Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1820-01-22

! ed Tor !; Dut, MT. II. Sam, ne Sou'A NO. Heit'
thinking that thi, may be, in another shape,
question which had unfortunately too often
agitated, and might again agitate, this body
he meant the dehnitivencss Of the po8erS oil
! this government. He denied that the 60
vemment had power to do that, under the
! pleao means, which it could not under that
of ends 1t was by this hocus pocus, this lie,
gerdemain, that the government found itself
enabled to create great bank, the happy
consequences Of which we were now reap
| ing. Where was the use, he asked, OF any
| Limitation at all for, when we want to do
any thing, we have only to call it means ne
cessary for authorised purposes. The En-
glish Of this, said Mr. r. is, that we may
help ourselves to as much power as we please.
Against this doctrine and tbs practice, ne
protested !; this was a governlnu OF limited
powers. II was true, this description OF pro-
perry might be taxed, but in what quality was
it taxed AS a species Of property convent
ent to have tax imposed on it when di-
rect tax was assessed in the United States-
it was not an exclusive tax upon this proper
ty, and the government had no right to tax
| exclusively. Under his pre- sent impressions,
Mr.. r. said, be could not 60 further than 10
consent to the enquiry being made and be
did some violence TO his feelings in gong SO
far. In exterminatng the slave trade, Mr.
R. said, he would join heart and hand with
the gentleman from Georgia, so long as they
confined themselves TO The means which the
constitution gave them he would join him,
if he chose, in carrying the war into the enc
my's country, even into Africa, and endea-
vor to put it down there, so they did not 60
beyond the definite land marks of the con-
stitution. In any thing he said. Mr.. R. dis
claimed any intention TO impugn the motives
or views Of the gentleman from Georgia-he
was too well acquainted with that gentle
mans character and his principles, to per-
NIT himself 10 question them.
Mr.. Cuthbert rose to say that he saw no
danger in resolution of this kind it pro-
posed no step to the house, but merely an
enquiry into the e1pedieney OF certain OBJ
ject The simple preliminary enquiry was,
had the house right TO legislate on this
subject, and were the existing laws def
cient. The neficiency OF the laws, was
manifest, and it was proposed that COM
mitce enquire whether they can offer re-
medy sanctioned by the constitution Of the
country, which the unhappy condition otthe
victims of the practice referred to call for
He could not enter into the details of the
subject to enquire whether the constitution
would be violated it was sufficient that the
constitution authorised the house to legislate
on it, &c.
The resolution was agreed to without fur
Their opposition.
The speaker laid before the house let.
ter from the Secretary of War, transmitting
report of the Quarter Master General rela-
tive to the terms of the contrtct tor trans
portation of troops. SC. of the Yellow Stone
expedition made in obedience TO reso-
luton OF this house, which was ordered to
lie on the table.
The Speaker also laid before the house,
report OF the Secretary of the navy, relative
to the hasbor of Presque Isle, Oh Lake Erie;
made in obedience to a resolution OF his
house of the 26th OF February last: which
report was referred to the committee on
Roads and Canals.
The bill from the Senate for the relief of
Matthew Barrow was taken up, read the
third time, and passed by yeas and nays
Ito to27.
LOST PROPERTY IN THE SEMINOLE WAR.
The house then agreed, on motion Of Mr..
Jones Of Tennessee, by vote of 63 to 81,
TO resume the consideration of the bill pro-
yiding for the payment Of horses and other
property, lost, captured, and destroyed in the
Seminole war.
An animated discussion again took place
on the merits OF this bill, and on various pro-
positions to change or amend its provisions
which tits not necessary to attempt view
OF, the arguments, pro and con, having been
already so fully reported. Some of the most
prominent motions only are noticed.
Mr. Smith of Maryland made an unsuc-
cessful motion to recOmmit the hill with tho