j-VR THE GAZETTE OF THE UXITED STATES, MR. FENNO, Agreeable to thi hint hi No. 74 of your Gazette, J fend yon the fotlnniing, which may enable your readers to form foine ideas on THE PRESENT STATE OF THE AMERICAN NATION Population of the united states, Whites, 3,300,000 Blacks, 700,000 *Pieprefentatives to the general government, 65 Number of" fouls to each representative, 61,53s Number of males between 16 anil 60, Whites, 825,000 Blacks, 175j° 00 Number of persons exempted from militia service, about — — — Number of fighting men from 18 to 45, about — — — 600,00 Cross amount oj duties, impoji and taxes, culhiied in the year I 790. For fupportof the general government, payment of foreign interest, and to create a finking fund, 2,500,000 Forfupport of the State governments, 1,500,000 Each foul pays i dollar.—Each male between 16 and 60, pays 4 dollars The amount to be collected in the present year will be greater, because piovifion rauft be made for paying the interest on the national debt. — The whole gross amount that will be necellary, may be computed at 6,000,000 dollars-)- —out ot ■which the United States may have a finking fund, which, in addition to the Western lands, may reduce the debt, in a period of time not very long, to a trifle. Each foul will then pay ij dol lar. Each man, between 16 and 60, would pay 6 dollars ; but when it is considered that the re venue of the United States is chiefly collected by duties on consumption, and that the rich consume more than the poor, it is probable that the poorer class of citizens will not pay half a dollar a year. The debt of the United States divides itfelf into foreign and domestic. The foreign debr,the interest of which is payable in Europe, including t.lie last 2,000,000 loan, may be comput ed at — — — This part of the debt is liable to augmentation, as-there is power to borrow 12,000,000 to dif chargc arrearages of interest, and to effedl some changes in the debt, beneficial io the Union. The domestic debt may be as follows—ou the idea of the whole being subscribed— 6 per cents, bearing interest from ift January,. 1791, about 19,000,000 6 per cents, bearing interest. from Ift January, 1792, 6 per cents, bearing interest from iffc January, 1801, — — 13,000,000 3 per cents, bearing interest from ] ft January, 1791, — — 14,000,000 5 per cents, bearing intcreft from ift January, 1792, Interest to be provided in l 791. On foreign debt,with neceflary charges, 600,000 * This number, in all probability, at the next general ckaion, will be inereafed to one hundred. + Formed as Jollows, viz. For the general government, Annual expences of government, about 800,000 To pay foreign and domestic interest, about 3,000,000 For a finking fund, about 200,000 For the slate governments. Annual expence of civil lift in each state ; interest on debt not aflumed ; improvements in inland navi gation and roads; poor rates ; city taxes ; contri butions to clergy, and public buildings, Which may be raised in the following manner, viz. For the general government. Jmpoft, including the additional duties and tonnage, Excise, or duty on rum and other spirits imported, or diftiUed within the United States, For theJlaie governments. Tax on carriages, Tax on Slaves, Tax on hotfes, cattle, fliecp, and other animals, Tax on monies at intcri ft, Tax on piofeflions andilock in trade, Tax on houses and town lots, Tax on land, Tax on law proceedings, Tax on collateral legacies, And the Stairs may devise many others, if feme one or other o hefe do not fait their purpose. One advantage may arise from ihis divided mode of taxation, viz. an equalizing of the burthens of nil the people of the State ; for if the system of taxation adopt ed bv the general government Ihould fall partially on any defcrip lion of persons, the (late legiOature may collect the neeefifary re venue for state purposes, from those on whom the geneial revenue 4oes not fall. Domcftic debt, 19",000,000 6 pr. cents. — 14,000,000 3 pr. cents. — For i 792, Foreign d«br, — — 29,000,000 6 pr. cents. — 21,000,000 3 pr. cents. — Total annual interest until 1801, 2, I ) 7°> 000 Soine part of the domestic debt lias been en re charged in the course of the last year, perhaps as much as 300,000 dollars, the annual interelt ot which, and the interelV on all other funis which may be hereafter discharged, becomes an aug mentation to the finking fund. The whole debt of the United States is about I 00,000 What the debts due by the several States will be, after c.he aflbmption, is difficult to fay, but at 1110 ft cannot exceed — — — — The whole territory of the United States, is 1,000,000 square miles. That part which is granted to individuals, or which the United States, or particular States, have a right to grant, may be computed at five hundred thousand square miles, or 320,000,000 acres—which is 80 acres to each foul. 4,000,000 On the idea that the land is bound to pay the whole debt, every square acre is mortgaged for about 14 cents ; but if only that part which is already in pofleflton of the United States, and several States, be taken into view, then every square acre will be mortgaged for about 28 cents, and admitting that every acre of land, on an average, is worth five dollars, it will then be pledged for only oneeighteenth part of its value. If we look among the European governments for such as are neardt in extent to our own, we fliall find France and Germany, together with Spain, nearly equal to our present territory in pofTellion ; but when we contemplate the whole extent of our territory, we shall find it nearly equal to France, the Netherlands, Germany, Po land, Switzerland, Spain, Great Britain and Ire land, Italy, Portugal, and Turkyin Europe. It is said that tlie debt of Great-Britain is nearly equal to one half the value of the whole property of the people—whether in.land, cash-, (hips, i'cock on lands, produce, manufactures, plate, jewels, furniture, or the royal navy and implements of war. 12,000,000 If we compute the value of the several heads as they respect the United Slates, perhaps the following may be nearly the truth, viz. Dolls. 300,000,000 acres land, at 5 dollars on an average (includingall the cities) —. — — Cafli of the United States, Merchant Ihips of the United States, 10,000,000 29,000,000 including coasters, — — Stoijt on the lands, and neceflary implements of husbandry, boats, waggons and geers, — Value of produce and manufac tures exported and for home con sumption, — — Plate, jewels and furniture, 700,000 Haves may be valued 7,000,000 21,000,000 Beside which is the right of pre-emption to the land in pofleflion of the Indians, and the veflels and warlike llores belonging to the United States and the several States. Say the debt of the United States and the se veral States, foreign and domestic, is 85,000,000, then the proportion between the value of the whole property and the debt will be about twenty to one, and the ability of the people of the United States to pay their debt, is ten times greater than that of the people of Great-Britain. 4,000,000 2,000,000 6,0©0,000 800,000 4,000,000 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FRIDAY, Jan. 14. IN committee of the whole 011 the bill to de termine the time when the electors of Presi dent and Vice-Prefidejpt lhalj bechofen,and when they lhall meet and give in their votes. A motion by Mr. Smith, (S. C.) to flrike out a clause in the firft fetfiion, which referred to va cancies happening from special contingencies, after a fliort discussion was disagreed to. Mr. Benfon, who was of the committee which reported the bill, then stated the reasons which influenced the committee in the arrangement of 726 CONGRESS. Mr. Bowiinot in the chair tire time£ qf cliufingtlie eledors, and thei, ingin their votes. Mr. Sedgwick said he supposed, that the defir,, of the provifioi) oil tliis fubjeift in ilie conlUu tion. was to prevent, as far as pollible, tile p.no tices of cortuption and intrigue in the buiineft of election: To-effect this falurary object, he thought it r.ecellary that the time of chiding <-lec- tors should be fixed, and that as lliort a period as pollible should be fuffered to elapse, between tlie titne of chuiing, and the time when the eledois should give in their votes ; the bill, said lie, pio - eight weeks—he thought that too period. Mr. Benfon observed that the term of eio; ; - L weeks was thought not more than fufficicnt to accommodate the circiunftances of some i,f t' nc States—a fliorter p_eriod might have suited others —but the idea of uniformity, rendered it ncief fary to fix 011 a particular period. Mr. Goodhue objedted 10 alligning one parti cular day for all the States, as, lie observed, ilie modes of eleiftion in the several States a:e <1 lifer ent : In some tlie electors are chosen immediate ly by the people at large ; in others they are chosen by the itate legillatures ; this will render it extremely difficult to comply with the law, if they are to be chosen on one and the fame day throughout the Union. Mr. Carroll said, that it appeared to him ne cefiary in the firft place, to determine who (hall cliufe the electors : For his part he was fully convinced, that this power is exclusively vefuJ in the people by the Conilitution. Mr. Jackson observed, that the difficulties mentioned by the gentleman from Maflacfnifetts, would accrue from fi'-ing on a particular day in the State of Georgia; there the electors are cho sen by the legillature, which meets at a particu lar season of the year : 1 his clatife will render too feiiions neceflary,which would be exceedingly inconvenient : He moved therefore lhat theclanle which appoints a particular day when the elec tors fliall be cholcn, should be flruck our, and that the time when they {hall meet and give in their voles should only be deilgnated : This mo tion was seconded. 1,140,000 420,060 2,160,000 600,000 1,740,00° 030,000 75,000,000 10,000,000 8 5,Q00,000 Ivlr. Giles said that he conceived but one mode of chufing electors was contemplated by the con stitution ; the itate legislatures he thought ought not to cbufe thein—they ought to be chol'en by the people. He adverted to the Conffiiutinn— the words are, " That each State {hall cliufe, !kc.'' This plainly implies that the legislatures are not authorised to exercise that power themselves : Congress has a power to fay when they fliall be chosen—this imposes a necessity for one iriode, and that the mode should he uniform, and be by the people ; for the legislatures, from the diii'er ent circumstances of the States must meet at tiif• ferent periods : He wiflied this point to be. fettled —He thought the people ought to clutfe the elec tors. 1,500,000,000 10,000,000 Mr. Jackson contended that the power was left discretionary with the state legislatures. Mr. Goodhue said, this was plainly the cafe, by the express words of the conftitu'iion. Mr. Ames moved that the clause ihould be i mended, so as to include the words of the conl'i tution " in fucli manner as the legillatui e ilicve of may direcft." 20,000,000 5,000,000 6j,000,000 Tliis was fecoiuled by Mr. Stone. Mr. Livermore was also in favor of the nicoii. 5,000,000 75,000,000 Mr. Madison faid,a question arose here,wfacl» was, whether the power of Congress extei-ds to determining the manner of chufing, by virtue of pofleffing the power of determining the time of their being chosen :—he was however di'pofedto thinkthat the best idea was that fuggeft-'dby the gentleman from Maflachufetts. Mr. Sedgwick said, he was in favor of the mo tion of the gentleman from Georgia—and in this view of the fubie<ft—he wasoppofed to theopini -011 of the gentleman from Virginia '.Mr. Ones/ as interfering with the legiflativc rights of the several slates. 1,680,000,000 Mr. Tucker was oppofeti to the idea of a pa'- ticular interference of the general Government, in refpec r t to the time, and mode of chufing the electors—He wished therefore that the motion for striking out the words, should obrain ; if that was done hcfliould move a clanfeto thispurpoit, that the electors shall be constitutionally chosen. Mr. Lawrance was in favor of leaving the time of chufing to the several tlate legislatures— a general regulation could not be agreed upon, which would not involve the difficulty that gen tleinan appeared felicitous to guard against, that was the opportunity which would neceflau ly be given for caballing—in consequence of'the great extent of some states, and the confined li mits of others—it appears therefore fai-d he, a folutely neceflary to leave the time of ehufi"£\ 0 the ilate legislatures, and this will put it in their power to reduce the interval between chafing w voting, in such manner as circumltances may IC tare, to prevent the inconveniences contem plated. Mr. Giles said, he believed he had been "iiiun derftood, he did not mean to invade the rig, ll * of the state legislatures. —so far from that, he» a
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers