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

character for a financier, wao to be found ? America had feen one man equal to the taik, but he would not undertake to fay, that gcntlenan was the only one, fit for the bufinefs ; if talents of this kind, were hard to be found, he was for efla- blifhing the department in this way, in order to bring up men to a knov; ledge of this fcience. He had no idea of lending to a foreign nation for a perfon it would be dif- ; honourable to the United States. But he could not believe any foreigner adequate to the bulinel's ; the utility of this Qliicer conljlis in his knoivledge of the manners, habits, cuitoms, wealth, and purluits, the temper, genius, and dii- tjoiition of the people this canno!: be acquired, but by a •, lontT refidence and adual obfervation. A foreigner Ii^s not this advantage, and therefore mult be unfit to dired the • iinances of A;nerica. Mr. Bland Thought the decilion of the houfe, woi'ld depend upon , the propriety of die povvers Which were annexed to the' office, and the checks and reflrainis, to which the whole of the departn;enc was fabjecled ; hence he thought they were taking the bufinefs up at the wrong end.' He joined gen- tlemen in thinking the management of the public money, was a tnattcr of the nioli i'erious coufideration, in which eve- ry citizen, was more or leisi concerned. If a n;an was to be placed -at the head of this, department, without chetk or conkroul, he vonld be a daigerous ofliccr ; but if his powi. trs coiild be efieclually reiirained, from doing ilie public an injury, he thought he miglitbe rendered lerviceable. Ln- der ihefe imprelfions, he liad eilaycd, to define the powers A. 1789. Of congress. 3,gi. proper to be given, if they met the approbation of the com- mittee, he was ready to vote in favor of the claufc, adding thereto a board of comii^ifiioners. Mr. Gerry Joined the gentlernan laft up, he thought the powers ought hrlt to be deitrrmiud, btcaule after the coiJiinittee h ai conl'eiTted to have fuch an officer, gentleiuen might in- iiit upon inch powers as wouid render him impioper in ; v-hich caf*?, gentlemen will have committed ihemfelves, and cannot decently retract:. Mr. ViNiNG Thought there was an unnauiral combination, intimated by the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Bland) he could by no means think of uniting a financier and board of treafury. He was forry to hear, the anecdote mentioned by the gen- tleman from Maflath'jfetts is it to be lup-pofed, ; that we have no character in America, fie for a pldce at the head of onr treafury ? Are we to fei.d t(j England for Doftor Price, much as he valued and relpeftcd that character, he ihould be forry to fee him prelide, in one of the great depsrt- ments of guveruii.tent. f-le felc the humiliation l"o fenlibly, that he (hould Hever again, boalf of tlie genius or abilities of hiS country. But he ue;itved that event took place, for want of intor'maiion becaufe experience had convinced the world, ; that A.nerica poifeiieci a man, proportionate to the arduous undertakmg. He did not doubt, but on enquiry, many lujre migiit be.tpun.i adequate to the bufinefs. Ivir. Gerry Did not look upon ir derogatory to the dignity of the United States-, to look abroad, tor men of merit, to per- form their fervices Dur ng the late war they had employed uleful otiicers in the army, who taught tactics to the troopsl Finance, was a lyliem, requiring time and attention in its acquirement. i he kmgdoins in I^urope, v. ere not above feeking out and employ ir>g, men of abilities in this way, altho' they were unqualified by law, to hold any of- fice. Did the king of France, refufc the lervice of a Nec- ker, becauie he was a proteitant, and his father an alien. He was equally tenacious of the honor of h.s country men, as the gentleman from Delaware, but he thought Jt no difparage.rent to then), to lay, they .were not well acquaint- ed with the molt abltrufe kience in the world, which they never had any reaion to lludy. The queftion on the amendment propofed by Mr. Ger- ry, vv'as taken and Icil:, after which the refc>iuiion ref- 3S.2 peeling the DEBATES treafuryand war c'epiirrment as A. 1789. propoied by Mr. Ivlaclifonj were both agrifd to. JVIr. VlNlNG Then propofeci the eliab.lilhnient cf the domcilic depart- . mcnr upon the faiiie principles, bjt on motion of Mr. Eou- d'inot, the coiimiitte role and reported the refolutions scrreeu to. Adjourned, May 21. The houfe proceeded to confidcr the refolution report, ed from the comniittee of the whole houfe, on the date of the mn'on, yellcrday, and the ibme beinp- amended to read as foHcweth : Iiefoived, That it is the opin'on of this conimittee, that there oil phi to he eflablilhed, the foUowinp executive de. partrnents, viz, A department of foreign affairs, at the head of w'hicl>-iliall be an cfKcer to be called Secretary to the United States for the department of foreign affairs, re- :novabie by the prefidcnt, A treaiury department, at the Lead of which fliall be an officer, to be called fecretary to the United States, for the treafury department, rcmov::- ble by the prelidcnt. A department of war, at the head of which fhall bean ofTiccr, to be called fecretary to the United States for the department of var, removable by the preftdent. Refolvcd, thst this houfe dotli concur with the commit- tee in the laid refolution ; and that a committed; to confift of c'even members, be appointed to prepare and bring in a bill or bills purfuant thereto. I'he members elected, Mr. Baldwin, Mr. Vining, Mr. Lix'ermore, Mr. Madifon, Mr. Benfon, Mr. Burke, Mr. FitzfirnQHs, Mr. Boudinot, Mr. vVadfvvorth, Mr. Ger- ry, and Mr. Cadwabder. i'Mr.'PartrixIge, reported from the committee appoint. c3 to examine the engrofled bill, iniitled, *' An a£l to re» gblate the time and manner of aduiinifterirg ce; tain caths,'* that the comniittee had, according to order, examined the lame, aix! Umv.d it to be truly enorofTed : Whereupon, Mr. Snealcer fn-ncd 'heiaid eno-rofltd bill. Mr. Clymer, 1(om the conimitiee of eleftions, to whom it W.T5 referred to report a proper mode of i"velHgaiion and decilion on the petitions cf a number of the citizens of i\-ewjerfcy, complaining of the illegality of the election of the members iiokiing feats in this houfe, as eleded with- in tltar itarei madi a report. Which was read, and or«- dtretl to lie on the table. A. 1789. Of congress. 3S3 Tlie houfe proceeded to confider ihc report from :hc comaiittee of elections, iiuring the proofs of the fadb char- ged in the petition of David llaiiifey, fiiggeltiiig that Wil- liam Snith, returned a nic.n!)i>r of this hiule for the {late of South Carol na, was, at the time of his election, inth- gible, by reafon that he had not been feven years a citi- zen of the United States. — Adjoivrned. May 22. The houfe refumed the confideration of the renort on Mr. Smith's cafe. Mr. Lawrance moved the recommitment of the report, with inftruilions to the committee, to examine and report facts ariling from the proofs, in order to fave the time of the houfe in the enquiry. Mr. Livermore objev^te4 to this motion, and f:iid, if he was to decide upon Mr. Smith's eligibility )je would hear the evidence, and not couimii it to any ii;an uhatfuever to enquire f(3r bim. .'vfier fome defultory converfation, on tlie recommitment; and mod'i of proceeding, it was agretd to examine the evi- dence in favor of Mr. Smith, the facls allcdged by Doclcr Ramfey, in proof that Mr. Sunth \\ as not feven years d citizen of the United States, being adn)i:ted. Whereupon, it being moved and fccond^d, that the houfe do agree 10 the following relblution : Relolved, that it appears to this houfe, upon full and mature conlideration, that the faid VV.illiam Smith had been feven years a citizen of the United States, at :he time of his election. Mr. Smith As the houfe are inclined to hear the'obfervations 1 have to make, I Ihall beginv»'ith admitting the facls liated in the niemorial of Doftor Ramfey, hoping the houfe will excufe thi egotifin into which I am unavoidably drawn. I was born in Charledon, South-Carolina, of a. family whofe an- ceitors were among the firlt fettlers of that colony, and was fent to England for my education when I v\as but twelve years of age. In 1774, I was fent to Geneva, to purfue my itudies, where I refided until 1778. In No- vember, that year, 1 v/ent to Paris, where I rcfided up- wards of two months in the character of an American gen- tleman. I;nmediace!y on my ai'rival there, I waited on Doi-^or Frankhn, Mr. Adams, and Mr. A. Lee, the coai- niiHioners from congrefs to the court of France, as a citizen of Aineiica, and was received as fuch by iheiu. In 3^4 J-Anaaiy 1779, DEBATES A. i-gy, Paris for London, v hither I went to I left p'-Qcure the means of embarking for America, from the jrenc'einan who had been appointed my guardian by iny father when I was firli fent to Europe hi 1770, and from whom alone I had any hope of obtaining fnch means. But in this endeavour I was dtfappointed, and remained fome time in England, with the hope of receiving remit- tances fro:n Charieiton here ajrain my expeclation was de- : feated. The ra[)id depreciation of the continental money, rendered the negotiation of money trani'actions extremely difficukjaud thus [ remained till the fall of Charlefton. I took this opportunity of rtudying the lav, but could not he called to the bar, becaufe 1 had not taken the oath of alle- giance to Great Britain, which is a necellary qualification. After the furrender of Chatleiton, the whole llaie of South- Carolina, fell into the hands of the enemy, ar.d it was iin- pollible at that time, to return. No fooner however, did' I acquire the means and an opjiortunity offered, but 1 pre- pared myfelf to go back to A.inerica. I quitted London for that purpofe, in October or November, 1782, uot in a velTel bound to Charieiton, then a Britilh gnrrifon, and which I certainly (hould havedjne, had I confidej-ed myfe'f a Britilh luhject, and which would have been molt conveni- ent, as there were veifsls conltantly going from' London to Charieiton but I travelled to Oltend,and there embarked iii ; a neutral veffel bound to Sc. Kitt's, from whence it was my intention to proceed to i Danilh ifland, and thence to fome American port in North-Carolina or Georgia, from whence I coLild reach the American camp. In the beginning of Ja- nuary 1783, I failed froin Oltend, but wasdetaiiied a co'.-)-' liderable tune by contrary winds, and in the middle of the month of February, was ihipwrecked on the coait of En- gland, and was obliged to return to Lond-Mi in order to procure another pallage. Thefe circumltances, unavoid- ably prevented my return to Cnarleiton, until fo.ne time in November i 783. On my arrival '^t