sential alteration. They then lose and reported progress. Mr. FitzQinons prefehted the petition of Pa trick Caldwell, praying compensation for dama ges done to his farm and lands during the late war—referred to the Secretary of the Treasury. Mr. Ames presented a petition from the Bap tist Aflociation of Maflachufetts. and of Rhode- Island, praying the interposition of Congress to provide for corredl editions of the Bible—read and laid on the tabla. Mr. Parker laid the following refolutioti on the table :—That the Secretary of the Treasury be directed to lay before the house an estimate of the probable amount of the duties arising from the import on the tonnage of flrips and veifels, and on goods, wares anjl merchandize, from the firft January, ixpij to fiyft January, 1792. Adjourned. THURSDAY, Jan. 6 Mr. Boudinot presented the petition of Jacob Phillips—prayingcompanfation forfupplies, fur, niflied during the late War ■, —read and referred to the Secretary of Treasury. Mr. Benfon presented petitions from the fol lowing persons—viz, Abraham Davis, John Post, Donald McDonald and John Miles—which were read, and referred to the Secretary of War. Mr. Clymer presented the petition of William Cook—stating the loss of several Loan-Office cer tificates, and praying that they maybe renewed, —laid on the table- " ' Mr. Madison of the committee on the memo rial of John Churchman; brot in a report—which stated that there were two objects contemplated in the memorial ; the firft resetted equippino one or more veflels to enable the memorialill to ascertain, by a "oyage, the truth of his man-netical theory—the other refpefts enhancing the 1 penal ty imposed by law, for counterfeiting original 698 n;aps and charts : With respect to the fir ft, the committee declined giving any opinion ; but left it to the decision of the legifla'tore—the other ob jedttlie committee supposed might be accomplish ed by an increase of the penalty already provi ded by law—the report was laid on the table. A meflage was received from the Senate, with the bill, tocontinue an act intituled " an adt, de claring the alient of Congress to certain adts of ltates of Rhode-Island, Maryland and Georgia, concurred in with amendments—the amendments were to strike out " Maryland"—and to reduce the term proposed by the House, for the continu ance of the adl from five years, to one year. Another meflage was received from the Senate by their secretary, informing, that he was dired.- ed to bring to the house the proceedings of the Senate, on the bill for the relief of Shubael Swaine —which beiug read, it appeared that the Senate had negatived that bill. A letter from the Secretary of the treasury was communicated by the speaker, a ltate ment of the amount of the d uties on tonnage for one year, from the lit of October 1789 to the 30 September 1790 :—alfo a report relative to ap. propriations for purposes therein mentioned— 300 copies of these papers were ordered to be print ted for the house. Mr. Floyd of the committee on enrolled bills, reported that the committee had examined the bill providing forthe unladingof ships and other veflels, iixcafes of obftrudtions by Ice, and found the fame duly enrolled—the speaker then affixed his signature to the bill. In committee of the whole, on the bill repeal-' ing after the last day of next the atft laying duties on distilled spirits &c. and impo pofing others in their stead. Mr. Boudinot in the chair. The 12th feclion which fpecifies the rates of the duties' being read, Mr. Parker moved that it should be beftruck out —in order to admit a sub stitute, which should provide for aJdWerent mode of railing the requisite additional revenue; —the propofltion he had in view, he said wr.s a duty on Molafles—this he observed would aufwer every purpose, without being liable to the objections which had been offered against the plan of the bill. Mr. Madison observed, that lie had felt the force of the objections which had been urged a gainfl the bill : He was its general principled a gainst Excises—but of all excises, that on ardent 1 pirits he confldered the least exceptionable.— Tlie question now to be determined he conceived was this, is an addition to the present amoent-of the revenue necefiaty ? It had appeared that an addition is neceflary—for his own part he should prefer diretft taxation to any excises what ever ; but he conceived this would be contrary to the sentiments of a majority of the people of the United States—and he was fully convinced that it was contrary to the opinion of a great ma jority of the house. If laid he, any mode could be adopted, without having recourse to excises, he would be the 1 alt that ffiould give them hisfup port ; but he conceived there was none, and the plan proposed was diverted of themoft exception able provilions usually connected with an Excise System. Mr. Jackson observed, that his defeat yesterday fliould not deter him, while he had a monitor within, from riling in his place to do his dury, in oppolilion to a system unfriendly to the liber ties ol the people. He ft id he was not the firft on this floor, who had been outvoted by silent ma jorities : Gentlemen of superior abilities had met withfimilar treatment—He however felt foinuch rcfpedl for himfelf, as to suppose that thisfilence proceeded from an inability to answer the argu ments which he had the honor to oifer againlt what he considered a nioft ruinous and inifchicv ous system of taxation. He then Hated certain particulars refpe&ing the produce of the revenue, to ftiew, that lo great a funi as is propoled to be raised by excise, was unneceflary. He doubted not other resources of revenue might be explored, which would be more pala table : He instanced a tax 011 salaries, pensions, and lawyers—and iuthefe particulars, hewiftied that the example of Great Britain might be fol lowed. He then dilated on the practice of finuggling, which he contended would be promoted by this bill, also the difficulties and opposition which was jutfly to be expected, by which the dignity of the government would be insulted. Can this govern ment, said he, protect its officers from the refent tnents of any one State in the Union : He re probated the idea of placing the government in such a situation. Mr. Lawrance observed that he doubted noc every gentleman's mind was open to convicftion, and he hoped and expecfted that every question would be treated dispassionately. He did not rife yesterday to anfvver the gentleman, because he was not inipreffed witlithe force of his arguments in the manner the gentleman fuppoled the house was. He then adverted to the a<ft of the lad feflion by which thedfbrs of rhe particular States were
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