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

and Son, prayincr to be employed in the printing buhnefs of Congrefs, were prefented to the houfe, and, together with the petition of Archibald M'Lean, prefented yefterday, to the fame effeft, ordered to be re- ferred to the committee laft appointed. Several other petitions of the citizens of New-Jerfey, praying that the eledlion of reprefentatives from that Itate, may be declared valid, were prefented to the houfe, and ordered to be referred to che committee of elections. A petition of baron de Glaubeeck, praying the conHder- ation of Cop.grefs for certain Infies and military fervices, during the late war alio a petition of Bartlett Hinds, a ; wounded officer in the Mail'achufetts hne of the late conti- nental army, in behalf of himfclf and the continental pen- fioners in that itate, praying relief againft certain injuries which they have fultained under the operation of the a^s pt the late Congrefs, were prefented ro the houfe, and ordered to lie on the table. Mr. White, one of the reprefentatives from Virginia, prefented to the houfe a refolve of the legillature of that Ifate, of the 27th of December, 1788, offering to the ac- ceptance of the federal government, ten miles fquare of territory, or any leffer quantity, in any part of that Itate^ which Congrefs may chulc, to be occupied and poilelled by the United States, as the feat of the Federal Governuient ; which was read, and ordered to lie on the table. An engroffed bill for hying a duty on goods, wares, and l?ierchandizes, imported into the United btates, was read a third time, and, qn t. motion made, ordered to be re-  31^ DEBATES A. 1789. coniinuted to a committee of the whole houfe, immedi- ately, houfe accordingly refolved itfelf into the faid com- "i'he mittee.Mr. Speaker left the chair. Mr. Page took the chair of the committee. Mr. Speaker refumed the chair, and Mr. Page reported, that the committee had, according to order, had the laid bill under coniideration, and made feveral amendments thereto, which he delivered in at the clerk's table, wliere the faii:e was t\vice read, and agreed to by the houle. Mr. Madifbn made a motion farther to amend the faid bill, by adding at the end thereof a claufe for limiting the the time of its continuance. Mr. Ames expreiled a doubt of the propriety of the mo- tion. He thought the bill ought to be commenfurate with the wants of government. Mr. FiTZsiMONS. ; For want of a proper knowledge of the ^rue fittjation of our affairs, we are unable to determine how far the prefenc provilion is equal to the necelTities of the union, and this circumflance will tend to add confiderably to our embari-ai- rnent in limiting the duration. If we make the time to jhort to fupply the public wants we iLall not hold out to the public creditors a fufficient fccurity for the punftual payment of their debts. If we fhould want toraiie money by a Joan, we could only expetl it according to the dura- tion of the fund : I'his n)akes the prefent motion a fubjei^ of icrious coniideration. Not that 1 objecl to what the j^eiitleman has in contemplation, but I wiih luch language to be ufed, that fhall delignate the continuation of the law to be till i\ie wants are itipplied and thereafter ceafe. I am not of opinion that it Ihould beforhailf a century, be- caufel hope our national debt will be extinguifhed in much iefs time; biU really I mull confefs, at this mouient, I feel confiderable enibarrafliiient in determining in my mind the period for which it fhould exiff, whether an enume- , rated term of years, or a general declaration during the f ontinuance of the public wants. I think it will be necefi'ary fpecially to appropriate this revenue indeed I think all revenue ihould be appropriat- : ed at the time it is granted ; but our want of knouledge refpedling pur firuation make it iu pradicable to dire^^ fpecial appropriation at this time. Rcnce 1 cannot fee what piight to be the decilion of the houfe on tlie'prelent UiO- tioii, I think fomething of this kind ought to be done. A. 1789. OfCONGKESS. 31; but I cannot fay particularly what. I believe other gen- tlemen will on this occaiion find it eafier to 1l-c the difficulty tiiin to obviute it ;but I hope thole who have conlidered it will (rive their fentiments to the houfe, in order to ena- ble us to form a jndgeinent of what may be jnoll expedient and proper. Mr. Lee I'hought the operation of the law could not be well un- derftood, that it was a fyftem of experiment, and ought to be temporary, in, order that a future Congrefs might make fuch amendments as time diould dilcover to be necefiary. How perfect foever the theory might appear the practice might be ctherwife he therefore wilhed its operation ; limited for three or live years. He thought it would be wife in the houfe to adopt the motion, in order to prevent any injuflice which a permanent and imperfed regulation might have on pofterity. He expeifted this would beget confidence in ihe government, which was to him a very tlefirable objccl. Mr. White. The conilitution having authorifed the houfe cf repre- fentacives alone, to originate money bills, places an impor- tant trufl in our hands, which as their protectors, VvC ought not to part with. I do not mean to imply that the fe- but the conilitu- Iiate are Icfs to be truiled than this hoUfe, tion no doubt, for wife purpofes has given the immediate reprefentatives of the people, a controul over liie whole governnient in this particular, which for their intcrcft they ought not to let out of their hands. I3elide the conflituri- on fays farther, that no apropriation fhall be for a longer term than two years, which of confequence limits the du- ration of the revenue law, to that period; when, if it is found conducive to the public welfare it may be continued by the legiflators appointed by the people, and who alone are authorifed to declare upon this queflion in the firft in-' fiance. As to the refloration of our credit, or procuring of loans j who have money to lend, have confidence in our if thofe government, and that confidence can only be regained by a pundual difchnrge of our engagements, we Ihall be able to draw the advanta2.es from thofe caufes which we for- ir.eriy did. It was fuflicient heretofore, and from the. energy of the government it is now more worthy of trufl. ivlr. L1VER.MORE. Hoped but little time would be taken up in the difcuflion 5iS of DEBATES this fubjeft, the people were anxioufly A. 1789, waiting the re- iult of their dehberations ; befide the impofi was daily (lipping away. JHe had no doubt of the propriety of the morion, becaufe from the acknowledged imperfeclions of the bill, it would never do for a permanent fyftem. If the people \\.ho confider themfelves fubjecled to very high and very unequal duties, find no termination of the grievance, they will iinmedi:iiely adopt meafures in their defence, to thwart the views of government, but if they underftand ' the law as temporary, and only pafled \n order to gain ex- perience for forming a better fyitem, they will be induced to give it fair play, and bear the burthen without complaint, truiting to the wifdomand julUce of Congrefs for fuch al- terations as practice may fhew to be necellary. Belide the objects for which the revenue is now wanting will decreafe annually ; this will be an additional reafon for limitting its duration ; he v/as not for a very ihort term, bethought five, feven, or ten years would be moreelligible than two or three, but he was decidedly agaiuft making it perpetual. Mr. SiNNICKSON Had underRood, that one of the obje^ls of the bill was the rc-eflablilhmcnt of public credit, but it never could be iw7agincd that a law, limited to three or four years could do tiiis m any great degree ; nor could any advantage arife from loans negotiated and terminated within fuch a fliort period. Under thefe imprefllons he conceived the motion itruck at the credit of the Nev/ Government, which the people had jull efiabliflied. If the law was difcovered to operate unequally, it tnight be amended by a future legiflature, who would take care to iupply new funds to replace thofe which were either given up or reduced. Mr. Madison. Wlicn he offered this amendment to the bill, he thought its propriety was fo obvious and ftriking, that it would njeet no oppoiition. To pafs a bill, not iimitted in dura- tion, which was to draw revenue from the pockets of the people, appeared to be dangerous in the adminiftration of any government he hoped therefore the houfe would ; not be lefs cautious in this particular, than what other na- tions were, who profell'ed to aft upon found principles. He imagined it might be confidered by their conitituents, as incompatiable with the fpirit of the conftitution, and dan- A. 1789. Of CONGHESS. 319 gerous to republican principles, to pal's fuch a law, unlimit- ed in its duration. He hoped it would not be underftood by gentlemen who oppofed his motion, that he iuppofcd them to be adluated with a deiire to do injury to either of thoi'e principles ; he believed them to be moved only by an ardent deiire to pro- mote the general wdfare, by the re eitabliihment of public credit ;he would heartily join his labors with theirs, to efFedr this objeft, but wiihed to do it in a way that while they ferved their country, they might feciu^e the liberties of the people, and do honor to themfelves ; belide the re- ftoration of public credit, he thought the adl had in view, the encouragement of a particular deftription of people, N\h!ch might lead them intoenterprizes of a peculiar nature, for the protection of which, the public faith leemed to be pledged. But would gentlemen infer from hence, that no alteration ought to take place if the manufadures were well eftablilhed. The fubjed appeared to him in a two- fold point of view ; firft to provide for the exigencies of government, and fecond, for the eitabliihment of public credit ;but he thought both thefe objects, could be obtain- ed without making tiie bill perpetual. If the government by its coudud Ihewed a proper attention to tlie pundual ]^'erformance of its engagements, it would obtain the latter ; the other would be iecured by making provifion as the oc- cafion demanded. If the bill was to be made perpetual it would be continued after the motive for v.'hich it was adopt- ed had ceafed ; the error would in this cafe be irremedia- ble -; ^vh^reas if its limitation was determined, it would al- ways be in the power of the government to ujake it com- inenfurate with what the public debts and contingencies required ; from the circumlfances of the union, it was ini- poifible to make appropriations ; ihould Congrefs pafs a law in perpetuity, the people might juUly be alarmed; for if rhe houfe of reprefentatives parted with the power of de- tv°rmining upon the peoplesability to pay taxes, their great- eft fecurity would be jilaced in a ibte of jeopardy. The conftitution, as had already been obiervcd,