Newspapers / The Durham Recorder (Durham, … / April 5, 1820, edition 1 / Page 2
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impressive language cf his honora ble frut.d from N. Jersey, (Mr, Bloom fictd) who had himself been a conspi cuous actor in the scenes of the revolu tion. ami who had introduced and advo cated the b'UI ?f 1818; but, in giving his santio to that of benevolence, Mr. B. had no idea that it would product* so vast a consumption of the public resour ces. According to the report of the committee of 1818, it was expected that the maximum of the pensions to be al lowed, would be about 200,000 dollars; but what M as the fact? It was now found that they exceeded that amount by a hout JiJ'tcm Mr. B. was then, and was yet, willing to perform towards the soldiers of the revolution an act of benevolence, but not at a cost which the nation was unprepared to pay. As to the proposed repeal being in consistent with the honor of the nation, or, as was said, inconsistent with a ves ted right, Mr. B. observed, he was not among those who would do any thing that was inconsistent with either, and yet he was prepared to vote for a very considerable modification of the law. He argued that the pensions granted could not be deemed a vested right ? that, the act was one of gratuitous boun ty ? not of justice; because, had it been demanded !>y jus- ice, it could have Vnown no distinction; that, being an act ot charity, it continued at- the option of tho government; and this opinion Mr. B. illustrated by various arguments. In voting for this modification, he did no violence to the benevolence which dic ta' ed the first act, because a man was not hound to extend charity to the inju ry of i?i? own family. To continue the act- unmodified would be injurious and unjust- to a large portion of me people of "diis nation, a> it would be necessary to raise the annunt required by it, by laying taxes directly or indirectly; and he wished that the state of the treasury might not be such as to coerce the house into the imposition of direct tuxes. Let the committee, Mr. B. said, cast a look over the country, and see if there were not thousands and tens of thousands on whom the tax would fall, who were as poor, and infinitely poorer, than thous ands ot those pensioners for whom the tax would be laid, Sic. Mr. B. again adverted to the details of his amendment. He had singled out those who had served three years and upwards, because it was they who bore the heat and brunt of the war? of the campaigns of '77, '78, and '79 ? in the fields of Monmouth, of Princeton, of Bennington, of Brandywine, Etc. A great part of the nine and twelvemonths' in?.n, were substitutes, and in addition to their pay from their country, receiv ed pay as substitute* ? serving sucr.es ?iv lours as such. Mr. B. thought all who continued to receive pensions, ought to be put on an equal footing; the sum allowed, he would make sufTi ci- n: to provide for them food and cloth ing ? further than this, it was utterly im|>'>s*-ible for the government to go. In fixing the allowance, the comfortable subsistence of the individuals was all that couhl be provided for? ne could not iiiuik of taking their families into vic?v, or entering into considerations of for it r atflu; lire. See. I'o p ovule relief with sulm views, or to that extent, would b- beyond the abi.ity ol the natio.i to pa> w:.liuut resorting to the means be fo. o dludcd lo? .of laying taxes on the pr.-opie, See. In support of the opiniois wiiic.i |?e advanct d mi the course of nis remarks, Mr. B. entered into a number of arguments and illustrations which, in this bn ( notice, cannot be presented. Mi Culpepper was willing to strike out the first section of the bill, not how ever io acct-pt the substitute offered by Mr. Barbour, bir. to agree to the best provisions to guard against imp >sinon. He wished the act, in other rcspects, to stand as it was ? he would not strike ofl* one cent of what thes?- incn were justly entitled to by the existing act. Mr. CJ. said, he knew what it was to be a sol dier, himself, ant to serve, when a rnor ?e! ol bread was a luxury. Many, how ever, took the benefit of this act who were not entitled to i', and ne would do ev ry thing to guard against that abuse, tut lurtli<*r he would not go. He was against reducing the ofTi< er with the le vel ol tne soldier. Their habits were diffcient, Mr. C. sai'l, and their talents, a d their wairs ? the officers w, re of more value to the country, and it would he a bad exa.npie, and injurious here after to U'C interest of the nation to put them on the same footing He thought the distinction made in the act was a go ?d one, and ne would not consent to Change it. Mr. Anderson, of Kentucky, avowed himself decidcly opposed to tut repeal of the ,aw, ;?n<l consequently again**! Mr. Ijarlxjur's aim nd.ucnt, Ma he would support every position tending to give the act a fair and strict construction; and lie would therefore take those parts of Mr. li's amendments which w?m thai ooject. Mr. A. ?said he was afraid hr might hove Seen wrong in voting for th : a< I of 1818, but he was sine he t-h old >? - light n voting againsi its re peal. The bounty had been Ireely of ftred and continued two years, and, a h? i In r right or wrong, 01 igiuaily, he w u'd not withdraw ii. JK- was also op pn ?d 10 the levelling principle. Thai fea ure lie had been in favour of wiTcii the *ei wis under consideration; l> ut congress then determined ;<y<untt it? lb?- distinction between officers -and pt i > i es bad existed two year-*, ami he was averse now to disturbing it. Mr. A. said, the bounty had been voluntarily offered by congress ? the soldiers of the revolu tion had been invited to come forward and receive this boon, at the hands of a grateful count 17 ? and would it be gene rous or becoming, because it was found to take more money than was expected, now to revoke the bounty? Mr. A. thought not, and spoke at some length j in support of his opinions. He conclud ed by saying thai if the law was defec tive, or not sufficiently guarded, he would give it additional ssrfe-guards; but he would not repeal it, or so modify it as to reduce the allowance of an offi cer from 240 dollars to 96 dollars. The committee then rose, obtained leave to sit again, and The house adjourned. ?Monday, ,1/areh 20. A bill was reported from the commit tee of naval affairs, the object of which is so t?> amend the act for the govern ment of the navy, as to authorize an cx- ' tension of the present term of enlist ment of seamen. Mr. Pindall reported a bill, the ob ject of which is to amend the acts au thorizing the publication of the laws of the United States, so as to confine the publication of them in 25 newspapers in the states and one in this District, and to abolish the compensation now al lowed by law fyr that service. These bills were twice read and com mitted. Mr. Storrs, from the committee on roads and canals, reported the following bill: Be it mactcd , &c. That the president of the Unitfd States he and ne is hereby authoriz d to cau^e to be erected on the national road* leading from Cumberland, .n state of Mai y land, to the river Ohio, so many toll-houses, gates, and turn pikes, as in his opinion, will be necessa ry and sufficient to collect the duties and tolls hereafter mentioned, from all per sons travelling on the same, to be erect ed at such placcs as be shall determine: Provided , That the number of such gates and turnpikes shall not exceed twelve, nor be less than six; and such gates and turnpikes shall le erected at a distance not less than ten miles from each other. Sec. '2. And he it further enacted, That as soon as the said gates and turn pikes shall be erected, the president of the United States is hereby authorized to appoint toll-gatherers to collect and receive of and from every person or persons using the said road, the tolls and duties hereinafter mentioned, at each of the said gates, that is to say: for each score of sheep or swine, six cents; for each score of cattle, twelve cents; for every chariot, coach, coachee, or phaeton, twenty-five cents; for every stage, wagon, or other four-wheelfd carriage for the conveyance of passen gers, drawn by to ir horses, twelve cents; for every cart, sleigh, or sled, drawn by two oxen or horses, six cents; and for every additional horse or ox, two cents; for every wagon dnwn by two horses, eight cents; and for every additional horse, fou- cents; for each person and norsi, six cents; to*' each chaise, sulky, or one-horse wagon, six cents; and it shti.! be 1 j wfui for any of the toll-ga therers to stop any person or persons riding, leading, or driving any hr-rs<s, caule, sht ep, swine, sulky, pl.QP/on, coach, coachee, chariot, chaise, cart, wagon, sle-ieh, or other carriage of bur then or pleasure, from passing througn the gates or turnpikes, until he or they shall have respectively paid the toll a bovc specified: Provided , That nothing in this act shall be construed so as to authorize any tolls to be received or collected for an> person passing to or from public worship, or to or from his common business on his farm, or to or from a funeial, or to or from a mill: jlnd firovided , further , That no toll shall be received or collected for the passagt of any wagon or carriage laden w ith the property of the Uni'ed States, or any cannon or military stores l<elong ing to the United S'ates, or any of the states composing this Union, or any per son or persons on duty in the military service of the United Slates, or the mi litia of any of the states. Sec. 3. And be it further enacted , That if any ol the toll gatherers shall unieust-nably delay or hinder any pas si ng< r or traveller at any of the gates, or shall demand or receive more toll than is by this act cs'ablished, he shall, for each and every such offence, forleit and pay to the puity so aggrieved the sum of ten dollai s. See. slnd br if further enacted , 'I' liat if any person who shall use the said road, shall, with a virw to evade the pay iik i.t ol the toll* required l?y thin act, I' avc i lie said toad, and go round the said gates, every such person shall, f<?r ev?ry such offence, forfeit and pay to and for the use ol the United States, t h?. sutn of twelve dollars. Sec. 5. nil br it further mac ted, That the toll gatherers on tnc said ro?d shall respectively reecive compensation for their services, ai the rate of twelve per cent, on the arno'int ol tolls by them respectively received: I'rovtded , That the annual compensation ol any toll ga* therer snail nevei exceed, the sum of three nundrerl and fifty doliai s; nor shall the saun iess in an) ohm ytar than ?fit hundred and twenty dollars; and, in case r?f any deficiency in the amount collected by any loll gatherei below the sum of one hundred and twenty dollars, the residue shall be paid out of the rolls collected at the other gates on said road. Sec. S'. And be it further enacted ? That the amount of tolls collected on said road shall he paid into the treasury of the United States semi annually, by the toll gatherers on said road, and a se parate account kept thereof; and the said monies, after deducting therefrom the expenses and charges of collecting the same, shall be applied, under the direction of the president of the United States, to the repairs and preservation of said road, in such manner and under such regulations, as he may prescribe, and to no other purpose whatever. This bill having been read, and its second reading being in due course pro posed? Mr. Barbour moved to reject the bill. This motion gave rise to a short de bate, in the course of which it was sup ported by Mr. Harbour and Mr. Ran dolph, and oppused by Mr. Hardin, Mr. Livermore, anc' Ballard Smith. Our reporter did not reach the house in time to hear the whole of the debate, and to report a part of it would not be very fair. In general, the motion to reject the j bill was supported on the ground that the question which it involved had been as mucn discussed as any ever present ed to the view of the legislature; that the discussions and aolcnui decision* of this liouse had gone forth to the world; j that the mind of every member was made up on it, and therefore there was uo need of delay for re flection? and that the principle of the bill was, in tne op inion of the advocates of its rejection, so obnoxious that it ought not to be en tertained by the house for a moment. The motion to reject was opposed on the ground that the question was one of much importance, and ought not to be hastily disposed of; that the preserva tion of a national work, which hat al ready cost so much money, was an ob ject of importance, if within the consti tutional power of congress; thai, in fact, the question involved in tne bill had never yet been decided by congress; that, being but this day piesented, it would be unreasonable to rail upon the house to say it was so odious they would not look at it, See. The question on ihe motion to reject the bill was tl?en put in this form ? " Shall this dill be rcjcctrd?" on which the votes were ? yeas 47, nayes 111. So the house refused to rcjeci the bill; and it was twice read and ordered to be engrossed for a third reading The engrossed bill appropriating mo- j ney for continuing the centre building of the capitol was read a thiid time, passed, without debate or division, and sent to the senate. The remainder of the day was occu picd in debating the bill for amt nding the pension law, and the proposition of Mr. Barbour to substitute for it a differ ent bill. Messrs. Reid, Hill, Fuller, Trimble, Barbour, Livermore, and Bloomfield, engaged in the lull: among whom Mr. IIill, Mr. Fuller, and Mr. Li vermore, earnestly opposed a; y invasion of the principle of the pension law, | though willing to make any necessary amendment to its ;'etails. Mr. Fuller j sp'.ke on the subjcct considerably at large. B i fore coming to any decision on the subject, the committee rose and report ed p- ogress ? and The house adjourned. Tuesday, .March 21. Mr. Storrs, from the committee on roads and candls, to whom the subject was referred, made a report, of which tin following is the resolution recom mended hy the committee for the adop tion of the house: Rcaohed) That the committee on roads and canals be discharged Irom the further consideration of the communi cation to this house from the secretary of the department of the navy, on the 18th day of January last, and the peti tion of the inhabitants of the borough of Llrie, in he state of Pennsylvania, rela tive to the improvement of the harbour of Erie. The house concurred in the report. A like report was made and concur red in, with respect to several petitions praying the aid of congress in the con struction and improvement of certain roads. Mr. Southard, from the committee to whom had been referred the senate's bill M for the better regulation of the trade with the Indian tribes," reported the same without amendment, and it was referred to a committee of the whole. It EVOLUTIONARY PENSIONS. The house then again resolved itself into a committee of the whole, Mr. Becr.hcr in the chair, on the bill to a mend the revolutionary pension law. Various amendments were offered, proposing all sorts of modifications of the present law; all which were succes sively rejccteu. Until at length a motion was made to strike out the whole of the bill cxccpt the enacting clause, so as to leave a blank to be filled with any thing the house should chu?e. This motion ? ?i;rccd to (a*. about the usual hour of edjourment) by a vote of 75 to 41. The committee then rose, reported progress, and the chairman asked the usual leave to sit again. Before it was granted, however, a motion was made to adjourn, and was carried. Wednesday, .Hkrch 22. Mr. Baldwin, from the committee on manufactures, reported "a bill to regu late the duties on imports, and for other purposes." The bill was twice read and commit ted. The speaker laid before the house a letter from the secretary of the treasury; transmitting the annual statement of im ports into the United States, (for the year 1818.) Mr. Slucumb moved that the house proceed to the consideration ol his mo tion proposing to fix the day of adjourn ment ot the present session; which mo tion was decided in the negative. REVOLUTIONARY PENSION LAW. The house having proceeded to the order of the day, on the bill to amend the revolutionary pension law, Mr. Whitman moved to discharge the committee of the whole from the further consideration of the bill, and to postpone the same indefinitely. This motion caused considerable de bate. A division of the question being call ed for, the question was taken on dis charging the committee, and decided in the negative. The house then again resolved itself into a committee of the whole, Mr. Ueecher in the chair, on the bill. Various amendments were proposed and debated, some of which were agreed to, and others not. The result was that the bill was brought to the shape which it wears, as follows: That the secretary of the war depart ment be, and he is hereby authorized and directed to cause examinations to be made into the circumstances of such persons as have been, or shall be, placed on the pension list of the United Slates, by virtue of the act, entitled " an act to provide for certain persons engaged in tiie land and naval service of the United States in the revolutionary war," passed on the 18th day of March, one thousand eight hundred and eighteen, and if it shall satisfactorily appear to the war department, that any of the said per sons are not proper subjects of the said law, it shall be the duty ol ihe secretary of the war department, to cause the names of' such persons to be stricken from the said list; and the pension al lowed to such persons, shall thenceforth cease and determine: and no person who kas an income equal to one hundred dollui s per annum, or an estate of the value of two hundred dollars, shall b considered in luch reduced rircumsun ces as to entitle him to a pension undo the said recited act. Sec. 2. jind be it further enacted. That such examinations shall be had in conformity to such rules and regulations relating thereto as shall, from time to time, be established by the secretary of the war department. Sec. 3 . 1nd be it further enacted , That the examination contemplated by this act, shall be had before some court of record within the United States, or before a juil^c of such court in vacation, and the facts established by evidence as in other cases, and such court or judge shall causc the same to be certified ol ficially to the secretary ol war. In this form the bill was, when the committee rose. And The house adjourned. lit\\ e V oreign \ n\ eVWgcnc e . flotton, March 16 By the fast sailing ship Triton, capt. Ilolcomh, armed at this port yesterday morning. in 24 days fiom Livcrpc o', pa pers from the latter placc to the 20th, and London papers to the 18th Febru ary. have been received. On the 13th I'tbniary, M. Vivas, a gen< ral in the Spanish service, and char ged with a diplomatic mission to the United States, arrived at Paris. lie left Paris t lie 3d, that is, subsequent to the letters and dates of the Court (lazctte, which are to the 31st January. Assassination oj the Duke tie Herri. Paris, Feb. 14. The inhabitants of this metropolis have been horror-struck by an atrocious assassination, perpetrated last night, at ten o'clock, on ?he person of his royal highness the duke de Ucrri. The prince attended the duchcss to her carriage in quitting the opera house; she was al ready seated, when a person passing quickly by bis royal highness em irclcd him with his left aim, and thrust a poi nard, four inches and a hall long, into his right breast, up to the hilt. On f< cl ing the wound, he uttered a cry and tell senseless into the arms of his servant. The duchess herself sprang out of the carnage, and drew the datcgci from the duke's breast, whose only exclamation was, M ji ine meurs." I he duke was conveyed into one of the saloons of the opera, and t lie ncai est surgeon sent for. The duchess never quitted ti e couch ol I. er husband. Tiu duke ol Oi It ans, who was at the opera, Arrived immediately, \ accompanied bythe duchess and Made inoist-llc. M. Pasquler rame shortly af terwards bringing with him, in his car riage, M. Dupuyten. The assassin was interrogated, in the presence of M. de Cazes, and declared boldly that he had meditated the murder ever since 1814, and that he had quitted Metz for Calais in the intention of as sassinating the king on his r entree^ but that he arrived too late; that he had at length determined on the extermination of the duke de Berri, as the youngest of the family, knowing that nature wuuld soon dispense hint front the necessity of abridging the days of the king. This monster was employed in the saddleiv of the king, and it appears was one ot those who went and returned with Bona parte from Elba. The duke <le Berri died at six o'clock in lite arms ol his majesty. London, Feb. 18. We have received this morning the Paris papers of Tuesday. They are, of course, painfully interesting, for they communicate a variety of facts connect ed with the assassination, of his royal highness the duke de Berri. Among the inost important of these is the unoe itiable one, that the atrocious crime was committed front political motives. This alarming truth was distinctly admitted, not only by the members of the two chambers, who met to address his ma jesty on this mournful occasion, but it is recognized by the king himself, in the concluding sentence of his answer to the address of the deputies. u The clumber cannot doubt," said his majesty, " that, feeling as a man, and acting as a king, 1 shall adopt every necessary measure to preserve the peace of the stale from dangers uf which 1 ain but too forcibly forewarned by the crime of this day." From the New York Mercantile Advertiser of the 'hi March. The fast sailing ship Belfast anivrd at this port yesterday in 24 day* from Antw erp; she made the Banks in 9 days, and has been ofF our coast five days, hav ing in fact inade tiie passage front land to land in 17 days. Capt. Bunk-r has politely favoured the editor of the Mercantile Advertiser with a file of Antwerp papers to the 24th ull. containing Paris dates to the l?th, Madrid to the 7th. and Cadiz to the 1st. The London dates are to the 18th, same as received from l.ivet p<- \ The Antwerp Journal ol Feb. 18th, contains the following article: " We have just received positive news of the occupation of C-diz by the insurgents. A vessel which arrived at Ostei>d day before yesterday from that p??rt has given us entire certainty of it ? the vessi I is furni ?*????] with cor.ruii* scn.rva con*titutionncl* " The papers of a subsequent date con tain the following arti Its from Spain. Cadiz. IYb. 1. Our mercantile paper contains tvr? proclamations of u?'n. Freycie; r??,c of them to the insurgent soldiers, calling on them to return to his standatd; and ?he other to the inhabitants ?.f Cadiz, praising their fidelity. {General F. left X? res on the 29th, and is n<-w at Poft Royal, about 8 leagues from the insur gents; the two patties are in presence cf each other. Madrid, Feb. l . The minister, Lozano, and several other persons who have had the confi dence of the king, have been arrested. The cuptain general of the province ex ecuted in person the king's orders and has sent them into exile. Pari*., Feb. I 3. A letter from Barcelona states that a vessel dispatched li otn Cadiz, arrived off that port on the "29th January, bear ing dispatches to the captain general Casteneros, enjoining him to acknow ledge and proclaim the constitution al government. The c.Rptain general refused to receive the di? patches, and the v? ssel imtmdiaw ly made* viil Ac cording to the tame letter, Malaga would be in the power of the insur gents. Another account sta'rs that the insur gents have got possession of all the pro visions that bud been collected for the expedition. FRANCE. In the sitting ol the chamber of de puties, on the 14th Feb. a member, M. de Cnussergues, accused M. dc Case?., the minister of state* of having been an accomplice in the assassination of the duke ot Herri. This r ircurmtanc c oc casioned much ferment in Paris, and it was reported on the 18th, that de Cases had tendered his resignation to the king. Paris, Feb. 1 6. The alarm in the public is such, that a great number of foreigners quit Paris with precipitation, being fearful that a revolution is about to take place, yes terday and to-day, it was almost impos sible to obtain post horses. No doubt I the assassination of the duke of Bcrri is \ the fust cause of this alarm; but is it not probable that it has been increased by t lie imprudent remarks of the news papers, and by the measures proposed by the government to the chambers, Antwerp, Feb. 21. The passage of messenger* is still re ly frequently through our city. Yes terday fout passed through, two from Amsterdam for Paris, and two from Paris Iwr Amsterdam.
The Durham Recorder (Durham, N.C.)
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April 5, 1820, edition 1
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