Jenks' Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1803-1805, 1803-11-19


dencs IA, taken place as will ili!w t1e 4deot
4 aint of Span the purchale Of Louifana by
the Uni et sra e;; together nth copies OF luch
other documents ss may be in he department. Of
govesnmea,, ;eodiug % aicertaa 0aether tn u.
States have in tAa, acquired any title 70 the pro
vince OF L >n.ii2na by he treaties with France, OF
the 3oth Of April, 1893.
h.r.Rm3o'bJ oPpofed the relolution, and
laiI--.' Ii appears to me It will be little
better than . mbckeyy, to enquire at this
time whcther we have title TO this terri
tory. So long as We are informed by the
executive that we are to be put in podel-
ion, ana that he has powers 70 to do, we
need not in the prelent inltance inquire
farther"
Mr.. Lyon. rile only to obfc1vc that
thin! this refolutioa has been bro't
forward in a diI1S9eafH manner. Had
it been dscent and reibed/ul ! houId have
voted for it. 1t implies that The execu-
tive has made bargain to which he had
no title. | with the gentleman who bro't
this refolution forward had ihcwn a little
more rc(pea for the executive! | have
for my own part no objection 70 the docu-
ment5 being bro't forward. think they
fhoud be bro't forward. Every perion
might have feen the fact from the newfpa-
pers. | only loie to mention the manner
in which this buGnefs has been brought
forward.
Mr.. Goddard rofc to funport the refolu-
ton, and urged the necelIity Of afcertain-
Ing whether France had obtained clear
title to thc province from Spain. He iaid,
e Is it Of no Importance to Us to know,
whether France has no tide? IF the com
miIary cannot receive polelion from
Spain, he cannot tranfmit it to us. But
lupPoie the mandate Of the Firf Conful Of
France is now law to Spain, may not the
time come when different fate Of things
will exit And may We not, before we
lpay fifteen millions Of dollars, enquire
whether our title to the territoryis found?"
Mr.. Smile. remember fomething of
the kind, that has been oblerved by the
I'a& gentleman who 1poke, and it would
Be well to look TO it. 1t was faid upon a
former occaion that we lad no right to
cali for papers, and Gill think 70 but
we may Judge how far it is neceaary now
TO cali for them. Mr.. S. here read the
re(olution moved TO call for papers pend
ina the Britilh treaty. Zee no location
for 70 doing in the pretent infance.
Mr.. Elliot thought the refolution pre-
mature. He acknowledged it TO be only
an ader1ion Of the French, that they have
a title to the territory. But contendeI
that no illconlequences would relult from
carrying the treaty into effect, without
further information.
Mr.. Tbatc5er. The gentleman from
Pennfylvania, { Mr.. Smilie) has compared
The relolution before US, TO the call for
lpapers relpecting the treaty with Great
3 tain. There is not the Leaf Gnlilari-
Ity between the two cafes. The relolution
adopted by the Houfe refpeding the pa
perS relative to the Bridlh treaty was to
Irequelt the PRECEDENT to lay before them,
g copy of the infru6tion& to the min
itcr of the United States, who negociat-
ed the treaty with the King Of Great Bri-
ltain, together with the correspondence
; and other documents relative to the faid
treaty." &c. The profehed intention of
thole who voted for that relolution was to
: enquire into The merits and expediency Of
that treaty, and in cafe they dilapproved
oft TO withhold the appropriations necel-
faryto carry it into effect. 1t appears from
Prelident Walhington's anfwer to the
Houfe (Which the gentleman has ready
that this was the ground taken at that
time. He tells the Houle that in DELHI
Grating upon this lubjea it was impollible