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

Virginia (Mr. Madifon) told uS yefterday, that he meant to move the co'nfideration of a- mendments on the 4th Monday of this month ; he did not make fuch motion then, and may be prevented by accident, or fome other caule, from carrying his intention into exe- cution when the time he mentioned Ihall arrive ; I think the fubjeft however is introduced to the houfe, and per- haps it njay conllft with order to let the prefent application lie on the table until the bufniefs is taken up generally. Mr. Page Thought it the beft way to enter the application at large upon the journals, and do the fanve by all that came in, until fufficient were made to Obtain their objeft. The original being depofiteci in the archives of Congrefs. He deemed this the proper mode of difpofmg of it, and what is in itleif proper can never be conftrued into difrefpedt. Mr. Bland Acquiefccd in this difpofal of the application. Where- upon it was ordered to be entered at length on the Journals, and the original to be placed on the hits of Congrefs. The houfe refumed the conlideration of the claufes in the report of the committee of the whole, refped^ing the duty on tonnage. Mr. Jackson Moved to lower the tonnage duty from 30 cents, as it flood in the report of the committee on ihips of nations in alliance, and to infert 20 cents, with a view of reducing the tonnage on the vell'els of powers not in alliance. In laying a higher duty on foreign tonnage than on our own,- 1 prefume, faid he, the Legillature have three things in contemplation : lit. The encouragement of American Ihip- ping ; 2dly, Raifing a revenue ; and, 3dly, The fupport of light-houfes and becons tor the purpol'es of navigation. Kow, for the fird object, namely, the encourageir ent of American iliipping, I judge io cents will be lufficie it, the duty on our own being only 6 cents ; but if 20 cei."s are laid in this cafe, I conclude that a higher rate will be m- pofed upon the vefl'els of nations not in alliance, asth. fe form the principal part of the foreign navigation, the du y* will be adequate to the end propoled. i t^ike it, the ide« jdea of revenue from this fource is not much relied upon by the houfe j and furely 2© cents is enough to anlwer all the purpoies of eredling and fupporting the neceffary light- houies. On a calculation of what will be paid in Georgia, I find a fufficiency for thefe purpoies ; and 1 make no doubit, but enough will be colle;^ed in every Itate from this duly. The tonnare employed in Georgia is about 20,000 tons, 14,000 tons are foreign, the duty on this quantity will amount t0 4661. 13s. 4d. Georgia currency ; I do not take in the 6 cents upon American veiiels, yet this fum appears to be as much as can poflibly be wanted for the purpofe of im- proving our navigation. When we begin a new fyftem we ought to a6l with mo- deration, the necelFity and propriety of every meafure ought to appear evident to our conftituents, to prevent clamour and complaint. 1 need not infifl upon the truth cf this obfervation by offering arguments in its fupport. Gentlemen fee we are fcarcely warm in our feats, before applications are made for amendments to the Conititution ; the people are afraid that Congrefs will exercife their power to opprefs them ^ if we fliackle the commerce of America by heavy inipolkionj we fhall rivet them in their diftruft. The quef^ion before the counnittee appears to nic to be^, whether we fiiall drav/ on, by tender means, the ftates that are now out cf the union, or deter them from joining us, by holding out the iron hand of tyranny and opprellion. I am for the former, as the nioft likely way of perpetuating the federal government. North-Carolina will be material- ly affeded by a high tonnage ; her velTels in the lumber trade will be conliderably injured by the regulation ; fhe v/ill difcover this, and examine the advantages and difad- vantages of entering into the union; if the difadvantages preponderate, it may be the caufe of her throwing herfelf into the arms of Britain ; her peculiar lituatioh will enable her to injure the trade of both South Carolina and Georgia. The difadvantages of a high tonnage duty on foreign vef» fels are not (o feniibly felt by the northern itates, they have nearly veffels enough of iheir own to carry on all their trade, confequently the lofs fuftained by them will be buc fmali but the fouthern dates employ moltly foreign (hip- ping, and unlefs their produce is carried by them to mar- ket it will perifl). At this moment there is not only rice and lumber, but 5,000 hofheads of tobncco laying iu the warehoufes for want of ihipping. Gentlemen may talk ot railing a maritime force, and encreaGng the number dl C c 202 D I: B A T E S A.tyZp, our commercial veiTels j but v.bat is to be done in the mean time with the produ(51;s of agriculture ? they muft be laid tip to rot in warehoufes, they mull wait till a future day before they can be dirpoled of ; the poor planters are to f'uffer thisinconvenience for a few years to encreafe the building of Ibips j perlecuted as thefe men are by Britifh tyrants, in the Ihape of creditors, we are about to impel them to certain deftrut^ion. Evex-y artifice was ufed, every net was fpread, to involve them in this dilemma. Court- ed by luxury, which expofed all its chafms to impallion' their fouls, and prompted on by the flattering terms of obtaining a gratification of their wifhes by a long credit, thefe men have put themfelves into the power of commer- cial harpies. At length roufed fronr their lethergy, they have made exertions to dilentangle themfelves ; thefaleof their prodtice has hitherto enabled them to avoid the moft dreadful evils; but take this out of their power, and there remains nothing to fave them from the loathfome dungeon, and their families from perilhing for want of the common necefTaries of lif^. Then may the people of the ftate of Georgia have reafon to repent the prompt and decided part they have talxn in this fecond revolution. Difappointed in that relief which' they expeded from a general and effi- cient government, they will Only have to feek obfcurity, and a wretched exillance, in fome remote corner of the land, defpniriiig of ever obtaining hereafter the t^'onted comforts and enjoyments of life. I fhall juil mention to tlie houfe one obfervation more, tofhevv that rhe produce of the fouthcrn ftates cannot bear a high tonnage duty. The value of rice, tobacco, and in- digo have fallen i'o much in foreign markets, that they are no longer worth the exportation ; the merchants complain that they lofe by thofe remittance, and they have now got into the practice of fending of? the round tloliars, 40,000 dollars have been feiit in one veiTel ; this is daily the cafe, and we fhall fliortly have none left to pay our debts ; the difficultji will be encreafed, as no other than fpecie can be paid for the duties impofed on the aj'ticles imported. I hope the government will not iniilt upon our walking be- fore we are able to creep, or compel us to make bricks ^vithout ftrav.'. Thefe are my fentiments on the prefent queflion, if they have weight, the houfe will agree with me in reducing the duty ; but if the houfe periiii in con- *inuing the high rates .agreed to in committee,. I ihaIlcon<» A. 1789. Of C O N G R E S S. ^03 tent niyfelf with having done my duty by warning them of the danger. Mr. Ames. I hope the redu^lion moved for by the gentleman who has juft fat down vvilJ not be agreed to ; for I truft the houfe is not fatisfied with the reafons offered in its fupport. A great deal has been now faid reipeding the jealoiify enter- tained of the advantages given by this preference to fom^ ftates ; a great deal was aifo faid before the committee a- dopted the meafure, I do not think this doftrine of jea- loufy is natural to us» I know it has been cultivated by the Britifh, and defnninated through the United States, they had their particular views in exciting fuch ideas ; but I do not believe, tiiat becaijfe we have various, we have oppofite interefts. Upon examination there will be found but few of our jnterefts that clalh with each other fo much as to admit a well grounded jealoijfy. Nature has fo ar- ranged our circumftances, that the people of the feveral flates purfue various employments which fupport each other. If one end of the continent is employed in manu- fadures and commerce, the other is attentive to agricul- ture ; fo far are they therefore from being rivals, that, both in a natural and political fenfe, they mutually are ne- cefl'ary and beneficial to each others interells. I wifh gen- tlemen, before they infift upon this jealoufy, would point out the caufes of its exiftance. So far from this being the cafe, I believe the individual interell of each part is com- patible with tjie general intereil ; and that the public opi- nion is the fame, is clearly demonIi:raced by the attachment profelTed by every part to remain in union — it is acknow- ledged, that on this principle our exillance ss a nation depends. This being the cafe, I do net hften with any great de- gree of concern to arguments founded on that caufe. So far from furveying the affluence or eaie of my fouthern brethren with the jaundiced eye of jealouiy, 1 contemplate — their profperity with ineffable fatisfaiStioii: I look with an equal eye upon the. fucccfs of every ffate through the whole extent of United America. I wilh their interefls to be equally confulted ; and, if I may judge of ihe feelings of the people, by thofe of their reprefentatives on this floor, I may venture to fay there was never lefs reafon to apprehend difcord or envy than at this time I be- lieve the facl is fo, becaufe I feel it. 1 appeal with con- fidence to the gentlemen round me, whether they have 119? 204 D i: B A T E S A. 1789. found the dlfpofition of thofe who were fufpe<?led moft to iavor navigation, ready to concede to what was afked fof the encv'unigement of every other intercft ? whether a Jike conciliatory condpft has not been obferved by the advocates of inanufaiftures ? I a|k gentlernen, whether the language they have heard froni the feverai parts of this houfe, has not been much more congenial to their fienti- nients than they expected, and the meafures purfued more coincident to their feelings, t^ian what they looked fori i believe, at the moment I am making this obfervation, the breafts of gentlemen beat in concert with it, I am fure my feelings accord moft cordially in the fenciment. I believe the "encouragement of our navigation is looked t]pon to be indifpenfibly necelTarj'', its importance has never been denied. Now, 1 afk it gentlemen are iqchned to fup- port and extend our navigation, whether th^y are not wil- ling to proportion the mean to the end, and adopt meafures tending to encreafe the quantity of America (hipping ? It has been often juftly remarked, that the Conftitution, un- der which we deliberate, originated in commercial necelTity. The mercantile part of our fellow citizens, who are the firm friends to an equal and energetic government, hope the improvement of our navigation may obtain the atten- tion of Congrefs ; it is but jultice that it be early attended 10, and it will give general fatisfadtion to find it conlidered as an important obje^l; hy the general government. Tht; jnoft liberal of the friends of American commerce only wilh for fuch regulations as may put opr navigation on a footing v/nh foreigners. If other nations have reftridedf cur navigation by regulapqns or charges, w?