CONGRESS. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Friday, March 18. Debate on Mr. Liringftan't resolution continued. Mr. Isaac Smith did notpretend to prescribe limits to other men's faith—but he never could be lieve that men as wife as those who c'ompofed the Cdavention, would have left so important a regula tion as was uow contended for by some gentlemen, to mere uncertain cottttru£»ioa. He believed if fkty ntended that House (hould have had an a gn.cy in the making of treaties, they would have lo lp expref* term*—Had they done-fo? No thiak like it. So far from it, that they had une~ quivocally appropriated the treaty making power to the Prefidertt and two third;# of the Senate in terms at express and positive as words could form ; the gentlemen in opposition could not—did not deny it. But fjjy they, this power may be abuled, fhamefulljr abused, and therefore, we will etnjlrue it out of the hands the people have placed, it in. We will a (fume and declare ourselves the jolt guardian of the people, and we will cry out libmy, liberty; and, as the people love the found (he hoped they would always love the 'fubftunce) ■perhaps they will believe us. Here reft* the'falhioy. The,people knew whether they-knew or not, tint they chose the Prcfident, and they firmly believe, as well they may, that he-is their guardian. The people knew that they also chose the Senators,and they li'kewife think they are their guardians. How >ve, said he, became JoU -guardians will require*a modelly superior to tkat of New-England to ex- P'* lD * The people have declared that' the 'President and Senate (hall pake treaties, without a (ingle ex ception, and left there (hould be any rniftake or cavilling about it, they have put it in written words, as they thought, too plain to be doubted, too pofi tvre to be contradided. It appeared to him tkat w * s • Efficient answer, though a Jhort one, to* . laborious arguments. had in'favour of their ■interference to fay, that the people wills it other wsic/ic volopjlc Juhco ; Jla prordtione voluntatis. '" c y had ondcr consideration alterations, or a tnendments to the Conduction, those argaments •inight perhaps be proper; but-as matters now : d, they are mere inapplicable declamation. A gentleman from-Virginia told them that the" government of the Unitedi>tateswas a government but said that in the (hort time -it had existed, they were completely routed. Neverthe lcl,he mentions several cheeks that A ill (land their •ground,amongothers biennial ele&ions were a check upon the executive. -According to his calculation, if d - werc check Vpon that House.in the-ratio offourto two and of fix to two and therefore, the people trulled them lift, than any other branch of government, and he raoft cordially adopted that gentleman*! own words, " if the opi nions now contended for prevail, nothing will re main to be done by checks." -Conjlruaion wil an iwer every purpose. Several gentlemen kadadduced argemefltsfrom the government of Great Britain, and had attempt ed toaffimilate the-American.government to it, to ■gne them the greater force. -He would examine that mtttr. :Did the people of England chufe their King every four years ? Wat he impeachable ? No, *e earn do no wrong. Did they ele& -their House of Lords or Senate..? No, they are heredi tary, as well aa their-Prefident. Must two .third's or them approve every treaty before it can become vaud ? No fach thing. How a.parallel then, could be formed out of such diverging lines heleft to «ifer men, it was greatly beyond his poor abilities, and he was equally incapable of comprehending ar guments drawn from so myiterieus afource. A gentleman from Vitginia boasted much'of the superabundant love of liberty that prevailed in the state he had the honour to rcprefent. The groans •f 3 or 400,000 black.people h6ld in bondage, he laid, afflicted his ears, and made kim hesitate -altho' he wished to believe the encomium he bestowed.— He did not -like boaftiag—it provoked retort and offence followed. He should not fay one word-in praise of New-Jeriey—it did not need it. Mr. Livingften .'said, that the very-able fuppert this resolution -haij received, night seem to release him from any obligation of speaking in its defence, nor would he now trouble the committee with any observations on the fubjed, if those he made on the introduction of the bofinefii had not been mis dated, and hit subsequent explanation partly sup. prefTid—He had dated when he had laid the rcfolu> tie* on the table, a« a reason for requeuing the T»P« r *» that im p9rta*t and conjiiiutional would probably arise on the discussion of the treaty. It had been represented ,(certainly from mifappre tienfion, not design) that he confined the life of the papers to the elucidation of a constitutional queftiou only : ind it had been asked with an air w great triumph, how the ioftru&ions and eorrefpon dense could throw any light on the question of constitu tionality, to deeide which nothing was neceflary but a comparison of the treaty with the constitution ? Mr. Lirragfton said he had not confined the utility of the papers to that point, but tfcat if h« had, it wonld not be difficult to suppose a cafe in which they were neceflary to determine the conftitutiona- i lity of the treaty.—The constitution, -he said, gave 1 to the President the powers to make treaties by and tu'ub ihe advice and cenfent ef'the Senate. Men, rc fpeftable for their talents and patriot ism, had'fiip pofed, that by the true conftrudion of this claufc, the Pre/ident could make no treaty nnlefs by the: previous advice, and the fuhftqum consent of the Sc-' nate; in other words, that the Senate should ad-' vise the making «f a treaty which they could only do before it was commenced ; and rtiould eonfent to it by a ratification after it was concluded—He. would give no positive opinion on this fubjeft, but foppofed it a point worthy the attention of the j house. The conflru&ion, he said, appeared rea- Ibnablc, & hadbcen heretofore fandioned by pra&ice. Two instances he could recoiled; one was in the I treaty of Holftein, wheje Governor Blount was u vested with full power* and fpccially empowered 1 by jnd witk the sdvlee and consent of the Seßate," The.other inliance wad found in the answer of'the President to the French mini Iter, who,offered to enter into negociations for a treaty of commerce, wdich tho President declined by referring him to the meeting of the Senate, which was not then in feflion —If the President supposed he could net commence a negociation without the concurrent of the Senate, it£*rc "force to thjc cOnftru&idiH and, if it was a true one, nothing was more de monftrable than that file paperi were necrfTary ti determine whether the treaty in this point had beet Tonftituttonally made. •But whatever doubts, Mr.laivingften laid, might lavefheen oceafioned by the general cxprcflions with :ertainly have been removed by the explanation which had been 'very property demanded by the Member 'from Connecticut, >(Mr. "JYacy). »He lad, on decafion, -fleclared,, papers were required for general infortnatkni,'fo be appli :d a* that information might render it proper. ■l. To the 'fuperihtendiflg -power Awhich the House had over all the officers of government-— ind 2d. To guide their discretion in giving or refusing their fanftion to the treaty in those points where it interferes with thc'legiflative power. Gentlemen had founditconvenient, because some athers had disavowed any intention to-impeach, to Eonlider the firft.ground as wholly abandoned ; but in the nature of things this caiild not be the cafe. It was impossible to determine that we not impeach, until-the papers were'fees. Fa&s might then appear that would render that an unavoidable measure which was not now eantmplated. 'If, for: instance, he said, instead of a treaty with -Great- Britain, we were-«ow difcilfiing one formed with the Porte, -where .it-is the cnQom for ministers to of the correspondence it should appear that our mi the treaty, he aflted, whether, in such cafe, that House would not thitvk themfebes obliged to im pc -h: if they would, (and he thought the obli gation could uot be when cafesrifcightexift where without any pievtous intention, -an impeach ment was unavoidable. The-integrity of the gen tleman -who bad 'formed this treaty, was, he (aid, too well cftablidied, to lead any one into a 'fuppdfi tian that uny'thing of the'kiwd could have occurred in this itfltance.j but it might in others. The idea of impeachment, therefore, though not at present contemplated, could not be formally abandoned. ®efore he-considered the lecond and most itji portant ground of opposition, Mr. Li-vingflon said he Ws>uld take notice of an objection to the Form of the refokition, by a gentleman'from South-Caroli na,-(Mr. 'Harped). It was ;of a kind which he had not expected from the quarter in which it arose. He had objefte'd to the humble stile of requett. If we had a right to the papers, we (hould demand them. I would plant my foot Ik re, fays the gentleman, and tequire the papers as a right!' 1 — Mr. Livtngflon'faid, tbat the resolution was couch ed in the icfpe&ful terms with which that house 'bad always add re {fed the fir ft magilirate ofthe Union"; that civility-and refpeft were -always due to him-; aid that he w*« persuaded the member 1 would fee -the propriety, (air this, as heihed on other occafioaf) of transferring into public 11% that urbanity and politeness for which he was so remark able in his private intercourse. The fame gentle man had •obferred, that there was no reason for requesting the /papers, because any member 'might infpea them« the clerk's office of the Senate.— He could not suppose if this were the fact that the . publicity of the papers was a good reason to prove that ought neit to be communicated. Mr. Livingftow did not however think that individual members ought to owe their information to the courtesy -of an officer of the Semite which they had a right officially to receive as a "body. "It had been stated, that he {(Mr.'L.) having had access to these papers, could not want any information they might contain. He would state the facts re lative to that tranfaftion : It was true, he said, that a* chairman of the committee appointed to enquire into the cafe of imprefled stamen, he had been indulged with -a view of the inftru&ions and cerrcfpondencc ; but engrofled by-the important objed then referred to him, he had pato little or no parts as did n&t'relate to that futgjedt. After an interval of feme deys, he went with an intention of completing the perufalof them, but was told that he could not fee them'without leave <jf the Senate. " What I did fee (added Mr. L») convinced me of the propriety of the whole j being laid before this house. I found, in so mnch of the inftruaions at I did read, a fo/uive dkeillan to conclude no trtaiy of commerce, unless certain important articles were agreed to which are not netjuundinihe injlrumtnt before U6. Among them, if 1 recoiled right, was a stipulation, that free boUoms thould make free goods." He had been informed that these inftruTJHons'were altered, and was a point which he thought it effentiaj the house should be informed of. Leaving, however, the ground of fiqttrioteadance, which would make this enquiry neceffaiy, gentlemen had chosen to put the question at iffucon the other point, and had endea voured tofhew the impropriety of the demand by denying any difcrrtionary power in the Itgifiature, either to judge of the treaty itfelf, or decide on the propriety of carrying it into effcft. Mr. L. said he wai not -unwilling to meet them on this ground, and toconGder the decision of thiatn&tiori as declaratory of the fettfe of the House on that important question, -whether it is conftituiionalfy bound to give it« fanftion to every treaty that maj be formed by the other branchesand to provid< all Ihe -sums necefiary to fulfil every stipulation the} may make—for to this extent did all thejr argu ments go. r~ «» - - ZMr. LMngfittf, froth to-be continuedJ Thutfday, May 5. The Speaker informed the hcwfe that he had received a letter fiom the Governor of Maryland, informing the house that an election for a member of Congress, in the place of Mr. Duval, resigned, had taken place, which «• nmimitation wai read. —The gentleman elected is Richard Sprigg, jun. Mr. Parser prefeotsd two petitions refpefting the British treaty, one i;i favor and the othet a gainst its being carried into effcft, from Norfolk; Mr. New one from King William, and the Speak er one from Wefttnoreland in Virginia, in favor of the British treaty. Ordered to lie upon the table. Mr. New reported that the bill* for carrying into effect the treaties lately concluded with Spain, Great Britain, Algiers, and the Indian tribes, were laid before the President. A report of the Attorney-General relative to the csntrafb of John Cleve Sirrij, lor eertainJands in theNorth-'Weftein-Territory, was twice read and ordered to be committed to the committee of the whole. The following bills were read the third time and pafled, viz. for eompenfating-Jonathan Bladings for extra ferviees ; for the relief of Samuel Brown; "for the relief ofMefes Miers; for authorizing a light-house on ; for allowing compenfa tioa for horses killed in Battle.; and for eftablifli ing fevcral new ports of entry and delivery. Mr. Goodhue, chairman of the committee of commerce and manufactures, made a report on the memorial of •yylvarios Bourne, viee consul at Am sterdam, forthfreimburfemcnt of 206 dollars ex pended' in the-relief of the matter and crew of the ftlip Washington, which was wrecked upon the ceaft of Holland in November last ; and also Mpon the petition from the (late of ©dawarc, praying •that provision might be raade toprevent the dealing of negroes and mulattors. On the"firft cafe, the report waiin favor of the memorialist, it was twice read, wid a bill ordered to be brought in. Upon the latter alaw was recommended to be passed, and the report was committed to a committee of the -whole. , The heufe-refolved itfclf into a committee df the whole, Mr. Bourne in the ohait, on rh« bill mak ing-provilion for she.payment of certain debts due to the Bank of the United States, which, having gone through, the committee rose, the house took it up, and it was ordered to'be engrossed for a third reading. The house then resolved itfelf into a committee of t"he whole. Mr. Bourne in the chair, on the meflageof the.President relative to the TeunelTee country, and after some debate thereon, the com mittee rose, and had leave to fit again. Mr. Sitg reaves reported a bill for repealing so much of the aft as dire&s that the dittridt court of Penniylvania (hall be held alternatively at Phi ladelphia and York-Town, which was twice read •and ordered to be engrossed far a third reading. Adjourned. JPbiladelphia, t • FRIDAY EVENING, Ma; '6, 1795. On Sunday, there will be Charity Sermons and Colle&tons, ia Christ Church and St. Peters, for the free schools of the Protestant Episcopal Church. On Tue'Cday departed this life, in the 21 ft year' of his age, Mr. ROBERT MEADE, cldeft son -of Mr.-George Meade, merchant, of thi»'city. The. young gentleman, whose death is here recorded, after having given evidences of a promising under standing in the (Indies »f-i»« earlier years,, had ap plied himfelf to mercantile bufinek, with an in juf try and a discretion, which presaged future ufeful •nefs and fucctfs. But when the time drew near for his entering on aflive life, he was arreftsd by a painful and lingering disorder, which at last ended iii his diflolulion'; an event diftrefling to his family and friends-j although accompanied by all the con solations, which arise from th« recolledlion of his personal and domestic virtues; more cfpecially, of the patience -and the piety-with which.he sustained his tedious illncfs, the refignalion with which he •drew near to the end of hi 3 temporary exiftenee, and the hope which'he cherished and "in which he died, of the happiness of a (late, in which all forvow aiid fuffering (hall be done away. His remains were yesterday departed in Christ : Church, with those of his maternal grandfather, Richard W-orfam, Esq. formerly -of the island of Barbadoes. Extract df a letter slated Havanna, April 1.1, .1796, to a merchant in"tbis city. " The packet that arrived a few day# ago from Spain, brings out an to fulpend theadmi'ffion of vefleU from the United States with .flour and .yrovifions into this port." The meetings and petitions in favor of carrying •:nto efFedt the British Treaty are more itumeious than we can recollect to have ever been the cafe 011 a«y other oecafion. No iingle newspaper is cooi menfutate to the republication of them. The spi rit is extending itlehf to all parts of the Union and the instances of petitions agaiujl the appropriations, ar<f very few indeed. A striking dcmonfti ation that I the people consider their all at Hake. I The Aurora of Philadelphia charges the Miner va of New-York, wish calling names ! The mode of Jating faßs as praSiftd in the Jfurora. " The feufe of the people has no* been had in favor of carrying the Treaiy iatocffea—The names of a ftnall portion, obtained by diffusing falfchoods and the abundant esercife cif.undue-iflflucace were indeed brought forward. The enemies of the Trea ty, generally, confided in' the Houfc, and thought it needless to counter-petition." ' ? rPM-ARE." The idea of petitioning tta House of Repre sentatives againit tht British Treaty after it became a law originated in that hot-bed of sedition, the mother club of democracy. The leader* of that club are known to be holtile to a Balanced govern** ment. This is the icy to -unlock every gilded .ca binet of democratic curiolities held out to delude the -people. Let this key be applied, and it will invariably be found that what appears fe fair to the eye, is nothing less than Pandora's Box " of trea. sons, flratagems and spoils." The people, in the proper the word, have petitioned the House to do their duty, .and there is no dobbt that the leading principle is, left the House (hould by ufurpir.p: the ccwer of the three branches, prepare the way for all the horrors of a Conventional government. Extrad of a litter from George-Town, (Maryland,) dated April 22, 1796. " The people in this quarter are beginning to fee the necessity of expressing publicly their sentiments in fa vor of the execution of the British Treaty. We had a meeting of this town yeflerday, and a memorial signed by upwards of 400 citizens goes un by this day's mail to Mr. Crabb, to be presented to Coagrefs. We were unanimous—and so is the state—at lead the opposition is so trifling, as not to be mentioned. If nothing else will make your House a& right—and if the unequivi cal sense of the people, will, I think it would be good policy to delay for a few weeks the decision of the treaty qutftion. lam sure the people of Maryland will very generally come forward, and i have no doubt they will in other ftatrs. Even in Virginia—the strongest and most frefpetflable Counties, are becoming very frienOly t» the treaty. The PrMent't audttfi is ap proved every -sji/tre 1 Mieve nhere men tart think. WILMINGTON, (N. CJ Extradl of a letter from a gentleman of refpeftabi lity in London, to hi< correfpodent in this town. Hated January 7th, 1796. J°" ma y perhaps think that our finances will be cxbaulted by a continuance-os the wai ; but if you do, you are certainly in an error ; as ti.e re lourccs of this, country are great in the extreme, whiUt our commerce exitls. The loan of 18 mil hon» was no fooaer announced, than in the city they began to quarrel who rtiould lend it ; and who ought to have had the preference, is now a fuLjcct of exaniinatitra before one of the committees of parliament : sod a bank director told me, that if the .minister had wanted 50 millions instead of 18, he would Shave got it with the fame facility. At pre sent we have the trade of almost the whole world, and so great is the want of room on the banks of the Thames to land merchandize, that many veflels have>lain nine weeks on demurrage on that account. To remedy this grievance in future, a number of 'refpe&able merchants have it in contemplation to build wet docks in and about Wapping ; and the board of cufioms l was applied <0, t» Wv-thtir ■veyor attend and estimate the experifes, "whose re iport amounted to between eleven and twelve hun dred thotftand pounds; upon which a fubfeript ion was opened and Ailed in two hjurs, with a surplus •of Seventy odd thou [and pounds." CITY OF WASHINGTON, April 30. Thursday evening a dreadful fire broke out at the-clegant houfos lately'built by "Mr. Peters, which, in a (hort time, reduced them to alhes. The da mage cannot be'dftimatedat less than 50C0I. Wc lament there is'itrongreafon to fufpe£t that it wai not an accidental difaller. 4 No certain intelligence was received of the Fede ral Loan bill lalt night; although, from good au thority, we are aflurad that the Senate took up thi'i bjfme&on Monday last. April 28, At a meeting of the citizens of Norfolk and Partfmoufh, held at the Town Hall, in the Bo rough of Norfolk, April 26. 1796, convened a greeabic to notifications to consider of the proprie ty pr impropriety of addicffing Congrtfs on the ifubjeft of the Brrtifh 1 reaty. Seth Foster, ECq. Mayor of Norfolk Borough, ■was eledled President, and Jahu Cowpec Secretary. Resolved unaßimoufly, That an address be pre sented. Relulved, That a committee be composed of the following gentlemen, viz. John Nivifon, Wallig Wilfoo, William Newfum, Thomas Emmerfon, ' ~' f Richard E. .Lee, John George Kelly, Da niel Bedinger, W il!iam Wilson, Robert Taylor,jun. Jofiah Cowper, Thomas Parker, and Edward Ar cher, to prepare an address for the «oniideration of tlie meeting. ■I he committee returned, and the Chairman re ported the following addrcfa. £-Sce address at bot tom. 3 The address teing read, a motion was made t» adjotim until to-morrow morning at 10 o'clock which was negatived. A motion was made to adjourn until this after noon at four o'clock, which was negatived. Oh motion, Refoived, 7 hat. thp address reported by the com tTittec be received as the sense of this and that the fame, together with-a copy of thefc ptoceedingt, figncd by the President and Secretary, be transmitted to the Representative of this dif trift in Congrefr. Oil the tjucAion, 'aye*, -go, noes, 83. Ths meeting was thendifmiflcd. SETH FOSTER, President John Cowpw, Secretary. To the Honorable the House of Reprefentatiws of the United States. The .Address of the -Sublcribers, Citizens of the towns of Norfolk and Portsmouth, Refpeafully reprefeuts, THAI they have attended to the deliberations of your honorable body upon the British treaty, with a folicitudc proportioned to the importance of the fubje&, and, that they were content to have awaited the decision of your honorable house, from a reliance that filch decision would have comported with the honor and inteiefls of pur country. But as attempts are {making to induce your house to adopt measures touching the said treaty, which, under exiiting- circumltarKrea, are rot, in "our judge ment*, calculated to promote the interests of our country, we- cannot forbear alio to txpre(« our feti timpnts. -r ~~r Vve declare that we have ever considered that a treaty, in the nature of that now under yourconfi rderation, could not be fully and completely carried into efieft without the concurrence of your house, founded an a convi&ion of the expediency of such concurrence ; and we contemplate with extreme sensibility every attempt that ha* or mas be made to deprive your house of such an important conlti tutional right. V» e forbear to enlarge on this ft»bje&, though fa I intereftiag to our feelings, and we shall only add , that we do not believe any partial er local consider- I ations or Dolicr. will mSm-riM votir drcifiong oa -
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