Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1805-12-23

reiolu;lon went, it met his ideas. BUT he
thought il ought to go further and Ghould
Il not be adopted BY the committee, he
would afterwards move the one he bad inf
read. His rsafon for thinking the Houfe
ought to 60 further was this-We have
been informed BY the PreGdent that new
principles have been interpolated By foreign
! powers into the law Of nations. Whar
theie principles are is not fated, except in
one inftance. Towhst extent they have
been carried, We are not informed We
| have, 1t I: true, outdoor information on the
fubje6t bur not Of fuch a nature as to
Juitlty our acting in our Legislative capacity.
Iheie principles, as well as che injuries we
have received ware, in his opinion, a pro-
per iubject for the inveftigation Of COM
mittee.
Mr.. Ncholion iaid he could not con-
ceive in what the two refolutions differed
except in language.-They embraSed the
fame obje6. In one refpea only they diff
fcred. While the refolution of the gentle
man from Mafachufetts referred the fub.
je6t 10 feled committe, his own reiolution
referred 1t to the committe of WAYS and
Means. The inveitigation contemplated by
the gentleman could be as well made by
the Committee of Ways and Means, as by .
felc6t committee. Nor was it recedary for
this purPofc to give them any inRru6tions.
If the fubjea required inveftigation, ie
would be their duty TO make it, and to lay
the relut of inveftigation before the Houfe.
It would be allowed that It was flbie&
in which the revenue was mott deeply in.
tcreted, and, as fuch properly the province
of the Committe Of Ways and Means. For
his own part, Mr.. Nichofon faid, he conId
have. no objection TO the refoluton Of the
Gentleman from Mafachufetts bur as his
own rciolution embraced the fame sbie6
and went TO the fame extent, he perceived
no rea(on againf adopting it.
Mr.. Quincy could not agree that the re-
lolution offered by the gentlemen from Ma
ryland either embraced the fame Object, OK
went to the fame length with that Propo-
fed by his colleague. He thought that of
fered by his colleague far preferable, as *
was more extenGve in It's views. He was
Of opinion that whatever committee was ap-
pointed, lhould invefigate the nature Of the
principles alluded to in the Mefage, as well
as the mcaGures referred to. The Com
mittee Of Ways and Means were not bouRd
70 make fPecial report on ;he fubjea;
they might content themielve. with gen.
eral one and it might be neceiIary after
wards to appoint new committee to make
the requiGte inveftigation. Mr. Q was the
more anxious, as he thought it necefary
that complete invettlgation fhould be
made in the houle Of the nature and ex-
tent of the principles referred to in the Msf-
fagt
Mr.. Elliot faid hs did not perfectly un-
dcrtand the gentleman from Maryland
when he told them that the fubjea contem-
plated to be referred naturally and exclu-
lively fell within the proper Jurisdiction Of
the committee Of Ways and Means. Il
would be admitted on all hands, that the
fubjc@ was not only important, but like
wife novel. Our attention IS forCibly call
ed in the Me1age to thi. as a fubiea of the
frf importance
" New principles toe hare been interPo-
g lated into the law Of nations founded nei-
ther in juEice nor the ufage or acknowl-
edgment Of nations. According to thefc
a bslligerent takes 10 itEelf commerce.
" with its own enemy, which it denies to
" "a neutral, on tbs ground of its aiding
"that enemy in the war. But reafon re-
" volts at fuch an inconGfency, and the
" ncttral having equal right with the bel
e ligerent 70 decide the queition, the inter-
+" els Of our con(tituents, and the duty Of
" maintaining the authority Of reafon, the
/" only umpire between jutt nations, impole
I" on us the obligation Of providing an ef-
" fe0tual and determined oPPohtion to ;
:" doctrine 70 injurious TO the rights Uf peace
able nations.
Our attention is called to tie important
point Of new interpretations into tie aw Of
nations, or in other words, to the adoption
by the government Of one or more foreigs
r,ctre-. OF vphat ~ couEd-rtA aS a moditlra-