The Wheeling repository — Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.], 1808-05-05 00:00:00, page 4

A bill from the senate to continue in
force, for a further time, the act for the
more effectual preservation of pence in
the porrs and harbours of the United
States, and the waters under their juris
diction, was twice read. On motion,
the said bill was read a third time, and
passed without a division. It is bv vir
tue of this act that the president’s inter
dictory proclamation was issued. It
expires at the end of the present session.
The bill now passed continues the act
two years longer, and thence till the end
of the next session of congress.
Twelve or fourteen orders of the dav
were called for. The house went into
committee on the bill to arm the whole
bodv of the militia of the United States.
IVIr. Randolph offered some observa
tions on the importance of encouraging
domestic manufactories of arms, and of
putting them into the hands of every
ii.'.n, and concluded with moving a mil
ion of dollars annually to purchase
arms.
Mr. Nicholas was extremely anxious
uo arm the militia, but thought the sum
mentioned coukl not he advantageously
xpended in a year, and proposed two
hundred thousand dollars.
Alter a desultory debate the commit
tee rose, 50 to 2d,and n ported progress.
T. non the question whether the commit
tee sh uld hat e leave to sit again, there
as sc me altercation between Mr. Ni
le las and Mr. Randolph. While Mr.
Jv. on was speaking, it was suggested
ihat there was not a (|tiorum present,
which was found to he the case. An ad
i/n.: nment was then moved, upon which
-Mr. Randolph called for the arcs and
roes, w,hich were taken, £< the question
negatived, SO to S'J.
An adjournment was again called for
immediately, and the ayes and noc.s ta
ken. The motion was lost, 20 to 32.
Another motion to adjeurn was made
and carried, 34 to 21.
Monday, April 18.
?vlr. Quincy presented on Satut day a
pctitiqA rom five hundred inhabitants
ot B veriv ( Mas.) interested in the fish
< ries, w ho rep:» c-nt that thev suffer pe
culiar hardships liom tie* embargo, and
pr. v foi leav< to export their fish.
Mr. Dana, from a select committee,
rtp« i ;td ‘■a bill concerning ass >ciations
lor the security of navigation,” which
wr.'' twice read and committed lor Wed
nesday. The bill propost s the condi
tion:- and regulations under which mer
chant vessels may arm and sail in coin
pany, whenever allowed by law to arm.
Mr. Dana, from the same committee,
reported “ a bill for the encouragement
and security of seamen of the United
States,’' which was twice read,and com
mitted for Wednesday. This bill is of
some length, and provides that no ship
or vessel shall receive an American re
gister, unless the captain, mate, and a
majority oi the seamen, are American
citizens. It also discontinues the pre
sent protections, and provides a new
mode of ascertaining and authenticating
the citizenship of the seamen.
31 r. lily presented petitions from the
seveial towns ot East Hampton, South
Hampton, and West Hampton, against
the embargo, which were referred to a
committee of the whole on the state of
the union.
The amendments of the senate to the
bill concerning courts martial and courts
of inquiry, were read and ordered to
lie on the table.
i ne house resumed tae untinisnecl
business of Saturday—the question be
ing, shall the committee of the whole
have leave to sit again to whom w as re
ferred the bill to arm the whole body of
the militia of the United States?
Mr. Holland spoke some time in the
negative, when the question was taken
and carried—49 ayes. The house im
mediately went into a committee on the
bill, Mr. Desha in the chair. Mr. Ran
dolph’s motion to appropriate one million
annually to obtain arms,being still under
consideration.
; INIr. Dawson had thought and stdl
i continued to think that the nation would
! be involved in war, and was in favour of
' this bill and ol appropriating the largest
sum possible.
I The question on one million was lost
:—ayes 27. Mr. Blackledge then pro
; -1 200,000dollars ; Mr. Basset pro
posed 500,000.
Mr. Smilie spoke against so large a
sum. lie thought that the militia
should be armed, but not at the ex
pt. nsc* of the natiop. It did not seem
to him so hard that a man should he
rr< airedoncc in his life to furnish himself
with a gum Mr. S. was in favour of
encouraging the manufacture of arms
a: sting the people to arm themselves,
i it q icstion on 500,000 dollars was
t— to S 1 tma from
; 450,000 to 200/X.'0 were then scvera'.h
: named
Mr. Yarn .m fthe speaker) spoke a
; gainst the bill, lie understood the bill
to give the arms gratuitously to the mi
litia. This would operate so as to
prevent their making any exertions to
arm themselves. He shuddered at the
idea of the government’s owning the
arms in the hands ol the militia, and a
hie to withdraw them at pleasure.
Mr. Rowan supported the, bill. The
militia could never be armed without
the aid of the general government ; and
the arms would be equally useful, whe
ther derived from the government, ot
purchased bv the militia man himself.
M r. Masters in a very spirited speech
supported the bill, and expressed his
apprehensions that our government
might be drawn by France into a war
.with Great Britain. He said much of
the pow er and intriguing policy of Bo
naparte ; and thought every man in the
United States should have arms in his
hands or we shall not be safe.
Mr. Blount (who is a major general)
said there were not muskets enough in
his state to arm the proportion of the
100,000 men lately detached.
/liter some iurtner ueoate tne ques
tion v,'as taken on 450,000dollars, which
was negatived—ayes 39 noes 47 ; on
400,000—ayes 37 noes 46 ; on 300,000
—aves 41 noes 47. The sum of 200,000
dollars was agreed to—ayes 47, noes 35*
Mr. J. Khea offered a new section, to
I distribute the arms among the stales and
j territories in proportion to their effec
tive militia.
Mr. Randolph opposed the amend
ment, and contended that the arms ought
first to be distributed to those states
which arc not armed : but the appropri
ation is so small, that the bill is deficient
unless the house will revise and increase
it*
The committee rose and reported
the bill as amended, in which the house
concurred. Ordered, that the bill be en
grossed, and read a third time to-mor
row.
A message was received from the se
nate, announcing that they had passed a
bill authorising the president, under cer
tain conditions and restrictions, to sus
pend the embargo, in which-they re
quest the concurrence of the house.
lie it enacted by the senate and house
of representatives of the United States,
in congress assembled, that in the event
of sue It peace or suspension of hostilites
between the belligerent powers of Eu
rope, or of such changes in their mea
sure:. aff cting neutral commerce as may
render that ot the United States sufhei