Litchfield enquirer., 1836-02-11
CONGRESS-.

House Of Representatives, Saturday, Jan. so.
Seminole HoStilities.-The House. on mo-
ton If Mr.. White, of Florida. agreed to sus-
pend the rule fnp the consideration of the fol.
lowing joint resolution:
Reselred, Tha, the President Of the United States
be authorized to cause raons to be delivered from
the public stores, to the unfortunate sufferers who
have been driven from their homes by Ind ian epreda
tons in Florida, until they be re.es,ablshed in
their possessions and enabled to procure provisions
for the snsenance ofthe'nselves and families.
The rPsolutinp having been twice read. the
House, on motion Of Mr.. White, agreed to
consider il now.
MIR. w. said that he would not occupy the
time "f the House further than to say, that in
East Florida 500 families were driven from
their homes. and had had their possessions de-
str"yed in the pr"grrss If ~ war which had
commenced. in consequence Of relations be.
tween the Indians and this government, and
with which the suffering inhabitants of that
country have had nothing to do.
! Appropriations had frequently been made
10 sncc"ur Indians when in circumstances of
distress. and he hoped that no member of the
House would object To- the ad;p,ion Of the
! resolution f,r the sucCor nf our own ci,izcns
Mr.. Parks, Of Maine, rxprrssrd his opin.
ion that there was n" precedent in the lpsisla.
iion "f this country, for the ad"p,inn of such
a resolution: and he ih"ught tina! it ought M,
ut least to be- established without mature re-
J Election. He hoped the resolution would lie
over till Monday.
Mr. Patton, Of Virginia. thought there was
much fore" in the remark Gf the member Go'n
Maine. and he thought the question "fprrcp-
dent was one which ought I" bs weighed by
the House. He Thought. however, that the
inquiry should extend still further I" the fact,
whether there was any principle upon which
such a precedent conlA he sustained. As {"
precedent merrIy-iherc was nO conceivable
abuse in the lrgislations Of this country, for
| which precedent could not be- found instead
Of looking to precedents as guides to right,
we ought tO regard them as hracOns to wrong.
Mr.. p. alluded Ia former hOstilitirs on the
Niagara Frontier where the inhabitants fell
back on the interior; and when they presen.
ted their claims 10 Congress for property de-
stroyed, &c. the claims we're disallowsd.
Mr.. Granger. Of N. Y. rose and said Mr..
Speaker, in the little observation ] have had
of men and things, have learned that prece.
dent 10 often used "a restrain our generous
impulses, hut seIdom 10 i,npel us Ia generous
action. IN the little time ] have hprn here,
nave mot been s0 much gra6A~d with any
ih'ng that has occurred. rs I have been NJ
me prompt manner 10 WHICH this House has
stepped forward to provide means for carry.
,n9 q" the war 10 Florida. Whilst we have
neen without any oiticial information from the
nHsc""!e DEPARTING nt--whilNt the newspa.
Ptts ana the newspapers alone have hern dis.
cuss'ng N" question whether censure should
~" upon ""s "fihe Depart mrnts, ar upon
me commanding officer IN Florda, ,his House
And 10. "'her branch " the Legislature have
WFppeu 'nt"MFd !" sustain ,hiA war. although
! no Tsqs'lslI'oN hss been made BY the Chief