Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1821-02-06
Congressional Proceedings.
FROM THE NATIONAL ISTELLiGEkCER.
IN THE SEN ,Tg.

| bill IL extend the charter III 'ht baiih
of Potomac, and the bill was read.
The report of the committee on PEN
sions, unfavorable t" the petition OF
Andrew Peters. and others, officers OF
the Revolutionary Army, Gan applica-
ton similar to that preferred in the o.
ther house, for several sessions past,
from the surviving revolutionary OIL
ccrs) was taken up aud agreed to-.
The Senate took up the bill to au-
thorize the sale of rtain lots Of public
ground in the City of Washington, and
having been amended in one or two
unimportant particulars, the bill was
ordered to be engrossed for a third
reading.
THE RELIEF BILL.
The Senate again went into COM
mittee of the whrle. Mr.. Macon in the
chair, on the bill for the relief Of the
purchasers of public lands.
Mr.. King of New York. after some
remarks on the details of the bill. and
explanatory of his ideas Of the proper
principles on which the propo ed re-
lief ought TO be granted. to obtain the
great object in view-the prospective
abolition IF the land debt, and the COM
plete payment for all that portion OF
the land which shall he retained by the
purchascrs-suggesteh a substitute for
the first section of the bill (Which he
had heretofore informally submitted to
the Senate.
Mr.. Otis stated the perplexity under
which he had Iabpred, owing to the
various principles that had been in
serted in the bill, and the different doc
trines which had been urged. in the
cours of its prntracted consideration
he therefore moved that the bill be re-
! committed to select committee, that
its details might be 50 diSested as to
promise the early and general concur
renee of the Seuate, in the plan to be
adopted.
Mr.. Lowrie and Mr.. King. Of Ala
bama. thought certain POINTS of the
bill yet undecided, aught to have the
sense of the Senate expressed thereon
before it should be recommitted and
Mr.. Walker of Alabama. considered
that all the principles of the bill ought
to be previously settled b. the Senat",
and proceeded at sumo length to contro-
vert in part the opinions advanced by
Mr.. Ring of New-Yotk. Messrs. Rug
giles. Noble, Johnson of Kentucky. and
Edwards. opposed any rccommitment,
as promising rothing valuable III
smoothing the way of the bill; and the
certain effect would be delay. Mesrs.
King of n. Y. and Van Dyke advocat-
ed he recummirment. from belief
that it would accelerate its comsumma-
ton. and produce greater degree OF
unanimity in its passage, &c.
The motion to reCommit the bill was
ncgati,ed-ayes IS. noes 20.
Mr.. Thomas moved that the number
of annual instalmens by which the
debt remaining due shall b" discharged,
be eight.
Mr.. Eaten was opposed to so long a
credit. and argued to shew the proprie-
ty of more limited number of install
mrnts. Messrs. Rusgles, Johnson of
XIV. Noble, & Edwards. advocated the
, motion to fill the blank with eight
wears. as an extent of credit. under the
circumstances of the times. and the
CONDITION of f& feiture annexed, no
more than proper.
The mo'ion to fill the blank with
eight, was agreed to without division.
On motion of Talbot. new section
was inserted in the bill, Isimilar to a
provision off red previously by Mr..
Van Dyke principally further TO Sc
cure the terms Of the act FROM evasion
or imposition.
Mr.. Smith moved to add the follow
ing section to the bill
Ind be il further enacted, That all
sums due, ur which, may hereafter be
cume due, to the United States. OH &C
count of any purchase of public lands
heretofore made may be discharged by
equal annual instruments. which
shalt be paid on the lst day of Der. in
each successive year. together with so
much interest as shall have accrued on
each instalmemt from, time such IN
stalment became due, acco ding IT, the
terms of the original sale, and upon
the failure of any such purchaser to
pay any of tue Aforesaid instalmrnts Oil