The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1786-11-20 00:00:00, page 1

Report of a Committee of Congress.
The grand committee, consisting of Mr. Livermore,
Mr. Dane, Mr. Manning, Mr. Johnston, Mr.
Smith, Mr. Syrnmes, Mr. Pettit, Mr. Henry, Mr.
Lee, Mr. Bloodworth, Mr. Pinckney, and Mr. Houf
toun, appointed to report such amendments to the
confederation, and such resolutions as it may be
necessary to recommend to the several states, for
the purpose of obtaining from them such powers as
will render the federal government adequate to the
ends for which it was instituted:
Beg leave to submit the following report to the
consideration of Congress :
Resolved, That it be recommended
to the legislatures of the several states
to adopt the following articles, as arti
cles of the confederation, and to autho
rize their delegates in Congress to Sign
and ratify the fame severally as they Shall be adopted,
to wit,
Art. 14. The United States in Congress assem
bled, Shall have the sole and exclusive power of re
gulating the trade of the states, as well with foreign
nations as with each other, and of laying such pro
hibitions, and such imposts and duties upon imports
and exports, as may be necessary for the purpose;
provided the citizens of the states Shall in no instance
be Subjected to pay higher duties and imposts than
those imposed on the Subjects of foreign powers;
provided ajfo, that all such duties as may be imposed
Shall be collected under such regulations as the Unit
ed States in Congress assembled Shall eftablilh, con
fident with the constitutions of the states refpedively,
and to accrue to the use of the state in which the
fame Shall be payable; provided also, that the le
gislative power of the several states Shall not be re
trained from laying embargoes in time of fcai city;
and provided lastly, that every aCt of Congress for
the above purpose, Shall have the assent of nine states
in Congress assembled, and in that proportion when
there Shall be more than thirteen in the union.
Art. 15. That the refpedive states may be in
duced to perform the several duties, mutually and
solemnly agreed to be performed by their federal
compact; and prevent unreasonable delays in any
state in furnishing her just proportion of the common
charges of the union when called upon, and those
essential evils which have heretofore often arisen to
the confederacy from such delays, it is agreed, that
whenever a requisition Shall be made by Congress up
on the several states on the principles of the confe
deration, for their quotas of the common charges or
land forces of the union, Congress Shall fix the pro
per periods when the states Shall pass legislative ads,
complying therewith, and give full and complete ef
fect to the fame; and if any state Shall neglect sea
sonably to pass such a&s, such state Shall be charged
with an additional sum to her quota, called for from
the time She may be required to pay or furnilh the
fame, which additional sum or charge, Shall be at the
rate of ten per cent, per annum on her said quota;
and if the requisition Shall be for land forces, and
if any state Shall negled to furniSh her quota in time,
the average expence of such quota Shall be afeertain
ed by Congress, and such state Shall be charged
therewith, or with the average expence of what She
may be deficient, and in addition thereto, from the
time her forces were required to be ready to aft in the
field, with a farther sum, which Shall be at the rate
of twelve per cent, per annum on the amount of such
expence.
Art. 16. And that the resources of any state
which may be negligent in furnishing her just propor
tion of the common expence of the union, may in a
reasonable time be applied ; it is further agreed, that
if any state Shall so neglect as aforefaid, to pass laws
in compliance with the said requisition, and to adopt
measures to give the fame full effect, for the space of
ten months, and it Shall then or afterwards be found
that a majority of the states have passed such laws,
and adopted such measures, the United States in
Congress assembled Shall have full power and autho
rity to levy, assess and collect all sums and duties,
with which any such state so neglecting to comply
NT? TIT TO 17 XT" f^ A & r^ r -jn J T
[Vol. IX.]
TRENT ON: Printed by ISAAC COLLINS, Printer to the State.
MONDAY, November 20, 1786.
Art. 19. The United States in Congress assem
bled Shall have the sole and exclusive power of de
claring what offences against the United States Shall
be deemed a treason, and what offences against the
fame, misprision of treason, and what offences Shall
be deemed piracy or felony on the high seas, and to
annex suitable punishments to all the offences afore
faid, refpedively, and power to institute a federal ju
dicial court, for trying and punishing all officers ap
pointed by Congress, for all crimes, offences and
miSbehaviour in their offices, and to which court an
appeal fliall be allowed from the judicial courts of
the several states, in all causes wherein questions Shall
arise on the meaning and construction of treaties en
tered into by the United States with any foreign
power, or on the law of nations, or wherein any
question Shall arise refpe&ing any regulations that
may hereafter be made by Congress, relative to trade
and commerce, or the collection of federal revenues
purfuaat to powers that fnall be veiled in that body,
with the requisition, may stand charged on the fame
by the laws and rules by which the latt state tax next
preceding such requisition in such state, was levied,
assessed and collected; to apportion the sum So re
quired on the towns or counties in such state, to or
der the sums so apportioned to be assessed by the as
sessors of such lad state tax, and the said assessments
to be committed to the collectors of the fame last
state tax, to colled and to make return of such af
feSTments and commitments to the treasurer of the
United States, who, by himfelf, or his deputy, when
directed by Congress, Shall have power to recover the
monies of such collectors for the use of the United
States, in the fame manner and under the fame pen
alties as state taxes are recovered and collected by
the treasurers of the refpedve states; and the several
towns or counties refpe&jvely Shall be responsible for
the conduct of said affeSTors, and collectors; and in
case there Shall be any vacancy in any of said offices
of affeflors or collectors, by death, removal, refufal
to serve, resignation, or otherwise, then other fit
persons Shall be chosen to fill such vacancies in the
ulual manner in such town or county, within twenty
days after notice of the affefl'ment, and in case any
towns or counties, any afleffors, collectors or Sheriffs,
Shall negleC tor refufe to do their duty, Congress Shall
have the fame rights and powers to compel them,
that the state may have in assessing and collecting
state taxes.
And if any state, by any legislative aft, Shall pre
vent or delay the due collection of said sums, as
aforefaid, Congress Shall have full power and autho
rity to appoint affeSTors and collectors thereof, and
Sheriffs, to enforce the collections under the warrants of
distress, issued by the treasurer of the United States ;
and if any further opposition Shall be made to such
collections, by the state or by the citizens thereof,
and their conduct not mL,proved of by the state,
such conduct, on the part of the state, shall be con
sidered as an open violation of the federal compact.
Art. 17. And any state which, from time to
time. Shall be found in her payments on any requisi
tion in advance on an average of the payments made
by the states, Shall be allowed an interest of per
cent, per annum on her said advanced sums or ex
pences; and the state which, from time to time,
Shall be found in arrear on the principles aforefaid,
Shall be charged with an interest of per cent, per
annum, on the Sums in which She may be so in arrear.
Art. 18. In case it Sh^ll hereafter be found ne
cessary by Congress to eftablilh any new systems of
revenue, and to make any new regulations in the fi
nances of the United States for a limited term, not
exceeding fifteen years, in their operation, for sup
plying the common treasury with monies for defraying
all charges of war, and all other expences that Shall
be incurred for the common defence, or general wel
fare; and such new systems or regulations Shall be
agreed to and adopted by the United States in Con
gress assembled, and afterwards be confirmed by the
legislatures of eleven states, and in that proportion
when there Shall be more than thirteen in the union,
the fame Shall become binding in all the states as fully
as if the legislatures of all the states Should confirm
the fame.
T HE
Art. 20. That due attention may be given to the
affairs of the union early in the federal year, and the
sessions of Congress made as Short as conveniently
may be, each state Shall elect her delegates annually
before the firft of July, and make it their duty to
give an answer before the firft of September in every
year, whether they accept their appointments or not,
and make effectual provision Mor filling the places of
those who may decline, before the firft of October
yearly, and to transmit to Congress by the loth of
the fame month, the names of the delegates who
Shall be appointed and accept their appointments, and
it Shall be the indispensable duty of delegates to
make a representation of their state in Congress, on
the firft Monday of November annually; and if any
delegate or delegates, when required by Congress to
attend so far as may be necessary to keep up a rei
fentation of each state in Congress, or having ta
his or their feat, Shall withdraw without leave o
Congress, unless recalled by the state, he or r.
Shall be proceeded against as Congress Shall dir :
provided no punishment Shall be further exter
than to disqualifications any longer to be members
Congress, or to hold any office of trust or profit
der the United States, or any individual state,
the several states Shall adopt regulations effeCtu
the attainment of the ends of this article.
^^^^T^^^T^^^^^^^^
Foreign -Intelligence.
G^ ,=====4.^
par i s, # August 3.
THE following is the substance of the ar
given by his majesty to the parliament
Bourdeaux:
" That whatever has been hitherto done wit
gard to the Alluvions, Shall be looked upon as i ; u
and void; that the commission given to the Che
Peitel, was null, and that the said chevalier is repr
fible for having exceeded his powers. Confeqt
every thing relative to this affair is cancelled,
letters patent are issued with certain modifier
in which a proper medium is observed betwe
refpe&ive rights of the sovereign and fubjeCh
confequenoe of this, it is said, that during tj
proaching vacation there will be a meeting of
ties from all the parliaments, who, in concer
his majesty's ministers, Shall form a new law to
as a principal and balls on which all future de
Shall be built. The new patents are already d
ed to the firft president, who set out on his
to Bourdeaux, on the firft of this month, aq
will be registered on the 22d. The parliame
treated with the greatest diftin&ion by his n
who caused several of the members to fit dowr
presence, and lignified his intention that they
be reimbursed for the expences of their j<
which might be done by a flight tax levied
province of Guienne. This offer, however
magistrates generously refufed, alleging tha
were fatisfied with having contributed to the
good, and that they would accept of no reii
ment which Should be produced by a fubl
traded from the sweat of their fellow-citizens
Aug. 12. The report is revived, and gains
in the vicinity of Windsor, of an intended ur
tween the Prince Royal of Denmark, and a d
of the house of Brunswick.
or wherein questions of importance may arise, and
the United States Shall be a party; provided, that
the trial of the fad by a jury Shall ever be held sa
cred, and also the benefits of the writ of habeas cor
pus ; provided also, that no member of Congress, or of
licer holding any office under the United States, Shall
be judge of said court; and the said court Shall con
fill of seven judges, to be appointed from the diffe
rent parts of the union, to wit, one from New-
Hamplhire, Rhode-Ifland and Connecticut ; one from
Massachusetts; one from New-York and New-Jersey;
one from Pennsylvania; one from Delaware and Ma
ryland; one from Virginia, and one from North-
Carolina, South-Carolina and Georgia, and four of
whom Shall be a quorum to do business.
[Numb. 445.]