Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1831-12-20

Tor the expected action ofthot body. He was per-
ttct!y unaware Of any reason which can induce
the claimants to wish or submit 10 any further dc
!ay on the part Of Congress. The claims had been
prosecuted for moro than thirty years, and many
oi The claimants, whom bo personally knew, now
looked TO their payment rs = resource against al
solutc want. The claimants, far IS his know
ledge extended, extremely urgent for Justice.
and they complained, not without reason, that they
had not received the attention which they deserved
'r"iA the House. IL was never questioned that this
Government possessed Il claim upon the Govern
mcnt of France for the amount Of those spoliations
until the period ofthc release by us Of Franco from
all liability their account.
! MIR. Hoffman said this subject was an old nc
quaintnncc of the House. lie saw no reason for
changing the direction Of the subject from the Com
mItiec Foreign Relations 10 Il Select Committee.
II The question 10 10 discussed whether France
!i1o o"cn released FROM her liability, what Commit
tee was more appropriate for the Investigation Of
! that question tl'an the Committee on Foreign AZ
assi If it to he argued that the United States
| should pay these claims, Committee could with
more proprcty bc charged with the inquiry into the
law ar.i Facts winch that position depended than
| the Comnittcc on Foreign Affairs. He hoped the
petitions would be referred TO that Committee,
less it was intended to render the Standing Com
uttcoS Of the House mere snecures!
Mr.. Adams said he regretted very much that
! the conclusions of his mind on that subject wcrc
nj variance with those Of tho gentleman who last
| spoke. In his opinion, this subject far from
belonging to tho Committee Foreign Affairs be-
lcngcd mere properly 10 any other Committee
He would state his reasons for this opinion tlat
however proper that reference was formerly, it
would now be inappropriate. At the time when
these petitions frs: presented 10 the House,
There was question whether these claims were
well founded, and whether government
| or foreign government was accountable to the
| claimants. The claimants themselves for
ward, doubling whether their claim was upon
their own foreign government. Tie claim
ants had suffered great injury, and the government
| of the United States had surrendered their rights
Tor CguiVl lent: but 81 i'll tLarr
TO the responsibility of our government, and the
validity of our Claims and, therefore, the subject
was properly re !crred to the Committee For
eign Aifdirs.-Ihat Committee came the con-
ciusion, that the government of FIance
| not accoun taho, and that government is. II
is probably known 70 many, but, perhaps, not to
al Of t'c members of This House, said Mir. Adams,
that th;R claim was surrendered in tho Convention
| with France, which wrs negotiated on our part
| by Messrs. Eli worth, Dana, and Murray, in Sep
te'aher, iSG0. That Convention contained Tie
! following 1Tticle:
~.tsT. ID. The Ministers Plenip,tcntiarics Of
the two Parties not being able 10 agree ut pre-
sent respecting the treaty of Alliance of the 9Th
february, lt'S, and the treaty Of amity and
commerce of l1sS, and the Convention Of the
i.!ii November, llSS; upon the indemnity
due, or claimed; The parties will negotiate ON
these subjects at convenicn: time, and until
they ray have agreed upon these points, the trca-
ties and Convention shall have operation"
Tho Treaty submitted 10 the Senate and
was ratified, with tho condition that this article
shon,d hn er!aIngci. The First Consul accepted
this conditional rltiicat.on the further condi-
ton that nothing should he said by us about
! an indemnity for spoliatious our commerce.
Inc treaty was sent h1cl; 20 the United States,
with this additional condition, and was, bv the
then President, Mr.. Jefferson, submitted TO tho
Senate, That they might enquire whether any fur
ihor action, tho part OF the United States, was
necessary The Senate returned the treaty, with
the declaration that they considered il ratified and
that no further action in regard to it required
F-..r, IL,
The two conditions, that the ID article should be
| excluded, ana that claim for indemnity should
/ be given up. Our object in excluding the % arli
Gle WAS 10 avoid negotiation which might require
us to restore the treaty of Alliance Of i7S7 in
! which treaty we guaranteed the safety Of The
| French West India Islands, and hv which we
( should become involved in every war i'm which
franco might engage. The claim is, therefore,
one upon the people Of the United States; and the
people Of France have no more to do with it than
! the people Of tho moon. The CLAIMS of the citi-
zens OF the Niagara frontier, part of whom had
been renUncrated, might AS we'll an referred to tho
Committee Foreign Affairs, as these claims
lie hoped the motion for reference TO the Commit
! tee OF Foreign Relations would not prevail.
Mr.. EVERETT was sli!l of the opinion, that tho
Committee on Foreign Relations ought to be
charged with tho consideration OF the subject
lore than half of the present employment of that
Committee grew out Of Treaty stipuiatioHs. He
instanCcd the Florida claims. But he was wii}ium
Inc SUBJECT should 90 10 any Committee, by whom
1t would be taken up and considered. In reference
% a remark from The gentleman Of South Carroll.
mas which seemed TO impugn the correctness Of The
statement before mae. hy him, that two reports
wCTc made on this subject ram the Committee on
ForcigH Affair while he had the honor to be its
Nrgan, he would stlte:-thnt he held in his hand Il
Report which he had made fi9l that Committee
on the subject, the number OF which nc gave
1t formed in Itself book OF considera-
bic volume; 1916 pages. lie did not say the
report embraced every thing in relation to the
SUBJECT, But 1t engaged all tho attention which it