Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1802-07-16

with an, attention. When the committee
met the next morning, the iabjed was
again poaponed in confequence Ct difcuf-
fon upon one detached part of the report,
and the report was not Of courle delivered
10 the hoafe until the morning following,
when it appeared in its original form, !
mean ii every eaential point. Ihave nehr
toned thcie circum!tancesabecauie ] think
il important that they fhould be known,
and hecaufe I believeth they will fatisfy the
houie, that il has not been in the power OF
the minority ofthe committee, to enter
into difcufion Of the report, uatil they
obtained in common, with. the other mem
bers Of the houfe, the printed copies this
morning.
will likewiie add a further fatf, Whit
/ am explaining the proceedings Of rhe
committee, it is, that three members Of
the leven, who competed the committee,
were decidedly oppoled to the report, in,
all It's partial parts; and the report mua
be confdered as the ACT of a bare majo~
rity. The houie will be latished, trnit
by the reafons which / have ltated, that
it has rot benny fault, that the motion
which / az, now about to iubmif, has been
delayed eothis late hour.
My motion is, that the report be recon-
ted TO lelect committee, for the purpoie
of correcting the many errors which il con-
lains; and I mutt be INDUCED In ttating,
as coneifely as poMble fome of sthe resions
on which ground this motion.
The report is evidently calculated to
impress the public mind with unfavorable
fentiments refpeteing the conduct of the
late naturalization, and particularly the
conduct of feveral individuals, who have
been, and fill are held, in high eGimation
by numerous c!ais Of we'll informed and
virtuous citizens. This in,preiiion ought
not to be made, becauie the real facts,
which exit in relation TO every tranfatfion
to which the report alludes, can warrant
no fuch imprelion.
The reporr, I fhall attempt to thew, is
excef.ively erroneous, both in the facts AND
the differences which ii Rales. | with no'
however to be underifood, by any remarks
which, may make, to implicate.the com
mittee !; I have nothing to do with the
motives which regulated their conduit,
| prefume they were virtuous, ard that
when they calmly examine their own pro-
ceedings, they vii! readily content TO cor
reet their errors. .
1t will be impoaible at this times to &C
as fully into an examination of the report
as could with, and / fhall be compelled
from the peculiar htuation ofthe houle, 70
con6ne my remarks to thoie parts which
are the mott prominent.
The fra objea which has received the
ani,nadyerGons of the COMMITTEES is the
expenie Of removing the executive officers
and their clerks from Philadelphia TO the
feat Of government. This expence which
amounted TO 3z,S72 34-Ioo dollars the
committee fay was drawn from the trea
fury and expended without any legal au
thority.' This is ltrong exprelloa, and
ought to be very clearly fupPorted, to
juAify the committee in ut,ering it. Let
us however examine the authority under
which this money was drawn from the
trea1ury. twill aPpea rthatat was drawn
from the ,reariury in coniequence Of a de
cifon of the accounting officer of that de-
partmens, and it will NOT be doubted but
that the law has made it the duty of thofe
officers to.decide this very qu.fion mr.
WILT be contended, that the deciGons of
the accounting officers, fairly and honef-
ly made, are not a iuhcient publication
for the payment of all public accounts.
Howeshen can the committee fay. that
thefe monies were paid without any legal
authoritys when it is certain thas thele,
accounts of expense, were regularly pre-
tented and allowed by the tribunals, who
were authorized and directed by law to
decidesuron chem T fhould ak the com