CONGRESS. PHILADELPHIA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, TUESDAY, November I. ORDER OFTHE DAY — THE PRESIDtNT's SPEECH. MR. SEDGWICK said that the lad feifion of Congress, the House of Representatives by the appointment of committees, to which almolt every <*bje»st of difcuflion in the Prelident's Speech was referred, so far monopolized the public bu- Unefs, that during great part of the feilion, the Senate had very little to attend to. He thought it of importance that a ftmilar in terference fhonld be avoided the present Session. He then recapitulated the principal objects re commended to the attention of Congress in the Speech; and informed the House it had been inti mated to him, that the Senate proposed to take in to consideration the fubjeifts of the Mint, Weights and Measures, Consuls, eleiftion of President and Vice-Prefident,and the eltablifhinent of LandOfli ces. The House therefore, if' they thought pro per, might avoid a primary difcuflion of these fubjeifts, and employ their deliberations on other important parts of the speech. Some of these the House had already provided for. by the ap pointment of committees—others remained to be attended to—among these, the reference in the Speech to the excise law he thought of very ma terial coniequence, and accordingly moved that a committee should be appointed to take into consideration, that part of the Preftdent's Speech which relates to the carrying that law into exe cution—and to report such circum!iances in the law, as may, with confirtenty, be so altered as to remove any well intentioned objections againfl it; alto to ascertain and report whether there exists a due proportion between the duties on foreign spirits and those >>f domeUic manufacture. Mr. Boudinot observed, that it (truck liiin as an impropriety for the House to receive any information from the Senate except through an appointed medium ; this informal mode, if it was allowed, would be a bad precedent and pro ductive of great einbarraflment ; the difficulty which has been mentioned might be avoided by the appointment of a joint committee—which he thought to be the moil eligible mode. Mr. Sedgwick replied that he meant only to convey to the House the information lie had re ceived, which he supposed was of importance— he had no intention of eltablifhing a precedent. Mr. Lawrance called for the reading of the Speech, which being read—committees were ap pointed on the several articles as ftatcd in our last. Mr. Sedgwick's motion occasioned considerable debate ; Mr. Steele moved an amendment bv in ferring the Secretary of the Treasury in lieu'of a Committee. 1 his officer he observed was more competent than any other person to give informa tion on the fubjeJt, as he had paid the molt mi nute attention to the operation of the law preju dices,he said, were entertained against: theSecreta- J y, on account of his having originally drafted the law—these prejudices hewifhed should be remov ed, as he was well fitisfied that it was the wjfh of the House, as well as ofthe Secretary that every reasonable objection against the lawihould be re moved. The motion for a reference to the Secretary was supported by Mr. White, Mr. Lawrance M l "' r • Smith Mr " A " ies > Mr. VVilliamfon. Mr. Sedgwick contended for a Commi-tee • he was supported by Mr. Vining, Mr. Parker' Mr. Boudinot, and Mr. Goodhue j on this lide .' h n e . < l ucftion h was urged that there wasa ma lufelt impropriety and want of respect in refer ring any part of the Present's Speech, or a Law of the Union to the head ot any particular de partment ; that the information to be derived from the Secretary, would of course be received by a committee, and by them be communicated to the House. P , r ! re,,t considerations .hat ffiould arrest the particular attention of the -egiflatuie, as they only wltc competent to de ciding upon them. The motion has reference to the rate of duties, and the House was cer tainly the molt competent to judge of and clti mate the public taxes. ° ' CKl ' After some further debate Mr. SecW.ck with drew Jus proposition—and a motion by Mr Ames for a reference to the Secretary of the Treafu, y In^ ornla ''on refpeifting any difficulties in the execution of the Law, was agreed to. 1 he business of Offices for the sale' of vacant Lands within the Territory of the United States, being considered as particularly connected with revenue—a committee of the lioufe was appoint ed to prepare and report a bill, or bills on that fubjeet. WEDNESDAY, November 2. A number of petitions were read and referred. Mr. Giles called up a memorial from the offi cers of the Virginia line, and other papers rela tive thereto, which were communicated by the Prefiilent, to the late Congress, but not ac'ted up on. The papers being read, he laid on the table the following- refolutiou : That so much of the melfage and communica tion' from the Prefidenr of the United States to both houses, 011 the 17th of January lalt, as re lates to the bounty lands granted to the officers and soldiers of the Virginia line 011 the continen tal establishment, be referred to a feleft commit tee, to examine the matter thereof, and report the fame with their opinion thereon to the house. On motion of Mr. Dayton, it was resolved, that the Secretary of the Treasury be diredted to re port to the House, whether any and what altera tions in favor of the fpiiits which fliall be diftill erl from articles of the growth or produce of the United States, or from foreign articles within the fame, can, in his opinion, be made in the excise law, confidently with its main design, and with the maintenance of the public faith. Mr. Giles laid on the table a motion, that the Secretary of the department of War, thould be inftrutfted to before the House an accurate Uateinent of all balances of pay which appear, by the bouks of his office, to be due to the officers and soldiers of the late army of the United States, and which either remain unclaimed, or have been claimed but not paid ; together with the reasons for with-holding payment from those who may have i efpec r tively entered their claims therefor. Mr. Vining laid on the table a motion for the appointment of a committee, to report a bill or bills, to eiiablilli an uniform system of bankrupt cy throughout the United States. Mr. Dayton laid on the table a motion, that the board of cominiflioners, for fettling the ac counts between the United States and individual States, be directed to report to the House the pro gress ihey have made in such settlement ; and iheir opinion as to the profpeift which the present state of the business affords, of its speedy and fi nal conclusion. Mr. Smith then called for the order of the day, pursuant to which, Tlie House resolved itfelf into a committee of tlie whole (Mr. Muhlenberg in thi chair) and took up the bill for the enumeration of the in habitants of the diltridt of South-Carolina. Some gentlemen having exprelTed their appre hensions, that, by the words of the bill, the inar flial of ihe diftriet of South-Carolina might be empowered to make a new enumeration of the inhabitants, which was contrary to the sense of the House, and would give that State an undue advantage over the other States, an amendment was moved and adopted by the committee, in the following words, " Provided that in the said re turn" [oj of t/je inhabitants of the tliflrifl of S. Carolina] " such persons only shall be included, as were inhabitants of the State at the time prescribed for taking the census," &c. Another amendment being also proposed and adopted, the committee rose and reported the bill as amended. The House tlien proceeding to consider the aniendincmsof the committee,fome remarks were made, to.lhew that the one above quoted might tend to violate the return, and was moreover an unnecetlary precaution,as the proposition was not for making the enumeration of the whole State but of giving in the return of the enumeration already made, and completing the census, bv the addition of a very small diltrift, that was not yet included in thegeneral return. The amend ment was therefore rejected by the House, and the bill was ordered to be engroOed. Mr. Gerry from t!ie committee to whom referred the memorial of the iheriffof Suffolk county, in the State of MafFachufetts, made a re port tending to grant to all persons, confined in any State, under the authority of the United States, the fame privileges and immunities, to which they would be eniitled, if confined under the authority of the State. Ordered to lie on the table. Mr Secretary Otis, by order of the Senate ft' 6 C v C V PUfe 3 P edtio,i fro "> ihe diitil! ' Pr '*'" S i» The committee appointed to consider and re port on the petition of Susannah Fowle, „ la <] e ■, report wh.ch was referred to the committee ap pointed to prepare a bill for compe,,fating Z lids, widows and orphans in certain cases. Adjourned. THURSDAY, November 3. Mr. Page and Mr. Lee, members from Virei- X d P a^ arCd ' We, C and took their feats 218 The bill to extend the time allowed hv 1 for compleaur.g the census of South Car„l ' was read the third time and palled. ' Mr. Giles' motion laid on the table v £ (le r( i refpedhng the bounty-lands to the officers anil' soldiers of the Virginia line, &c. « aS taken in, conlideration, and after fonie variation mad the instance of that gentleman, was adopted Several petitions for compensations, neiiLn. we| e presented, read and referred - 0 ,h heads of departments. ' A perition froui Abraham Hunt was read w , ing to be reiniburfed certain lolles incurred f" the town of Rofton by the Briiifh army_ a lfoth« he may receive hall'-pay or commutation as a, officer of the late army of the United States O tl ' e ,?, uefti . on l ° re /? r said petition to the Secretary 01 War, it pafled in the negative. A petition of David Cook was read, pravino-t be placed on the pension-list— this was referrel to riie committee appointed to bring i„ a bilj allowing compensations to widows, orphans nd disabled persons-, in certain cases. Several petitions being presented for the r, newal of loft certificates of public debt-Mr Sedgwick observed that it would, in his opinion be the 111 oft eligible method to take up the Tub! jest at large—and he accordingly moved that a committee/hould be appointed to prepare and report a bill direding the mode in which evi dences of the public debt of the United S;ate< which have been, or may be loft or deftrovpl' shall be renewed. c "royed f The motion being amended by (Irikino-out the words " or may be" was adopted, and" Meff'rj Sedgwick, Giles and Dayton, appointed the com mittee. Two petitions from Capt. John Manly pre . fented by Mr. Gerry, were lead and referred t 9 the Secretary at war. Mr. Dayton's motion laid on the table yester day, refpetfing the board of comuiiffioners ap. pointed to fettle the accounts between the Uni ted States and individual States was taken into confiderarion, and adopted. Mr. Ward, of the committe appointed for the purpose, presented a report on the petition of Francis and Isaac Chonte, the purport of which was that the prayer of said petition cannot be granted. ORDER OF THE DAY —THE CENSUS. In committee of the whole. Mr. Muhlenberg in the chair. The motion of Mr. Lawrance was again lead, viz. [ hat until the next enumeration of the in habitants of the United States, there shall be one reprefentaiive for every thirty thousand peifons. Mr. Sedgwick moved to insert the word four, between thirty and thousand. Mr. Dayton moved to ilrike out thirty before tlioufand, and leave the blank to be filled up. Mr. Livermore moved to insert forty thousand. Mr. Clark observed, that it was well known that great unealinefs prevailed among the people in various parts of the Union, on account of the salaries and coinpenfations to the officers of go vernment— the expence of supporting the govern ment was increasing—and it mult therefore be contrary to the general willies of the people to enlarge the representation, which would add to the public burthen, without being productive of any advantage. He was in favor therefore of the motion for fti iking out thirty, and would then move to infect forty. Mr. Williatnfon, after a few preliminary re marks on the ieveral calculations that different members had made, and applying the various re sults to the population of the fniall Stares in par ticular, observed, that futh a ratio fliould be 2- dopted as would leave the feweft fractions, and at the fame time do as much justice as pofllble to those Slates. With refpec't to the general quel - - tion, lie thought the people were divided in opi nion— feme were in favour of a large reprefen tatioH—others were opposed t.j a great addition to the prefei.t number. The expence of fupport mg the government is great—the peojjle realize that in the nature of things it mult encreafe—this consideration should lead to adopt a medium, and if poflible to fix on a ratio that might give gene ral fatisfadiion. At all events he wished that Congress would reserve to itfelf the powerofen creafing the number of Reprel'entatives, in cafe the sentiments of the people should be in favor of the measure. He observed that the l.oweft number of Conftitnents which had been menti oned was thirty thousand, and the lugbeft forty— if gentlemen could not agree in either, he hopd they would adopt the medium. Mr. Lawrance objecfted to ftrikingout thirt' 1 iiis fubjetft, laid he, has been canvalTel throughout America—innumerable are the pam phlets and newspaper publications which have appeared in all parts of the United States. T ,e final lnef's of the representation was early objccld to—and it was verv generally expected, that when tlie amendments to the Conllitution took plaee, that one Reprefcntative to every 30, cOO perfo« s would be the ellabliflied ratio.
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