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

will it not be ealier to correct the iinperfe<fl part than to frame a new fyftem ; furely gentlemen are under a great m'tllake when they fufpecl danger to arife from the revenue continuing to flow into the palilic treafury ; have not the houle a camplete command over it, for no money fhall be drawn out but by appropriations by law ; the pre- fident cannot toUch it ; does it increafe the power of the fe- nate ? The fenate have no command over it unlets autho'- rifed by law. Can' the houfe of feprefentatives make any life of it ? Th'ey cannot get a farthing, becaufe the confent of the fenate is req'iired to enable them to draw for it. Wli-it h:is!)een tlie conduft of Great Britain, in relation to her funds ? What has carried the credit of that king- dom to a fup^rior eminence, but the attention liie has paid to public credit. ; h'e confi'dered thefe advantages as having made that nation rich and powerftrl. He believed a like cdndu !: on our part, would produce the fame confequences, becaufe our government was of fuch ^ nature, as to givs the public creditors the greateft lecurity they could wilh. If the revenue is appropriated, and the law for collecting it is without any limitation, whatever then the funds cannot be taken away without a pollttive adt of injudlice, to which both houfes of the legiflature mud allent by a ma- jority of two-thirds, or three independant parties mult unite, it was therefn-e three to one, in favor of of tire public cre- ditor, that the funds aj-'propriated to his ufe, would not Wq annihiiated. Uniler thefe circfimftances government might more lafely be trulted 5 this heot)ferved was not the cafe nnder defpotic princes, iheir will alone, could tear away the Uiider a pure democracy the cale fecurity of the lubjecl. bad; there can be no credit becaufe the ca- wiisaliiioft as price and wbimof of one body can diftate a charge. Mow an iit\ that expires at a limittcd period, revives the topics of partial politics and oppofing interefls, whicij. A. 17S9. Of C O N G R E S S, 3^9 involves expence, befide it affords lefs confidence ; becaule a variety of circumftances may occur to prevent a continu- ation of the necelFary provilion to eftablifli the foundation of credit, it may be prevented by the mere difagreement of the two houfes. This uncertain iituation of the public credit will prevent the government from re-loaning their foreign and domeftic debt, which might otherwife be done to very great advantage at a reduced interefl:. Viewing the fubjed in all ihefe points of light, he eould not help being oppofed to the motion. Mr. Page ExpfeflTed his furprife to find gentlemen oppofed to the limitation of the bill who had complained fo much of its imperfections. He thought a meafure of the kind now propofed abfalutejy necelTary to reconcile thefe gentlemen to particular parts of the bill for his own part he had •, objedlions to fome articles, and for that reafon, if there wa5 no other, he would be in favor of the limitation. It had been frequently affertcd, that half the revenue would be loft by fmuggling : Can this then, he would afl<, be a bill proper to perpetuate, or fit for the reftoration of the credit of the United States? He alked gentlemen, whether they would lend a hand to rivet round the necks of their fellow citizens, a regulation which experience had convinced them was Unjuft, unequal, and oppreirive ; yet the gentleman from MaiTachufetts (Mr. Ame^) had declared, that expe- rience bad convinced him, at lead one particular article waS fubjedted to a duty of this kind. He did not believe public credit could be reftored other" wile than by a ftrift and pofitive adherence to our engage- ments, and a faithful performance of the duties they under- took. While this continued to be a leading feature of ths government, he would be bold to fay, that we ihould daily grow in reputation, profperity, and happinefs. He hoped therefore that a particular attention would be paid to their future conduft, and that each member would emulate the other in providing for the revival of public credit, by i^s of juflice to the holders of public fecurities. Mr. Gerry Afked his colleague, if he advocated the carrying the taxes? to fuch an extent as to accumulate funis in the treafury (of which the United States had no particular ufe ? yet if thi? revenue law was made perpetual, it would collect money into the public coffers after the national di-bt was paid j' this would be fuch a temptation to the executivs topoffg/V T t 330 D E B A T E S A. 1780, itfelf by forceof the treafures of the nation as he hoped would never be put in its way. If our commerce and po- pulation encreafed, this revenue would encreafe in the fame proportion. He could not, therefore, bear the idea of all this money collecting into one fpot unlefs there was an ah- foluce demaiid for it he thought it incompatible with the ; liberty and fecurity of the people, and therefore hoped the lioufe would agree to a fliort limitation. Mr. Madison For the fake of accommodation, would make another propofition. He was extremely forry to differ with gentle- inea about modes, v.'hen their objecl appeared to be the fame. He thought the fpirit of the Cchititution, and the flfuaure of th^ government, rendered it improper to pafs a perpetual revenue law. The arguments had been clear on this point; but as there v.'as an evident propriety in making the means commenfurate to the occalion, he was inclined to trive the bill fuch a perpetuity, as would anfwer the purpofe of providing for the public debt and reftoring national credit. He thought this might be done by modi- fying his motion, fo as to refer to the collection bill, for he hoped bef./rc thabpafled, the houfe would be able to afcer- tain the appropriation and could limit it accordingly. The word 3. he would propoie were, that this acl Hiould not con- tinue and be in force longer the day of unlefs otherv/ife liniited by the aft providing for the appropria- tion.. As he had heard it intimated that the yeas and nays would be called on this qneftion, he was delirous of render- ing 'th;^ claufe as falisfaftgry as poOible. Mr. Ames Could not bear to lie under the imputation of inconfillen- ey wjri^Avhich he was charged, inafmuch as he contended i^g.ui;nft'the limication ofa bill he had oppoitd as oppreflive in fome of its parts. Fe believed the amendment now offered vJ-as new to almoll every gentleman ; lor his part, he had: always fuppt>ied was intended as apera)anen(: it fyftem:. -He remembered many gentlemen made ufe of thisexpreiTion through the various debates which had taken place in -rlie feveral ftages of the bill ; he had underitood and had therefore combated, with fome de- i-tin this light,' gree of energy, fnch parts as appeared to him impolitic or «iij;ifl. lie imagined the gentlemen on both fides had la- bored to make the bill as perfccl as poflible, with;: view of njaking an equitable provision for the public exigences. A. i/Sp- Of congress. 331 which fhould afFed all parts of the union with the greattlt degree of impartiality. Mr. Sherman Obferved, that when Congrefs apphed to the feveral flates for the five per cent, irtipoft, they judged it would enable them to extinguilh the national debt in twenty-five years ; but, in addition to this fund, they expecled to make • annual requifitions on the {fates for one and a half million of dollars at leaft ; fo that gentlemen could not expeft the whole to be paid by this fmgle fund in a fliort time. He wiiheda limitation to the law in general terms, fuch as un- til the debt, foreign and domellic, is difcharged. Me thought a fiiort term would make an unfavorable imprefiion upon the minds of the public creditors, and tend in a great meafure to cloud the happy profpecT:s that began to brighten the political hemiiphere of this country. Mr. GERR.Y Exprefled an intention of calling the yeas and nays if he was fupported, becaufe he thought it a queftion in which the eflential interefts of the people were deeply involved. Mr. Lawrance Said he held hisprefent opinion upon the pureft princi- ples of patriotifm, and an ardent love for his country's hap- pinefs. He had no objeftion to the yeas and nays being taken, as he was not inclined to difguife his fentiments. .Mr. Page, Was glad the yeas and nays were called, as it would give gentlemen an opportunity of Ihewing to their conititaents their approbation of a meafure, calculated to fecure the bleflings of liberty to themfelvesand polterity. Several members rofe to i'peak on this queftion, when Mr. Ames moved the adjournment, tearing gentlemen would grow warm upon the queftion. Whereupon the houfe adjourned. May 16. Mr. Seney, one of the reprefentatives from Maryland^ prefented to the houfe, an act of the legiflature of chat ftate, offering to the acceptance of Congrefs, ten miles fquare of territory, in any part of the laid ftate, for the feat oi the Federal Government, which was read, and ordered to lie on the table. A petition of Duncan Campbell, of the city of New- York, was prefented to the houfe, and read, praying that compenfation may be made him for fundry advances which he made duping the late v/ar, for the fervice of the Uniteci- States. J22. DEBATES OrrlercJ, that the faid petition do he on the table. A. 1789. A petition of John Fenno, was prelented to the houfe, and read, praying to be employed in the printing fervice of the United Stales. Ordered, that the faid petition be referred to the com- mittee appointed yefterday, for receiving propolals for printing the a(fts and other proceedings of (Jongrefs. The honfe relumed the conlideracion of the amendment propofed yefterday, to the bill for laying a duty on goods, wares, and merchandizes, imported into the United States, and tiie faid amendment read as foUoweth " And be it : farther enaded by the authority aforefaid, that this ad ihdW be in force until the day of and from thence until the end of the next feflion of Congreis, which Ihall happen thereafter/* I'he queftion was called for, and Mr. Lawrance requir- ed the ayes and noes. JMr. Jackson Wifiied to fay a few words on the bill, the ayes and noes being called for, he conceived it his duty to ilate his reaions for his vote. He declared himlelf to be in favor of the limitation iur the reafons offered by honorable gentlemen yeiterday. He faid he had as ardent a deiire to re-eftablilh public credit, and pl^ce it on a good footing, as any mem- ber on ciiat floor, yet he did not think making this lav/ verpetudl would have that tendency. He had no doubt but every lubfequent Icgiflature would be equally defirous «jf doing juitice to the creditors of the union, and therefore felt no nneafinefs in leaving fuch provifion to be made by them. U the next legiflature were difpofed to violate the pL|blJc honor, would the law now under conlideration ftand in their way ? for his part he could not conceive it an in- fuperable bar. The ellabhlhment of public credit depends; upon the practice of an honell