Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1822-01-29
1Au-sday, January "a.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE.
gross Of

On motion of Mr.. Leftwicb i
Resoloed, That the COMMITTEES ~ was
itary Affairs be instructed to ~ nj.
whether any clerks in the Den. inquire
have entered into contracts ,n;. msla
government: also, upon what tsru n The
contracts (if any have been mad ' The
the propriety of prohibiting am, and
gagements in future. co.
Mr.. Stewart called for the co,.;,
ton of resolution, submitted h ~,
some days since, to authoria. MIN
plication of an unexpendsd baI,n - ap.
repair the Cumberland road A. 'e %
Mr.. Williams, Of N. C.. navel
mend the resolution SO as to diree. - ~ !.
committee to inquire into the s sx,. mo
ency, &c. instead of prescribinc Apeai.
tive direction. posi-.
Mr.. Stewart ST. said. that he was r,,h.
or unwilling to adopt the am.nar aasn'
az he was apprehensive thi, h.l.
might shortly be transferred :.
surplus fund. When he had the boo ~.
81 submitting the resoIu ion, a few d.v.
ago, 1t was suggested by gsntlens.
from Virginia (Mr. Randolph) that,h;.
balance had been already transf.,,.s s
to that fund. Lie, (Air. S. had hov'
ever, since that time, inquired at ii.
Treasury Department. and was info,m.S
that it had not yet been so tr,nsfer,.d
And since he was up he would ,t,,.
to the house that the balance remain
ing of the money appropriated, to com.
pIete this road, nad been reduced s;no.
the last session to less than loom
This sum, however, he thought If IN.
diciously applied, would be suficisD,
to effect such repairs as were immediate,
ly necessary to the preservation of Ii,
road. A few thousand dollars wouH
do more to preserve it now than ten
times the amount a year or two hence
unless the government did something
the road would soon be destroyed, and
the money expended lost. 1t had been
entirely neglected by the government
for a considerable time past. The fresh
cut banks, loosensd by the frost, had
fallen IN so, az almost entirely to Oh.
struct 1t in many places. The sum now
asked to remove those INSTRUCTIONS and
10 repair the road was very lnconsider.
able, when compared with the millions
expended along the Atlantic COST in
the erection offorts, Notifications, light.
houses, &c. which were kept in repair
at the expense of the pubic treasury.
lie spoke OF the superiority of this pub.
lie work over any other to which the
attention Of the government had been,
or could be, directed. He also alluded
to the claims of the west, and interior,
generally, where little or nothing had
been expended, compared with the im-
mense sums expended on the Atlantic
coast fot the benefit Of foreign COM
merce.
To erect toll gates he considered in
consistent with the liberal and eniight-
ened policy which had conceived and
executed this work. But were they 10
be erected, yet the amount now asked
for would be necessary for the Prs'er'
walton Of the road, which was in state
of rapid dilapIdation, before any system
establishing gates could be carried into
effect. Upon the whole, considering
that the sum asked for had been alrea'
dy appropriated to this object, he hoped
the resolution would be adopted. and
the Secretary of the Treasury be 40.
thorized to apply the balance in hand
to repairing the read, &C.
Mr.. Baldwin had no objection to an
inquiry into the expediency of direct
ing the application of that fund to tho
repairs Of the road--but he could not
consent to pass the resolution IN III
present shape.
MIR. Stewart, thereupon, accepted
the amendment as proposed, and the
resolution was adopted.
Mr.. Moore, of Alab. presented GER
tain resolutions of the Legislature Of
that state, instructing their Senators
and Representatives in Congress, to Use
their exertions to obtain the anDexation
of certain parts of West Florida to .ns
state of Alabama. Mr.. NJ. moved tna'
the reading of said resolutions DO ols,
pensed with, and that they be referiea
to the committee heretofore appointed
on that subject. &c
Mr. Floyd opposed any reference =.
the resolutions until their coh'en''
were known. file believed IT was az
Unprecedented proposition.
Mr.. Moore observed, that having 2fo
posed the reading few days since, ~, "
certain doings of the Legislature OF a :. !