Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1816-03-16
CONGRESS.
m sENATE-slTarcb IS.

ALJ6T the SSCVuN tS@usAs6
three bills, &c.
The engrossed bill to incorporate the
subscribers to the Washington Female.
Orphan Asylum, was read a third tlme,
MIR. Harper assigned the reasons why
he should vote against the blli. II ne
were to Judge of this question by the re-
speetabiiity of the names connected with
lit, or by the objects of the institution en-
|braced in the bill, he certainly should
vote for the bill but it would be such a
VARIATION from the whole course e scope
Of our laws, that he was obliged to vote
against it. Nothing, he said, could be
more laudabIe than such associations,
but he submitted whether their lncorpo-
ration by law was at all necessary to ena-
bic them to perfect their object. Was
this strange anomaly in law OF body po-
|litic, composed Of married women, at all
necessary to the objects of the institu.
ton /? He could not see it. IF the object
was. to enable the institution to acquire
real property, it could be accomplished.
he said, without an act Of incorporation;
simple deed of trust would answer the
purpose very well. cc.
Mr.. Roberts sustained the bill. IF a
person were to die and leave property to
the institution, aaiess in corporate form.
1T corld not inherit it. This charter, he
said, was a grant of but little magnitude:
| 1t was such o privilege as, IN many OF the
states, the courts were authorized to
grant, Under proper restrictions. AS to
the alledged novelty Of the proposition,
lii might be new in regard to this district,
because the legislation of Congress for it
i had been very limited but similar acts
were to be Sound on the statute books of
some of the states. The charter would
give no privilege nor sanction any abuse;
t would enable the trustees of praise
worthy institution to secure, in the most
eligible and favorable manner, the appli.
cation OF such means as may be given by
benevolent persons, to the benevolent OBJ
iects of the association. &c.
Mr.. Campbell also assigned a few rea-
sons in favor of the bill.
| The question on the passage of the bill
|. was decided negatively by the following
vote:
| For the bill--Messrs. Brown, Camp
bell, Chace, Dana, Gaillard, Howell,
Hunter, Lacock, Roberts, Sanford, TAFT,
Thompson, richenor, Turner, Williams,
Wilson-T6.
Against the bill--Messrs. Barry, BIB,
Condit, Daggett GoldsbOrough, Sore,
Harper, Horsey, King, Macon. Mason Of
N. ti. Morrow, Ruggfes, Talbot, Taylor,
varnum. Wells-17.
So the bill was rejected.
COMPENSATION ETH.
The senate proceeded to the consider
alton in committee of the whole. Mr..
Varnum in the chair, of the bill to change
the mode of compensation of the Sena-
tors. Representative es and Delegates In
congress.
This bill. it wifi be borne In mind
proposes to, change the rate and mode of
COMPENSATION, from six dollars per day
during attendance to 1900 dollars per
lannum.
Mr.. Taylor, in proposing an amend
ment to the bill, said, he was left, from
the absence Of reasons assigned in favor
of the bill, to presume the motive of it to
be. that there would be greater dispatch
i'm the public business, if members we're
Maid by the day. He doubted the cor
rectness of this inference. If. for six
dollars a dav, the sessions of Congress
are spun out to an announcement length
and public business delayed by the de-
sire of members to increasethe amount
s6f their pay, supposing them the immoral
srents which the adoption of this system.
nPresupposes--would they not, he asked,
be induced by the change in the mode of
compensation, in order to curtail their
expences and increase their profits, to go
home before the public business is finish
ed. or SOURCE the public business as to
leave it in an Imperfect form. He tho't,
as he said Yesterday, that the amount of
the present allowance was incompetent !;
that the sacrifice was too great, to COME
here for nothing, and, in many instances,
AZ certain loss. He. felt a desire,
however, that an alteration should be
made in this bill to lessen the induce
ments which it appeared TO him to hold
- a. ,oanhero fo k1rrv over or npg