Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1817-12-12
ALEXANDRIA:
FRID.aT, DECEMBER IL, 1917.
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.
CONGRESS-.


HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
WAsHINc row, Thursday, Dec. IT.
An enrolled resolution to accept the
Mississippi Territory as 4 state into the
union. vas yesterday passed, and signed
BY the Speaker.
Mr.. Forsyth offered resolution d.
recting the Committee Of Elections to
enquire and report what persons elected
to the fifteenth Congress had accepted or
held any ONCE since the 4th Of March
last, and how far their seats in Congress
would be affected thereby. The idea Of
this proposition was suggested to Mr..
Forsyth by petition presented to the
House the day before, contesting the e
lection of Mr.. Herrick, the member for
Ohio, on the grounds Of his having at the
time Of his election, and until few days
before he took his seat, held the sRice Of
attorney general for the district OF Ohio:
Mr.. Forsyth's motion was opposed by
Mr.. Taylor, Of New-York, aud Mr.. John
son, of Kentucky. Mr.. Taylor thought
it was better to alter the rules so IS to
make it generally the duty Of Committees
Of Election to make that enquiry, than to
put them upon AZ enquiry SO much out Of
the line Of their duty; and Mr.. Johnson
suggested the referring the matter to
select committee, as this resolution, if it
passed, would convert the election COM
mittee into an ineuisitorial body. In his
opinion, a member holding an Office and
elected to Congress did, BY the very act
Of qualification for HE seat, vacate the Of
fee be held. Mr.. Forsyth spoke = few
words in reply, and Mr.. Johnson with
drew his amendment; upon which the
question was put on the passing Of the
resolution, when, there being an equal
number (viz: ss) for and against it, the
Speaker, regarding it as a constitutional
question that ought to be investigated,
voted in the Affirmative.
The house then, on motion Of Mr..
Lounaes, resolved itself into a committee
Of the whole on the bill to abolish the in
rernal duties, Mr.. Desha in the Chair
Mr.. Lowndes observed that if the politi-
cal relations Of the country were such
as. by justifying the expe citation OF per-
mauent peace, rendered it unnecessary to
draw larger revenue from the people,
the taxes ought to be reduced and tho
he owned that he thought the other gre at
branch Of our revenues ought to share in
| the benefits of the reduction, he consi-
dered it SO important to proceed with as
little delay as possible in this work, that
he presented this bill for the purpose.
Nj. Williams agreed with MIR Lowndes
that these taxes ought tobs repealed, ~he-
Their the repeal was suggested by the Pre-
sident or not; he congratulated the couh.
try on being exempted, from this time
forward, from burdens which our eiti-
gems had borne with unexampled pa
tience; and he was rejoiced that they
had SO satisfactorily demonstrated that
when burthens were necessary to the IA.
tional safety, the people would resolute.
" bear them, since, for more than year
past. they had borne those duties, though
they were known not to be necessary
He reminded the house that when, last
year, he had urged the repeal OF those
taxes in several successive motions, a
part of the ground Of opposition to him
was that they could not be spared, for
that the revenues of the ensuing year had
been estimated at only le millions-and
that he and his hon. friend (Mr. johnson
Of vlrginia) did then insist that that e'ti'
mate was too low, for that the revenues
/ would be 90 milliens. Even % it had
turned out and the result was, that II
was evident the taxes ought to have been
repealed much sooner. However, The was
r.;oiced that even now it was accom-