Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1807-12-28
Esntb GOuSrFss.....G Sfssicrr,
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIYES.
MONDAY, DEC. IA.
BOSTON MEMORIALS.

BOSTON MEMORIALS.
Mr.. Quincy presented p memoril
ais, signed BY 900 merchants Of Bos-
ton, praying that the non-iInportatiLn
law may be either modified, suspended,
or repealed. Mr.. Q. moved that they
should be reterredtot committeeof The
whole house, to whom was referred the
bill 10 repeal the Non Importation law.
Mr.. Rhea, considered them as fresh
insults % the dignity Of the house.
Mr.. Cardernier said, that the pet.
TONERS did not positively ask for re-
peal Of the law, but merely that it
should be 50 modified, that the total e.
VII Of the law should not fall upon our
own citizens for it was evident, thatif
the goods now coming in were cohfs--
Gated, the weight would entirely lai
upon our merchants He thought we
ought not to suffer our merchants To De
oppressed and ruined, by forfeituFes in
Cured under this law 1t was intend.
ed to injure Great-Britain and not our
selves.
Mr.. Gardernier said, ne was sorry
on former occasion, 10 see the House
refuse TO refer the memorial Of the
merchants of Philadelphia.
Mr.. Crowninshield said, that the
gentleman last up was mistaken. The
memorial OF the Philadelphia merch-
ants had not been rejected. 1t had been
ordered to lie on the table. It was
treated with respect The grand OBJ.
ject Of the Boston memoralists was an
swered by the amendatory bin on the
table, which provided for the vessels
coming from the Cape OF Good Hope
with prohibited goods. Although he
believed, it was not necessary TO pass
that bill, yet III believed it would be
harmless SO far as it went but he con-
ceived that the secretary Of the treasu-
ny had authority 70 make the exceptions
himself, under the general provisions OF
the revenue laws, and he had no doubt
but he would remit any forfeitures
which might occur Under the non-im-
portatlOn law, where no fraud should
appear as he had done before.
Mr.. Quincy said he was not aston
ished at any opposition that had been
made to this memorial, after tie oppo-
sition that had been made to the phila-
delPhia memorial. His colleague had
said, that this memorial was treated
with respect-that it had been ordered
to lie on the table he might as we'll
say, 1t would have been treated with
respect if thrown under the table. But
II seemed that the non-importation law
was choice weapon fiji operating upon
foreign government but Is We set
up weapon Of attack on the nccks Of
a particular class Of citizens, the mcrCh-
ants, should they not be permitted to
demonstrate F.? His colleague had called
the hOn-importation law a wise act, and
said 1t stood in no need of amendment
but the Secretary Of the treasury had
stated difficulties In that law, which
rendered it impossible to carry it into
operation, and which if persisted in,
would tend to destroy the revenue.
He said, that no nation on earth DOS.
sessed as great number of merchants
and 30 little inclination to commit de-
preddtiens on the revenue. History
could not produce an instance of such
AN uniform small list Of forfeitures I'M
der the revenue laws but; let some of
the merchants be ruined under the
operation of the non-importation law,
and d general discomfort would prevail.
II was sound objection to this law that
it was intended to have political effect.
and not as a commercial regulation 1t
was like piece Of artillery, which per-
APPS might injure an enemy by blow
ing up, but would certainly iniure ours
elves by recoiling. 1t did recoiE
ud its effects were felt iI tins country.
GeRtlemen come from kentucky
nd Tennessee, and tell Those from the