Part 335

SITGREAVES, SAMUEL, Representative from Pennsylvania, 604; on the admission of Tennessee, 758.

Slavery and Slave Trade.--Address of the annual assembly of Friends in Philadelphia, and one of the society of Friends in New York, against the continuance of the slave trade, considered, 201; motion to refer to a committee, 201; contrary to usual proceeding to commit to-day, 201; why is its second reading pressed to-day? 201; reference urged, 201; no apprehension from commitment at once--constitution secures the rights, 202; any measures indicative of an intention to interfere may sink the value of this kind of property, 202; men have come here to meddle in a business with which they have nothing to do, 202; the memorialists are influenced by motives of benignity, 202; if the importation was crushed, the value of the slave would be increased instead of diminished, 202; if it was abolished through interference of General Government, it would evince a disposition to total emancipation, and the property be in jeopardy, 202; is the whole morality of the United States confined to Quakers? 203; the petition desires an unconstitutional act, 203; no foundation for apprehension, 203; it is proper to commit the petition, 204; no importance to the question unless members made it so, 204; the memorialists should be dismissed, 204; petition laid over, 205; memorial of Pennsylvania Society for abolition of slavery, 207; memorial of Friends in Philadelphia read second time, 208; petition of Friends contains unconstitutional requests, 208; any thing unconstitutional denied, 208; it prayed for an unconstitutional measure, and its commitment would sound alarm, 208; strictly constitutional, 208; no difficulty in committing the memorial--committee would understand their business, 209; language of the constitution on the importation of slaves, 209; it prays for the abolition of slavery, 209; the present is not a time to consider the subject, 209; the present a proper time to determine the constitutional limits, 209; no power in the House to grant the prayer, and therefore unnecessary to commit, 209; jealousy of Southern States, 210; the States would never have entered the confederacy if their property had not been guaranteed to them, 210; the memorialists do not ask total abolition of the slave trade, but that Congress will consider if they can exercise justice and mercy, 210; no tendency in the commitment to break in on the constitution--the object is worthy of consideration, 211; the interference of Congress compatible with the constitution, 211; nothing in the petition like what was complained of, 211; the petitioners pray Congress to take measures for abolition of slave trade, 211; commitment carried, 211; debate on the report upon the memorial of the people called Quakers, 229; moved to strike out the first paragraph, 229; contents of report, 229; total prohibition not produce difficulties, 229; particulars which took place in the course of the investigation of the business, 229; pernicious consequences likely to flow from interference of Congress, 229; humane treatment of the slaves, 229; Quakers enemies of freedom, 229; warm altercation, 229; injustice of the measure of interference, 230; powers of Congress respecting slavery and slave trade, 230; an indecent attack on the character of certain States, 230; interference contrary to Quaker principles, 230; where does the power of manumission reside? 230; plans of the friends of emancipation, 231; negroes are inferior race, 231; slavery is no new thing, 231; does slavery weaken the Southern States? 231; is public opinion against slavery? 232; this squeamishness is very extraordinary, 232; consequences of emancipation, 233; if importation prohibited, will that species become extinct? 233; will the abolition strengthen South Carolina? 233; does toleration of slavery bring reproach on America? 233; does slavery vitiate and debase the mind of the owner? 234; was South Carolina wanting in patriotism? 234; the cruel mode of transportation, 235; the clause in the constitution was designed to apply expressly to negro slaves, 235; now is the time to declare the sense of Congress, 236; irregularities of the course of the debate, 236; Paley on slavery, 236; the genius of the government in relation to slavery and slave trade, 237; characters of the signers of the memorials, 237; character of Franklin, 238; moved to take up report of Committee of the Whole, 238; every principle of policy and concern for the dignity of the House and peace of the country requires it to be dropped, 238; reasons for taking it up, 238; ordered that report and memorials be inserted in the journal, 338; note, 239. See Duties on imports, 73.

Abolition Petitions.--Petition of Warner Mifflin on negro slavery considered, 397; after what has passed, the subject is started again, 397; if a stop is not put to such proceedings, the Southern States would be compelled to apply to the General Government for their interference, 397; moved that the paper be returned to the Clerk, &c., 397; on the general principle every citizen has a right to petition the Legislature, 397; the subject is not properly before the House, 397; every citizen has a right to petition for a redress of grievances, but the present paper is mere rant, and concludes with no specific prayer, 397; if favorably received, it would occasion alarm in the Southern States, 397; motion agreed to, 397.

To prohibit carrying on the slave trade, bill considered, 480; amendments proposed, 480; ordered to be engrossed, 480.

To require foreigners to renounce their slaves before admission to citizenship--motion, 558; debate thereon, 558; motion withdrawn, 560; do. renewed, 566; do. vote on, 566.

Slaves, African.--Duty on importation, proposed, 73; debated, 73; deported, of the Revolution, 525; importation of, see Duties on imports.

SMILIE, JOHN, Representative from Pennsylvania, 455, 528; on the pay of soldiers, 459; on the relief of the French emigrants, 474; on the preparations for the Algerine War, 478; against increase of the army, 515; on reference of letter of Secretary of War, 568.

SMITH, ISAAC, Representative from New Jersey, 604; on the rights of the House relative to treaties, 675.

SMITH, ISRAEL, Representative from Vermont, 317, 388, 455, 527, 604.

SMITH, JEREMIAH, Representative from New Hampshire, 315, 388, 455, 527, 604; on election of President, 334.

SMITH, NATHANIEL, Representative from Connecticut, 609.

SMITH, SAMUEL, Representative from Maryland, 455, 555, 605; on the reception of the French emigrants from St. Domingo, 462; do. on the relief of do., 474; on the commerce of the United States, 473; on the Algerine War, 476; on the sequestration of British debts, 483; on the renunciation of nobility for citizenship, 562; on establishing Indian trading houses, 639; on the execution of the British treaty, 732; on the army establishment, 760.

SMITH, WILLIAM, Representative from Maryland, 21, 175, 255; opposes high duties, 33; appointed on Committee of Supplies, 46; opposes law of tonnage duties, 54; on the site for the seat of Government, 166.

SMITH, WILLIAM, Representative from South Carolina, 27, 175, 255, 315, 388, 455, 527, 604; his eligibility, 33; opposes duty on salt, as it will lead to dissatisfaction, 39; opposes present consideration of duty on African slaves, 73; favors limiting the period of impost bill, 79; on power of President to remove Secretary of State, 86; remarks on diseligibility, 94; on the President's power of removal, 102; on the compensation of Vice President, 122; on the mode of amending the constitution, 134; further remarks, 136; on the obligation of instructions, 139; on the constitutional requirement for a seat of Government, 159; reports an answer to the President's speech, 178; on the propriety of restraints to naturalization, 186; further remarks, 188; offers resolutions on public credit, 190; benefits of a funded debt, 191; fund or pay, 200; opposes reception of the Quaker memorial, 203; unnecessary to commit Pennsylvania memorial, 209; further remarks, 211, 230; discrimination of public creditors, 214; on answer to President's message, 257; further remarks, 257, 258; on a seat of Government, 248; offers resolution relative to eulogium of Dr. Franklin, 259; on vacancy in the Presidency, 267, 269; on the commitment of the bill for a Bank of the United States, 272; speech on the bank, 291; further, 296; is a resignation a constitutional vacancy? 329; on emblems on American coins, 371; on discharging the committee on defeat of St. Clair, 393; on reduction of the army, 400; reports a bill to regulate the claims of invalid pensions, 406; reports mode of examining votes for President, &c., 417; on reference to Committee of the Whole the resolutions relative to the official conduct of the Secretary of the Treasury, 418; on official conduct of the Secretary of the Treasury, 422; on the result of the votes on, 439; on the commerce of the United States, 464; on the propriety of sequestering the British debts, 485; in favor of continuing the embargo, 499, 502; urges duties on manufactured tobacco and refined sugar, 507, 509; on the delegate south of the Ohio, 529; on the President's speech, 534; on thanks to General Wayne, 542, 543; on damages by Pennsylvania insurgents, 547; on the renunciation of titles for citizenship, 563, 565; on reference of the letter of the Secretary of War, 567; on the reduction of salaries, 573; on the right to Indian lands within a State, 577; on the attempt at bribery by Robert Randall, 609; on the Randall bribery case, 614; on the resolution relative to bribery, 621; on the support of existing establishments, 625; on call for papers relative to British treaty, 640; on the rights of the House relative to treaties, 651; on the admission of Tennessee, 756; on the military and naval appropriation, 764, 765, 766.

Snuff, duty fixed, 41.

Spirits, all other, duty on, 113.

SPRIGG, THOMAS, Representative from Maryland, 458, 566.

South Carolina, vote for President, 10, 385.

STANTON, JOSEPH, Jr., Senator from Rhode Island, 254, 309, 383.

State Department, bill to establish, considered, 15; Secretary of, called before the Senate to give explanations, 16; practice now superseded, note, 16. See Executive Department.

State, Secretary of, mode of appointment, 86; how removed, debate on, 86.

ST. CLAIR, GENERAL, defeat of, considered, 390; resolution requiring the attendance of the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of War in the House, to furnish information needed for an investigation of the causes of St. Clair's defeat, 390; moved to strike out so much as requires the attendance of the Secretaries, 390; resolution improper--the Secretaries are not impeached, 391; importance of the information they can give, 391; the information had better be in writing, 391; the measure would introduce a bad precedent, 391; a thorough investigation, highly important, 391; this mode the best possible, 391; not necessary in the present state of the business, 391; the information must be had, 391; no advantage to arise from adopting the resolution, 391; now is not the proper time to call for information, 392; remarks on the report, 392; importance of the investigation, a million dollars involved, 392; peculiar position of the Secretaries, 392; both implicated in the failure of the expedition, 392; resolution lost, 393; motion to discharge the Committee of the Whole, 393; the only proper course is to consider the report, 393; report perfectly satisfactory, 393; what is the situation of those implicated in the failure? 394; no disposition to smother inquiry, 394; the House can get through the subject in a shorter time than a committee, 394; shall the House or a select committee establish the facts, 394; effects of finding some of the officers culpable by either, 394; uniform practice of the House to recommit, 394; Secretaries attended only once on the committee, and were anxious to leave, 395; in the case of the contested election the House reserved the right of establishing the facts, 395; other points considered, 395; recommitment agreed to, 395.

Steel, Unwrought, duty on, proposed, 35; adopted, 36.

STEELE, JOHN, Representative from North Carolina, 315, 388; on ratio of Representation, 322; on discharging committee in case of St. Clair, 395; on petition of Warner Mifflin on negro slavery, 397; on the reduction of the army, 398; further remarks, 403, 407, 411.

STERRETT, SAMUEL, Representative from Maryland, 315, 410.

Stenographer to the House, debate on, 629; object to find a person who would satisfy the House and the public, 630; other considerations urged, 631, 632.

STONE, MICHAEL JENIFER, Representative from Maryland, 102, 175; on the compensation of the President, 117; further remarks on amount, 119; do. Vice President, 122; opposes discrimination in the pay of members of the two Houses, 126; on the mode of amending the constitution, 135; further remarks, 135; opposes the amendment of constitution relative to the right of instruction, 141; on the location of a seat of Government, 152; do. on Harrisburg as a seat, 153; further remarks, 166; on the powers of Congress and rights of the States respecting naturalized citizens, 188; thinks interference with the importation of African slaves will tend to depreciate their value, 202; on discrimination among the public creditors, 221; on memorial of officers of navy, 240; on a seat of Government, 243; on price of public lands, 261; further remarks, 262; on excise bill, 263; further remarks, 267, 271; speech on the Bank of the United States, 292.

St. Paul's Chapel, service at, upon the inauguration of Washington, 12.