Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1809-02-06
M IN U T E S.
FRIDAY. FEB. s.

FRIDAY, FEB. 5.
The Speak laid before the house let
ter from Simon Snyder, governor OF Penn
sylvania, accompanied by areturn OF menu
bers elected in that state, to serve In the next
congress. Laid On the table.
NIessrs. Nelson and Goldsborough re
soectlvely obtained leave Of absence, the
former Tor ten davs,t1e latter for two weeks.
Ntr. Hnadykf SAID he was instructed by
the legislature Of y Eware to use his exer-
tons to procure the erection o! certain for
tihcations, on the river Delaware IN thar
state. As bill en- the subject had ALREADY
passed the house, and if these approps,ia-
tons hal net catered he views OF the Sc
cretary at war,a neutrality-suspicious. would
be necessary. liz therefore offered arcso-
lu,ion directing the se@re tary at war TO en-
quire into the expediency OF erecting such
fofrilcations, and the sum necessary 10 be
appropriated tor that purpose. Che reso!u-
t oa was opposed 10y alessrS. Elount, =. K.
Williams and Macon and supported by
vi ssrs. Pis!,,;a, Lyon ana the movcr. Lost,
Only % rising IN favor Q. It.
Fir. Ly7n moved forthe printing Of the
report OF the committee Of caims on the pc
tion OF Thomas Paine carried. MI. {.
said Ton Paine 1v,sa the nlast lneritorioas
In.,n now living.
Mr. Raneolph rose in his place, for the
purpose, he SAID, OF making no,ion which
ne nad expected to nave come before this
time, fron some other quarter. a 1t
had not yet been r.ade, he could not longer
consent TO negie.t what he considered to be
his duty, nler l. from the hope thai the nca-
sure might be more zealously and ably sup
ported by others az a future tinle.
Il would not be new 70 the house that RI
,nours had gone abroad relative to the mis-
application q pnb!;c ,.oney. One OF the
highest duties Of thai house was TO regulate
and continue the disbursement OF rational
treasure, and they ought not by negligence
or inattcntlon to lose chat ccntrou!.
At the G..st session of the seventh con-
gress, Ca period to which nc delighted to re-
cur, as 1t was the aera OF many salutaTy re-
formations II tn, conduct Of our ofii-ers) a
law WAS passed Cor fixing the nil tary peace
establishments Of the u. S. The 4sh section
ct that act nxed the pay of the officers and
priyates Of the army. Mr.. Il. here read
the 4th section, which, among other things,
establishes the pay OF the brigadier general,
SO long q. he should continue TO be com
mander IN chief, at 225 dollars per nlonth,
which should be in lieu Of ra.loas, forage,
and all other percnlsises which he had been
in the habit OF drawing, except the seationa-
ry necessary for the use Of lis department..
Nothing Mr.. r. continued could be more
explicit than this statute, yet it had been
said, but with what tru1hremaincd for 1hsrn
to investigate, that advances beyond this al
lowance had been made By the war depart
ment to the 5rigadier general. There was
not single department of the government,
not an individual III it, concerning whom he
would receive charges of such nature with
more dinidence than the sec'ry of war. H +
had been SO long acquainted with the ecoao-
nomy and regularity OF that gentleman, he
SO well knew his care and diligence IN the /
of his department, to keep
them within the appropriations made !eo5 it, /
that he could not lightly credit any rumour |
to his injury on that point. But chat consi- ,
deration rendered his claims TO aninvessiga-
ton only the stronger. Boil. the oificeri I'M /
p.lcated, and the nation were Interested in
the result OF the resolution which he would
then lay before the hoase.