National gazette. — Philadelphia [Pa.], 1793-02-23 00:00:00, page 3

the third clay of January, in the present
year, r 793.
In tliic report you acknowledge that you
began to draw bills on account of the mo
llies, arifmgfVam the foreign loans, on the
15th of December 1-90 ; and 011 the 31 it
of October, 1791, had drawn to the amount
of 1,005,526 dollars and 36 cents, of which
large sum it appears by your letter of the
13th of this month, no more than 361,391
dollar iad 34 cents had been paid into the
Treasury fomerime'm 1791, leaving 011 the
said 23d-of "Janti ary 1792, the date of yo;n
firft mentioned memorable report, a sum
ot 644,135 dollars and 2 cents in your
hands, unaccounted for and concealed from
public view.—But this is not all :itis w ell
known that in confeouence of your said
memorable report of the 23d of January
1792, a motion was produced in Congress
on the Bth of March following to refer it
to you t<> report " your opinion of the belt
mode of raising the additional supplies re
quilite for the eiifuing year.":—which, as
' ter violent couteft was carried in yourfa
vour by a majority of one or two votes,
including in that majority the votes ot al!
the Bank-Dire£tors. I fay nothing, by the
by.;, of the artificial neceffiry you had thus
created for additional supplies, and which
produced a reference to you to report real
not artificial means of supply—nor of the
fitnation of the Bank-Directors, the only
men in Gongrefs who knew a word oi
your fecrct proceedings refpectilig the
loans.
On the 16th of March 1*92, you report
ed to Gongrefs your plan for railing the ad
ditional supplies, in which stating the sum
of 52 s-950 dollarsas neceflary to beraifed,
yo'j fuirgeft three expedients—firft, to
dispose of the i'ltereft of the United States
in the bank of the United States—second -
ly, to borrow the money—or, thirdly, to
raise it by taxes. You presently condemn
the firft and second expedients, as unad
vifeable. and recommend the adoption oi
the third. You speak in this report with
ail the affected concern of a man who re
ally felt for theincreafed burthens on com
merce, and fay, " It wereimich tobe wifli
ed, thatfo early a resort to new demand:
on that class of citizens, could have been
avoided''—when at the moment of writ
ing. for all that appears to the contrary, the
aforefaid sum of 644.135.d011ars of the fo
reign monies, was still in the situation
above defcribed—for altho' in your letter
of the 1 3th of this month, yon f>y a far
ther payment was made to the Treasury
bf 327,436 dollars, in March 1792, yet as
you have notfpecified the day of the month
when it was paid, the prefupiption is. that
it was not paid until after the 1 6th—and
even if it had, it would itill leave a sum or
3r6,9 ''V dollars in the predicament I have
Hated.
To proceed: After your report for the
additional taxes and duties was m ule, they
were speedily adopted by Gongrefs, and a
lawfor the purpole, allowing for the delay
of palling it through both Houses, laid be
fore the Prelident, and approved by him
on the second of May 1792, at which time
you had 011 hand the lad mentioned sum
of 316,999 dollars, concealed from public
view.and not paid into the public treasury,
altho' the bills had been fold so long as the
31ft of October preceding, on a credit not
exceeding 90 days, besides a farther sum of
202,020 dollars and 20 cents on bills drawn
the 17th of April 1 "92, and fold 011 a credit
of fix months, m iking together 519.019
dollars—and the whole sum proposed to be
railed was 110 more than 525,000 dollars.—
It is further to be noticed that betweer
the aforefaid 17th of April and the 28th
day of December I ast, you continued tc
draw to the amount of o>te million of dol
lars, of which enormous sum, no more thar
50,000 dollars, on account of bills paid tc
Mr. Jefferfon, had been received at tht
treasury when the enquiry which extorter
the fecrct fromyou commenced, altho'yoti
now confefs that 605,883 dollars and 8 cent:
had then been received at the bank of the
United States and the ofHccs of difcoum
and deposit of Baltimore and New-York.
Neither should it be omitted, that in the
face of all the strong and pointed circum
stances I have stated, you did on the 25th
of May 1792, under the authority to bor
row, which was given by the aforefaid acl
for raifmg additional supplies, contra£l
with the bank of the United States for a
loan of 523,000 dollars at 5 per cent inter
i eft, and received on the firft of June,
100,000 dollars, on the firft of July 100,000,
n the firft of August 100,000, and on the
,rft of September too,ooo dollars. Altho'
n each of those respective days there was
. , n the treasury not less than four or five
* hundred thousand dollars of the public
noney, besides which the bank of the Uni
ted States, which you admit to have been
the sole agent in the sale of the bills for
the aforefaid one million of dollars, was
deriving all the benefit of credit which the
sales of bills to such an enormous amount
procured it.
These are the fa£ts and data on which
the charge against you, dated in the for
mer part of this letter, is founded, taken
from your own letters and reports now
before the public.
Numerous and important are the re
flections they produce. Various are the
interests which have been affected by them,
and deep the imprelfions they have made.
That I may not, however, become tedioir
I Ihall reserve until my next letter, ttioft
further animadver.'ions which the lubjeci
prel'ents, connected with another and ve
ry interesting view of it, and wliich ma;
podibly lead to the development oSJecrec j
not yet before the public.
Feb. 31. DECIUS.
For the National Gazette.
No 111.
■yyHILST we are aflumlng the merit ol
a glorious revolution, let us take cart
that we do not give posterity reason to re
gard our emancipation from Great Britaii:
rather as a revolution of men than aiprin
ciple i. As far as the situation of the Uni
ted States would admit, we have introdu
ced the form of the British government
united with the parade of a court, levees,
&c. and we are daily imitating her policj
and cuftomi. A funding system is one ol
the moll ruinous parts of the government
of that country which we have imitated.—
If in this manner we adopt and pursue
the principles of that corrupt court, we
Ihall inevitably create an inequality be
tween our citizens, which, in its excess,
every real patriot must regard as the great
eftof evils. Banks and public credit, in
all countries in which they have taken
place, have uniformly tended to increase
this evil. However they may enrich a few
or contribute to fjpport and cherilh thi
vanity and dangerous ambition of courts,
they contribute nothing to the happiness ol
the people.
National credit, unknown to the anci
ents, has become a general expedient with
modern statesmen, by which the property
and labour of pofterity x is mortgaged to fa
tisfy debts contracted by the present gene
ration— It may be allied, what claim ha 5
the present generation to the property and
labour of posterity ? On the full and im
partial examination of this question, every
mail of candor and common sense mull al
low, that the practice of mortgaging the
property of posterity, to discharge debt ;
contracted by the present generation,
is highly unjufl and criminal. I would
carry this idea still further and fay that the
present generation even to preserve it?
own exigence has no right to infringe on
the property of poiterity.
The following axioms must be regarded
as immutable truths, as they cannot be cal
led in question without sapping the foun
dation and subverting the unalterable de
crees of God refpedting man.
ift. The earth and the fruits thereof be
long to the living, by the gift of God.
3dly. The dead have neither power nor
1 right over the earth, nor the property
thereon, we have then only to determine
■ what length of time a law made by one
■ generation can continue in force, without
i violating the rights of their fucceflbrs.—
' This knowledge may be acquired with a
• considerable degree of precision by the bills
i of mortality.
• Let us suppose a whole generation of
1 men.to be borne on the fame day, to attain
: mature age on the fame day, and to die on
, the fame day, leaving a succeeding genera
; tion in the moment of attaining their ma
t ture age all together. Let the ripe age be
f fuppofedof2i years, and their period of
a life 34 years more, that being the average
t term given by the bills of mortality to per
-9 sons who have already attained 2 1 years
e of age : each successive generation would
- in this way come in and go off the stage at
n a fixed moment, as individuals do now:
h then we fay the earth belongs to each of
o these generations during its course, ful
ly and in their own right—the ad genera
n tion receives it clear of the debts and in
o cumbrances of the firft ; the third of the
e second, and so on—for if the tirft could
d charge it with a debt, then the earth
u would belong to the dead, and not to the
ts living, which is contrary to the axioms
le with which we set out : therefore, no ge
lt neration can contrail debts greater than
c. may be paid during the course of its own
le existence.
l- What is true of a generation all arriving
:h to felt government on the fame day, and
■- dying ail on the fame day, is true of those
ct in a constant course of decay ar.d renewal;
£t with this only difference, a generation
a coming in and going out entire, as in the
r- firft cafe, would have a right in the firft
e, year of their felf dominion, to con
o, tract a debt for 33 years—in the iotli
le for —in the 20th for 14 —and in the
o' 30th for 4. Whereas generations chang
as ing daily, by daily deaths and births, have
ve one constant term beginning at the date
lie of their contract, and ending when a 111a
li- jority of those of full age at that date (hall
en be dead. The length of that term may
or be ellimated from the tables of mortality,
as Take for instance, the table of Buffon,
he wherein he states 23,994 deatiis, and the
nt ages at which they happened. Suppose a
society in which 23,994. persons are born
cli every year, and live to the age stated in
ir- this table ; the conditions of that society
en will be as follow . — ift. It willconfift con
>w flantly of 617,703 persons of all ages—2dly.
Of those living at any one instant of time,
e- one half will be dead in 24 years, 8 mouths
he and 3 days—3dly. 10,(175 will arrive year
m, ly at the age of 2 r years complete—4thly.
le. It will conu.uitly have 348,417 persons of
all ages abov.? 2 r years—sthly. The half
of those of 21 years and upwards, living at
any one instant of time will be dead in 19
years. Then ry years is the term beyond
which neither t;ie representatives o£ a na
tion, nor even the whole nation itfelf as
sembled, can validly extend a debt.
Observing the practice in civil society,
jf reg'ilaring the descent of property ; it
is (aid whole communities (liould be equal
ly fubjeft to such regulations, and Ihould
be obligated to pay the debts &make good
the contracts of their predecefi'ars. The
observation would be proper, were the
: aij'es any way similar. An individual re
ceives property from his father or friend,
made fubjeft by the municipal laws of hi
c ountry to the payment of the debts of
:he former possessor. Altho' the legatee
may not in this cafe have been previously
acquainted with the condition of the be
.]ueil, yet having a full power to reject the
egacy, without putting himfelf in a worse
ituation than he was before, he, in fact,
becomes a partner to the contrast. The
ituation of a whole society is very differ
ent. On the demise of one generation,
:he succeeding generation take an uncon
litional pofTemon of the earth, as their na
ural right. The firfl is an adventitious
ight, wholly depending 011 the municipal
aws of a country. The second is a natu
-al riglit, derived immediately from God.
Altho' we may find no difficulty in bor
"owing money from the bankers and Jews
if Europe, to support any extravagant
['theme of the present generation, can it be
thought just to mortgage the labour ofpof-
Lerity to discharge debts thus contracted ?
An AMERICAN FARMER.
Feb. 2r.
CONGRESS.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Monday, Feb. 18.
A committee's report oa the poft-office
law was read and referred for to-mor
row—Several other reports on private pe
titions, and petitions were also read ; after
which a mefl'age was received from the se
nate, informing that they have concurred
in the bill to authorize a settlement of Jo
seph Henderfon's claims against the Uni
ted Stares—The ait for promoting the pro
s;refs of ufeful arts was reported duly en
rolled; also an ast repealing part of the
resolution of a late Congress relative to
the inhabitants of Post St. Vincennes ;
which were then signed by the Speaker. —
A meffiige was received from the President.
with a map of the territory of the United
States, oh the Potowmac, & the commifli
oners' report refpeftingthe fame: the house
were also notified of the President's having
signed and approved the act for enrolling
and licenling veifels employed in coafling,
and for fixing the compensation of Presi
dent and Vice-President of the United
States.—The House then, in committee of
the whole, took up the amendment": of
the feieft committee to the bill in addition
to the ast to eftablifli the judicial courts of
the United States, —After some debate,
the amendments were agreed to by the
committee, which were then reported,
and adopted by the House, except the
lalt.
Tuesday, Feb. 19.
The President's communication of ye
sterday, refpefting the Federal territory on
the Pocowmack, was read and laid 011 the
table—Several petitions were read and re
ferred ; among these was a petition from
the manufacturers of printing paper, pray
ing that the duty on certain descriptions of
imported printing paper may not be taken
off—laid on the table—a report on the pe
titions of certain Canada refugees was
read, and referred to a committee of the
whole on Saturday next. —A bill was re
ceived from the Senate, authorizing the
comptroller of the treasury to fettle the
claims of Lieut. Thomas Wilhart, which
had passed their house with an amend
ment —also, a mefl'age from the Senate
that they infill on some and recede from
others of their amendments to the bill for
regulatinginvalid pensions; In confequjnce
of a decition made yeiterday by the su
preme court, that slates are liable to be J'u
fd by individuals, a motion was made by
Mr. Sedgwick, that an article may be pro
posed to the State Legillatures, to be in
serted as an amendment to the Federal
Constitution, " that 110 slate fliall be liable
to be made a party defendant, in any of
the judicial courts, eftabliOied, or to be
established under the authority of the U
nited States, at the suit of any person or
perfoos, citizens or foreigners, or of any
body politic or corporate, whether within
or without the United States —laid on the
table—A ineffage was received from the
President, notifying the House, that an
appropriation would be necessary to de
fray the expence of holding a treaty with
the hollile Indian tribes—Mr. Giles pro
posed the following as a fubflitute for
the resolution refpefting the commissioners
of the linking fund, that " the commission
ers for jmrchafing the public debt be di
rected to report to the House a statement
of ali their proceedings uot heretofore
furnifhed". This occasioned Tome debate.
The yeas and nays being at length called
on the motion of Mr. Giles, it passed in
the affirmative, yeas 39, nays 22. —viz. —
Yeas.—Messrs. Aihe, Baldwin, Clark,-
Findley, Gerry, Giles, Gordon, Gregg,
Grifiin, Grove, Hartley, Heifter, Key,
Kittera, Lee, Macon, Madison, Mercer,
Moore, Muhlenberg, Murray, Niles, Page,
Parker, Schoonmaker, J. Smith, I. Smith,
J.Steele, Sumpter, Sylvester, Tredwell,
Tucker, Venable, White, Willis, Green
up, Milledge, Orr, Hindman.—39-
Nays.—Messrs. Ames, Barnwell, Ben-
Con,Boudinot, S. Bourne, B.Bourne,Day
ton, Fitzfinions, Gilman, Goodhue, Hill
houfe, Huger, Kitchel, Lavvrance, Lear
ned, Livermore, Sedgwick, Sturges,
Thatcher, Wadfworth, Ward, Leonard.
—22.
The message from the President of the
United States was then read, relative to
n treaty to be held with the hostile In
dians in the country north weft ofthe Ohio,
with the Secretary of war's estimate of the
probable expense—a committee wag ap
pointed to coniider the fame.
PHILADELPHIA.
February 23.
Tuesday evening last arrived at New-
Y'ork the ship Briiiol, in 54 days from Lon
don. The heads of intelligence extracted
10m papers, to the 25th of December, by
:his veilel are as follow.—The Court of
Vienna was preparingfor warwith France
with redoubled vigour, putting all their
regiments on the war establishment, to the
imount of 360,000 men, which were to be
ready for marching the beginning of De
cember; 72,000 men, of the Hun
garian army had arrived at or near Vienna
—The whole province of Austrian Gueld
res,with its capital,had surrendered to the
French gen. Miranda, the Austrian council
and their regular army of 3500 men having
retired before them—The French Nation
al Convention decreed on the 16th of De
cember, that all the members of the royal
family, Bourbons, and Capets, cxcept An
toinetta and her son (confined in the tem
ple) should quit the department of Paris in
24 hours after the trial of Louis Ihould be
tinifhed, and in three days, the territories
ofthe republic, and the countries in which
the French armies now are—an exception
was afterwards offered to this decree in
favour of M. Orleans (Egalite) the deci
sion on which was portponed for three
lays—Ou the 26th of December, the late
was to receive his final sentence from
:he Convention ; the event extremely
loiibtful, whether death or perpetual ban-
Ihment—General Montefquiou, who fled
from his. command of thr French army
near Geneva, had arrived in London.
The report of a committee of the House
of Representatives ofthe United States to
whom was Tome time iince referred that
paragraph of the President's speech which
relates to the transmission of newspapers
by the public mail, is in substance as fol
lows :—The poll master-general to be au
thorized to dire£t his deputies • o receive
fubferiptionsfor newfpapers;,and that eve
ry fubferiber, at the time of fubicribirig,
pay to the postmaster the amount of half a
year's postage on the paper which he en
gages to take, and half ofthe annual price
ofthe paper —that of the postage thus ad
vanced he retain one fourth of a cent for
each paper he will have to receive or de
liver, during the firft half year; and of the
price of the paper, twenty five per cent,
and remit the reficllie ofthe postage to the
general post oflice, The postmasters,
and not the fubferibers, to be refpon
lible to the printers: they (the postmasters)
receiving the 2 5 per cent, before mention
ed, as compensation for the above inten
ded agency in the business—The commit
tee also fuggefl the propriety of securing
the printers'money, by the fame bonds, of
the postmasters, by which postages are se
cured ; and that duplicate lilts of the fub
feribers ihould befent by the postmasters to
the general post office ; and that upon the
complaint of a printer against a poffmafier,
payment may be enforced, under tlie fame
bond that secures arrearages of postage of
letters to the office.
We hear from Newark, that a fubferip
tion-book for erecting bridges over the
Hackinfack and Paffaick rivers was open
ed at that town on the 14th instant. —
" Such was the avidity of the public to en
gage in this important undertaking, that
the number of shares (one hundred) allot
ted for ftibfcription in Newark, was in
stantly filled : the demand so far exceed
ing the proportion to be fubferibed that
thares have arifento 30 dollars advance."
The Senate of this state, on Tuesday
last, passed a resolution for the appoint
ment of a Federal Senator, by joint vote
of both houses. The resolution it is said,
will be concurred in by the House of Re
presentatives of Pennsylvania.
We hear from New-York that John
Watts is chosen a representative in the
Congress of the United States for the rii
ltri£t of New-York ; end T. Tredwell for
the diftrift of Long- Island.
•7>'§-K- Several Communications are
deferred to our next.