MONDAY, November 20. NOVEMBER, 1820. shall be received or acted upon by a committee, under Several other members appeared and took their this order, which shall not have been endorsed in, and transmitted to the committee through, the office of seats, to wit: the Clerk. From Virginia, JOHN FLOYD and SEVERN E. PARKER; and from Tennessee, HENRY H. BRYAN and ROBERT ALLEN. SOLOMON SIBLEY appeared, produced his credentials, was qualified and took his seat as a delegate from the Territory of Michigan, in the room of William W. Woodbridge, resigned. Mr. BATES presented a petition of the Legislative Council and House of Representatives of the Territory of Arkansas, praying that the right of pre-emption may be extended to the inhabitants of that portion of said Territory lying south of the river Arkansas, in the purchase of the lands on which they have long resided and made valuable improvements.-Referred to the Committee on Public Lands. Mr. EDDY submitted the following resolution, viz : Resolved, That a committee be appointed to inquire into the expediency of so amending the act entitled an act allowing compensation to the members of the Senate, members of the House of Representatives of the United States, and to the delegates from the Territories, and repealing all other laws on that subject, as to reduce the compensation thereby allowed from eight to six dollars per day, and the rate of travel for every twenty miles, from eight to six dollars; and that said committee have leave to report by bill or otherwise. Mr. COCKE, of Tennessee, submitted for consideration the following resolution: Resolved, That the Committee on the Military Establishment be instructed to inquire into the expediency of reducing the Military Peace Establishment of the United States. And the resolution was agreed to, without debate or division. The House proceeded to consider the resolution submitted by Mr. Foor on the 17th instant, for the appointment of a standing committee for the examination of engrossed bills; and the same being again read, the question was taken, Will the House agree to the same? and determined in the negative. COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS. Mr. LINN, of New Jersey, submitted for consideration the following resolution : Resolved, That the Committee of Ways and Means be directed to inquire into the expediency of reducing the compensation allowed to members of Congress to six dollars per day, and a proportional reduction for travelling to and from the Seat of Government; and also of reducing the pay of all the officers of Government that has been increased since the year 1809, to what it was at or before that period. The said resolution was read; and the question Mr. LINN made a few remarks on introducing was taken, Will the House now proceed to con- this proposition, the import of which was, that his sider the same? and determined in the negative-opinion was that Congress ought to go back to yeas 58, nays 61. Mr. STORRS Submitted the following: Resolved, That the 18th rule of the standing rules and orders of this House be annulled. The 18th rule is in the following words: “Business referred to committees of the whole House shall be called for in the following order: 1. Private bills which have passed the Senate, and have been reported favorably by a committee of the House. 2. Private bills reported by committees of the House. 3. Bills and resolutions of a public nature. 4. Bills which have passed the Senate, and have been reported against by a committee of the House. 5. Reports unfavorable to petitioners." the year 1809, and restore the compensations of public officers, &c., to the condition in which they then stood. As the present proposition, however, was for inquiry merely, not requiring any expression of the opinion of the House, he hoped no objection would be made to it. Mr. COBB, of Georgia, said a few words expressive of his opinion, that, if a reduction of expenditures, &c., was made, it ought to be more general than was proposed by this motion to be inquired into. To such a general reduction he was favorable, but was opposed to a piece-meal legislation on the subject, which must be partial, and might be unjust in its operation. This was the substance of Mr. C's. observation, though not perhaps his The motion of Mr. STORRS lies on the table one words. He wished the resolution to be so modiday of course. fied as to make it as comprehensive as in his opinion it ought to be. On motion of Mr. BLOOMFIELD, the House proceeded to consider the resolution submitted by him on the 16th instant, respecting the reference of petitions; and the same being again read, was modified and agreed to as follows: Resolved, That in all cases where petitions were presented at the last session to this House, and referred to committees, but not reported upon, the said petitions shall be again considered as referred to the said committees, respectively, upon application of any member to the Clerk, without special order from the House to that effect. And it shall be the duty of the said committees, respectively, to consider and report thereon, in the same manner as if said petitions were referred by special orders of the House; but no petition Mr. SMITH, of Maryland, thought the object of this motion did not properly fall within the duties of the Committee of Ways and Means, and wished it referred to a different committee. surprise, and consented to his motion's lying on Mr. LINN did not wish to take the House by the table, that gentlemen might have an opportunity to prepare amendments to it if they thought proper. So the resolution was ordered to lie on the table. AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION. Mr. SMITH, of North Carolina, submitted for consideration a joint resolution. In doing so, he NOVEMBER, 1820. Proceedings. H. OF R. expressed his earnest hope that, as a similar reso-be granted; which was referred to a select comlution had passed the Senate at the last session, but not been acted upon in this House for want of time, it would have an early consideration at this session, and receive that approbation from the House which he thought it merited. The following is a copy of the resolve moved by Mr. S. Resolved, by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, two-thirds of both Houses concurring, That the following amendment to the Constitution of the United States be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, which, when ratified by the Legislatures of three-fourths of the States, shall be valid, to all intents and purposes, as part of the said Constitution: mittee; and Messrs. McLEAN, of Kentucky, FLOYD, Mr. BATES also presented another petition of the Legislative Council and House of RepresentaThat, for the purpose of choosing Representatives intives of the Territory of Arkansas, praying that the Congress of the United States, each State shall, some provision may be made to coerce the attendby its Legislature, be divided into a number of districts, ance within their districts of individuals appointed equal to the number of Representatives to which such to offices in that Territory; which was referred to State may be entitled. The districts shall be formed the Committee on the Judiciary. of contiguous territory, and contain, as nearly as may be, an equal number of persons entitled by the Constitution to be represented, or of persons qualified to vote for members of the most numerous branch of the State Legislature. In each district, the persons qualified to vote shall choose one Representative. That, for the purpose of choosing Electors of President and Vice President of the United States, the persons qualified to vote for Representatives in each district shall choose one Elector. The two additional Electors, to which each State is entitled, shall be appointed in such manner as the Legislature thereof may direct. The Electors, when convened, at the time and place prescribed by law for the purpose of voting for President and Vice President of the United States, shall have power, in case any of them shall fail to attend, to choose an Elector or Electors, in place of him or them so failing to attend. The division of States into districts, as hereby provided for, shall take place immediately after this amendment shall be adopted, and immediately after every future census and apportionment of Representatives under the same; and such districts shall not be altered until a subsequent census shall have been taken, and an apportionment of Representatives under it shall have been made. The resolution was twice read, and referred to a Committee of the Whole on the state of the Union. TUESDAY, November 21. Mr. WENDOVER presented a petition of the American Society, of the city of New York, for the encouragement of domestic manufactures, praying that a duty of ten per centum be imposed on sales at auction; that the credit on duties on the importation of foreign fabrics may be abolished, and that the tariff may be so graduated as to carry into effect a complete system of protection to home industry; which was referred to the Committee on Manufactures. Mr. MCLEAN, of Kentucky, presented a memorial and petition of Matthew Lyon, praying that his petition, presented at the last session, may now be considered, and the prayer thereof granted, so that the justice to which his case may entitle him, and which has been so long withheld, may now A message from the Senate informed the House that the Senate have elected the Reverend William Ryland a Chaplain to Congress on their part. And they have passed a resolution for the appointment of a joint Library Committee, who shall have the direction of the money appropriated to the purchase of books and maps, for the use of the two Houses of Congress, and have appointed a committee on their part. They have also passed a bill, entitled "An act to alter the terms of the district court in Alabama;" in which resolution and bill they ask the concurrence of this House. Mr. ANDERSON, from the Committee on the Public Lands, made an unfavorable report on the petition of the General Assembly of the Territory of Arkansas, praying for the establishment of a surveyor's office in that Territory; which was concurred in by the House. The resolution from the Senate for the appointment of a joint Library committee was read, and concurred in by the House; and Messrs. MALLARY, PARKER, of Virginia, and ALLEN, of Tennessee, were appointed the committee on the part of this House. alter the terms of the district court in Alabama," The bill from the Senate, entitled "An act to was read twice, and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. On motion of Mr. ABBOт, the Committee on the Judiciary were instructed to inquire into the expediency of passing a law, defining under what circumstances, and by what means, private property may be taken for public use, under the emergency of war, and providing that just compensation shall be made for the same; also, of prescribing the manner in which soldiers may be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, in time of war. On motion of Mr. SMITH, of Maryland, the Committee of Commerce were instructed to inquire into the expediency of admitting British vessels arriving from the Cape of Good Hope and the Mauritius, into the ports of the United States, on the same terms and conditions as if they had sailed from a port in Great Britain, so long as those ports NOVEMBER, 1820. district court in Alabama," reported the same without amendment, and it was ordered to be read a third time to-day; and was accordingly read a third time, and passed. Mr. Cook, from the Committee on the Public Lands, made a report on the petition of William McIntosh, accompanied with a bill for his relief; which was read twice, and committed to a Committee of the Whole. Mr. Cook, from the same committee, also made a report on the petition of Nicholas Jarrott, accompanied by a bill for his relief; which was read twice, and committed to a Committee of the Whole. On motion of Mr. FULLER, it was Resolved, That the President of the United States be requested to inform this House what naval force has been stationed for the protection of the commerce of our citizens in the West India islands, and parts adjacent, during the present year, and whether any depredations by pirates, or others, upon the property of citizens of the United States engaged in such commerce, have been reported to our Government. Messrs. FULLER and WENDOVER were appointed the President of the United States. a committee to present the foregoing resolution to On motion of Mr. ScoTT, the bill which originated at the last session, supplementary to the several acts for the adjusting of land claims in the State of Louisiana and Territory of Missouri, was taken up and referred to the Committee on PubLands. Resolved, That the President of the United States be requested to lay before this House information respecting the progress made by the Commissioners under the Treaty of Ghent, in establishing the boundary line between the United States and the Canadas; whether any part of the boundary line is settled; whether the Commissioners of the United States and Great Britain have met during the present year; and how much money has been drawn from the Treasury for the purpose aforesaid; and how much each Commissioner, Agent, or any person on their account, haslic drawn; the names of each person employed by the said Commissioners and Agents, in their respective sections; the purposes for which each person was employed, the length of time employed, and the compensation each person has received for his services; a statement of all the items of account rendered by each of said Commissioners and Agents, and the particular purposes for which the moneys drawn by them have been expended; the amount of compensation each Commissioner and Agent has received since his appointment; and whether any money has been allowed to, or retained by, said Commissioners and Agents, except the sum of $4,444 44 per annum. The resolution was agreed to nem. con., and a committee was appointed to present it to the President. WEDNESDAY, November 22. Another member, to wit, from South Carolina, CHARLES PINCKNEY, appeared and took his seat. After a number of remarks from Mr. FORD, to show why favor ought to be shown in this case, the report of the Committee of Ways and Means, of the last session, unfavorable to the petition of Perley Keyes and Jason Fairbanks, was taken up, and, on motion of Mr. F., recommitted to the same committee. Mr. LINN moved to proceed to the consideration of his motion directing the Committee of Ways and Means to inquire into the expediency of reducing the compensation of members of Congress, and of the officers of Government generally, to the rates at which they stood in 1809; but the House refused to consider the same. Mr. Foor, of Connecticut, remarked that several propositions had been already made, looking to a reduction in the expenditures of the Government, none of which exactly corresponded with his views; to exhibit which he offered for consideration the following resolution: Mr. KINSLEY presented a petition of sundry per- Resolved, That the Committee on Public Expendisons interested in commerce, inhabitants of Bel- tures be instructed to prepare and report a system of fast, in the State of Maine, praying that no alter-retrenchment in the expenditures in the various deation may be made in the existing tariff of duties on foreign goods imported into the United States, injurious to the commercial interest, for the purpose of extending further protection to the manufacturing interest of the country; which was referred to the Committee on Manufactures. Mr. SERGEANT, from the Committee on the Judiciary, to which was referred the bill from the Senate, entitled "An act to alter the terms of the partments of the Government, (not inconsistent with the public interest,) which will restore that rigid economy and simplicity becoming our Republican institutions, and which the present stagnation of commerce, and the embarrassments attending every branch of domestic industry, imperiously demand. And the question being put that the House do now proceed to consider the said resolve, it was decided in the negative. REDUCTION OF EXPENDITURES. Mr. COBB, of Georgia, presented to the Chair the following series of propositions: 1. Resolved, That it is expedient that the annual expenses of the Government should be reduced; that, for the accomplishment of this object, it is further 2. Resolved, That such offices as are not immediately necessary for the transaction of public business, and the abolition of which would not be detrimental to the public interest, shall be abolished. 3. Resolved, That the salaries of all civil officers whose compensation has been increased since the year 1809 shall be reduced to what they were at that period. 4. Resolved, That it is expedient to reduce the Army to the number of six thousand non-commissioned officers, musicians, and privates, preserving such part of the corps of engineers, without regard to that number, as may be required by the public interest; and including such reduction of the general staff as may be required by the state of the Army when reduced as herein proposed. 5. Resolved, That it is expedient that the appropriations for the erection of fortifications shall be so made as to require a less sum annually, by extending the time within which they shall be completed. 6. Resolved, That the act making an appropriation of one million of dollars per annum for the increase of the Navy be so amended as to extend the time within which such increase shall be made, and to reduce the annual appropriation to the sum of five hundred thousand dollars. 7. Resolved, That it is expedient to recall from active service one-half the naval force now employed, and to place the same in ordinary. 8th Resolution refers the subjects of the preceding resolves to the proper standing and select committees, to bring in bills pursuant thereto. The House having agreed to consider these resolutions Mr. COBB said, he had no intention to bring on the discussion of them at this time, having presented them by way of notice to members, that they might be prepared to discuss and decide on them when called up. He was not even himself prepared at this moment to give his views of the subjects embraced in these resolutions; nor did he know that the House ought to proceed to act on them, until it should have received, first, the annual report of the Secretary of the Treasury, and, secondly, a report from the Secretary of War, required by a resolution of the House at the last session, of a plan whereupon a reduction of the Army might be advantageously made. To place these resolves in a situation which would enable him to call them up at any time, he moved their reference to the Committee of the Whole on the state of the Union. Which motion was agreed to. THURSDAY, November 23. Mr. CUSHMAN presented the petition of the trustees of the Somerset Agricultural Society, in the county of Somerset and State of Maine, praying that the bill pending before Congress at the last session, establishing a new tariff of duties on goods imported into the United States, may be passed 16th CoN. 2d SESS.-15 H. OF R. Ordered, That the Committee on the Public Lands be discharged from the further consideration of the bill, supplementary to the several acts for the adjustment of land claims in the State of Louisiana, and Territory of Missouri, and that it be referred to the Committee on Private Land Claims. On motion of Mr. BUTLER, of New Hampshire, Resolved, That the Secretary of War be directed to report to this House the regulations which he has adopted in the administration of the act of Congress of May 1st, 1820, entitled "An act in addition to an act to provide for certain persons engaged in the land and naval service of the United States in the Revolutionary war, passed March 18, 1818." Whether any person except paupers, or such as have been partially supported by public or private charity, have been continued on the pension roll; and, if any, whether the value of their property, as returned on their schedule, in any case exceeded two hundred dollars, and how much. Whether debts, which the applicants owed, have been or are considered in the estimation of their circumstances, income, or means of subsistence; and how many are continued on the pension roll under said act. The bill to provide for the preservation and repair of the Cumberland road having been called up, the House voted not to go into Committee thereon. On motion of Mr. KENT, the Committee of the Whole was discharged from the consideration of the bill "to repeal part of an act to authorize the President and Managers of the Washington (Georgetown) Turnpike Company in Maryland, to extend and make their road to and from Georgetown, in the District of Columbia, through the said District, to the line thereof," and it was recommitted to the Committee on the District of Columbia. ELIAS PARKS. The House then resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole on the report of the Committee of Claims on the petition of Elias Parks. [The case of Mr. Parks is substantially this: The petitioner had chartered a boat, on the morning of the attack on Oswego, (on Lake Ontario,) in May, 1813, for the purpose of transporting merchandise to a place of safety. The boat had departed from Oswego in pursuit of that object, when she was ordered back by Colonel Mitchell, who commanded the post, was taken possession of by Captain Romayne, under that order, for the use of the troops, and the goods placed on the wharf, and, with the boat, put under the charge of sentinels. Afterwards, the fort being stormed, and the town taken, the goods fell into the hands of the enemy. The petitioner prays indemnification for H. OF R. Military Road in Maine-Public Lands. his loss. The report of the Committee of Claims is, that his petition ought not to be granted.] Mr. STORRS moved to reverse the report, so as to allow the petitioner the value of the goods in the boat at the time of its seizure. NOVEMBER, 1820. the policy of those times, in our beloved parent State, but Maine has washed her hands from that pollution; she expects justice, magnanimity, and remuneration, from the General Government, in some way or other. He hoped, therefore, the reso The question being taken on agreeing to said resolution, it was decided in the affirmative-52 This motion gave rise to considerable debate;lution would pass. in the course of which, the motion of Mr. STORRS was supported by Messrs. STORRS, GROSS, of New York, and STEVENS; and opposed by Messrs. to 41. WILLIAMS, of North Carolina, and McCoy. The result of the debate was, that Mr. STORRS's motion was agreed to, and, the decision having been reported to the House, was then concurred in; and, on motion of Mr. STORRS, the report was recommitted to the committee who reported it, with instructions to bring in a bill pursuant to the amended report. MILITARY ROAD IN MAINE. PUBLIC LANDS. The House resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole on the bill to provide for paying to the State of Illinois three per cent. of the net proceeds asising from the sale of the public lands within the same. Mr. COBB having inquired on what grounds the merits of the bill rested Mr. Cook, of Illinois, briefly explained that the Mr. HILL submitted for consideration the follow-object of this bill was to obtain the payment to ing resolution: the State of Illinois of the three per cent. reserved Resolved, That the Committee on Roads and Canals for her use out of the moneys accruing to the be instructed to inquire into the expediency of opening Treasury of the United States for the sales of puba military and post road from some place on the Pen-lic lands in that State; the Secretary of the Treasobscot river, in the State of Maine, to the river St.ury not feeling himself authorized to pay over the money without express authority by law. A sim Croix. Mr. SMITH, of Maryland, hesitated about voting for this bill, under the impression that it proposed to divert this fund from the purposes of making roads within the State, to a different purpose, viz: the encouragement of schools and colleges. If that were the object, he said he could not vote for it, because it would violate the compact. Mr. CAMPBELL, of Ohio, said he had not the least doubt of the propriety of passing the law, and he thought the gentleman from Maryland would be of the same opinion with him when the clause of the compact by which Illinois was admitted into the Union, was read. Mr. C. then read that clause, in the following words: Mr. H. in introducing this resolution, said, that ilar law had already been passed in relation to the Maine was a frontier State, bordering on the Brit-State of Indiana, and the passage of this bill was ish Provinces, for a distance of more than five little more than a matter of course, it being to hundred miles. The distance from the Penobscot carry into effect a compact with the State of river to the British lines is not short of one hun-Illinois. dred and twenty miles. The road, for the greatest part of the distance, is impassable for any kind of carriages. The towns of Eastport and Lubeck, with several others near the boundary line, are very fast rising into consequence. At Eastport and Lubeck there is one of the finest harbors in the United States, and it is defensible. It was of great importance, he said, that there should be a good carriage road to the extremities of Maine, whereon to transport the mail; for, in case of another war with Great Britain, which he hoped would never happen, it will be a war, not on our territories, but on the ocean and in the English provinces. Mr. H. said, he was aware that a celebrated military Sovereign of Europe remarked, that "he had no idea of making roads for his enemies;" but, said Mr. H. we have no fear of an invasion in Maine by land. In the late war, there was physical, moral, and mental strength enough in Maine, if we had been masters of our own fortunes, to have driven the enemy from Castine headlong into the sea. Moreover, there are no national vessels built in Maine, although possessing a seacoast of two hundred and fifty miles, containing more than a hundred spacious harbors, having a population of three hundred thousand, owning about one-ninth of the whole tonnage of the United States, and can furnish timber and ship-builders inferior to none in America; and yet we have no dock-yards, nor patronage from the nation. We have been patriotic and dutiful children, always ready to shoulder our muskets in the defence of our country's rights. Massachusetts expended a million of dollars in the late war which has not been refunded. One-third thereof belonged to Maine. She deplores "3d. That five per cent. of the net proceeds of the land lying within such State, and which shall be sold by Congress from and after the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and nineteen, after deducting all expenses incident to the same, shall be reserved for the purposes following, viz: Two-fifths to be disbursed under the direction of Congress, in making roads leading to the State, the residue to be appropriated by the Legislature of the State for the encouragement of learning, of which one-sixth part shall be exclusively bestowed on a college or university." From this it appeared that the proposed bill was a mere legislative form for accomplishing an act already binding on the United States. Mr. ANDERSON, of Kentucky, said there was no difficulty at all in this subject, well understood. In most of the ordinances for the admission of States into the Union, the stipulation is, that, of the five per cent. reserved from the proceeds of the sales of the public lands, two per cent. shall be applied to the construction of roads leading to the |