It may tend to avoid futrtre embarraflments, that fuel) abolitions and drawbacks, as (hall be deemed expedient, with a view to promoting manufactures, (hall accompany the eftablifhmcnt and appropriation ot whatever further duties may be laid, for the ob jeftin contemplation. And may be found convenient to qualify the appropriation of the surplus which is to be applied to ih;it obje£t, so to as to let in such other appropriations during the feflion as occurrences may suggest. An estimate of the additional revenue which may be expe&ed from the proposed duties is subjoined. It will occur to the Houfc, that the credit allowed for the du ties will require an anticipation of the product by a temporary Joan, for which provision in the law will be requisite. All which is humbly fuhmitted. ALEXANDER HAMILTON, Secretary oj the TveaJ'ury. ISIMATE OF PROBABLE ADDITIONAL REVENUE FROM THE * PROPOSED DUTIES. Madeira wine 300,000 gallons, average encreafe 12 cents per gallon, - Other wines 700,000 gallons, average encreale 3 cents per gallon, - Distilled spirits 3,600,000 gallons average encreafe, al lowing for proposed deduction from the duties on do mestic spirits, 2 cents, Salt, from the equalizing regulation proposed, will probably yield 1-6 moie, or 2 cents per bushel on 2,000,000 bushels - " - Malt liq-uors 200,000 gallons at 2 J cents Nails and spikes i,800,0001b. at 1 cent, Cocoa 800,ooolb. at 1 cent, - Playing cards, 20,000 at 15 cent?, Other enumerated articles ad valorem at 15 per cent. Jncreafed duty on articles rated permanently at 10 per cent, ad valorem, computed at 2 millions of dollars, in value at 3 per cent. - Temporary aaditition of 2 5 per cent, on thearticles now rated at 5, computed on 10,000,000 of dollars^ CONGRESS^ PHILADELPHIA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, THURSDAY, February 16. IN COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE. On the Representation Bill. [continued.] MR. PAGE.—I rife not to enter into a debate on the question before you, Sir, because, as 1 said yesterday, it being out of order, it did not admit of debate: it is true the question is now a little varied, but it covnesto the fame thing ; for if we vote in favor of it, we must vote contra ry to a solemn decision of this very committee. What I wi(h to observe, Sir, is in reply to the member from New New-Hampfliire, who seemed diflatisfied with my ideas of order ; and to make one remark on what the member from Massachu setts (Mr. Ames) said as to truth being his aim. As to the point of order, it mult be molt evident that it is to no purpose to put a question in a committee of the whole, if when the sense of the committee has been taken, another question may be proposed, which may lead to a decision direct ly contrary to that before made : — but the gen tleman tells us that the committee were taken in, that they began too at the wrong end ; but surely, Sir, this cannot be said, for the blank in the 16th line was not filled up till after solemn debate ; and it was generally ufulerftood, that by filling it up, we Should fix the principle of the bill. On that question, the ratio of x for 30,000 was estab lished, and applied in a clause refpeding South- Carolina in such a manner as, without inconsist ency, must lead the committee tofill upthe blanks now under consideration. But, Sir, if such de bating as is contended tor be allowable, when can the business before us be finifhed ? How many amendments of this fort may not be pro posed ? Is it not fufficietit for gentlemen to vote againtt the motion if they dislike it—and then in the House, where they will have a right to be heard, to propose their own amendments \ There, if they can convince the House that the commit tee were ill an error, they may correct it but surely, Sir, the committee cannot now, without violating order, and being charged with a great agree to the motion before you. Truth is my aim, said the member from Mafla chufetts : it is mint asmuch as his :—but, without pretending to decide whether his confirmation of the constitution is right or not, I will ask him, how are we to arrive at the truth we now aim at; that is, how find the numbers to be inlerted in the blanks, if his construCtion be right ? For according to that conftrutftion, we must apply the ratio to the whole federal number of the United States, before we can find the number of repre sentatives forany one state; and can this be done till South-Carolina has made the return of the census .'—and if this construCtion be right, may not South-Carolina, if it be the interest of that state to retain its present representation, keep back that return ? This conltrutfion then is at tended with an insuperable difficulty ; and indeed I think with my colleague (Mr. Madison) was never thought of till lately within this Foufe Our conltauents put the construCtion which the majority of the committee and of the House have hitherto put on the constitution; and several stares have (hewn by their arts that their conltruc tion is the fame. Mr Vining said, if by consolidation is meant a consolidation of inrerelh, he gloried in the idea; but it a conlolidation of states is intended, lie was opposed to such an idea as much as any mem ber on the floor. Adverting to Mr. Findley's idea of local interests being represented, he con tended he had given up the contest ; for if the gentleman is sincere, he mud concede that the proportion now under consideration, more per fectly accorded with that idea than his own— Virginia represented as Delaware, would have but about 10 members—are the local interests then of Delaware represented by olie member, when Virginia is represented by 21 ? Mr. Murray hoped that number would not be inferred. If however the moion were carried, he wished its friends would, if confident with order, amend the preliminary fecftion of the bill, by inserting the principle under which this mo tion is made. The principle is, that the ratio of 30,000 is to be applied to the aggregate number of the continent, and not to the aggregate num ber of each state. He could not, 011 the fulleft and most liberal reflection, give hisalfent to such a principle ; but observed that at all events some principle, whatever it might be, ought to (how that the vote of the house was regulated by rule rather than expedience. On a question so im portant as that of representation, the measure agreed to ought to result from some established principle. As the bill now (lands, it will appear altogether arbitrary ; and rights in which all are concerned, seem to flow more from grace, and the flrength of majority, than fettled system. If there is a principle in the bill, it is to be disco vered merely in its provisions—whereas on such a fubjeifi its light, destined to guide the under standing, ought to be steady and apparent, and not glimmer dimly through the intricate wind ings of various provisions—these ought to have been natural conclnfions/refulting from the prin ciple, rather than the sources from which it isto be inferred. It ought to have been fettled as soon as the bill came in, and before a vote indi cative of it had been moved. As the whole of this fubjccS had been hitherto completely fifted, he would make but one or two remarks. The trainers of the constitution could never have thought of this mode of applying a ratio. All the guards in favor of state governments, show that the states were viewed refpecftively and Se verally. The laws relative to elections, are Ln tirely and exclusively in the hands of the states. Had the convention intended the aggregate of the whole, and not of states, (hould be the object of apportionment by ratio, they would have kept the election law in the hands of Congress—they would have empowered Congress to divide the continent into diftriifls. If New-Hampshire has 5 members here, and her aggregate divided by 30,000 would give her but 4 (which is the cafe) she will have an undue influence on this floor; as the weight and power that any state has here, ought to be but equal to her numbers. It has been laid down as dotfirine here, that every mem ber represents the whole. He could not compre hend the force of that position in the use and la titude in which it was applied. He would not annex any meaning to theoretical truths, which did not admit of awholefome pra(fiice. A mem ber here represents his constituents—he legislates for the whole. The people whose rights and in terests are the fubjeft of legislation, are a whole— from their unity of interests, and from their union of government, results the general duty of the reprefentativje. His responsibility to his own cir cle of constituents, is on his duty discharged or negleded to the whole ; because the true good of the several parts confirts in the general pros perity of the whole. Where, he said, a member represents one diftridt, he meant to give, and show, a truth, on the use of which alone he could conceive a pradical operation to the principle of responsibility could be obtained. Any other idea of responsibility which he had ever heard, was too refined for common use. If a member from one part of the union is to be the representative of a part which does not eleefi him, agreeably to this fractional doctrine, he cannot be held in check or controul by them ; and the very reason that may make him hateful to them, may ingra tiate him among those from whom he actually comes. Instead of cementing confidence, such a predominance given any one state beyond what her numbers entitle her to, will sow discord and jealotify.— He had an amendment ready to offer, which was, to strike out the words in the fifth line, " within the several states," and to insert these words, " agreeably to a ratio of one mem ber for every 30,000." He would vote against the motion, and against the principle on which it was founded, which, though not Specified in the bill, was obvious, and take the liberty of moving his amendment, if the motion now before the committee failed, which he hoped would be the cafe. Dd/S\ 36,000 21,000 72,000 40,000 5.000 iß,ooo 8,000 3, 000 i 0,000 60,000 250,000 Dollars, 523,500 Mr. Bondinot said he could have wished that, as the house had gone into a committee of the whole, the gentleman (Mr. Murray) had brought forward a proposition, as he is abundantly able to do, which would give the bill the confiffency he wished for. He then entered into a defence of the proposition, and juftified its friends from the charge of inconsistency. He had been in fa 382 vor of 40,000—if that had been agreed r 0 he should have applied it as it is now propofe'd in relped: to 30,000. He replied to several objec tions, by explaining the constitution. J Mr. Benfon moved an amendment as a fubfti tute for Mr. Vining's proposition, expressly ap ! portioning the representation on the aggregate number of the people of the United States—this he moved in conformity to the idea of Mr. Mur ray, who contended that there was no principle in the bill. Mr. Vining, on this, withdrew his propdfition. The debate was continued on Mr. Bciifon's motion, and was finally negatived 33 to 24. FRIDAY, Maich 23. On the motion to recede from the disagreement of the House to the amendments of the Senate to the Representation Bill—the ayes and noes are as follow : Messrs. Ames, Benfon, Boudinot, S. Bourne B. Bourne, Clark, Fitzfimons, Gerry, Gilmau' Goodhue, Gordon, Hartley, Jacobs, Kitchel, Kit teia, Lawrance, Learned,-JLivermor'e, Muhlen berg, Niles, Schoomnaker, Sedgwick, J. Smith I. Smith, Steele, Sylvester, Thatcher, Treadwell' Vining, -Wadfworth, Ward—3l. Me'ffrs. Afhe, Baldwin, Barnwell, Brown Findley, Giles, Gregg, Grove, Heifter, HillhonfeJ Huger, Key, Lee, Macon, Madison, Mercer, Moore, Page, Parker, Seney, W. Smith, Sterretr, Srurges, Sumpter, Tucker, Venable, White, Wil liamfon, Wyllis—29. The Senate's amendments being adopted by the Honfe, the bill is reduced toafingle section, as follows: " Be it enabled, ire. that, from and after the 3d day of March, in the year 1793, the House of ;Reprefentatives shall be composed of 120 mem bers, elected within the several states, according to the following apportionment; that is to fay, within the state of New-Hampshire, within the state of Maffachnfetts, 16 ; within ihe state of Vermont, 3 ; within the state of Rhode- Island, 2; within the state of Connecticut, 8 ; within the state of New-York, 11 ; within the state of New- Jersey, 6 ; within the state of Pennsylvania, 14; within the state of Delaware, 2; within the state. of Maryland, 9 ; within the state of Virginia, 21; within the state of Kentucky, 2.; within the state of North-Carolina, 12 ; the state of South-, Carolina, 7; and within the state of Georgia,2." SATURDAY, MARCH 24. A memorial was read from the merchants Mid traders of Philadelphia, renionftrating against the additional duties proposed in the report on Ways and Means. The hill for extending the time prescribed by law for the payment of the duties on teas, was read the firft and second time, and made the or der of the day for Tuesday next. In committee of the whole on the bill for estab lishing a Mint, and regulating the Coins of the United States. The committee proceeded thro the difcuflion of the bill, and made one amend ment, which was reported to the House. This amendment was, to flrike out the clauft which provides that the coin {hall bear the irri prefs of the Prelident's head for the time being. On the question to agree to this amendment, the Ayes and Noes were as follow : AYES. MefTrs. Bald win, Clark, Fitzfimons, Giles, Gregg, Heifter, Kitchell, Kittera, Lawrance, Lee, Macon, Madison, Moore, Niles, Page, Seney, J. Smith, Sterrett, Schoonmaker, Sumprer, Tucker,Trea • well, Venable, White, Williamfon, Wyllis-20. Messrs. Barnwell, Benfon, Boudinot, B.Bourne, S. Bourne, Brown, Gilman, Gordon, Goodhue, H tiger, Hartley, Hillhonfe, Key, Learned Liver more, Sturges, Sedgwick, W. Smith, Syhe er, Thatcher, Wadfworth. Ward —22. ( It was then voted to substitute the words device emblematical of Liberty, with an inlcrip tion of the word Liberty." —The bill was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading Monday next. Adjourned. MONDAY, MARCH 26. The bill for eftablilhing a Mint, and to ref late the Coins of the United Stares, was read tn third time, and, after some debute, was pa e The Ayes and Noes being as follow: AYES. * Meflrs. Aines, Afhe, Baldwin, Barnwell,Ben t Bondinot, S. Bourne, B. Bourne, Brown, bch Gil man, Goodhue, Hartley, Heifter,Huger. zj< Kittera, Lawrance, Learned, Livermore,. ' Muhlenberg, Page, Sedgwick, W. Smith, S • Sturges, Sylveft'er, Vining, WadAvorth, Ward, Willianifon— 32 Messrs. Clark, Findley, Giles, 3ordo.n, Gr£f, HillViouJ'e, Jacobs, Kitehell.Lee, !v ' acon '' , | Moore, Miles. Parker, Schoonmaker Smith, Sumpter, Thatcher, Treadwell, VKbite—22. AYES NOES, NAYS,
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