CONGRESS.
HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES.
Thursday, No/ember 27, 1794..
Delate on Mr. Dayton's motion to re-
Jlore the tuorJs " fclf-crcaUdfgdrtiet
and," nihuh had teen in
the ail drift to the Prrfident in anfiver to
his Speed]. „
Mr. DEX TER rose ill reply to Mr.
Madison. He said that, if he stewed
the fubjeft as trivial hi some gentleme 1
appeared to, he would not trouble the
lit, ufc with any further remarks, ifur
having lo lonjr detained them White in
committee ; if he viewed the amcn.l
-raent proposed as dangerous to the moil
perfect freedom of expreffi ig political
opinions, as the gentleman seemed to
who was lalt up, he would be the lalt
to fupp-.jrt it. He said that the molt
certain way to cieltroy this freedom was
i" encourage an unlimited abuse of it,
and the <vay 10 rendtT a fiee prels nle
lels was to proltitute it to the base pur
poses of party and fJlchuud, until wea
ried With coidiant impoiiiiuus the pub
lic wpuld jejvqi all irtfo.i'rtialion Jrum
that fouice as uncertain and delusive.
Ho said that thefttuftfiKcelsiui Weapon
tiled by the enemies of civil trecdoin ever
had been, to p,i(h iheideas of 1 beity to
iuch wild extrcmt-* rs to render it im
practicable and ridiculous, and ttuis to
compcl the sober part of the communi
ty to (übmit t«. usurpation as a leli evil
than u:ter infl-ciirity and anarchy} he
adced, if America loses her liberty,
this will be the instrument of her de
struction. We poflefs, he said, greater
equality of property and information
than any other nation ; the means of
fubliftence ait so enfily obtained that no
minis neceUanly dependent on the will
of another; troni thele circumltaiices
our countiy is more fit than any other,
for a republican forrh of .government ;
if we fail iu rj)aiitainiiig it, we (hall be
fairly conlidered to hive made an expe
riment iu>t only for ouifelves, but for
the world, which will prove that the
beautiful theory of civil freedom is not
practicable by man ) that ambition and
envy, aided by ignorance, are naturally j
tno (trong for patriotifni. Mr. D,-.<ter i
said, that the nature of civil freedom is
uioreobfcure thnn its real friends could [
wilh ; that it confilts rather iii what it
forbids than in what it allows, that man ;
was free before he became a member of
society, that the jrest object of afjpci- j
Bting was not to obtain fieedom, for
that was polTelTecl before ; b.ut to guard
.i id the abuse of it in violating the '
rights of others. My liberty*- he said, I
is that all other citizens are lellmined
from violating my rights, and the liber
ty of each one of them is, that 1 and all
others are equally rertrained from viola
ting his rights. Rdiraint then is ne
ceflaiy to conltitute civil librrty, and the
unifoimity of this reflraint, as it ope
rates equally on allclafleS of citizens, is
equality, i know Sir, that a do&iine
very different from this has been hofden
by some falfe ap v o(tles of liberty, and t':tt
theafpiring, tlif vicious, the defperaltf
and the weak have flocked to this stand
ard ; by them the power to violate the
rights of others, and ilidurb the public
peace with impunity,has been prophane
lv called liberty, and»the universality of
tins has been called equality. Cap I
be a freeman, Sir, if the government,
vhich is my only security for all my
rights, may be invaded with impunity,
and my reputation the dearelt of all pof*
feflions, and the bed reward of virtue,
blaftid by the foul breath of flarrder and
falfehood ? When tills (hall be admit- 1
ted as • principle in the American code, i
we, (hall call that freedom which will be 1
our mifcry ; we shall cease to deserve 1
liberty; we (hall need a matter. Let
men meet for deliberating on public 1
matters ; let them freely express their 1
opinions in conversation or in print, but (
let them do this with a deceit refpcCt ;
for the tvitt of the majority, and for the t
government and rulers which the people \
have appointed ; let them not become a c
band of coufpirators to make and pro- !
pagate fnlfeh'iod and slander ; let them j
not instigate to the highelt crimes a- 1
gainst society ; and, Sir, if any have so (
done, let not us .•ncourage them in tbefe t
outrages by calling them the exerciteof e
the inviolable rights of freemen. To c
fuffer misrepresentations of government f
to gain credit among the people, is gi- 1
ving a blow to the weakelt part of our c
government. It would be a molt im- \
portant political acquisition if means j;
could be devised to scatter thr'o' the u i
nion true ideaspf the measures of govern
ment. The bell intentions cannot now t
guard the citizens from being deceived a
by the cunning and depraved ; some j
improvement on this fubjeft fevms ef- v
fentially neceflary to perfect the system i j
of political freedom. Scattered as our j i
•
\ countr) men ane over an tmraenle coiin
try*, and employed in ufeful indultry,
! perhaps this -is rather to be wished for
•thurt expaEtrtl 5 but wc can at least take
ii»eifiiies to prevent the moll fatal ef
fects fr >m misrepresentations and scan
dal. Mr. Dexter said, he had made
these remarks as being applicable- to
molt of tire reasoning againll the propo-
I fed and particularly to that
" uF the gentleman from Virginia who
lc l.ill fat down, (Mr. Madison.)
Pie was no mote inclined to infringe
r. rights which the people had rcferved
d than that gentleman, but he did not
1 Know aiy ariicle or principle of the
ie corrltitu ion by which the people had
.1* reserved to tY mfelves tho precious right
n of vilifying and mifreprefeui ing their
1- own government and laws and exciting
II treason and rebellion with impunity.
»1 However inestimable the right of fre«
o difcufiion of public "matters and of a
It free press might be, and no man valued
it them more highly than lumfelf, he
is thought that when they were'fo almfed
t, as to bccoift'e holtile to liberty and
threaten her deltruftion, the abui'es
- ought to be corrected, and he argued
1- from the principle of felf-prefi rvationf
- that the government of every country
ti mull have the right to do so. Unk'f.
■ ■ thofc are more frcred than the very li
n tieity they are designed to secure, this
r cannot be denied. Mr. I), obfetved
0 that Mr. M. had dated as a principle,
1- from which to argue and on which al
u m-ilt all his deductions were founded,
a proportion so doubtful in it felt that
1 it ought rather to be proved, than -as- 1
e fumed as a firlt principle frgrfi which to
, reason, vie. that we cannot rightfully
- 'ntermeddlc in any way with a iubjcdt, 1
r which we cannot regulate by law. Ad- I
1 mitting it to be a tnieaud fclf evident 1
f proportion, however, he said,' it eon •
1 eluded nothing againli the amendment.'
I For it would It ill remain to be proved,
6 which it never coiild be, that the legif- 1
r. lature had no right torcftrain such a- 'i
; buses by law. He did not think it ne- | 1
-* j cefiary or expedient to make any law on J I
- ■ the fuhject, he hoped ;t never would | 1
r bs; but he did not doubt the right to i'
: forbid such flagrant outrages on social I
£ order and all arts tending to produce '
1 them. There can be no better proof, ■
rI he said, that such .laws may be made '
r ' than that they now exilt. Mr. M. had I
5 mentioned religious societies as not to I
! be piohibited by law; as such Mr. D.. <
laid they clearly could not be, no more <
1 , could harmless di feu (lions of political *
! (übjeCts by individuals or aflociations j 1
j but would any man doubt, when under 1
' the pretence of the of these >
rights the blacked crimes were inftigat' '
ed and that the law had a J
1 I right to punifti J The clubs have waged c
war not only with the government which a
the people have inflituted and the rulers f
which they have appointed, but they a
have counteracted all the mod efienti- t
al principles of rcpublieanifm. They, (3
being a (mall minority, have attempted f
to controul the majority; to ufuip a si
power which the people never delegated (
to them, to aCt as censors nay con- z
troulers of the government and laws ; fl
they are refponlible lo nobody for the *'
exercise of it, and are to continue in n
office as long as they (hall pleafc. Such " l
societies hfive all the properties, except I
the power, of absolute despotism; yet . 1'
these tyrants prate about liberty and j
prophane the name of republicanism.
Mr. D. adverted to Mr. M's obfervati- t
on that the censure intended mud be a
puniflimerit, and that the House had 110 ll
conltitutional right to conviCt of or pu- ft
nifh for crimes. If, the proposed a- t r
mendment.be a punilhment, he said, it P
is of a singular kind ; it is punishment f l
in the abftraft without an objedt punilh- 31
ed. It fays that ccrtain felf-created so g
cieties have trefpafled, Can this be ni
called a (ligma on all such societies ? ™
The word certain forbids this condruc- o!
tion. Which society is puni(hed ? None tc
unless conscience or public opinion (hall a '
designate the object. The Ptefident in
another part of his address has lamented
that certain citiV.enshavefhewnthemfelves at
capable of an insurreCtion, and we have P (
done the fame in our answer; is this a C(
digma on all citizens ? It had been re
peatedly said, that the measure is un
necellary, because the danger has sub- c
fidcd ; but he a(ked, is it not neceflary
inform the people from whence the
evil arose, to guard agrinft a repetition
of it 1 Can we always presume on the
fame prompt patriotism of a future
Executive; or the fame public conii- of
dence in his measures, "if.d compliance re
with his requisitions ? Or on the-fame P J
good fortune in reclaiming or fubiugat
ing the disobedient?
There was a time when the infurrec- ro
tion was truly formidable ; it rose like m
a waterspout threatening to annihilate m
gravity and throw the Ocean to H.ea- Pi
ven ; as that by force of the general w
principle of attrarftion returns again to "
jts former level and mixes <rith the fur- fp
' ■r' a * . " y » v ;*
rounding wat<rt, so this civil tumult has
, been overcotre bf the energy of the
laws; but it is folly to incur future
: evils prefumitgon iimilargood fortune.
The heavy iand of delpotifro nuy
forveably holddown she scale which pre
ponderates, aid preserve public ordei ;
> ';ut in free :ftablifhments like ours t
.vhere the scales arc nicely balanced, •
the smallest breath diflurbs the equili- j
i brill m. i
A gentleman from Virginia, (Mr. j
Giles) has ccmpaitd the amendment to
tlie denunciations of France. I hole
.vrre not uttered by the organs of the
public will; dey were denunciations of
individuals or felf created societies a- ;
galntt individual", wheieas this is neither.
This is only flying a fad for public in
formation. Tie fame gentleman and
many ;<Jthers have, said that we have no
(Efficient evidence of this fait. We :
know fir, that resolutions of filch focie ;
ties encouraging rebellioji were made
and published ; we know that their na
tural esseS did take plage. Knowing
then both the cause and effect, can we
doubt of their connexion ? If I fee a
iirelock pointed at a man, hear the dis
charge, Tee the man fall, I on infpedlion
find a ball lodged in his body, can 1
doubt as to the cause of the death of
the man, because I could not t:e the
ball pafa from the muzzle; to the man ?
Mult we fee things in their nature invi
sible, before we believe ? The Prcfident
has' been present at the scene oi infur
re£tion, we lrave his testimony on the
subject, and other official communica
tions r.'.e not wanting. We have the
pointed teftfmony of tlie member from
Pennfflvania, (Mr. Scott) who was an
eye witness. He teHs us that the club
there dire&ed the infurrettion, that the
famd men were leaden iq the club and
in the field, and that the)' corresponded
with other clubs. The gentlemafi from
Virginia, la(l alluded to,' has said that
difconteat and diflurbance exiffed there
prior to the eftablifhmetrt of clubs. But
does it follow from this'that their mea
f fines when' cftablifhed did not encreafe
j the evil, and, by deceiving the tnalcon
i tents as tothe principles and condutt of
the Government and the disposition of
the people,' encourage them to take
aims ? The dubs declared they spoke
the opinion of the people and the de
luded Irtfurgents believed tbem. The
fame gentl 'man has said that the Prvfi
dent addrelfes the public, and not us,
on thi* fubjed,' and therefore does not
expect an answer. Why fir (hall not
we join in the address, if it be true and
ufehil? The Senate have done it ; if
we do not, we seem to coYitraditl it. If
we do not, we create a dangerous disa
greement between the different branches
of Government, dititatt the public mind,
and encourage disorders. If the mem
ber from Peonfylvania is to be credited,
and no rilan will dispute his teltimony,
the clubs are more criminal than the
deluded insurgents; yet we have cen
fured the latter without refervc.—Why
fir, has the gentleman from Virginia
(Mr. Giles) criminated so severely our
zeal on this question ? Why has he con
demned the oratory it has excited, when
he often gives us such handsome fpeei
mens of it? If liberty and Our country |
are in danger, it is treason to be cold. 1
From the gentleman's censures on the ,
look reasoning and warmth in favor of i
the amendment we were led to exptd ,
from him the mod dispassionate demon- '
ft rat ion, yet the gentleman appeared in ]
some of his reasoning more ingenious j
than solid ; it was too fine spun to be
strong. The strength of his understand- r
ing, like the intense heat o ( the fun, t
produced a vapour to obfeure its own t
effulgence. One plain diftiixftion is an (
answer to mod of the reasoning of 'this
gentleman and his colleagues. We do r
not contend sot controulingor even aniA r
madverting on the rights of opinion or ,
of publilhing opinions. We wi{h only ,
to call the attention of the public to the
abuses of those rights and the crimes
such abuses have produced, which en- t
danger the existence of those very rights, r
and Mberty in general, in order that the t
people knowing the evil, may themselves c
corredl it.
Debate to be Continued. f
Foreign Intelligence, i
NATIONAL CONVENTION.
Sept. ii,
Carnot, In the nime of the committee
of public fdfety, presented the following a
report on the events that preceded, accom- I;
pamed and followed the furrenderof Valen- T
ciennes, Conde, Le Quefuoy, and Lan
drccKs. v
" Your committee had resolved to fur- '
roond the enemy, and cut off their com- 1
mnmcation. Jourdon executed this deter-
ruination on the banks of the Sambre,
I ichegru <>n the banks of the Scheldt. It
*3 , nC , tem ""y to retake the fortreffes of
which the enemy had obtained possession,
and in order that it might be done more
ipced.'y it was resolved to adopt revoluti-
a onvry ineans ; the decree of the 16th
, Mefiidor ordered, that such of the £ar
[ rifons should be put to the sword as refufed
: to surrender within >4 hours after being
' summoned. Nevertheless it >vas not for -
' gotten that this law might become a ter
rible weapon agaiaft ouri'elv&>, by infufing
; despair into the minds of the foreign
troops. The committee felt that the con
vent ion j did 1 not mean ;o pass a da.cree of
' j carnage, but to save the country. They
j therefore fuffered the generals to jife their
j own prudence, with relpecfl to executing
• (or not executing the decree. The four
1 garifons were restored to tiie republic in
: less than four decades.
" We fourid ill Valeucieinus, 3 milli
• ons of florins, in specie, iix nnilions
and a half of livrcs. LanJrecies did not
' chtife to wait till her forrificari'ons fliculd
be injured. Le Qtifroy and Cond■? made
still less resistance. i'he comni?ndcrs of fucii
of the places as did not obey the decree
within 24 haurs preTcrTTitu, were arrefieiT
and rendered responsible for the non-exe-.
cution of the decree. DeFpots are the on
' ly persons whom the convention would pu
i nifti, and not those who have the misfor
tune to he their slaves. (Loud applaiifes)
' » Notwithilandiiig the perfidy i i Kobe
' fpierre, who gave it a: hia advice, that
each of the places (hould be aiTaidted, tho'
he knew that each aflault would cost us at
least 6000 men, notwithfiand'ng the hopes
of that monster who waited only for a
, check on th< part of our for the
purpose ofaccufing his colleagues , Valen
' ciennes, Conde, Quefnoy, Landrecies, and
Newport, coil little blood to the republic,
ere they were reftorred. The garrisons
fuirendered at discretion, and France
triumphed by her gencrofity and cqurage.
"In rcniembrauce of thefc blifsful e
venfs, Conde has received the name of
Nord Libre ; and under the walls of th at
fortrefs we found 190 waggons of llorts,
provisions, and ammunition of all k.nds.
" The emigrants taken in the different
garrisons, have been delivered to the mili
tary tribunals. The national representa
tives on mifiions, have taken proper steps
to restore to those fijur communes thi usu
al activity in their commnii, primary
schools and authorities."
The report was received with great ap
plause, and the Convention immediately
decree that,
1. It Oiould be printed and sent to the
armies, the popular societies, and conflic
ted authorities.
j. The convention approve of the mea
sures taken by the committee of public fafe
ty relative to the furrenderof the four gar-*
rifon», and the decree of the 16th Mt .
dor.
3. That f'X copies of the report should
be delivered to each of the depu'tics.
LONDON, Oa. 3.
Twenty Bylanders,loaded with flores
belonging to the Britilh ;irmv, have
been taken by the enemy tn passing
down the Metife.
The PriK'hmation for the further
prorogation of the Parliament to the
2 Kof B<fxt mimth,- is cxpccKtl to ap
pear in the Gazette of to-morro\v even
ing.
Yefterdav, a patent palled the Great
Seal, appointing Lieut. Gen. Sir John
Vaughan, K. B. commanding general
of the troops in the Weft Indies, in the
room of Sir Charles Grey, who is on
his return to England.
Orders are given for all the troops in
British pay to be withdrawn from the
Dutch Fortresses.
The combined Svvedilh and Danish
squadrons, confiding of 12 Ihips of the
line, 4 frigates, and 4 cutter?, failed 011
the 14th ult. with the Prince Roval of
Denmark on board the Admiral's (hip,
on a cruise in the North Sea fur a month*
The Prince Roystl haslandedßt Elfinem,
but the United fleet is to keep at sea
for a month.
I he mifundei Handing Between Den
mark and this country, is so completely
done away, that the Danish Underwa
ters have again begun to .take influences
on ships.
The Ruffians defeated the Polilh Ge
nera) Chliwinfki, on the 2 1 ft, of Augufl
near Olika. The Ruffians took the
whole Polish camp, lix pieces of can
non, and killed 200 Poles.
October 4.
We understand that the difference be
tween a Great Perfjnagc and Mr. Pitt,
no longer lubfifts. The parties have
been leconciled through the interference
of Mr. Dundas, and the Duke c.f Port
lan.l It is now fettled, if His Roy
al Highness the Duke of Yoik, is pre
vailed upon to surrender the Command '
ofthe British Army to another General,
that the resignation of the Earl of Chat- '
ham, as ftrft Lord of the Admiralty, '
immediately to follow. ' 1
Otlober 3.
Yellerday afternooiuthree mefiengers 1
and two mails reachcd towr from Hoi- '
land. The mefiengers v.-ere MefTrs. '
Hunter, Caviza and Major. The latter, 1
who came last from the armv, left it on
the 26th. His Royal Highness the
Duke of York had changed his ground.
No action had taken pi ate. J 1
From a London Pupcr of the ±th '
Ofiober. \ \
THE SPECIAL COMMTSSiOM.
The Special Comwiflion for the trial of <
V
h those eonftflgd - m tflf To _
r- [of High Trtafon, wa« vcluS
ii at tiieiSefllont-Houfj * °raio
g Ihe Cofteniffionen were , E i ,* d 4 r es»
Julhcc of the Common 0*
- Chief Baron of the Exrh.„ hc W,
S g»
ii Mr. Baron Hotham. er > md
- Tiieir Lord&ips ai ha'f ->f*
; r iuing
y jeant s Inn, whence -4iev we,
r iion to §mithfield, ' I
; .by the county officers. *'
r tlicm to H i , .". 1 '
i was lined uv.hc iKulr.
ii. the court acd t!
- aliooft innumerai'
i Their Lordships
t J places oil the bench, the '& 11 "
1 fion was read. The
■ f'l to the Appointaient of a
i when out of thelegal onmW r
' ncl were i'elccted tlte ioliov •,» .
r viz.
Denj. Winthrop, Forum; , ;
- John Henry Svnedet Geon-c , '
• Tdward Ironsides Joseph La'uufta
I Bejamm Kenton Thomas Cole
' ?l wf ° n Harberton Robert Wi'kirfou
John Eyres George g Milk
Williafn Pardoe Allet Henry Wri 'h
John Perry John HaW& **
i Samuel Winflow Rowl. Stephen!™
Henry I'eter Cuffe John Campbell
Samuel Hawkins and
John Hankey Tho. Everett Efcr'i
The Chiefjufticeaddrefledthe grand jwv
and concluded with a humane admonition
in favor of life. « It is" said he, « your
bu'nels to stand forward in protection of
your fellow-fulijedts, if innocent. If you
(ball believe them, by the evidence to be
laid before you, not guilty of the heinom
crime with which they stand charged, it
is your duty to ignore the bills, Li
not fubjedl them to a trial for their lives.
" But at the fame time you ought alio,
if a fufficient ground of accusation f! 'l
appear, to take care of our grac out So
vereign, anu the preservation of our hap
py and itioft valuable conftilution.
The gtaud jury having retired, thirty
fix witnefles were fwprn to give their evi
dence on the firft indiiTiruent; after whitk
the jury piopeeded in the examiution of
witneflfe, and afterwards adjourned till ten
o'clock this morning.
V UNITED STATES.
FREDERICK- TOWN, Nov. to.
On Friday last came to this town, fix
perfou-i, amongik them the celebrated cap
tain Hoffher, w'th high treason a
gainst the and laws of the 0-
nited States: they wer arretted.fpmetime
ago, in the county of Waflungton— thty
left this town on Saturday morning escort
ed by a suitable on thei- wiy to *
Annapolis, to take their trial at the gene
ral court, now fitting in that city.
HAVERHILL, Mass. Ndv. »i.
On Tuesday last, that noble -llruo
tlire the BRIDGE ovtr Merrimack
river, was opened for Pafleilgers
(a work liupendous, and which was
tho't by our ancestors impiafticable
bui by the genius of the worthy Prefi
deut and Directors, in its orgination,
will be the wonder and praifeof ofpof
terity :) At fun rising flags were dif- i
played and cannon dilcharged from the
feveraj arches : At three o'Clock, P.
M. the Prelident Vice President and
Dirc&ors, Aitificeis and Labourers
eacli with fume tool emblematical of
their profeflipn, walked in proeeflinn
over it, from this Town to Bradford
shore, followed by the Clergy, Civ! and
Military Gentlemen, the School Mailer
with his Scholars and other? which col
ledted upon the occasion, to tht number
of about 2000 —On the verge of the
river, a Collation was pidvided for them
hy the proprietor?, and the whole invi
ted to partake.—At fuu ftfting the
flags were ft ruck at the discharge of the
cannon on the bridge, and the company
fcparated—The regularity • and order
that was observed among fueh a large
colledh'on, w;.a very remarkable.
The strength, elegance, workman
ship, and situation of this bridge, is not
equalled in America, and perhaps not
excelled in the world : it is feet
lon£, 34 feet wide, with three arches
182 fret each in length, supported by
Stone Piers and Abutments.
BOSTON, Nov. 22.
John Hejuy, of the American The
atre, who died not long since, on h s
| palTage from New-Yotk to Newport,
! iiad too much meiit to quit the flage ''
this world, without foroe txpreffior* .>r
applanfe for having performed well tRe
part of an honest man, an agreeable
companion, a genuine philambrorw,
i and a sincere friend. He was educa 'ed
at Trinity College, Dublin ; firtred u '
der Gen. Burgovne in Portugal, and
was for fowe time in the faniuv of
Duke of Northumberland, when I "d
Lieut, of Ireland. He came to A .nc
rica in a dramatic charadrr, 2ino has
not onlv been admired a* •'■'■''h,
highly esteemed for the quat'iicio 'i|
heart. He had conversed much
the world, and had palfed throug *
great variety of fcencs in the trn<i
| comical farce of thi* life. When we