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Mil,
Foitr IX.
PUBLISHED (weekly) BY ALLMAND jCttltTUESDAY,- APRIL S J, J 805.
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YAZOO BUSINESS.
T!ie debate on this interesting subject,
'nringnhe late session of congress, was
ronducted. with a degree of warmth and
nrrimonv-hkhgo-uknown- in, our legist
. lat'tve- councils ; but being continued to
a great length it was impossible for us
'o give it entire. We now select two
speeches for publication Mr. .J. Ran-,
tlolp's against the report of the commit
tee of claims, and Mr. Jackson'sln. la
vor of it. We give the preference to
'Iiese, because the gentlemen are of the
same political sentiments, and both from
-lilt stateof Virginia. Peiersburh Rep.
The report of the committee of claims
tnif-oMdertioit--which conclude
. v;;,h submitting the following resolution; ...
" Resolved, That three commissioners
If authorised to jeceive "propositions of
r 'promise and settlement, from the se-
v l companies or persons having claims j
i puBiic ranas wiuiiq me present limits
' the Mississippi territory', and finally toJ
'jst and settle the same in such manner
8 in their opinion will conduce to the in-
- t-rest of the United States:-Provided,' that
i i such 'settlement the commissioners shall
' tj't exceed the limits prescribed by the
-invention with the state of Georgia.""
It was agreed to in committee of the
'"-hole, and" the house took it up ; when
V Ir, Clark moved a .proviso as an amend
ment, that no part of the five millions of
r.ivu reserved should go to compensate the
claimants, under the pet of Georgia, passed
io 1795- - .
Mr. J. Randolph called the yeas and nays
on the amendment. J
" Mr." Dana observed .that - 'be report on -1
the table had been mane on the applua
t'r.n of persons claiming land under the
. st of 1795.' The amendment, said he,
h nothing more or less than a denial to
-comply-with -the - prayer-of the pttiuonerar
nd whether it was not to all intents and
purposes a substitute for the. resolutions a
rrecd to in the committee of the whole;'
he would leave to the speaker. H it were
decided to be a sil4itiile, it could not be
rrreived conformably to the rules of the
l.ousc.
The speaker s-.id the resolution report
ed frotn the committee of the whole was
a geirt'rai one, incluling all claims; the a
' merriment went n limit and confine the.
resolution to a puticuhr class, and there
f iTt: he rbncivrd it to be in order.
Mr. J. Rinbdp'i.- It must be 'manifest
t- tho ho; i su .that this discussion is forced
v.',w;n tliosi who art opposed to the report
of the Mm n'".lfe: that wj arc not p'-cpa- !
red at thi rime to meet it.. I am among
those who hoped that some reasons wuM
be iusigncd, if indeed reasons ran he found
to warrant the step about to l taken
1 did hops tMt, inst-ad of a sti hut of fact
nd statement which were already, before J
the bowse, the committee would have given
us awe.hin; new in t''C sHane of a-rn-
irtent, justificatory of the rrsoluiion wl.ith I
iht-y hrve rtrfomm n:led. Nothn is of-
fered. either in ne rcpr! itself, or in dc- ',
bit. which ih'ws t Mn.le elcnti of light j
mr th ubjct. I hiv? partimlr lea- j
rns to Uep"9Tv? auncu moii at mis nine.
1 fchU not trouble the hou'.e by dctailiii";
ihem. b5t brieflr ftste that I feel mystif
nricqul to an immediate investigation of
thi subject, as wi ll fr 'm pcisonul indispo
't - from th- preire f other inipor
ta it iio".s, 'w'lich "hs l"ft me but little
leisure to a"nd to tltin." The few moments
rhtrh- 1 liavtf-tM.-aUU-ia41Koic.ta-iuhai'c.
conin"c.l ro? tint much new aqd iropor
It mitter rcnaih to be bro't to
JV.it no spolou'v will b rirrivrd : ue are
driven to'a vole ht on infltshle ijority.
.Tiic objection taken by the gcntletnan
firm Connerittiit (Mr. Dana) nnd the
doubt which he ratified on the point of or
der, respecting tbc amendmnt oRV-rrd tf
n'y worthy colleanei (Mr. Clark) dincloies
III Orlll. BIHI llllt niM'lii V(
claims, wVilst it proves the-rrrisiy of
tome such amendment .o save the chir.cns'
f the United Slstes in their property
fry in spolia'ion pni.plAtder. The gentlc
oo has sttrd truly liiat this obj-rt was
r further tht claim of the New-Knuland
fcTrsi'trplan" compsny. As I fear I shall
have full ocaVn to exert my vmrr, I must
hrg that thr raemoHitl of the agents of thai
. oiipany rov he reaJ by the rink.
Th petition wrs rad accon'ir.glr,
Mr. J. HandolpH thrn called f the read
hjt of the act of Gcorgis, February 1896,
Renerallv called ihi res.lndl"; act, and he
hoptd they would ne silence whilst the
,act was reading, ai U a i ery impor
t nit one, and ought to influence tle detUion
art the prctnt question.
The act wunisd In compliance with the
uestlon.
, Afler U was RiiisUeJ, Mr. Clark moved to
' adjyurn. v . ..
On the division, there wss SJ yeas and
3) iyts j so the motion wjslo. , .
1n CUrk requited thst the id of 1795,
under which they derived their pretended
titles might be read. -. ' '"
, While the speaker was reading the same
Mr. Dana rose and enquired whether it was
'necessary to read the whole of the law, or
-whfthiT gntli-mfn would not be , satisfied
with the reading of such part of it as bore up
on the present question.
Mr. J. Randolph called the gentleman to
order for interrupting the speaker in his read-
W Mr. Speaker. The objection ought to
hive been made (if at all) when the reading
of the law was first called for. -
The reading was continued to the end of.
the act when
Mr. J. Clay moved that th house adjourn.
On a motion there were 53 ayes and 60
noes. Motion lost. ' . , . :
M rr3 rjR midplph Perhaps -atmaybe
supposed, from the course which this busi
ness has takeh, that the adversaries of the
, present measure indulge the expectation of .
beiii able to conic forward at a further clay
.not to ibis house, for that hope isdesperate,
but to the public, with a more matured op
position than it is in their power now to
make. But past experience has shewn them
this is one of those subjects which pollution
has sanctified that the hallowed mysteries
of corruption are not to be profaned by the
eve of public curiosity. No, sir, the orgies
of Yaoo speculation are not to be laid ooen
to vulvar gaze. None but the initiated are
permitted to behold the monstrous sacrifice
of the best interests of the nation on the
altars of corruption. When this abomina
tion i to be practised we go into conclave.
Do we apply to .Uie press ? that' potent
engine, the dreadof tyrants and of villains,
but the shield of freedom and of worth
No hiiy the, press is gagged. On this snii
ject we have a virtual sedition law not with
a specious title, but irresistible in its opera
tion, which,; in the language tf a gentleman
Irom Connecticut (MV. Griswold)pw$ uiieci-
lyio Jtiobjeit . Th cide m on of speculation
than any other. It is alledged'by the me-
morialists, whoatile themselves the .agents
f that company, that theyj and those whom"
they represent, were innocent purchasers:
in ojher words, ignorant of the corruption
and fraud by which the act from which their
pretended title was derived, was passed.
I am well aware that this fact is not ma
terial to the question of any legal or equita
ble title which' they may set up, but as it
has been made a pretext for excising the
compassion of the legislature, 1 wish to ex
amine into .the 'ground upn which this al
legation rests. Sir, when that act of stupen
dous villainy was past in 1795, attempting
under the form and semblance of law, to rob
unborn millions of their birlh-rifjEf and in
heritance, ar,d to convey to a band, 'of.
unprincipled and flap-ilious men, a territory
more ejdemrve, and beyond eomparuon
more fertile than onysfiteTpfttnsriTin,
it caused a sensation sctuxtlvless violent than
v that produced by the passi ge of the Man.p
act or the shutting up ol the port ot Boston;
with this diflWnce that when the port
bill ofT Boston passed, lur srutheiii, bre
thren did "not take advantage of I lie forms
of law, by M'hich a corrupt legi l-titre at
tempted to defraud her of the bounty of na-..
tors : they did not speculate rn the n.eces-.
sides and wrongs of their abutd and iisult
frd countrymen. 1 repeat that this infjuious
art was succeeded by a general burst of in
digration throughout the continent. This
is matter of public notoriety, and those (I
sprf.kofmen of. intelligencp and eductinn,
purchasers too of the very country in ques
tion) those who affect n.liive hern igno
r?nt of any such circumst; n' es, 1 si all'con.
sider as guilty of gross and wilful prevarica
tion. Thev ofTer indeed to virtue the only
homfre which she is ever likely to receive
at their ruaiHs-the homarii of their hj'po-'
crisv. Thev cmild not m-tVe h,i assen'nn
J within the limits of possibility loss. 'entitled
J to credit. ' ,
1 Yesjthejctof the7t!i January, 1795, ex-
)l cited enio'.ions nl dtestation nnd abhorrence
Vith what face could the president reim.
meiiu or coiirstiwltfavpr to obtain from
vcurgia a session ot tiif. Wio'.v. or any part of
the. ..land within her Indian bou'ndurick, if
they believed that the land in question had
bfeen conveyed to others hy-A-Eng-und ,on -
at one syeep has wrested from the -nation
their best, their only defence, and closed ! erjualt&thoseiirodiiredbvthestamnact.ornort
of information. But a day of jj bill of Boston. But tliis whs not all. It
hde sale ? -If they attached to the act of Ja
nuary, 1795, any idea of validity ? The man
who answers this objection shall have my
thanks. But, perhaps 1 shall'be told that
this was the act of a single branch of the le
gislature and not-a law. True, sir, but U
was a solemn averment to the whole world
U14 congress had a right tov legislate on the
subject. . It was noticed on the 17ih arid26ih.
toys of February, 1793, that the act passed
by the state of Georgfa, in the preceding
month, was void and of no eflecf it was
loudly proclaimed by the convention cf that
sUfe, which met in the succeeding Mv,
--and -was-finally consumm<tlbvJlie rescind
ed act, of the l3th0f February; I7S6, which
was consequently engrafted on the conslitu.
Hon of Georgia. Ar.d yet the New-F.nglard
Mississippi land company, tinder a deed -of
cotemporaneous date fas they say j with' this
last act, a deed containing not merely' a spe
cial warranty, but a special rovtrant that no
recourse shall be luid tigainst the si 1 1 j, j- r en?
defect of title in them : a covti'M-t which
clearly indicatesnoticeor.theparl of 'hebu.veis
of such defect ? claiming i.nder a deed by
which they-punoIiBse such title only as tbc
grantees of 1795, had to stll in -whose stead
and place they agref to wtiid. this company
iifTect to havrio retire of ai v defect of tid
in those of whom they bimght. 'Sanction'
the claim of this companyor cr.y other de-
i.en irom tne act ot 1795. and wlut in ef
fect do you declare ? Yoiircrtrd a olenm
acknowledgement thut'Tongrens have unfair
ly and dishonestly obtained from Georgia' a
-grant of limd to which that Mute no longer- -possessed
a title, having previously sold it to
others for a valuable consideration, of which
transaction congress was at the time fully
apprized. Are you nrenared to nialrr ilia
Humiliating conlesKion r
To
u!enti!v
your-
1 drvw uiion it the immediate aitention of'the
' c 1 ' -1 .1 ...
uuerui government, me autnority w'hicn
is abput to be produced to the house is one
w hich I am not in' the . habit of prostituting
to every light occasion. .It is one from which
those who are daily endeavoring to shelter
their cl imes and their follies vi;dr its vene
rvble shade will not dare to ajpenl Upon
lookrng into the journals of this hoime, I find
the following message, from tre President,
dated on the 17tli of I'dmiprv, 1795.
GentUmen cfih: senate, end g
h.'ute of rcP'isentiiiivts,
44 I have received crr.ies'or t
legislature of Gewgi?. 01 e p;isvd j, lK. jin
day of December, 1794." (This, sir, is the
net wl.ich ti c wavei jng vm ir-f the foy i n
cr induced him to reject. !u- ciier 'i
the 7h of Jainijiyr 1795 ' Tl e act r
wlrchthe different rnitpnU, It.iti m.-. of
self with the swindlerr ofl795Toae-
every avenue
retribution may yet come. If their rights
are to be bartered liway, and their property
squandered, the people must not, they s,!:iil
not, be kept in ignoraiite by whtni or fur
whom it is done.
We have oftrn heard of party spirit, of
caucuses, as they wc Wrmcd, to settle U-
gisutive qufsuons- ptn never nave l see l
that spirit so visible as at this time. The j
out-door intrigue is too p; lpable to be dis- !
g'uised. When it wds proposed to hbolish a
judiciary syntcni reared in the last jurmenu
of an expiring administration, the detested
off.pring of a midnight hour, whtn the qur
lion of repeal was before this li use. it culJ
not b taken , until midnight, in the lithe!
or fourth week of the disnissifii. Wlur
the great nnd good man who now f.Ils, t:r.d
who wtutevcr may be the wishes of our op
piineitts" I hope unci trust will long fill tl.c
exerntne chair not less to Ms own honor . wdiirh the mexorialivls lierivi- r.,rlr o.t. .,.!. :i .1 r.f ?o. i.j
Ihanlo the happiness of Int. fellow -riluena : f, ,-u., ttA fP arp limis,.if u,d sU. IV teen, out r.f iht rr.rr:.ti.,n v.... .
teconvm ndtd the repeal of :! lint; the l.vlun linds wi-hi.i ih,-t-rriinri-,! I t'u;-.. toibe 6t!i vrJnme of vmir l.. , !.,
linn s ri.uiurn nv umi i;.'r.
knowledge that you have unfairly obtained
from another that lo which you knew lie had
no title? I trust, sir. we have not yet reach
ed this point of moral and political denravi.
ty. 1
The agents of the New-Kngland land com
pany are unfortundtely in two points'. . They
set out with a formal endchyor to prove that
they are entitled to their proportionof fifty
millions of acres of land, under ti.e law of
1795, and thi they niske their plea to b
admitted to a proportional share of fW
u.tLmen tftht s If they really believed what they say, would
; they be willing t commute a good, legal, or
worm ef'he . f rjrit.'.ble claim for one tenth of its valued-
I ii'-ir memorial contains moreover a sug
iv ,;:on of falsehood. They aver liiat the
n xiv.ait.n of live millions f,r satisfying
i'...'.-:ris not r..berw:sc pviyi'lcd frr, in our
c--.v;).iri v ii!i Groi-irii, was specially incnd-
e. i-.rt ivl:ertfit of the tlaimiinli i:nin- ,e
when he, sir
the internal taxes, dtUy succeeded k!iiy,
and disi-ussioii was followed by (ii-ros.H)ii,
inuil patience itusif wa worn ihrtal!..ie.
Hut now, when public plunder is the order. ;
of the day, how arc we tfeaterl ? Drivn into :i
the committee of the whole, and out aiin''
itt h breath, by an iiifieKibJe mnjority, exuliio;
and stubborn iu tbeir stieng'.h. a !tci i- n
nust he had ins'.anter. The advocates f r
pthii proposed mtssure feel that it will not U-ar
a scrutiny. Hence this precipitancy. I'h y
witice from the touch of txi.iuinaiinn, t.i.d ,
Lare-iHitg.t.'iMrry thrrtth a jtaifful ;.nd
filial flvmi iijroii ii'aj sir rnrvj
why thi tenacinu adherence of certain gi n-tlctiH-n
to rach.otlrr on every point r-n-ntrted
with this Mtl.jrct. A if anim-tid
by one spirit, thty pcifurm all their tv.ilu
tions with the most exurt t'isriplinc, srd
march in firm phalsnx riirtrtly ij to ihvir
bjtct Is it that men combined to tJT.-ct
some evil purpoe, tfiin j cn prtvicus
jl pledge to cacn otner, are ever mote in uniscn
tain those who seckiit My- lo durr.wr
truth, iibev the Smnnlte of lhal contrl. nr i
jj "which God his placed in their bosoms.
nitch men da not stand conipromitled i
They will not stifle thr suggrslions of ihcir
own minds, and lacrifi.e thrir privnte o
pinions to tlie attainment of some common,
peihps some nefarious cbjrcl.
Having friien vent to tha) effusion .fin.
dignation which I ferl, and which 1 trutj
sbsll nevf r fail to fct and to rsprrts on
thjs detestable subject, permit me now to
offer some crude and hasty re nwk on the
point in dUpujt. They will he directed
cMefly lo the claim of the New-Kngland
Miaissippi land company, whom we pro.
pose to, debar (with all the o'hrr himinl
nnder the act ef 1793) from any Wntfit t.f
the fiva millions of acrea reserved by Mir
compact with Georgia, to sMfy such claims
not; specialty provided for in that cnmsft
at e, might finct worthy cf reenmpenre
I shall direct rny oberior particularly
to this tla'im, because it hat keen more In
littcd upon, And more xeaJouOy defended
TS'eair rutiies.
thom:h fo t oTiriullv ccrtifiic!, I.ave (1in
irun-mii'ed to me in surh a p.hmh-i. as to
1:ave no room to doubt thci" ;nit illicit y.
Thesr acts eliib' ire an objtr.t of mu h magni
tai'e and in their cotisvqcrnre may sodreply
rffert tV pere ard 'welfare of the United
Sti'.es, 'Vat 1 have thought it necessary now
to I y tl em before congress."
Here, sir, it ;inqle umice to the whole
worH. This mcssare was reftred to a
I eejt committrr t consisting of Mr. John
j Y'(A' Lr acriL '"dley. Mr.
j Muirar, Mr. ItouiTinot, Mfi Alr.' s, andIr.
j SherUi'iTe; on hoe rcort, after solemn
J iM '-h'-ration in the committee of the whole,
j the house n the SCih of the same month
; tame lo the following Hwiluticn. 44 RcoU
x -d. That the president of the United Slates
be au'horiscd to obi sin a cession from the
'. state of Georgia or their claim to the whole,
. or any part of the Lnd within the present In
i.'un boundaries." fThe very land which
the act of the 7th of Jbiwery .had attempted
to alienate and sill; and the bill which I
now hold in my band,, was accordingly
Irongbt in, pursuant, to the resolution and
passed the house on the 3d day cf March.
Hut unfortunately the session closed, of ne
ressity, on the following das, and this liouic
is well apprised that the forms of the senate
will not permit any bill to he hurried through
that tdy. A sir.aileficgative.is sufficient to
prevtut it. The'subject was not suffettd tp
il-rp An act was subsequently psaied o
prnimr ncgor'uiion with Georgia for the ter
ritory in queition, of which we have received,
from her a solemn transfer Is this notice,
or is U not f On a forma) message from the
president layingbefore them the act of 1795
m totally invalid ami wortUcii was'that
act In thrir eyes, In such utter contempt did
thev hold the pretrfided rights of the grantees
under l that the house of reprticntstivrs
Immediately patted a bill empowering the
president to receive a grant of the very land
which that art had previously and fraudulent
1 attempted to convey to the fouitttppaoici.
I is tit- fact f in ihe Grt place so much of tha
jj u served five millions, as may be necessary
is appropriated specifically for Sktisfviiv-
clainis derived from Briiinh grants not re-
prantcd by Spain, wnd ntncli of tl,c ,e.
sidue ai may be necessary is appropriated
Tor compensating other claims, not rtcog-'
nistd in our compact with Gtoreia. 'An
appmpriation for certain Hritish grai.la
specially, snd for other claim-, generally,
is falsely sKgested to have been m;ide lor
the especial benefit of the claimants of 1735
and Ihe reservation of a power in ilm
pUMiUer Staterrooiileratieh llr Ims" arthci'
a ".a m "
snooid neem wonny 01 compensation, is
pertcrtcd into an oUigaiinn to compcr.kate '
a particular class of claims; into an ac
knowledgment that such claims are woithy
of compensation. Can this house lc invei
gled by such bare faced effioi.teryf Sir,
the act containing this appropriation clause
was not brought to a third reading till the
first of March. 'Our powers eipired on
the th: it was at the 3d session of th
7lh congress. It was in ihe. powsr of
those opposed to the corrupt claims of
1775 to have defeated the bill by a discus
sion. But, sir, they abstained cn ihia
ground. If the appropriation of the five
millions had not been made at that ses
sion, the year, within which by our agree
ment with Georgia it was to be made, if
at all, would have expired before the meet
ing of the next congress j and it waa cr
, ged, by the friends of the bill, that there
were several descriptions of claiml to which
no imputation of fraud could attack that
by making a general appropriation we se
cured to ourselves the power ol rccempen
sinjsoch-relainiias, on examination,
rr.'.ht be lound wr.rthy of it, whilst wo
pledged ourselves to no class of ctaimtntt
whatever. But, that if we should suffer
the term specified, In our compact with
Georgia, to elapse without making appro
priation, we should preclude oursclvee
from the ability lo compensate any claims
Hot special! provided for, however just aj
k
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