Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1805-04-06

81 ~ he Spraish d., uinr,ns wit,
nsS u - we them in dang II Of \ seri
WV IL est, Vt vas the opinion ~ the CON
m'';t = tpA' cverv ptoper means Mould b
Iscd IN ! '.nce Georgia 10 cede M, pea
Vca',.e ~ ier proportion Of that tsrr
rory an 2s a hrst Sep towards obtain,
TINS o. ,eos, the committee REPORTED, ihs
the Il. g aey general should examine ia
tides CT the stale of Georgia aud of tn
LAM /, clai.ned ty the company from tn
Law OF lT5s, and they further reporie
tb.t tine President should he authorised
10 obi ain cession from the state oi Ceor
T,ia ce the whole or part OF the territory.
II wSs no, certainly known that there
was dereel in the ,itle of Georgi1, ou'
from the circumstances of the small ex-
tent of that colony at the beginning,
anil lis various extensions by different no.
vel proclama;ions, &c. the title OF 3eor-
n;a was held in doubt. II is well known,
that the state OF Georgia ut first was
pitched into the state of South Carolina,
which e.. considerable time granted IL
ties for land, south Of tac state :. Gcor-
gia, and one degree of latitude which the
Dniied States claimed from The deinitive
treaty with b~.tain, was yet IN the posses
ion oil Spain; but this the members OF
Georgia considered also as within the ju
risdiS(ion of that slate.--This being the
case the committee thought il prudent TO
make no mention of the supposed defect
OF the tile OF Georgia. The committee
ard particularly himself, suspected that
different laws eria~scd by that state for the
sale OF land and particularly the recent
sale Of 1 7e5, was encouraged by their own
suspicion Of defective title, but they
knew nothing Of the bribery and corrupt
on assigned as 4 reason, in the year follow
ins. for annuliing the contract, therefore
i was, that no notice 10 the contractors,
that Congress doubted the title of Geor-
gia, was given. There was no precedent
IN the United States, of a contract autho-
tised by a constitutional Legislative act,
being declared null and void by succeed
ing legislature. The power of decisions,
or fraud and corruption, o. the validity of
t'les being vested in the courts oil Justice
in all civilized countries, such a decision
could only be looked for from that depart
nen,; bu, neither iadge who is stated
60 have been corrupted, was impeached,
nor any Of The members indicted. II this
had 6aen done, warning would have been
thereby given. and the title might have
beGr called in question but it was not,
and IS not yes done. Therefore though
10y the report Of the committee printed in
the Journals, which few read, il was not
published in the laws which are more ge-
morally read and published in the papers,
Il might have been discerned that Con.
grcSs had some design of acquiring The
sovereignty Of some part Of that territory
yet no man could ihr-r that there was any
intention TO interfere with the legal ap
proprialioas OF the soil, or 10 what eXten
inc United States would claim or acquir
the territory. Therefore it was jusiihs
bic tn conclude, that no public notice Wa
given of any direct claim Of the Unite
States either TO the soil or sovereignty {
Gerrgia. Il IS well known that the ne ",
papers Of Georgia circulate very little
the middie, and eastern states. Thong
he read newspapers more than many {
tbers. he did not recoilect ever 10 has
seen Georgia paper but with some
The members from that $ ate, with who!
he then lodged; bu, though they and him
self disapproved OF such an enormous sal
cf land, he beard no facts stated OF frau
or corrupion, he had heard indeed tina
several of the members had been the pur
c}asers, but that had been the case i
Peunsg lyania and other states OF which h
also disapproved, but could not proven,
hIr. +. said while the case was so stu
a,cd the New England purchasers or Ions
legged spectators, did not as his col
league Mr Lucas had said, go TO Georgia
bu;the long legged contractors or specula
tors OF Georgia. went above thousan'
milesto Massachuselts,a an old thick set,le'
country, the ciiizens of which needed lant
for,heif families, "a country which annual
" sent for.h numerous emigrants Sc gene
rally purchased IN large quantltle. and set
tied inlargebodies together) * old The Ian,
nj seven or eight times the original pric
lry which they gained near 1000 900 dol.
advance. They went with the patents fror
the state Of Georgia, and the law, and pre-
Lab'y the constitution fthat state, IN thei
hands this alone was sufficient TO ercou
rage purchasers among people who nee
del land but this was not all. The res
pe la5iiity Of the characters OF the set