The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1814-04-20
For the postponcment 63
Against is so

1HErsd0y. April Ia.
Tbs Speaker laid before the House a
letter from this Secretary of the Treasury
transmitting a revised statement of the debt
Of the Unised STATES; which was read and
ordered to lie on the table.
Mr.. I'm. Reed IF Mass. adverting to the
appointment OF a committee on the l7;h
March last, to enquire into he expediency
of making reform in the Nsvh ESTABLISH.
nent, and the imprac.;cabl y, during the
short time which has sn.e elapsed Of ma
turing report on the subject, moved that
the said committee be authorised to act in
the recess and report at the next ssss.on !;
not with view 20 their actually sitting du
ring the reccss. but to keep the committee
alive until the next session.
After some conversation on the subject,
the motion was adopted.
FOREIGN LICENCES.
Mr.. King Of Mass. rose TO make mott
on on the subject of the Law now in existence
prohibiting the use OF Foreign licences.
He thought that it ought to be repealed, for
several reasons which he assigned, VIZ.
That as in pursuance of the rec.mmenda
tin of the President every feature of the
was important to put our own vessels at
least on an equality with those of neutral
nations trading wih,us that for this pur
pose repeal of this law was necessary !;
that there were absent from the u. S. and
shut up in European ports many American
vessels which could not return except under
the protection of foreign licences. He had
heard but one objection to this repeal il
was suggested that to repeal the law in
question would be- a kind of submission to
the enemy. He Thought not. Itw the
practice cfnations generally in time Of war;
and even in the present war OF extermina-
eion between France and England, those ma.
tions traded directly with each other An
other consideration which onght to induce
the house to accede to The motion, was the
opinion of American merchants generally,
which was in favor of the repeal of the pro
hibition, &c. Mr.. Kings motion was as
follows:
"Resolved, That the committee on Fo-
reign Relations be and they are hereby in
structed to enquire into the expediency of
repeating an act passed on the 2l day of
August, 1913, entitled, an act TO prohibit
the use OF licences or passes granted by au-
thnrity of the united kingdom of Great Bri
tain and Ireland, and that they have leave
to report by bill or otherwise"
When Mr., King submitted this motion it
contained also clause including the act to
prohibit the ransom of vessels captured by
the enemy but it being suggested tina, the
bill which passed the house OH this subject
that part Of his motion which rs,a.ed to ran
SONS. p
The house agreed to consider the motion,
by vote of So To a..
This resolution gave rise TO an animated
and extended debate, in the course OF which
it was modified, on suggestion of Mr.. Gas
ION of n. G. by inserting. after the word
" Ireland" the following words
't Or so modifying the said act as to per
Ice a r.
government of the United Kingdom of c. y
Britain and Ireland. to he used under such
regulations and restrictions as may be
deemed expedient BY the President of the
u. States"
Tbs debate was sufficiently interesting to
have been Immediately reported had no, our
columns been preoccupied. Those genie
men who opposed the resoluti n were
Msssrs. Calh un Of S. G. Fisk OF VI. Inger~
soI of Pa, Mlriree of N. &. Sharp of XIV
Rhea of Ten. M'Kim Of Nd. Potter orr I.
il were the Mover, Mess Virgin of Md
Grosvenor Of n. Y. Shelley Of Va. and Gas
ton of N. G.
The deba,e having rather degenerate
into personal from national character. a
little before its close--that is to say, alter
the debate hid consumed considerably more
than four hours
MIR. Macon Of ". c., observing that 1t was
time an end WAS put TO this sort of debate
moved to proceed o the orders OF the day
--Nega'ived So to 81.
MIR. Conard Of Pa. requested the previ
Gus question in which he was not support.
ed by majority of the House.
After few explanatory remarks from
Mr.. Fisk of Vermont in reply TO Mr.. ling
Of AfassSchusefts, the question on the adop-
tim of the resolution was decited by Yeas
49-Nays 81.
s the House rejected the said resolution
and the Hou e proceeded to
THE ORDERS OF THE DAY.
The engrossed bill authorizing the pur-
chase of the vessels csptured on Lake E
RE the engrossed bill authorising an aug
mentation Of the Marine Corps and for other
purposes the bill from the Senate authori
sing the appointment of certain officers for
the Hotilla service the bill allowing com
pensa,ion for horses owned by militia or
volunteers and lost OF killed IN the service
OF the United States, were read a third
time. & passed without opposition, and al
sent to the Senate for concurrence, except
ing The one relating TO the fosilla service
which having come from the Senate, requires
only the signature Of the President to BE-
come law.
The unfavorabIe report of the committee
Of Claims on the petition of john ID tchey
passed through committee of the whole,
was en nioton OF Mr.. .4rcher IF ND. re
yeTsed 20 as to make the report favor