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

to by the houfe, as fol- loweth : Refolved, That it is the opinion of this committee, that an addrefs to the Prefident ought to be prepared, eKprel^ fing the congratulations of the Houfe of Reprefentatives, on the diftinguillicd proof given him of the affeftion and €onfidence of his fellow citizens, by the unanimous fuffrage which has appointed him to the high ftaticn which he fills ; the approbation felt by the Houfe of the patriotic fenti- ments and enlightened policy recommended by his fpeech ; and alTuring him of their difpolition to concur in giving effect to every meafure which may tend to fecure the liber- ties^ promote the harmony, aad advance the happinefs and profperity of their country. OidcreJ, That a connnittee to confift of five members be appoinred to- prepare an addrefs purfuant to the faid refoiution. The members eleded, Mr. Madifon, Mr. Cly-- mer, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Gale, and Mr. Benfon. Another member, viz. Samuel Livermore, from- Nevv- Hampiliire, appeared and took his feat. A motion was made that the houfe do come to the fol- lowing refokido-n : Refolved, That per annum be the eompenfation to be allowed to the Prefident of the United States, during the time for which he is to be elected. And the faid mo- tion being read at the clerk's table, was ordered to be com- mitted t(ta ronnnittee of the whole lioufe on the ftate of the. union. The houfe then-, according to the order of the day, pro- eeeded by ballot to the appointment of a Chaplain to Con- orefs on the part of this houfe ; and upon examining the ballots, a majority of the votes of the whole houfe was found in favor of the Rev. William Linn. (Ordered, That the tlcrk of this houfe do acquaint the the Senate therewith. — Adjourned, May 4. A petition of the ihipwrights of the town of Baltimore, in tbc ftate of Maryland, was prefented to the houl'e, and read, praying the aitention of Gongrefs to the encreafe of American fhipping and tonnage, and the eftablilhing a pro- per navigation ad or afts for that purpofe. Ordered, That the laid petition be referred to the com- 'liiittfe of the v/hok houie on the ftate of the union. A. 1789. Of CONGRESS. 179 A petition of Alexander Lewis, of the flate of Pjennfyl- vania, was prefented to the houfe, and read, fetting forth that he hath difcovered and conftrudled an eafy and expe- ditious method of impelling boats of twenty-five tons bur- then and under, through the wa<er, againft any current or ftream however rapid ; as alfo an eafy method of raifmg a fufficient quantity of water twenty feet in height, to turn any mili ; and praying that an act may pafs to fecure to him, his heirs, &c. for the term of twenty-one years, an exclufive right of conftrufting boats upon his model, in the United States. Alfo a petition of Andrew Newell, and Seth Clark, of the ftate of MafTachufctts, praying that the proper officer may be authorifed to receive and examine their accounts as adij'p tant-commiflaries of iflues, the lapfe of time limited for that purpofe by the late Congrefs notwithftanding. Alfo a petition of Sarah Parker, of the iVate of Mafl'achu= fetts, praying that fome relief may be granted for the fup~ port of herfelf and a large family of children, being the widow and orphans of lieutenant colonel Mofes Parker, who was wounded and made prifoner by the Britilh troops in the battle of Charleftown, on the 17th of June 1775, and was afterwards confined ix] the gaol of Bofton, and there died ot his wounds in the month of July following. Alfo a petition of Martha Walker, of Bollon, in the itate of Maflachu fetts, praying that fome relief may be granted her, as the diitrefled widow of Thomas Walker, Efquire, late of Bofton, who at the commencement of the late revo- lution, abandoned a very coniiderable property in the pro- vince of Quebec, and attached himfelf to the interefts and fortunes of the United States. Ordered, That the faid petitions do feverally lie on the table. On motion of Mr. Goodhue, the remaining claufes of the report of the committee of the whole was taken up refpefting the tonnage on vcfiels. The claufes relative to the difcrimination between foreign nations in alliance with the United States, and not in alliance, being under confi- deration, Mr. Law RANGE Moved to ftrike out the ciifcrimination, conceiving that, in the prefent lituation of our country, we ought to be cau- tious not to exprefs fatisfaclion or diflatisfaftion with re- fpe6l to the conduct of foreigners ; fo far as is prudent and right, we ought to preferve an exaCl neutrality, and ac\  • i8o DEBATES according as circumftances exifl. A. 1789, It will be neceflajy, faid he, to conlider this fubjed: in two points of view ; lirft, as it relpects the neceflity of our employing foreigners ; and, i'econdly, how far a regulation that is intended to meet the conduct of thofe nations not in alliance with us is prbper on our part, and what efFeds will probably flow from the dif- triminatiou in this particular. It was ftated, when this jbbjeifl was under confideration before, that the United States had not a fufficicnt cjnantity of toimage to tranfport its produce. It was faid by the gentleman frOm Pennfyl- vania, that its aggregate was but one-third of the tonnage enjployed for this purpofe, if fo we are indebted to to- reigners for the other two-thirds. Mr. FiTZsiMoNS, think the gentleman has njifunderftood me. I I believe I faid, and the fadt is, that near two-thirds ot the tonrtaae is our own, and bqt one-third foreign. Mr. Lawkance I undcrflood him as I ftated it, that two-thirds belonged to foreigners, however, the greater part of this foreign tonnage is owned in Great Britain. Being indebted to foreigners for their veflels, I alk, is it proper to give a bounty to fome of them, efpecially as it operates as a duty upon the articles exported? But why n)ake the difcrimina- tion ? It is faid we Ihould enable thofe nations, v/ith whom we have coinmercial treaties, to participate more large- ^ 3y of our trade, but at prefent they do not fiipply us v/iih Ihips for the purpofe of carrying on ; if we it cannot get veHels from thefe favored nations, we muft. have them from others, or the alternative is, we muft keep our prodijce to perilh in our hands. If the veHels are indifpenlibly neceflary, the very circumllance of our want- ing them, will oblige us to give the freight that is ailced,' Is it reafonable to exped^ when we are under the neceflity of having velfels, and are from our circumltances obliged to give foreigners \vhat freight they alk, is it reafonable, I fay, to expeft our own citizens to let tlieirs for lefs than what is paid to foreigners ? Then the inhanced price of frcighv will be laid on all whether foreign or domeitic if — I am riglit in thefe cpnfiderations, let me afk, gentlemen, will the produce of the country bear burthens of this na- Iare every gentleman vvill decermine for himfelf. 'i The gentlemen from South-Carolina and Virginia will deter- inine, whetlier their valuable and important ftapies, whe- ther even their rice ^nd lobacco^, which hi^ve no rival iu the A. ij'6^. Of G O N G R E' S S. i8i European markets, vt'ill or pofiibly can bear fach an excef- five burthen ? Let the gentlemen from the middle Ibtes de- termuie, whether fuch is the fiouri£hing ftate of their agri- culture, as to enable them to pay a freight of this kind ? If the articles to be vended at foreign markets cannot, and I truft gentlemen have already determined in their own mind^ that they cannot bear the expence, this n)eafure will produce the moll; mifchievous confequences. Mr.- Speaker, it will difcourage agriculture itielf, it will de» ilroy the foul of the nation, the ardent hid&ftry of the peo-. pie. If the produds of your foil cannot be lent to mariiet they muft lay and perilli • the planter and hufbandman hav- ing no Itimulus to labor, the prolpect mull be languid^ and an univerfal celTation of operative induftry ftretches over all your land. Let us now proceed to cbnfider the fubjedl in the fecond point of view, as a regulation to meet the conduct of thofe iiatiohs which have not formed commercial treaties wi;h us; and let us coniider the confequences of the propofed poli- cy : We have no treaty of commerce with either Spain, — Portugal or Great-Britain yet thefe are nations with whom the United States carry on a very beneficial com- merce, as lucrative and uieful to our intereft as any we have with nations in alliance with us. The propo* led difcrimination does not apply particularly to one nation more than to another ; the exprelTion is general, as it refpedls all powers with whom the United States have or have not commercial treaties. Now, is it to be iuppoied, that they will remain quiet under this unfavorable dilcrimination 1 believe it is more natural to fuppole that ; thev will nieet you with (imilar regulations. Spanilh and Portuguele velTels will pay the fame tonnage as Britiih; now from them the eaftern itates have fome ill to apprehend ; coniiderable quantities of fiih are exported to the dominions of Portugal and Spain, will they not lay a duty on the hih unfavorable to us, and advantageous to ibme other power concerned in that bufinefs ? this muft operate to re- — duce the profits on American fifii and 1 believe it is well known to this houfe, the gentlemen have on a former oc- callion fully Hated it to us, that the filhex-ies are incapable to bear the fmalleft encreafe of its burthens without doing — an eflential injury to the trade I need not therefore am- plify on this head. It is true, Great- Britain has not hitherto entered into a tPnimercial treaty with the United States, perhaps it is not I«2 DEBATES A. 1789. worth the enquiry, why this has not been done, but fure- ly if we mean to induce her to form one with us, it is more hkely to be brought about by moderation than by a war of commercial regulations. It is well known, that that posver {lands high in the opinion of all nations ; its cha- rafter for riches and power is juftly great, its commercial' importance is well known 10 ijs, hence we have but little to expedt by a commercial warfare, nor can it be neceflary, "when the object we aim at can be obtained in a more eligir ble manner — at leaft had we not better try the efFeft of mo- deration ? It is certainly the advice of prudence to do fo ; ifwe find this mean to be unfuccefsful, we can apply the other, we always have it in our power, and after being difappointed in temperate meafures we can urge tjie other jnore properly. If we make them our friends it may be advantageous to ys, if they become our enemies in commerce, it may have a. dil'agreeable — and inconvenient effeft: they can reftri(^ us more than we can them, the nation by being long eftab- liftied, is poflefTed of capital to bear the lofs of afufpenfioq of trade; we are as it were the creatures of yellerday, una- ble to ftand fucli