Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1803-12-16
THURSDAY, November 8.

ty was duly made under the constituted
authorities Of the United States, Congress
was bound to pass the laws necessary to
carry it into effect; and as the vote which
/ ( am bound to give may not at first seem
to conform itself to this opinion feel an
obligation imposed upon me to state, in as
concise a manner as / can, the reasons why.
/ withhold my assent from the passage OF
this bill.
There are two acts necessary to be per
formed 30 carry the present treaty into Ell
feet; one by the French government, the
other by our own. They are TO deliver US
fair and efectaal possession OF the ceded
territory; and then, and not TIL then, are
we to pay the purchase money. We have
already authorised the President to receive
possession. This cooperation on ourpart
wasreqnisite 70 enable the French to COM
ply with the stipulation they had made !;
they could not deliver unless some body
was appointed to receive. In this viewof
the subject, the question which presents
itself to my mind is, who shall Judge whe-
Their the French government does, or does
not, faithfully comply with the previous
condition. The bill on your table gives to
the President this power: am for our re-
tanning and exercising it ourselves. may
be asked, why not delegate this power to
the President? Sir, answerby enquiring
why we should delegate it? To us it pro-
perly belongs; and, unless some adyan-
tage will be derived to the United States,
it shall not be transferred with my consent.
Congress will be in session at the time that
the delivery Of the coded territory takes
place; and if we should then be satisfied
that the French have executed with fdeli-
ty that part of the treaty which is incum-
bent upon them first to perform, / pledge
myself to vote for the payment of the pur-
chase money. This appears TO me, argu-
ing upon general principles, to be the
course which ought to be pursued, even
sipposing that there were attending this
case no particular difficulties. But in this
special case are there not among the ar
chieves Of the Senate sufficient documents,
and which have been withheld from the
House Of Representatives, to justify an
apprehension, that the French government
was not invested with the capacity to con-
vey this property to US, and that we shall
not receive that kind o. possession which
is stipulated for by the treaty? am not
permitted, BY the order of this body, to
make any other than this general reference
to those documents.
It's 70 be observed thar the latter part Of this ar
ticle refers 70 that convention which stFeates for
thejpaymentof moneyto he French Government
But who, ask could understand il in Ibis way
The convention here referred 10 is said to be
6 yflative to a dsfsitivs raie bsiqveta TIE rc1-
rating parties" Why those dark, obscure and
unintellsibIe expressions Is consideration
drfniti1e yule 20 The first article
speaks of the cession IS b ing smade, g for,
desire to give 10 the United States strong proof
Of the friendship of the FIRST Consul,'' ard
lcn you turn TO the convention which is sid
0 establish the de5fsnivp ruif, . you had pro-
vision binding the United States 10 the payment
OF money 70 the Ftench Republic, but not word
s sad about It's being the conslderation of the
csssion. Suepicion hangs over the whole of this
business. Ii the territory is beyond all doab, to
De pnl quietly and peaceabiy INTO cur hands,
whence the necessity Of sending down 90 receive
i, an imposing force Alait thu nominal
possession of The erritoly has been given by TIE
opania:es to iho E5epch, the latter, it is well
known, have not sisgIe solder at any Of tie
posts. Suppose upon the arrival of cur troops
The Spanish forces shodid refuse TO obey the or
ders Of the French prefets, who tbencan only
give you possession oy the twig of tree. OF the
knob Ola door; yaur army Left to possess Itself
of the rsiEca'ans asst Can, is half destroyed ere
resistance BY the Spaniards is overcome In that
case shall we be wiling topsy the whole amount
OF the fifteen millions Of dollars I rsust not. II
however, we pass this bill, We shall have no con.
trout over the suojed. We have already rong
reasons for doubdng the validity Of the French
tide to the terrltorY in question snnnosa CIR