Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1803-01-22

Office sfogtlaiid, incompatible with the
holding, at the fame, of feat 10 the
;lcufe.
Your committee, therefore, ak leave
TO fubmit 10 the houie tie following Iefo-
luton, 10 wit |:
!" Reklyed, That John ?. Van Nels,
one OF the members CT this houic, having
accepted ard exerciied the eflee Of major
militia, under the authority OF lhe Unit
ed States, within the territory of Cosum-
bia, hath thereby forfeited his flghs TO
feat as member OF this boute. =
Mr.. Van Nsfs iaid be would make
remark or two that would perhaps remove
any imprefions Of indelicscy en- his part
in retaining his feat under the clrcun'-
frances in which he was placed. He.
conGdered himfelf as Handing On that
floor net as private individual, but as
representative of New York ; ard as
holding truG which he was not auiho-
riled to absnded before cortfitunonal
decifion ihouid be made. His conisitu-
ents hsd placed him there as tie guardian
Of their rights; and that truf he could
not deiert without a conhisutionsl deci-
Gon being made. Ifthat deciton ihould
be adyetle 70 his retaining his feat, in
retiring from the houfc he fhould feel no
regret but at leaving his conltituents 90
repreiented during the remainder OF The
felton,, at not having difcharged all the
buinels aHigred him by the chair; and
at ceafing 10 Allocate with gentlemen,
who, ior The moa part, he refpeefed. In
a pecnniary view, ske relinqu;ihing his
Tea, could not in the leait affect him nor
fhould he condder il diirepu'able TO leave
body without any imPoiation OF Ohio
nor or improperly.
The feaious he fhould offer 10 the
committee for retaining his feat we're
few and iimple. He thought the fair,
liberal, and found contraction of the
contribution did not affect his cafe tina,
tie incapacitating prov'don only applied
TO eivii Offices. The contribution was
only digeG Of the mof approved pria
ciples OF The contributions Of the ievcral
tt4lcs, ia which the fpiTit Of thcic cen
ffitutions was combined. Not one OF
;hafe contributions excluded from ofhse
thofe who had accepted military appoint
ments, except in the regular iersice.-
He, therefore, Eel; full conviction thar
it was never the intention OF the fra
met. of the contribution of the Unised
States 20 exclude miliris officers fsem
holding faa, in Congreis, And how
ever important it might be to adhere to
she letter OF the contribution, yet when
The fpirl. Of it was 70 clear as il appear
"a to Dim. il oughs TO have weight IN
he t-cidon Of the queition before the
committee, which might affect objects
of great inportanes. The right OF e
very portion of the union to repreienta-
1;on IN that houfe was very important, &
ought 10 be rsipedfed in all cafes which
may either directly or Indirectly affect
ii. Gsntlemsn, therefore, oughtto reflect
before they deprive part Ct iLe union OF
this important right.
Mr.. Van Neis here read the I'd para,
graph CT the 9th Sec. Of the 1T Art. Of the
Contribution, as follows.
6 No Senator or Representative fhall,
during the time for which he was elect
ed, he appointed to any eivil office under
the authority of the United States, which
ihall have been created,or the emoluments
whereof ihall have been inerealed during
fuch time; and no perfon holding any Of
Ace usder the U. States fllaIl be member
ofeisher Houie during bis continuance in
Office.
From the language Of the 6rf ?srt Of
this paragraph MIR. V. inferred that IT
was the intention of the trainers of the
Contribution that the reitritsion ihould
apply to cipil Offices oniy-Gentlemen
a. n,oll wa NJ Dur cont ruffIOn