Amendments to the Constitution, [8 June] 1789 — reading text

quiefcent and obedient to our laws as any ftate in the union, yet the people will confider a high duty on molall'es as injurious to their interefts in the fi(heries and navigation, and contrary to the wifdom, and thole principles of juftice and policy, which they exped governs the prefent Legiflature. We ought to dra\v our leifon from experience ; you have heard that Great Britain, with all her power, was unable to ob- tain a duty of 3d. a gallon ; learn wifdom from her, ihe reduced it to id. and fucceeded in the colledion ; the de- fiance of her laws was in confequence of the meafure run- ning counter to the fcntiments of the people. IVIr. Ames. Said he fhould be forry if he had made ufe of any lan- guage to injure any gentleman's feelings ; he did not mean to infer, that the people of Mallachufetts poflelled any ex- cellence over their fouthern brethren, far from it, he was fatisfied that their hearts beat v.ith equal warmth,and their minds contemplated with equal precilion ; he believed that the mofl cordial regard fublilted on the part of the citizens of MafTachuletts toward their fellow citizens in other (fates , he therefore hoped that noihing local would be attributed to him on the occafion. Was the language of gentleman to be, let us lay a poll- tax of three-fourths of a dollar on the filhermen, I aik, faid he, would the houle lit quiet even to hear the proportion ? Ii is not becaufe a tax is light that it is proper. It is fup- pofed that the filhermen mult be poor if they are not able to pay this ; but I contend they are very poor, they are in a finking Ifate, they carry on their bufinefs indefpair ; but gentlemen will alk us, why then do they not quit the pro- feflion ? I aniwer, in the words that are often ufed in the eaftern country, refpeding the inhabitants of Cape-Cod, they are too poor to live there, and they are too poor to remove. With refped to our diftilleries, the gen- tleman aflumes as a fad that they have not declined hut the contrary is true ; there is not more than ihree= fourths of the bufinefs done now that ufed to be^ befidf; y  i;o DEBATES A. 17%. the quantity is not only lefTened, but the profit on what is fold is alfo lefs. Thoi'e nations that ufecl to iupply us with the raw material are becoming our rivals, even our home , market is not fecured to us. Gentlemen who contend for the encouragement of agri- culture ihould recoiled that nature has denied us fertility, but Ihe has led along our Ihores an inexhauftible ft ore. The labour on our lands feems to be exerting ourfelves againft nature ; our induftry is therefore directed to a more produftive buihiefs, and ought not this to be entitled to equal encouragements with any other. A tax upon molafles has been fufficiently demoiiltrated to be a tax upon the fifheries ; and will gentlemen continue this burthen upon Maflhchufetts alone, when Ihe pays her full proportion on all other articles, according to her abilities to conl'ume them. Opprelhon will lead to fmuggling, and when once a fyftem is formed, the perfons engaged in it will not ilop at molailes alone, they will include every other article in an illicit trade, fo that it is impoilible to know the extent of the evil, or provide a remedy. If thefe fads and argu- ment arc fufficient to produce doubts in gentlemens minds, they will helitate in concurring with the committee in thi'S article of the report ; for, in cafes of uncertainty, I take it to be the wii'ell way not to proceed in the dubious track. Mr. Gkrry. After what I faid yeilerday on this fubjecl, it cannot be necell'ary for me to go again fully into the argument ; what I then advanced has been anfwered in few cafes. I men- tioned the difficulties to which a merchant would be fub- jefted who had to advance the duties, he muft fell to a lofa, or have a large capital for the pur^wfe ; no argument has been urged to (hew an impropriety in this realoning. A cargo and outfits of a vefTel, v-orfh loool. lawful money, would bring in return 22,000 gallons of molaffes ; this, as I faid yefterday, will pay 396I. a duty of near 40 per cent:, upon the cargo. It was alfo mentioned, that a large quan-- tiiy of the article was confumed by the poor ot the lea ports ; a high duty molt necclT'arily ruife the price or leflen the confumptio-n, in which cafe it will be an additional dif- couragenient to the trade. If the price is railed the diftiK ler muft likewife encreale his capital or manufaclure lefs, if fo the demand is again decrealed ; if it is necelfary to dertroy the manufafture, on account of the injury it does to the morals of the people, the proprietors ought to be in- demnified but if rum is ft-ill to be uied among us, let us ;.  ; A. 1789. Of CONGRESS. 171 give a preference to our own manufacture. By difcourag. ing the molafles trade, you leflen the demand for liih which is exported to be exchanged for that article. It has been faid, that a fiUierman ufes but 12 gallons, I include his family and make it 30, for this he has to pay two dollars annually ; is not this a burthen ? gentlemen mufi: own it is. The gentleman from Virginia refers us to a period be- fore the revolution, when the manufafture fupported itfelf under a duty- The kingdom of Great Britain was at that time in the zenith of her power ; flie had her board of commerce, her velTels of war, and bodies of troops to fup- port the meafure, Hie fent over an army before Ihe gave it up, but at laft Ihe was compelled to reduce it ; but do gentlemen mean to engage Congrels to fupport its meafures in this way ; befide the Parliament had an objedl to con- tend for; they did not like their New-England colonies to interfere with the bufinefs of their Weft-India iflands they wifhed totally to deftroy our diftilleries, but could not fucceed. This government has no objeft of this kind; then fliall we give chagrin to thofe people of whom we expect fupport? are v/e not putting to hazard theaffedion of the numerous citizens concerned in this bufmels, who have been the warm advocates of the Conftitution from an expeftation of benefit to their particular intereft? and this for fake of a meafure that muft defeat itfelf; the duty will exceed the rilk of fmuggling, the latter, perhaps, not being more than 5 per cent, the former 40 per cent, on the value of the article. If therefore we lay an excife upon the rum, and a fmali duty on moiaffes, we fliall prevent the necellity of a clan- defline trade, obtain a greater revenue, and avoid thofe injuries which are lb juftly apprehended to extend to ou? fifheries and navigation. Mr. Jackson I have attended through the whole of this ilebate, but have been unable to difcover any new light refletTced on the fubjedl. I do not mean to trefpafs upon the patience of the committee, but'for a moment. I'he gentlemen from Mafo. fachufetts tell us, that fifh is an article of their trade, and they fell it for moiaffes, but if a duty is impofed upon mo- lalles the bufinefs is ruined, Let me alk them, are there not other articles of trade of great m.oment to the fouthward i What is to become of the lumber of Georgia ? %ve are obliged to take rum in the Weft-Indies in exchange for 172 DEBATES A. 1789. our lumber, upon which we pay 15 cents a gallon duty, the gentlemen were not for reducing this ; fo I hope they will admit their arguments on this point to be obviated. One gentleman has thrown out a remark refpeding the flaves in the fouthern dates. I know the fubjed is not before the houle ; but I beg juft to cbferve, that however flavery may be condemned in the ealtern ftates, it is im- pradicable to cultivate the fouthern ones without their alTiltance. The queftion on ftriking out 6 cents was determined in the negative. Mr. Fitzfimons revived his motion which was loft in the committee, that a draw back of 3 cents per gallon be allow- ed on all rum diftilled in the United ftates, and which (hall be exported without the limits thereof. This was agreed to. On motion of Mr. Madifon, the claules of the report, relpecting the duty to be laid on tonnage, was poftponed. And then the houfe appointed a committee to bring in a bill or bills, purluant to the report as adopted. A letter from Mr. Ogden, referring to fundry petitions annexed thereto, from a number of citizens of New-Jerfey, complaining of illegality in the late election of Reprefenta- tives for thai ftate lo this houfe, was read, and ordered to lie on the table. The order of the Senate of the thirteenth inftant, was read, appointing a committee to confer with any commit- tee to be appointed on the part of this houfe, relpedling the future dil'poiition of the papers in the office of the late Se- cretary of the United States : Whereupon, Ordered, That Mr. Trumbull, Mr- Cadwallader, and Mr. jackfon, be a committee for that purpofe. Ad- journed. April 29. The petitions of the citizens of New-Jerfey, whofe names are thereunto fubfcribed, complaining of the illega- lity of the eleftion of Reprefentatives to Congrefs for that State, as referred to in Mr. Ogden's letter of yefterday, Avere read : Whereupon, Ordered, That the faid petitions be referred to the committee of eledions, and that it be an inftrudion to the laid committee, to report a proper mode of inveftigation and decifion thereupon. The houfe proceeded to confider the report from the committee of eledions, (which lay on the table) on the  : ; A. 1789. Of CONGRESS. 173 petition of David Ramfay of the ftate of South-Carolina, liio-gefting that William Smith, returned a member of this houfe as elected within that Itate, was, at the time of his eledlion, ineligible ; and the faid report being amended to read as followeth : I'hat in this cafe it will be lufficient in the firft inftance, that a committee take fuch proofs as can be obtained in this city refpedting the fads Hated in the petition, and report the fame to the houfe — That Mr. Smith be permitted to be prefent from time to time when fuch proofs are taken, to examine the witneffes, and to offer counter proofs, which ih ill alfo be received by the committee, and report- — ed to the houfe That if the proofs fo to be reported Ihall be declared by the houfe infufficient to verify the material fads ftated in the petition, or fuch other lads as the houfe fliall deem proper to be enquired into, it will^then be ne- cefl'ary for the houfe to dired a farther enquiry, and efpe- cially the procuring whatever additional teltimony may be fuppofed to be in South Carohna, as the cafe may require — That all quellions arifing on the proofs be decided by the houfe without any previous opinion thereon reported by a committee. Refolved, That this houfe doth agree to the faid report, and that it be an inftrudion to the committee of eledions to proceed accordingly. On motion, Ordered, That a committee be appointed to prepare and report an eftimate of the iupplies requifite for the prefent year, and ot the nett produce of the impoft as agreed toby the houfe, and that Mr. Gerry, Mr. Smith, (of Maryland) and Mr. Parker, be of the faid committee. The houfe