The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1805-12-13
lVoLuMr Q.

H
tue principles referred to III the MeHage
Mr.. EH;ot faid he did no, perfectly urdertard
the gentleman from Marvtand when Re tots;
teen TINT the mhjeSt Contemplated TO be rcfer-
red naturally and exclu!iysy fell within the pro-
per I,'ritdIttion Of the Committee of WAYS and
Means. II would be adn,,tg d on all hands that
'ne inject was not only Important, hut ike
VIE novel. Our attention is forcih.v called IL,
the Mcdas to this as tihi-ct Of the fra mi;s,,
lance:
New principles too have heeu nterpola ei
!" INTO the law Of ratiors forpded nei,hrr L,
" Juice nor the ufige or acknowjsa gin-ai &C
" nations. According TO theft ? 5lt';g4rer.
taxes 10 it'elf i commerce with ~ ow;, e,';.-
= my, which it denies TO 4 recital, on ,he
= ground of its aiding that enemy in the war.
" But reafon revoits at fuch an inconliiten>y.
: and The neutral having equal right with the
= belhgsrent to decide the quefton, the inter-
= cts OF our HRituents, & the duty of main
v tuning the authority OF resfon, the oaly ,in-
" pire between .iuf nations, impofe on u the
" ohHgat'on or providing ~ eftrttual and de-
:. tetmiped oppotitoa 10 a doctrine 70 Injurious
- totie rights OF pesceahle NATIONS"
Our attention called to the important point
OF new Interpretations ipto tht law of natione.
or IN other words, TO the adoption by rhv 90
vernment oi one or more fore IN powers o. what
rs conhdered as modification ofthe anciene
the.rswI'hes, and as Introducing new princi)Ies
which they win to i'npoir>upon other ia,ions.
How iuhieet 70 important naturally and ne
cenai1i! belongs 10 the Committee of WAYS md
Nc ans, 1t wa" impoiiible for him to r.v. But.
lays the gentleman, II is q1cfiion of revenue.
How tc I! II may e.ir9 the revenue Incidental.
'y; bat the quefion OF revenue, from ire com.
parative unImporancc, is AT once mergrd and
10" IN The more important oueftion, whether
we 'iiaii paitiveIy fuhmit To the n.rJ5uttiun Of
new principles TO he impofrd npon neu.raIs. bv
any government whatever, however powerful
or ex'rntivc its influence. Or this tuhiect. Mr..
EMO faid he thought, as l. appeared hy The
Neuagc the Executive thou git, thai " oonrrl..,l
great Importance in ilfrif. Nor did he conceive.
u po!ihle II preien. any view more inportaut
than that taken nv the refout;on Of ffe gentle.
man from MaGachuGt,s. H Acknowledged
mat the Commit. &c of WAYS and Mea0s yve,s
iully conpeteht to an invrfiration of the Glb
)ect IN their ability tn invetiga.c it he bad full
I. eonnuehce But be though, they had futIi lent
builnsis III their proper fphe-e TO occupv their
attention. For thefc reafors he hoped the re-
io'ution Offered hy the gentleman firm Mary.
land would he rejected, am! that firb GIFTED by
the gentleman from Maflcb"fetts fubfti.uted in
its room.
ar. Gregg thought the gentleman from MI.
lachuirtts would fully attain lis obiea by Of.
fer'nS part of the refo utinn lie had read rs a,
aInehdment TO the rsfolution before the Houis.
ne ieiolution of the gentleman embraced two
diitinet parts; the hrt regard the ohieas to lie
en.quIred into, and the lalt inftrutaed the COM
m'itee how to ACT. The refalution of the gen.
tieman from Maryland embraces the fan,e OBJ
lsC. ! ne end therefore of the gentleman from
Mailachnirtts would he fully raine,i BY adding
the iniiructive parr of his own ref,lu,ion y, The
reio'uiio" under difeufiion. As 10 the Diff
ence between a ftaIpiiDg ani fclef cnn,n;.tee.
II was not 10 important it appeared 70 w ~
the gentleman from Vermont. T'hc f,.i,ieGt
from its character naturally came lr.for. the
Committee of Ways and Means; and i. ,ras
nnderitood that Handing committees wen. thro'
the buiinrfS referred TO them with more re. ulsr.
ity than fele6t committees.
Mr.. BidIvcH fiid hat if gentlemen attentive.
" copbderrd the.two rcio!u;ions. they womb
md that the reiplutiop offered l,y Ike gentle nan
from Maryland did not 60 the fame extent with
the reiofu,ion which he had tie honor Of
propoiing. The former referred TO but one
PRINCIPE, ard limited the fu jett Ia con!i.era-
IONS connected with revenue. il appeared 20
MN that from outdoor Information, Il would
he found that various principles had been afI;,m-
cd relative 70 the laws of nations to which we
might not as a Deutral nation chooft TO ii,br,t.
1T was true that tue fuhie6t was connected with
the revenue fo however, was every Gll,i- 81
Every tubJect, whether connected with fate
OF peace orwar, would necrfarily more or lefs
affect the revenue. ThoHyh this was ,hr c,E.
with this fubiect, il ought not to he cog!i lered
as primarily connected with revenue. Under
pretent circumstances we do not conGder il
as connected with snlnce, hut
with other fuhieCts. Mr. Bidwell fiid he hal
no particular wiihes with regard 10 the commit
tee to be apDointedin this infancc bui he did
with the fnbject examined IN more exteniive
views than WAS contemplated in the refclutinn.
Mr.. NicboJoH obfrrved that The principal OH
lection made to the refoln.ion he had offered
was that the Committee of Ways and Means
were not bound to invefigafe thc fn'iect, and
inbmit TO the f1oufe the refut of their inveGi-
cation. Some gentlemen think it ncceHary that
inltruttions ihould I've given by the committee
to inilre iuch an inveltigation. MIR. NichoIf,n
i1'd that he had known inftances within the
eoti'ie oG The Tx pait years in wiici fuhirGt
apparently iimpie had produced A volunincu3
report without any inhrU6tion of the HDufs:
ard he had known other inf9nres in ,uhlcf 4
lucIett of great Importance had been referee,
on Which there had been reported = fimplt rga
Jl"iion, which afterwards became tht fItiea
OF argument within thcfe walls. Fin this cafe
an inveftigatiou is deired thrre is mo t'ount but
that the committee Of WAYS and Means can
make 1t, aud give he refut to the Houfr. Ho
recolletted fone years ago Gmpir refpution
was referred TO z committe of which he had tbp