Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1803-12-08
CO NGRESS
OF THE
u NITED S Z 4 T e S.
HOUSE or REPRESENT fsVEs.
TUESDAY, October IS.
G % II 6 r ES S
TUESDAY, October Is.
DEB IlE on the L0LJLSIANlf TREATY.
CONTINUED.

=
5 at so late a stage Of the debate, when seven
hours have already been employed in the
sitting efthe day. And the reason OF his
request was, that such extraordinary doc
trines have been advanced against carrying
into effect the treaty with France which
cedes Louisiana to our nation, and such
repeated illusions have been made to the
sentiments which submitted to the house
during the debate of Yesterday, that he felt
himself called upon to attempt 4 reply, and.
therein to show that the grounds taken by
the gentlemen Of the opposition are neither
strong nor tenable. Although the subject
is ampl. and copious, he should endeavor
to condence his remarks, to so moderate
compass, as not to trespass long upon the
patience of the committee.
My Colleague, said Mr.. nj. who open
ed the debate this morning, IA. G. Girls
woldD displayed in his speecht the objections
raised against the resolution on the table,
so fully that he almost exhausted the sub
Jet. For in listening attentively to the
reasoning Of the gentleman from Virginia,
who followed him IMr. J. Lewis) and Of
the other gentleman from Virginia who
spoke next Mr.. Griffin, he could not dis
Germ that any new or additional matter of
much consequence had been urged. Nor
did he discover much more than repeti-
ton In substance of his colleagues reason
ing, IN what had been urged by the gentle
man from Mass. Mr.. Thatcher) and the
gentleman from Conn. Mr.. r. Griswold);
thought the statement Of their objections
had received a form and colouring diver
sifed according to the skill and ingenuity
ofeach.
in the reply which he should make to
the gentleman In opposition to the appropri-
atoms for carving the treaty into operation,
lie should not examine the arguments Sc
verally as they had been brought forward in
the course of the debate. That mode
would necessarily leadhim into tedious and
needlessTep presentation. He should therefore
endeavor 10 re duce all the arguments he had
heard from the other side of the House In
to their elementary propositions, and hav-
ing done SO, to shew that they were weak
in their nature and wrong in their directi-
ON and even this view Of the question
Wgli be much circumscribed, on account
Gle strong and mastery mannerin which
i art of the objections had been already
led by his eloquent friend from Vir-
ginia, Mr. J. Randolph and BY the I'M
presswe, remarks of his other friend from
Delaware Mr. Rodney.)
The gentlemen, Mr.. Chairman, who re-
4sist the provisions necessary to the compile
ton of this treaty, Go SO because they say
it has been ratified by the President and
Senate in open violation of the constitution
of the United States, and is therefore no
treaty, but a nulity, an instrument void
sa6inito, not a part ofthe supreme law Of
the land, and consequently not bindingsup-
on Congress or the nation. They draw
this bold and extraordinary conclusion from
the style and meaning ofthe Sd and 7th ar
sticles Of the treaty. The former Of these,
they say, is unconstitutional, because il.
.proposes.to annex a new territory. with its
inhabitants, to our present dominion; and
the latter, because it abolishes for a term Of
years the discriminating duties OF tonnage
and impost within the, coded territory, CIV j
ing preference there to France and Spain,
and leaving those duties unaltered in all
the ports of the1union.
By the. adarticle, til agreed that the IN
habitants oi-the coded territory Shall be In
corporated into the union of the United
States sassoou as possible, according to the
principles ct the federal constitution, and
be admitted to the enjoyment Of all the
rights, advantages and immunities Of citi-
zens of the United States; and in the
msan time they shall be maintained and
protected in the free enjoyment Of their
liberty, property and the religion which