Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1807-12-08
MI. Masters n,oyed tha,is be filed with
/ soc. 900 dollars.
debate tobe continued
MINUTES.
WEDNESDAY,, December q.
WEDNEssxY, December 2.

suts0H to7GlDp01Hs III eHqHlIy tHb0 nc lutVS
for Furnishing crimes agaiHst the u. 81
concluded from yesterdays paper.]
Mr.. T. Randolph said he should certain.
ly haye.no objection 70 any amendment Of
the penal laws within the cegnizance OF
congress; but from what he could collect
of the meaning of the gentleman q. such
distance, il was contemplated to ltgislase
over the waters of chesapeake bay, which
were no. within the jurisdictioa Of con.
gross. Suppose il were proved TO the
house that from some deficiency 10 the
municipal law of a,ssatc, or the adminis,ra-
ton Of the law, tina, aforeigner was going
at large after having been arraigoed, or
was sc, a. elderly tor want of jurisdiction,
would that justify the house in legislating
for aldisuics within the body Of state
And surely the gentleman was sufficiently
acquainted with the laws of the country TO
know that Virginia and Maryland had COP.
current jurisdiction over the waters of
Chesapeake bay, and that no other power
on earth but those states could legislate on
thar subject.
Mr.. +. Montgomery certainly did not
expect any objection would have been made
TO this resolution. He had not submitted
aresoluueD to declare that there was dc,
feet in the laws, bu. to enquire whether
there was any. The gentleman misunder
stood him 10 supposing that he had nvited
congress to legslate over Chesapeake bay
his object was to obtain revisal of the
criminal code, and remedy OF its defects
if it should appear that there w.s no cour.
which had cognizance of this offence.
MIR. Randolph was still of opinion that
this motion had not been made IN the pro
per place, which was the legislature of Ma
ryland and not the legislature OF the u. S.
The gentleman had prefaced Ibis resolution
by saying that the offence had been CON.
mi,ted on the waters Of Chesapeake bay.
and tba. there existed no legal mode of re.
dress. Suppose the gentleman had said
that the offence had been committed in the
town of Baltimore, would it not have been
asked, what had the u. S. 10 do with the
town Of Baltimore. The u. S. had as
much jurisdiction 10 the one as in the o.
Their, and none 10 either except in special
cases.
Mr.. quincy hoped this resolution would
be passed. The ideas of the gentleman
from Va did not appear to him TO be alto
gether correct. The extent of the powers
of this house, as specified by the cons.itu.
siou, was "to define and punish felonies
committed on the high seas, and offences
agains, the laws of nations" Unques.iou.
ably the piracy committed in Chesapeake
bay, would not come under the frat clause
of this sentence; but if an offence would
come within the second clause, being 40
offence against the law Of nations, il was
proper thar the house should enquire into
it. The house would readily Gee the pro.
priety of this power being lodged 10 con-
gress because if any force of aaolher "a.
ticn were to come within the body o.
state, i, was in the power of that state, BY
neglecting to provide for their punishment,
or expulsion, to commit the nasiona! safe
ty. Il appeared to him, therefore, that
congress had cognissnce of any offence
whatever against helaw Of nations within
theU. ..
Mr.. Key hoped they might have an op.
porlunity of going further into discussion
on this subject. He conceived with the
gentleman from Virginia tina. i, was uuue-
cessary, and he now thought congress in.
competent 10 leglslase on this snbjecs. If
congress were competent, the legislature
Of Maryland was also competent. A ju.
risdiction Of this kind had existed in the
state of Maryland she had general court
whose jurisdic,ion extended over the whole
state, and included the waters of the Che.
sspcake. Four years ago that court, and
the jurisdiction which had always been ex.
ercised by it was destroyed and il was
conferred on the county courts, which pre-
viously possessed jurisdiction over those