The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1806-04-22
CONC RESS.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Monday. Aprii4.

tention OF the Houie to tnbject, which he thould
MT have probably have brought into view, but for
the change wrought in the fate of the revenue, in
confequence of the peace concluded with Tripoli.
Among the different articles from which monies
drawn, there 70 heavily burthened falt !;
and it would be recollefed that it was one of the
necearies Of life, and article the free ufe and
iump,ion of which of material Importance to the
agriculture of the country. Two ACTS had been paf-
fed laying duty on this article. It was new
thing whit was indeed extremely defirable-
TO diminfh, If to take off this duty sand for
that purpof he fubnitted the following reiolution
Rsfaived, That the committee Of Ways and Means
be infruded to enquire into the expsdeney of repeal
ing 70 much OF any aa lays duty on ialt, and to
report (uch prosion, as may in their opinion, be
calculated to meet the deficiency oeeaioned By that
repeal.
Mr.. 7Jo~as faid, the committee of Wars and
Means. of which the gentleman from Virginia (Mr.
]. Randolph) who has made the motion, and
ti is chairman, were inftruaed, by this Houle, in
the early part of laft felton, motion which he
had the honor then fubmit, enquire into the
pedency Of reducing the duty falt and if he re-
collected right they directed to report by bill
or otherwie, but, from fome caufe other, TO him
unknown, that committee had never yet made any
report on that fubjea-courtefy might induce him
to impute this negea to the multiplicity of bufnefs
Tee.
He, Mr.. T. always eoniidered the duty on this ar
tce too high, and falling particularly heavy the
agricultural part of the community. 1t now
and always had been his with to reduce il as foon
as revenue would permit, if confident with
the provifions made for paying off nation
. al debt, and meeting the other exigencies of go
vernmene-for his part he at lofs, however,
to difcover that the prefent ftuation of reve-
nue., and the calls government for expendi-
ture, together with the prefent afped of foreign
relations, warranted this meafure :han Ian
year. Ii was true that the with the Rarbary
powers up the Mediterranean had eeafed, but it was
afo true, that the and half per cent additi-
onai duty on goods paying ad Nalorem duties, has
kewiie ceafed with the peace concluded with Tripo-
h-rhs duty was laid for the fupport of, and was
more than adequate to the expence Of that war.
He repeated, that he was in favor of reducing
the duty on ialt, whenever could part with 70
much Of our revenue. He regretted, however, that
the gentleman from, Virginia, (Mr. Randolph) had
NOT brought this fubjea UP an earlier period of the
ietion when it might have been in power to have
examined into il, and if found practicable to have
reduced the duty but the gentleman is hiinielf
chairman ofthe committee, and has it in his power
a it immediately, if he peaes. he hoped he, (Mr.
Randolph would obey the nltruefions Of the Houfc,
when predicated on his motion, although he
did when inftruaed by refoution fubnlitted by
him, MIR. t. and, therefore, he would vote for the
reiolution with expectation that ihall, at
lear, have report the fubjes.
Mr.. T. Randolph, faid he had but two or three
words to offer on the fubjea of the motion f.d to
have been offered during the lat year this point.
He had dNnct recollection Of iueh motion hav-
ing been offered; and he alto recollecied that he had
told the mover of it, that it then poilible to
take off the duty upon fat, inaimuch they had
y the feffion preceding been compelled to raife ad-
ditonal revenue for the purpsfe of carrying the
Tripoltan He did not recoetf whether the
refolution had been agreed by the Houfe. But it
tava al -. 4.
iefiion the moif active members of the committee of
Ways and Means were alnoft eXcluiivey engaged in
conducting an impeachment depending before the o.
Their branch of the Legislature. II the committee of
Ways and Means had failed in their duty to make a
report, the Houfe would perceive that it was on one
OF thofe trivial motions, which had been made under
circumstances that did not entitle it to refpea. For
when it eonfidered that they had recently been
obliged to refort to taxes for carrying
fling it could not have been expected that they
were in Itnation to dfpenfe with old ones The
reafon why this refouton had been brought for
ward earlier period of the felton, MIR. R. faid,
was mott obvious. He had not heard of the conclu-
fon of peace with fripo till Saturday. and this was,
therefore, the earlea oecafon that offered for ma
king it.
Mr.. Chandler faid he hoped the motion would
prevail. He had himfelf contemplated making e.
nlilar motion
Mr.. Smile likewife Imported the motion
IVY. dyfoH laiu lie ncartty concurred IN the pro-
prety of taking off the duty on fat but he thought
the Houfe ought previouay to know what equivalent
could be brought forward This fube6t had been
thought of before this proportion had been fubmted
and the continuation of the duty of two and half per
cent had been confidered an advifable fubRute. He
had doubt that the duty falt might be dpenfed
with and that that he had referred to would anfwer
fubffitute. But he had doubts of the propriety
Of the direction propofedto be given this bufinefs
He thought this refoution, together with that offered
by gentleman from MaGachuetts, fhouId go hand
in hand with each other--whether they went to the
committee of the whole Houfe, or to the committee
of Ways and Means, immaterial to hin1--that
If of thefe fources of given up the
other hould be at the fame time fubRituted in room
oft. He fad he did not know in what fitsation the
refoIution offered by the gentlemen from MaGaehu-
fetts was, which he would with to know before he
voted on this refolution
A member 'obferved that the Houfe had never a.
greed to oonfider it.
Mr.. Tbomas fad, as the gentleman from Virginia
appeared to have forgot that the committee Of which
he chairman, were inltrucfed to enquire into the
expediency of reducing the duty falt, in the early
part of the la felton, he wied the clerk TO read that
part Of the Journal The refoluton he faid pafIed a
bout the fri Of December
Mr.. z. RanoSb faid he certainly did not deny the