Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-07-14
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U.dacSd0y, July :, $40.
N SEStTE

Mr.. BUCHANAN presented the petition o?thc anti
slavery Society ofeastern Pennsylvania, asking that the
Constitution and laws may be so amended as to abolish
the requirement upon the people Of that Commonwealth
to participate in any manner in holding human beings
IN slavery.
On motion of Mr.. LUMPKIN, the motion to receive
was ordered to lie on the table.
The bill from the House Of Representatives making
appropriations for the Naval service for the wear l-Il
was read a first and second time and referred to the Com
mittee on Finance.
DRAWBACK Oh TIE MEXICAN TRADE.
The Senate on motion Of Mr.. DAVIS, proceeded "a
consider the bill to establish ports ofentry at lndepend'
ence, Fulton, and Van Buren,, III Missouri and Arkan.
sas, for the purpose Of allowing drawbacks on foreign
goods re.exported to Santa Fc and chihuahua il
Mexico.
MIR. DAVIS submitted a substitute for the bill, chiefly
designed to make it more certain that these goods should
not be fraudulently reinported from Mexico, and con
sumed in the L. s.
Mr.. d. stated that from the origin of the Govern
ment it had heretofore been a principle, from which nj
deviation had vet been made, not to allow drawbacks
on the trade with contermnous countries. But TIL:
trade with Mexico was IinportcHt and valuable, ana
apparently required such Il measure as was nov undel
consideration. The committee thought best, therefore
TO try the experiment, although it was somewhat coun.
ter to a long established principle.
Mr.. LINN expressed his desire that the trade witt
the Western Indians might be included in this bill
and assigned some of his reasons for it, the chief o.
which was, that our trade with those Indians might be
enabled to compete with that of the British Northwest.
en Com pany.
Mr.. DAVIS said he had not considered that subject
but 1t was evident at once that it was wholly dltfercn,
from the subject now under consideration; and would re-
quire different provisions. The reason for refusing draw.
backs in the tr2de with conterminous countries was the
great danger that the goods, after allowing the draw
back, would be reImported across the line, and consum.
ed, duty free, in the United States. But, in the case
of Mlexico, there was u large tract of uuinhabited terri
tory between the two countries, which obriated the
danger in question nearly as well as If an ocean inter.
vened. This case was, therefore, scarcely a departure
from the spirit Of the rule which had 50 long prc.
vailed. The trade with the Indians involved cons;de.
rations wholly different, on which MIR. ID. was not now
prepared either to express his opinion, or 10 draw up
the provisions suitable to such 4 measure.
Mr.. LINN waived his request for the present, cx.
pressing, however, his design to urge it OH a more suit.
able occasion.
The substitute of Mr.. Davis was agreed to, and the
bill in this form was ordered to be engrossed without
dissent.
A similar bill, on motion of Mr.. ~NORVELL, was
taken up, in relation TO the trade between the United
States and Upper Canada, and was advocated by Mr..
n. chiefly on the ground of its similarity TO the above
bill iastrtatlon to the trade with Mexico.
Mr. ttEHANAN, Mr.. HUNTINGTON, and Mr..
DAVIS, opposed this bill as a violation of the highest
kind of the principle in relation to con:erminous coun-
tries, from which there had heretofore been no depart
ure and as highly dangerous to the revenue and hon
esty OF the country, AT least, at this late period of the
session, the subject ought to lie over to the next.
The bill was accordingly laid on the table without
dissent.
MAIL COMPETITION.
The Senate took up the bill TO amend the acts esta-
blishing and regulating lhe Post Office Department,
chiefly for the purpose of preventing competition with
the U. S. mail.
Mr.. HUNTINGTON earnestly opposed the bill, par.
ticularly two Of its provisions which he specified, one of
which prohibited the private conveyance, for pay, Of
letters and packages, (''containing any written or print.
ed matter, y on mail routes, or on routes parallel To mail
routes. The other was a prohibition of the private con.
veyance, for pay, of letters and packages, (such as
above,) in railroad cars or steamboats,. The object of
post office laws of this nature, he said, had heretofore
been to prevent the getting up of rival establishments to
the U. S. mail. To this he was not opposed. But there
was something extraordinary in these new provisions,
which, he thought, therefore, ought at least to lie over
10 the next session.
Mr.. ROBINSON said the law already prohibited the
private conveyance Of letters by mail routes, or routes
parallel. This bill merely added packages, las above,)
and the private conveyance, in any direction, by rail
road cars and steamboats,.
Mr.. HUNTINGTON thought the addition constitu-
ted the main portion of the whole, and again desired
that it might lie over.
Mr.. DAVIS asked ifthe Chairman Of the Committee
meant to prohibit the distribution of newspapers by pri-
yate postriders, &C., which had heretofore prevailed