Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-04-29

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nl,ce to move to discharge the committee
The SPEAKER said that would be the hrst mo''on
NJ MORGAN moved that the Committee OF Inc
Who'll. ON the state of the Union be discharged from Tue
further consideration OF the biii.
| Mr.. PEOffll inquired % VIC
ton was debatab!e: -
'' n, sTANLY SAID if debate was going to arise ne
would withdraw his motion
The SPEAKER said the bill itself, u taken up @ouia
+. dba,cablr the question of priority OF business was
NOT de bateable. :,
49, AZ PROFIT said If the previous question was moi
called he wished TO debate the bill.
n, STANLY SAID he would not call the previous
question on bill Of such a character.
Tire question was then taken on the motion oil 2lr
Norran: which vas decided IN the affirmative.
So HE Committee of the Whole the state Of the
Union was discharged from the further consideration
of the bill.
And The question then being ordering the bill to
a third reading
MIR. FILLMORE called for the reading Of the first
| proyiso Of the last section.
fCries. ..Read the whole bill agan'-''we don't un-
ders,and what It Is, DC
The bill was read second time It's in the follow.
ing words:
4 BILL 10 prerent tie transportation Of passengers or
| ietsrs coasirise by foreign ships or resse's.
BE il enucied Jy lie Senate and House Of Represen-
tatires ot tie L. s. Of 7meriea in Congress 0ss.mntd'
That from aud after The passage OF this act shall mol
be lawful for any ship steam packet or other vessel
helODUlDp
any foreign Power State, TO receive on board and
carry fr pay hire reward any passenger or passen
vers from any port district IN the u D TO any
other port or district therein. Nor shall any such ship
steam racket or other vessel receive on board and
carry as aforesaid from any one port or dis1ct IN the
L. S. to any other port district therein, any letter or
letters addressed persons within the u B, except
such letters may concern the cargo or laaihs Of
such ship steam packet other vessel or be greeted
and addressed to the consgnee or agent thereof; Pro
rided That this act shall not apply TO Snch passengers
as may arrive in the U. s. on board such ship steam
packet or other vessel from foreign parts nor shall
extend to ships, steam packets, or other vessels navi
eating the lakes the river ST. Lawrence ind pro-
ridtd also That this shall not be construed 10 re
peal or impair any law in force relating 10 the
navigation of the u S. the regulations for the DELI
very of letters.
Sec , Ind be it further enacted, That for every
nfracton evasion Of this &C, the captain or com
mander of such SHIP steam packet, or other vessel
shall forfeit and pay, for the of the United States
one thousand dollars which penalty or forfeiture shall
be sued for recovered and accounted Tor, and may be
mtgated RENTED, in the same manner, and accord
rr 10 the provisions of the revenue laws OF the United
States in other cases Of fines and fo.ieitures.
Mr. PROFIT objected TO the ball, so lar as 1t ap'
plied TO passengers as narrow and bigotted in lis
spirit ard altogether behind the age.
Mr. FILLMORE said that, when he frs. heard the
bill reported he too had had great doubts as to
pedicncy aud he had in consequence, examined the
and had also looked into the Legislation oil Great Britain
in relation 10 the subject on her own coasts
and hr had in consequence become satlsheo mat the
bill did injustice, and ought to pass 1t would be
found that from the days of Elizabeth TO the present
time the British Parliament had prohibited oil pasci
patton by foreigners in her coostng trade and, SO lar
from showing any disposition 10 abandon that ground,
the prohibition had beer revived and confirmed so late
as 1884. Our own Government had adopted the same
policy in regard the coas,ng trade own coast
IN which fully justified, If on other ground
as measure o! retaatory and counervalng iegsla |
ton The present bill did but extend 10 passengers the
policy which had pursued for the last twenty years
in regard To goods He had at first apprehended that
the bill had been So drawn that If ship arrived at
Boston from England with passengers she could not
transport them afterward 10 New York Baltimore;
but on examination he found ii was not So The same
liberty of coastwise transportation extended 10
them as 10 goods imported in foreign bottoms that
the principle seemed to be acted that passengers
subject tn the general rules as merchandise
hr. RHE1T expressed strong regret that this bill
had not been taken up in Committee OF the Whole
He dad not agree, by any means, in the views
inst expressed by the gentleman from New York mir
Fnore) as to the identity of principle in relation TO
goods and passengers there broad ground of dis
tinction between them the prohibition might well
enor oh be extended 10 merchandise, but he protested
against It's being extended 10 our own citizens who
M pht be DESTROYS of passing from one point on our At
lanc frontier to another. No nation IN the world had
ever adopted such a regulation The gentleman from
New YORK. himself Gtd not pretend 10 say tHal
Britain had extended her legislation to the cocstwise
transportation Of passengers. In that respect there
fore this bill could not be characterized relaatory
If gentlemen chose TO carry out our existing navIga.
ton laws include these foreign steamers, very
we'll but let not Congress stop citizens from going
where foreign vessel allowed TO 60. The Object,
he understood, 10 10 railroad companies
the transportation Of the passengers who now took pas.
sapes on board the British steamers: he thought 1t
would be better stop the vessels themselves than to
ia to fran main N Of
and yet prohibit their carrying such Of our citizens as
were DESTROYS of embracing the opportunity OF taking
passage board Of them. lie was aTerse to oil legs
lation which went 10 interfere with the most enlarged
personal liberty travel where would, and as we
chose either IN foreign or American bottoms. There !
had little opportunity been afforded TO any of
aiming considering this BILL he hoped 1t would not
rashly be hurried through the House.
Mr. CUSHING was not sure 1t might not be need
ful to modify of the details Of this bill very pos
sbly might; but he considered the general principle
Of the bill as right. There distinction in sub
stance, viewed commercial enterprise carried on
along coast, between the transportation OF goods
and tie transportation Of passengers Considered SIM
ply in the light Of commercial enterprise, there was
no difference; the same principles applied TO both As
to the bills proposing an abrdgmen, Of the personal IT,
berly OF our citizens all commercial restrictions, of
every kind or degree, abrId .men.s OF personal H.
ber,y; so, indeed, prohibi,oy laws Of any sort
But all these cases, the question was one OF general
prof, and loss to the country large The simple con-
sideraton that certain law abridged personal liberty
not, in itself, conclusive objection.
There two lines Of these British steamers ply
ing coast Of which touched the coast al us
northeastern extremity, by The way OF HALIFAX aad
Boston, the other at its southern extremity, by The
British Yves, India Colonies the Gulf of Mexico, and
some OF the Southern ports. hIr C. did not know how
far there might be ueror Government objects on the
part Of Great Britain in the establishment and mamie
nance Of these new lines Of steam commun'cai'"n-l
! They both understood TO be losing concerns,
considered commercial enterprses; though the line
the North not disas.rously so as that by way
of the West ladies. 1t would seem that there must
be somebody behind the merchants, ostensIoly con-
cerned, who furnished the immense outlay necessary
to such undertaking, and sustained the very serious
loss attending it.
There was another circumstance attending these
steam vessels their strength of construction and ma