The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-04-22
CONGRESS.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
TUESDAY, April 10.

Mr.. Randolbh rose to give notice that,be meant
to bring forward a motion on asubject of consider
able public interest, and in which in his opin;on
the honor OF the government ofthe United States
was materially implicated. He held in his hand
an application from a veteran soldier on the sub
Ject OF ms bounty land, and who had sent him
power ot attorney TO act for bmAa man of ,n;rn
peachabe character, and who had not been at
the seat OF government since it was established
L found, said MIR. X. that this yaI,.ant. No o
his name VIM. Bryan, has been drawn
and traudulenuy located say t;audulently, be-
cause am well assured that the party has not
received any advantage from the yyary.,nt onJ
there is the strongest evidence of fraud His
warrant has been drawn and located bv ,ybon,
cannot discover; my researches were comn;ete
ly battied by the memorable fire. which II &c ,,ro
sumable owed its origin to desire to cover frauds
OF this nature. was referred from the war Of
nee to the Treasury Office for the only chance
OF hIitting out who had acted as attorney IN fac,
tor this old man, was, that the warrant ought r.
have been returned and on file there. On eron,g
there found that the space on the record ,yb,cR
the warrant ought to have occupied, WAS blank
and that no such warrant exists on the Tr,.asur,,
hleS believe this is far from being a SOLITARY
case, put that the cases are numerous, and ma
ny of those who have honestly earned y it'll. ca
public land, have been in this way defro,,,l|
and the land sold TO spectators who have reaped
the beneht OF II. therefore give notice that 7
snail at future day move for AN enquiry info this
subject. ~
Mr. Poinde*tey presented a memorial from tna
legislature OF the mississippi territory, praying
Il modification of the ordinance for the govern
Nentof the territories. Referred to n comm;ttee
OF the whole to whom bill on the same subi.ct
was referred 80
The bill for altering and establishing certain
post roads having been read, and the question
put Shall this bill pass ?''
Messrs, Taylor, Smile, Alston, ID. r. Will
hams, Bacon and Tallmadge opposed the hill
and Messrs. Randolph, Bibb, Biackledge, Stan.
lord, IrouP and Lloyd supportedit
Inc opponents Oh the bill objected to it because
the humpsr OF new roads created being so much
greater than OF old ones put down, would create
AN expence to the United States over and alb I've
the neat revenue OF the Post Office
OF from 80 to $4,000 dollars; because thai 81
great ramiiication is this bill proposed might
render the institution too cumbersome th.t the
nallon did not expect nor was it originally con.
tempiated that the POST Office establishment
should be supported by any other revenue than
that which it created that the too great expence
OF tins establishment would disgust the nation
with that which properly fostered, would be
OF SO great utility to the people that gentiemen,
by drawing the rich blood from other institutions
and giving 1t passage into tins institution would
destroy the very object which they only aimed
to nourish III any event that more harm would
result from extending 1t to 100 great latitude
than from fostering it with economy In .dditi
on to this It said that if this bill passed. AN
additional appropriation must be made, or the
Post-Master-Generalm must be prevented from
carrying the law into effect, or nc must anticipate
appropriations, pursuing practice which had
OF late beer so much objected TO /; that the esta
Dhshnent OF A new roads year or two ago had
diminished the next proceeds Of the Post Ofice
establishment from sc, 0O0 to $500 dollars while
the present bill proposing 80 new roads, would
IN the same proportion cause deficit of perhaps
4O,OOO or $4,000 dollars beyond the nett revenue
OF the establishment that there was already
taxing INTO view the salaries ofthe officers oftbe
General Post-O Office, an annual expenditure over
and above the annual receipts, of ID ZOO dollars
which when INCREASED BY the additional expence
caused by the erection OF the new roads propo
sed,. would be serious eXpence to the United
States from that establishment which ought pro
perly to yield profit
The advocates of the bill replied that the only
Objection which could be fairly made to the bill
was on account of the old roads supposed to he
unproductive which 1T put down, and not on ac-
count OF the new ones wh,ch it erected: that sun
posing the conJectural estimate Of surplus ex-
pence over and above the revenue arising from
the establishment, of 80 or even $4,000 dollars
was correct, which was by no means admitted.
1t would be at least predetermined whether the
benefit to be received from diffusion of inforn.
that the benefit to be derived from the 1000, 900
voted for theme w,army of6, 900 men, would shrink
from the comparison with the benefits to be Ceri-
we'd from the expenditure of 50, 900 dollars for this
purpose thtthe billprovided roads for vast tract
OF newly settled country i'll the state of Georgia
to which the Indian title had been extnguished
which would be left totally destitute of nforma
ton except the bill passed and i'm government
Ike ours, the conduct of which was founded up
on the viii OF the people, it was of absolute i'm
Portance that the people should he informed
that IT the principle admitted by the opponents of
the Dill was correct, that the establishment should
consume It's own revenue, even in case of the ex-
pence now exceeding the reyeRue, the establish
ment might Justly claim credit from the general
government Tor the many thousand dollars which
1T had annually netted to the Treasury and hat
1t was extremely doubtful whether the cost of
these roads would exceed the proceeds to be de-
rhcd from them. 1t was also said, that if the ex-
press mail to N Orleans were put down, it would
cause great diminution Of expence, perhaps e.
ql'i TO the whole cXpence caused by the new
roads established by this bill and this mail beng
kePt up Tor the service of government altogether,
tne Post, Office department ought correctly to
nave credit for Its wholcIcxpence.
The bill was passed by Yeas and NAYS, n 10
WEDNEgpA. Apri1