Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1818-12-16
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT AT WASHING
TON.
Tuesday, December Is


te,day, of considerable importance, for the
adoption of the house of representatives.
1t was grounded upon state paper pub
lished, or said to have been published, in
Madrid, by a member Of the late cabinet
of that country, and which had found its
way, in translation, into some Of our pa
pers, and related rather Extensively to the
proceedings of our government in regard 10
Florida.-The amount of Mr.. Hopkinson's
resolution was, that the president should
be requested to lay before the house any
Instructions that may have been transmit
ted from the department Of state to our mi
mister at Madrid in relation. to the late pro-
eeedings of the army ofthe United States
in Florida, and any correspondence that
may have passed between the two govern.
ments on that subject. But Mr.. Poindex-
ter suggesting some doubts respecting the
propriety of the call, and saying that he
did not recollect case in which instruc-
tons had ever been called for, and that he
wished the matter to wait till better infor-
nation could be had and Mr.. Hopkinson
declaring that he was Indifferent what the
form into which it might be shaped was,
provided the object of the resolution was
attained, and the truth Of the allegations in
that paper inquired into, the resolution was
ordered to lie on the table.
On motion of Gen. Harrison, the house
then resolved itself into committee of the
whole on the "bill for extending the PEN
sions granted for five years to the widows
and orphans of officers, &c. either killed by
the enemy in the field, or dying in the SER
vice during the late war, to still further
term of FIVE years." This bill was opposed
by Mr.. Simkin of South Carolina. who said
that the grounds of his objection TO it were
of "a twofold nature one, the danger of es-
tablishing, what he thought, a very bad pre-
cedent-the other the serious detalca,ions
which the frequent improvident applica-
tons Of the public monies to private indi-
vidual purposes, might make in the finances
Of the country. These Of themselves were
serious grounds for objection, and they de-
rived additional strength from the conside-
ration that they tended to introduce this
country into course Of policy, which was
known 10 have done infinite injury TO Great
Britain, inducing disposition among the
people, individually, 10 depend for support
upon the public treasury. and to hang as
expectants upon the bounty of government,
to the loss ofthe hard working. Industrious
art Of the community, the enormous in
crease of the public taxes, and the promo
ton of idleness and inutility. He remark:
ed that in country Astounding like this WITH
various resources, there could not be the
same plea Of necessity as might be advan-
ced in favor of such practice in England,
and said that he had, on former session,
voted for pensions to the superannuated
men of the revolution, because, whatever
the resources of the country to Others might
be, they were incapacitated by age from
bene.ting by them. Pensions had been
asked and granted to those widows, &c. for
FIVE years only, and now they come to ask
for FIVE years more, and ere that is expired,
will be probably sueing for FIVE years more.
He, for his part, did not like that mode of
management, and would rather at once, If
he acted at all IN it, vote them pensions for
life. No country, he said, had ever been
more bountiful to the soldiers who fought
its battles, than this had been--no people
ever more cheerfully rewarded its servants
but he feared that this lavish expenditure
Of their money would excite disquiet and
odium among them, and render them reluc-
tant togrant their money for the indispen-
sable necessities Of the country:
The bill was supported against these OBJ
jections by Gen. Harrison, Mr.. T. M. Mel
son and Mr.. Johnson of Kentucky. Mr..
Nelson said il would meet with as much
appreciation from the people as any mea-
sure that had ever passed that house. Gen.
Harrison drew arguments from the histories
Of Greece and Rome, in defence Of it, and
presented TO the house affecting pictures Of
the suAerings of the widows and families Of
several brave men who had given up their
lives for their country in The late war with
cheerfulness inspired by their confidence
in the justice and generosity Of their fell
low citizens. Mr.. Johnson, too, was very
eloquent in his appeals 10 the feelings Of
tha hnnsa. and Mr. Pill in raas very mint