MEMORIAL of the Hon. ROBERT MORRIS, to
the Legislature of the United States..
SIR,
J TAKE the liberty to trouble you with the enclosed memorial,
and must pray you to lay it before the House of Representatives.
The requtil which is therein made, will be found lo consonant
with justice, that I cannot doubt of its being granted. Permit me
through you, Sir, to make another, which is, that the said memo
rial may be entered at large on the Journals of the House.
I have the honor to be,
with great refpeft and esteem,
Sir, your obedient humble servant,
ROBERT MORRIS.
New-York, Feb. 8, 1790.
To the Honorable the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the
United States.
To The President, the Senate, and Houss of Represen
tat 1 v es, of the United States of America.
The MEMORIAL of ROBERT MORRIS, late fuperintendant oj
the Finances of the said United States
HUMBLY SHEWETH,
THAT on the twentieth day of June, onethoufand (even hun
dred and eighty five, and subsequent to your memorialist's resig
nation of his office of fuperintendant, the Congress paired a relo
lution in the words following : " Rcfolved, That three commifli
oners be appointed to enquire into the receipts and expenditures of
public monies, during the administration of the late Superinten
dant of Finance, and to examine and adjust the accounts of the
United States with that department, during his administration,
and to report a state thereof to Congress which resolution, to
persons unacquainted with the nature of the office, and the mode
of conduttins the business of the department, gave occasion to the
supposition, that your memorialist had accounts both difficult and
important to fettle with the United States, in refpeft to his official
tranfa&ions. That though your memorialist forefaw the difagrce
able consequences which might result to himfelf from the diftu
fion o such an opinion, he not withstanding, not only forbore anv
representation on the lubjett, but scrupulously avoided every spe
cies of interference dirett or indiVett, left it should be imagined,
either thnt he was attuated by the desire of. obtaining from Con
gress those marks of approbation, which had in repeated instances
been bestowed on the servants oi the public, or that he feared to
meet the proposed investigation. Refpe&for the sovereign of the
United States, concurring with motives of delicacy, to forbid even
the appearance of asking, what if merited, it was to be presumed
would beconfered, (as being the proper reward of services, not of
folicitation)and a firm confidence in the re&itudc of his condutt,
leaving your inemorialift no inducement to evade any enquiry in
to it, which it might be thought fit to institute
That your memorialist taking it for granted, that the reasons
which had produced a determination to establish a mode of en
quiry into the tranfa£lions of the most important office under the
government would have ensured a profecutou of the object till it
had been carried into effect, long remained in silent expe&ation
of the appointment of commiflioners, according to the resolution
which had been entered into for that purpose. But it has so hap
pened, from what cause ) our memorialist will not undertake to
explain,that no further steps have ever been taken in relation to it :
And your memorialist has remained exposed to the surmises,
which the appearance of an intention to enquire into his conduct
had a tendency to excise, without having been afforded an oppor
tunity of obviating them. That the unsettled condition of certain
accounts of a commerical nature between the Unitel States, and
the late house of Willing, Morris and company, and your me
morialist prior tohis appointment as Superintendant of the finan
ces, having been confounded with his tranfattions in thru capaci
ty, your memorialist has in various ways been fubje&ed to
injurious imputations on his official conduct, the only fruits of
Cervices, which at the time they were rendered, he trusts* he may
without incuring the charge of picfumption, affirm, were general
ly eftcemrd both important and meritorious* and wereatleaft ren
dered with ardor and zeal, with unremitted attention, and unwea
ried application.
That your mcmorialift defirousof rescuing his reputation from
the afpcrfions thrown upon it, came in the month of O&ober,
1788, to the city of New-York, as well for ihe purpose of urgirlg
the appointment of commiflioners to infpeft his official transac
tions, as for that of procuring an adjustment of the accounts which
existed previous to his administration. But the firft objrft was
fruftrated by the want of a fuflficient number of members to make
a Congress, and the last was unavoidably delayed by the pre
liminary Hivefligations requisite on the part of the commiflioner
named by the late h«ard of treasury, towards a conjpet-ent know
ledge of the business. That in the month ot February, 1789,
your mcmorialift returned to New-York, for the fame purposes,
but the obstacles which he had before experienced, still operated
to put it out of his power to prcfent the memorial whichhad been
prepared by him in October, praying for an appointment of com
miflioners. That he was therefore obliged to confine himfelf to
measures for the fcttlement of his accounts refpe&ingthe transac
tions antecedent to his appointment as Superintendant, which he
entered upon accoidingly with the commiirioner appointed by the
board of treasury : and in which, as much progress as time and
eircumftances would permit was made until the fourth of March
last, when that commiflioner, conceiving his authority, by the or
ganization of the new government to have ceafcd, declined fur
ther proceedings, and of course, your memorialist was obliged to
wait the establishment of the new treasury department for the fur
ther prosecution of that fealerrient, which has been accordingly
refumcd, tind he hopes will speedily be accomplished. But in as
much, as no mode of enquiry into his official conduct has hitherto
been put into operation, and as doubts of its propriety have been
raised by'nn a£t of the government, your memorialist conceives
himfelf to have a claim upon the public justice, for some method of
vindicating himfelf which will be unequivocal and definitive.
Wherefore, and encouraged by a consciousness of the integrity of
his administration, youi memorialist is desirous that a ftrift ex
amination should be had into his condu£l while in office, in order
that if he has been guiltv of mal-adminiftration, it may be dc
tc&ed and puniftied ; if otherwise, that his innocence may be man
ifefted and acknowledged. Unwilling from this motive, that
longer delav (hould attend the object of the resolution which has
been recited, your memorialist humbly prays that an appoint
ment of cornm iflioners may take place, to carry the said refofution
intoeffett. And your memorialist as in duty bound, will pray,
ROBERT MORRIS.
New-York, Feb. 8 1790.
CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES,
At the second Seflion, begun and held at the City of New-York,
on Monday the fourth day of January, one thousand seven hun
dred and ninety.
An ACT for giving effect to the fcvcral a£ls therein mentioned,
in refpeft to the State of North-Carolina, and other purposes.'
BE it enaffed by the Senate and Htm ft of Representatives of the Uni
ted States of America, in Congrefi alfemblcd, that the Jeveral and
refpeflive duties fpecifed and laid, in and by the aB, entitled, « An ast
for las ing a duty on goods, waies amd merchandizes imported into the
United Statesand in and by the a/1, entitled, " An all impojing duties
on tonnage," [halt be paid and collefled upon all goods, ivares and mer
chandizes,which after the erpirationof. thirty days from t't paging of this
all, Pall be imported it, to. the of North Carolina, from any foreign
port or place, and upon the tonnage of allfkips and vejfeh, which, afur
the fa d di\, flail he entered within thef.iidflaUpf North Carolina, fub
ecl to tin exceptions, qualijicaticits ', allowances, and abatements in the
fuid atls contained or exprejfed; which aSs jka.ll be deemed to nave the
like force an/i operation within the said Jlate of North Carolina, as else
where within the United States, _
And be it further cnailtd, That for the due collection ofthe J. nd duties
there Jhall be in thefridfiate if Aorth Carolina, jive dijtruts—one to be
galled the diJlriQ of Wilmington, andto comprehend all the waters,Jhores,
"bays, harborc, creeks and inlets, from Little River inlet, inchjive, to New
River inlet mclufive. Another to be called the dijlriS of Newbern, and
to comprehend ail the waters fhorcs, bays, harbors, creeks and inlets,from
New River inlet, exclufwe, toOccacock inlet, mclufive, together with Pam
ticoe Sbund (except that part of it into which the Pamtuoe or Tarr and
Machapunga Rivers empty thenijclves, and which lies between the Royal
Shea! extended to Machapunga blujf, and the shoal which projeffs jrom the
mouth of Pamticoe river towards the Royal Shoal.) Another to be called
the dt/iriß of Washington, and to comprehend .ill that part oj Pamticoe
Sound excepted, out of the dijlrid of Newbern, and the waters, shores,
bays, harbors, creeks and inlets adjacent to, and communicating with the
fame. Another to be called the dijlritl oj Edenton, and to comprehend
all the waters, bays, harbors, creeks ai d inlets, from the channel between
Pamticoe Sound and Albemarle Sound incltfive. The other to be called
the dijlriß of Cambden, and to comprehend North River, Pafquotank,
ipd Little River, and all the waters, shores, bays, harbors, creeks and
inlets, from the junction of Currituck and Albemarle Sounds,to the north
ern extremity of Back Bay. That in the diflriß of Wilmington, the
town of Wilmington /hall be a port oj entry and delivery, and Swanjbo
rourh a port of delivery only; and there shall be a collector, naval officer
anafurveyor,to reside at the fiidtown of Wilmington, and a surveyor to
reside at Swar.fborovgb. That in the diflricl of Newbern, the town of
Newbern shall be a port of entry and delivery, and the town of Beaufort a
port of delivers' only ; and therefhall be a collector to reside at Newbern,
and afurveyor to reside at Beaufort. That in the diflricl of Washington
the town of Washington shall be the sole port of entry and delivery, and
there shall beacolleßor to reside at thefame. That in the diflriß of Eden
ton, the town of Edenton shall be a port of entry and delivery, and Hert
ford, Murphcfborough, Plymouth, Windsor, Skewarkey, Wintonand Ben
net's (reek, ports of delivery ; and there shall be a collector at the town
of Edenton, and a surveyor at Hertford, another Surveyor at Murpheyf
borouoh, one surveyor at each of the ports of Plymouth, Windsor, Skewar
key, Winton, and Bennet's Creek. That all ships or vessels intending to
proceed to Hertford, Plymouth, Windsor, Skewarkey, Winton, Bennet's
Creek, or Murphey/borough, fhallfirfl come to, and enter at the port of
Edenton. That in the dijlriß of Cambden, Plankbridve on Sawyer's
Creek, shall be the port of entry and delivery, and Nixonton, Indiantown,
Newbiggin Creek, Currituck inlet, and Pafquotank River-Bridge, ports
oj delivery ; and there shall be a collector at Plankbridge, on Sawyer's
Creek, and a surveyor at each of the ports of Nixonton, Indiantown, Cur
rituck inlet, Pafquotank River-Bridge, ana Newbiggin creek. And that
the authority of the ojficcrs of each dijlriß shall extend over all the wa
ters, shores, bays, harbors, creeks and inlets comprehended within such
diflriß.
And be it further enacted, That the ports of Wilmington, ATew
bern, Washington, and Eden ton, fiall be the sole ports of entry within
the said State of North-Carolina, for ships or vejfels not regijiered or
licenced within the United States, according to law, and for all /hips or
vejfels whatsoever, which shall arrive from the Cape of Good Hope, or
any place beyond the fame.
And be it further enabled, That all the regulations, provisions, ex
ceptions, allowances, compensations, directions, authorities, penalties,for
feitures, and other matters whatsoever, contained or exprejjed in the act,
entitled, " An ad to regulate the collection of the duties rnpofed by law
on the tonnage of ships or vejfels, and on goods wares, and merchan
dizes, importedintothe UniteaStates," and not locally inapplicable, shall
have the like force and effect within, the said St Ate of North-iarohna,
for the collection of the said duties, as elsewhere within the United States,
and at if the fame were repeated, and re-enacted in this present act.
Provided always, and be it declared, That the thirty-ninth section of
the f*idact, and the third section of an act, entitled, " An act to suspend
part of an act, entitled, " An act to regulate tfie collection of the duties
impojed by law on the tonnage of ships or veJJcls, and on goods, wares
and merchandizes imported into the United States, and for other pur
pofi," did, by virtue of (he adoption of the conflitution of the United
States, by the said State of North-Carolina, ceafc to operate in lefpect
to the fame.
And be it further enacted and declared, That the act, entitled, "An
act for regijlering and clearing vejfels, regulating the coajling trade,
and for other purposes, ,} shall, afttr the'expiration of thirty days fiom
the pafjing of this act, hate the like force and operation within the said
State of North-Carolina, at elsewhere zvithin the United States, and as if
thefeveral clauses thereof were repeated, and re-enacted in this present
act. J
And he it further enacted, That the second section of the act, entitled,
" An act to ftfpevd part of an act, entitled an act to regulate the col
lection of duties imj'ofcd by law, on the tonnage ofJhips or vejfe/s, and on
goods, wares, and merchandizes, imported into the United States, and
for other purposes," pafed the sixteenth day of September lafl, shall,
with respect to the inhabitants and citizens of the flute of Rhode-ljland
and Providence plantations, be revived, and. afo, that the fourth section
of thefaid act shall be revived, and both continue in force until the frfl
day of April next, and vo longer.
FREDERICK AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG,
Speaker of the House of Representatives
JOHN ADAMS, Vice-President of the United States
and Prefidcnt of the Senate
Approved, February the Bth, 1700
GEORGE WASHINGTON, Prefidcnt of the United States
CONGRESS
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 10.
ON motion,the memorial of Robert Morris was
read the second time.
The request which accompanied the memorial
that it may be entered at large on the Journals of
the House being alforead
Mr. Scot moved that it should be entered ac
cordingly, whioh pafled in the affirmative.
It was then voted that this memorial should be
referred to a fele<fl'committee, and Mr. Madison
M. Sedgwick and Mr. Sherman were appointed'.
In committee of the whole on the report of the
Secretary of the Treasury— Mr. Scot's amend
ment under consideration.
Mr. Scot observed that the object contained in
the above amendment is of so important a nature
that two or three days more spent upon it will
be time well employed.— It involves the whole
doi r trineof discrimination and liquidation— those
great points once established, the way will be o
pened to proceed in the discussion of the princi
ple of the report.-—That reper:, provided the
principles of it are jufl and equitable, is a mas
terly performance, and does great honor to the
framer of it.—lt has been fan! that the domestic
debt of the United States must be considered in
the light of a fair and jull contract which cannot
be violated.—l never considered it in this view-
Let us revert back to the time when the public
lecuiiiies, so called, were received by those, who
350
had through blood and llaugliter eftablilhed the
liberties of the country.—Did they consider them
as a contract to be made good agreeable to the
terms exprefl'ed in the bills they received ? No
Sir—they did not—how did they eftiniate their
value? Why, Sir, taking into confederation the
circumstances of their country at the moment
they had compleated and eftablilhed its independ
ence—in addition to all their other laci ifices they
added this, they were contented to receive 2/6
in lieu of lof. He then -enlarged on jhe injus
tice that would accrue from funding the whole
debt agreeable to the face of the fee unties—and
of taxing those who had made lb great and noble
a facrifice, to make good the securities to their
present pofleflors—and observed that Uriel, yn
partial justice required that the securities fhoultl
be reduced to their real value, and a
tion of the whole made before funds are prcvi.
ded to pay the interel};. —When this confollda
tion iseffe<Sed, the interest ought to be pun&u.
ally paid at fix per cent.—From some valuations
which he had made, it appeared that some millions
of the debt were unliquidated. He controvert
ed the dodrine that the present poileftor of pnb
lie securities Hood in the place of the original
holder.
With refpedl to those characters of whom lie
spoken so highly, it had been said thai many of
them held sentiments different from those he was
now advocating—to which he obferved,thatfome
who were once soldiers, had loft all title to the
honorable appellation by commencing lpecula
tors.—Thefe, like a woman in marriage, having
changed their name, by wedding speculation, no
longer speak the language of soldiers but of /pe
culators.
Mr. Hartley said he was opposed to the amend
ment, not only on account of the mode of ex
prellion used in it—but also on account of the
very reasons urged by the gentleman in support
of it.— lam one of those said he, to whom the
gentleman alludes, having been in the army ;
though 1 never speculated in public securities—
but beg leave to differ from him with refpedt to
a difcriinination, or postponing the present bu
siness.—He then referred to the resolution of the
last session when they resolved that provision
ought to be made to support the public credit
the idea of a discrimination I believe never en
tered into the contemplation of any person lie
represented the injustice, difficulty, and expence
of the measure of a re-liquidation—the principle
on which the public securities were originally
iflued and received, he infilled were totally dif
ferent from the idea held up by the gentleman,
andtheaflertion that they were received by the
soldier on the idea of their being worth only 2/6
in the pound has 110 foundation whatever—
he shewed the capacity of the country to pay its
debts ; being in pofleflion of great resources
which have not been glanced at by the Secretary,
in his report —this circumstance of our ability,
greatly enhances the obligation to dojuftice.—
He defended the principle of a funding system
—as wife and politic in itfelf, and being faniftion
ed by the experience of the molt flourifhing
countries in the world—Great-Britain, by virtue
of her funds, and paper credit, has extended her
commerce and manufactures—and raised her cha*
racSler to the most refpeftable rank, in the scale
of nations—He then instanced in the history 'of
Frederick the 2d King of Prussia to shew the ef
fects of a contrary fyftein—that monarch accum
ulated in his coffers specie to the amount of joo
millions crowns—while his whole people were
poor and wretched—he added a few. other ob
servations—and concluded by faying, that' tbo
he wasforry to differ from his colleague for whose
judgment he had a high efteein, yet he muftvote
against the amendment
Mr. Sedgwick entered into a general considera
tion of the subject of providing for the eftablilh
nient of public credit—he laid he believed that
government had a right to interfere in certain ca
ses with contracts public and private, and inflan
ced the condudt of Congress on former occasions
with re(pe<si to paper money, and the confoliila
tion of demands against the public—the great
point to be fettled in the present business is our
capacity to fulfil the exilting engagements of the
country to its creditors—He should be in favor
°f fulfilling those engagements as far as our a
bilities extended—on this question there may be
various opinions—he should think himfelf bound
to acquiesce in the decision that shall be made
after a due invelligation of our refonrces ; but
was clearly of opinion that any further procras
tination of the business would encreafe the dif
ficulty of a final determination—the pernicious
confequencesof speculation will be encreafed—
for tho that business is neceflarjly connerted
with a transferable debt—and derives its value
from it in a great degree, and the public credit
is thereby promoted ; yet when persons are
seduced from the more ufeful occupations of
life, and commence gamblers in the public funds,
he thought the policy of any system that would
promote iuch ("peculation ought to be reprobated
he concluded by faying that very dangerous
consequences to the government were to be ap
prehended from delays in funding the public debt.