Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, From 1789 to 1856, Vol. 3 (of 16)

Part 1

Transcriber’s Note: A number of obvious printer’s errors (u for n, inconsistent spelling of Senators’ and Representatives’ names, punctuation, etc) have been amended. Other than that, the original text remains unchanged.

ABRIDGMENT OF THE DEBATES OF CONGRESS, FROM 1789 TO 1856.

FROM GALES AND SEATON’S ANNALS OF CONGRESS; FROM THEIR REGISTER OF DEBATES; AND FROM THE OFFICIAL REPORTED DEBATES, BY JOHN C. RIVES.

BY THE AUTHOR OF THE THIRTY YEARS’ VIEW.

VOL. III.

NEW YORK D. APPLETON & COMPANY, 443 & 445 BROADWAY. 1861

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1856, by D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.

EIGHTH CONGRESS.--FIRST SESSION.

BEGUN AT THE CITY OF WASHINGTON, OCTOBER 17, 1803.

PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES,--THOMAS JEFFERSON.

PROCEEDINGS IN THE SENATE.

LIST OF MEMBERS OF THE SENATE.

New Hampshire.--Simeon Olcott, William Plumer.

Vermont.--S. R. Bradley, Israel Smith.

Massachusetts.--Jonathan Mason, Timothy Pickering.

Rhode Island.--Christopher Ellery, Samuel I. Potter.

Connecticut.--James Hillhouse, Uriah Tracy.

New York.--De Witt Clinton, Theodorus Bailey.

New Jersey.--Jonathan Dayton, John Condit.

Pennsylvania.--George Logan, Samuel Maclay.

Delaware.--William H. Wells, Samuel White.

Maryland.--Robert Wright, Samuel Smith.

Virginia.--Wilson C. Nicholas, John Taylor.

North Carolina.--Jesse Franklin, David Stone.

South Carolina.--Pierce Butler, Thomas Sumter.

Georgia.--A. Baldwin, James Jackson.

Tennessee.--William Cocke, Joseph Anderson.

Kentucky.--John Breckenridge, John Browne.

Part 2

Ohio.--Thomas Worthington, John Smith.

MONDAY, October 17, 1803.

The first session of the eighth Congress, conformably to the Constitution of the United States, commenced at the city of Washington, agreeably to the Proclamation of the President of the United States for that purpose; and the Senate assembled on this day.

PRESENT:

SIMEON OLCOTT and WILLIAM PLUMER, from New Hampshire;

TIMOTHY PICKERING, from Massachusetts;

JAMES HILLHOUSE and URIAH TRACY, from Connecticut;

CHRISTOPHER ELLERY and SAMUEL I. POTTER, from Rhode Island;

STEPHEN R. BRADLEY and ISRAEL SMITH, from Vermont;

DE WITT CLINTON and THEODORUS BAILEY, from New York;

JONATHAN DAYTON and JOHN CONDIT, from New Jersey;

GEORGE LOGAN and SAMUEL MACLAY, from Pennsylvania;

WILLIAM HILL WELLS and SAMUEL WHITE, from Delaware;

ROBERT WRIGHT and SAMUEL SMITH, from Maryland;

JOHN TAYLOR and WILSON CAREY NICHOLAS, from Virginia;

JOHN BROWN and JOHN BRECKENRIDGE, from Kentucky;

JESSE FRANKLIN and DAVID STONE, from North Carolina;

JOSEPH ANDERSON and WILLIAM COCKE, from Tennessee;

ABRAHAM BALDWIN, from Georgia; and

THOMAS WORTHINGTON, from Ohio.

The Vice President being absent, the Senate proceeded to the election of a President, pro tem., as the constitution provides, and the ballots being collected and counted, the whole number was found to be twenty-nine, of which fifteen make a majority. Mr. BROWN had 24, Mr. BALDWIN 2, Mr. DAYTON 2, and Mr. PICKERING 1.

Consequently, the Honorable JOHN BROWN was elected President of the Senate, pro tempore.

The credentials of the following Senators were severally read, to wit:

Of JOSEPH ANDERSON, appointed a Senator by the Legislature of the State of Tennessee; of THEODORUS BAILEY, appointed a Senator by the Legislature of the State of New York; of JAMES HILLHOUSE, appointed a Senator by the Legislature of the State of Connecticut; of SAMUEL MACLAY, appointed a Senator by the Legislature of the State of Pennsylvania; of SAMUEL I. POTTER, appointed a Senator by the Legislature of the State of Rhode Island; of ISRAEL SMITH, appointed a Senator by the Legislature of the State of Vermont; of SAMUEL WHITE, appointed a Senator by the Legislature of the State of Delaware; for the term of six years from and after the third day of March last, respectively: also, of THOMAS WORTHINGTON, appointed a Senator by the Legislature of the State of Ohio; of JOHN CONDIT, appointed a Senator by the Executive of the State of New Jersey; of JOHN TAYLOR, appointed a Senator by the Executive of the State of Virginia, in place of S. T. Mason, deceased; of TIMOTHY PICKERING, appointed a Senator by the Legislature of the State of Massachusetts, in the place of Dwight Foster, resigned; and the oath required by law was, by the PRESIDENT, administered to them respectively.

The oath was also administered to SAMUEL SMITH, appointed a Senator by the Legislature of the State of Maryland, for the term of six years from and after the third day of March last.

Ordered, That the Secretary wait on the President of the United States and acquaint him that a quorum of the Senate is assembled, and that, in the absence of the VICE PRESIDENT, they have elected the Hon. JOHN BROWN President of the Senate, pro tempore.

The Secretary was directed to give a similar notice to the House of Representatives.

Resolved, That JAMES MATHERS, Sergeant-at-Arms and Doorkeeper to the Senate, be, and he is hereby, authorized to employ one additional assistant and two horses, for the purpose of performing such services as are usually required by the Doorkeeper to the Senate; and that the sum of twenty-eight dollars be allowed him weekly for that purpose during the session, and for twenty days after.

Part 3

Resolved, That each Senator be supplied during the present session with three such newspapers, printed in any of the States, as he may choose, provided that the same be furnished at the usual rate for the annual charge of such papers.

A message from the House of Representatives informed the Senate that a quorum of the House had assembled, and had elected the Hon. NATHANIEL MACON their Speaker, and is ready to proceed to business.

Ordered, That Messrs. CLINTON and BRECKENRIDGE be a committee on the part of the Senate, together with such committee as the House of Representatives may appoint on their part, to wait on the President of the United States, and notify him that a quorum of the two Houses is assembled, and ready to receive any communications that he may be pleased to make to them.

A message from the House of Representatives informed the Senate, that the House agree to the resolution of the Senate for the appointment of a joint committee to wait on the President of the United States, and have appointed a committee on their part.

On motion, Resolved, That two Chaplains, of different denominations, be appointed to Congress for the present session, one by each House, who shall interchange weekly.

Ordered, That the Secretary desire the concurrence of the House of Representatives in this resolution.

The Senate proceeded to the choice of a Chaplain on their part, and the ballots having been collected and counted, the whole number was twenty-eight; of which fifteen make a majority. Mr. GANTT had 15 votes, and Mr. M’CORMICK 13.

Consequently, the Rev. Dr. GANTT was elected.

Mr. CLINTON reported, from the joint committee appointed for the purpose, that they had waited on the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, and that he had acquainted them that he would make a communication to the two Houses, by message, immediately.

The following Message was received from the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES:

To the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States:

In calling you together, fellow-citizens, at an earlier day than was contemplated by the act of the last session of Congress, I have not been insensible to the personal inconveniences necessarily resulting from an unexpected change in your arrangements. But matters of great public concernment have rendered this call necessary, and the interest you feel in these will supersede, in your minds, all private considerations.

Congress witnessed, at their late session, the extraordinary agitation produced in the public mind by the suspension of our right of deposit at the port of New Orleans, no assignment of another place having been made according to treaty. They were sensible that the continuance of that privation would be more injurious to our nation than any consequences which could flow from any mode of redress; but, reposing just confidence in the good faith of the Government whose officer had committed the wrong, friendly and reasonable representations were resorted to, and the right of deposit was restored.

Previous, however, to this period, we had not been unaware of the danger to which our peace would be perpetually exposed whilst so important a key to the commerce of the western country remained under a foreign power. Difficulties too were presenting themselves as to the navigation of other streams, which, arising within our territories, pass through those adjacent. Propositions had therefore been authorized for obtaining, on fair conditions, the sovereignty of New Orleans, and of other possessions in that quarter, interesting to our quiet, to such extent as was deemed practicable; and the provisional appropriation of two millions of dollars, to be applied and accounted for by the President of the United States, intended as part of the price, was considered as conveying the sanction of Congress to the acquisition proposed. The enlightened Government of France saw, with just discernment, the importance to both nations of such liberal arrangements as might best and permanently promote the peace, interests, and friendship of both; and the property and sovereignty of all Louisiana, which had been restored to them, has, on certain conditions, been transferred to the United States, by instruments bearing date the 30th of April last. When these shall have received the constitutional sanction of the Senate, they will, without delay, be communicated to the Representatives for the exercise of their functions, as to those conditions which are within the powers vested by the constitution in Congress. Whilst the property and sovereignty of the Mississippi and its waters secure an independent outlet for the produce of the Western States, and an uncontrolled navigation through their whole course, free from collision with other Powers, and the dangers to our peace from that source, the fertility of the country, its climate and extent, promise, in due season, important aids to our Treasury, an ample provision for our posterity, and a wide spread for the blessings of freedom and equal laws.

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