The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1807-11-27

4
filtration Was it not the conduct of the mi
uor,ty who were then aud now are in an un.
derhand way impeachiny the condna of the
Executive He would ak, and febmit the ous E.
ton to the people of the u. S. whether the Ian
guage which bad been iuit quoted by the rem.
t'eman from Vermont, had rot conduced TO
tins reiuit! Such words as thefe--that the bar
tie or Trafalgar prevented the fleets of France
ana Spain from levying coatrihutions on our
commerce in our owa feas, that if we &ende d
the m,nifter of the Brtifh nation, he would nut
forth his frength, and make us feel IL, that he
wond cover the ocean with veiIels of war, tha,
the Birth would hurn our fsaport towns, and
Orive us from the fea-cosfe over the mountains I
LET the good people Of the u S. FAY whether
IL was obiervations of this uature which he had
noted down and had in his poffrHion, coming
ro'n member on the floor of Coperefs. or
whether the prudent meafures of the P,eGdent
mad tendency to bring about the prefent trou
n'ss. MIR. S. wiihed the people to pronounce
VINO were the true friends OF The liberty and
PROPERTY of the ". States.
| Mr.. ID. r. HTlfamJ. / have remained flcr.
70 THIS late period of the debate, expecting the
information which am anxious to Obtain.
would have been extracted by the inquiry of
others; nor fhould have now rifen, had not
'he quetIon been repeatedly called FOR from e.
Vera' parts of the Houfe. / am fearful il will
De taken before can be gratified with that
winch folicis. To the courtefy of the gen
tleman from Maryland (Mr. Montgomery I
make my application--he is a member of The
committee of Ways and Means, appears beN
INFORMED on the details of the bill, and in1ir
Putabiy has told us more this day, than we were
favored with veferday. | hope, fir, I am nor
to be marked and noted as nm opoonent of The
Administration, nor as in the rrmo,tR derrer
attempting to aflal the purity CT executive mo.
.'"es' IN making this requeit; yet, it appears
rom eXpreilions which have efcaped the gen
tieman from NorthCarcIina (Mr. w. Alton s.
Tome others, TINS may he the fact, ard that The
cry or mad dog, opp onent to the identification,
rs 10 be directed againt every one who thaII
10 hardy, as to aiis more information ,e,,.
1--WE 20 this momentous fubjett, than pre1 i(,ly
10 mnch as the committee has thought proper
| 10 eive. In the mott ordinary cafes, this Houte
asnot been accufomed TO act in the dark, and
! nope II never will hut on fuhiett oftbc Ian
Importance, involving facred, confitutional
queiiion, it is infinitely more important that we
mould proceed underRandingIy. The gentle
man from North-Carolina will allow me fay.
IT'S particularly his duty, with the other mem.
oers or this committee, TO furnifh all the nfor
NATION required, as he is now one of the prin.
cipai characters on whom the Houfe is made TO
relytor hical knowledge. There is one item in
the bill which has efcaped notice and which.
TO me- appears very extraordinary. We arc A.
bout to make the appropriation for deficiency
OF $500 dollars incurred by the purchafe OF
timber tor the May, fays the bill, and yet there
| is no rciponhble perfon making the demand
no document on the table relative to il. There
is "a inm tmilar to this in the climate from the
iecretary, tits tree, but that al!edged to have
been paid tor timber for gm-6oats Aopropri-
atoms heretofore have been perfectly ditinc.
tor theie two objects, and 70 they ihould he
now. was much furprifed yelterday, that the
utual accuracy of the gentleman from Counec-
ticut Mr.. Dana) had totally failed him, while
ipeak'ng OF this timber for boats The gen.
| tieran improved it as ali location of triumph.
and he Will permit me to fay he trumphed ex
ceiiively, that this mea!ure which he had pro.
poted at the laft FELTON, of Congrcis, but which
was then rejected, was now like to pats, through
the fame Houfe, with an overwhelming maiori
| ty becouie, as he obferved, it is now preient.
ed to us under the aufpices of the higheft au-
thoritY IN the government. The gentleman is
| completely mlitaken, there is no fuch recon-
mendation in the meiiage, no fuch refponfibiIitv
as therein aiiumed. The fubicct of gun boats
is mentioned but twice in the meilage. In the
irit place they are thus ipoken Of " The gun
boats too, already provided, have, on a like.
principle, been chiefly aligned to New York,
| INC" N''Saio d"u tiC ShCidpcdke. Whether
our movable force on the water 70 material
in aid of the deiemiive works on the land,
| ihould be augmented in this or any other form,
| is lief: to the wi!dom of the legislature" Again
&c EXpenceS alio unprovidcd for, arofe out of
the necei fifty of calling all our gun boats into
| actual fcrvice," &c. Thus it appears, this OBJ
ieet of expenditure is no where a.luced TO IN the
| nlefIage, for It viii not be conteBded, they arc
con(idered Implements to our exiting ftock"
| of military flores. The Chairman of the com.
mitiee of Ways and Means has al;ed of the
Secretary of the navy, and aiked loofcly too,
for iuch Information as he may deem material !:
and the aDfwer of the Secretary which m,,G
be prefumed To contain all the information re-
CURED, is as filent about thefe 81 600 dollars
worth of timber as the mcflage itielf. Upon
what authority then is this item introduced.
this article which, no body acknowledges.
which no one is refponlible for would rather
ak if ii is not altogether mitake in the efti
mate II ieems, mitake not lefs monftrous
than this wonld be, is acknowledged to have
been committed fer aflnredly, it would be
efs error 10 climate timber for the repairs of
veheIs than $1,000 lbs. of fheet iron. i voted
az amt the purcbafe of timber at the lat FELTON,.
Zee no reaiou TO change that vote, and will
therefore vote againh it now, as certainly fhail
OH all &c cafons, againR any meallre, under a.
ny circumstances which ihall have for its Object
al increafe of the navy.
Mr.. EfbeS iaid he did not rife for the purpofe
of entering into dlcullion Of queitions not
connected with the paTage of the bill. He
thought it important the public lhoud CORRECTLY
underltaDd the grounds on which this appropri-