Gazette Of The United States & Evening Advertiser

Congress of the United States.

House of Representatives.

Friday, Jan. 17, 1794.

The article in the French language which accompanied the message of the President of the United States received yesterday, is a navigation act passed by the National Convention the 27th September last.

A memorial was read from A. G. Frauncis, praying for a copy of the report on his petition, &c. laid on the table.

After reading and referring one other petitions, the house went into committee of the whole, on the appropriation bill—Mr. Trumbull in the chair.

The committee proceeded in the discussion, during which, Mr. Baldwin rose repeatedly, for the purpose of enquiring into the excess of various sums appropriated for contingencies and other purposes, above the sums heretofore appropriated—his object was, that a committee should be appointed to make particular enquiry into the reasons of these excesses, and to report. A motion was at length made and carried, for the rising of the committee. In the house Mr. Baldwin made a motion for the appointment of a special committee, to enquire into the cause of, and report on the expediency of these excesses—This motion was agreed to, and a committee of five appointed.

The House took into consideration the report of the Secretary of the Treasury on the memorial of Daniel Parker—the substance of the report is, that it may be for the interest of the United States, to compound the debt due from the memorialist, and suggests the expediency of vesting a power somewhere to make the composition.

It was moved that a committee should be appointed to prepare and report a bill pursuant to the report of the Secretary of the Treasury—some debate ensued on this motion, it was opposed on the score of precedent—and that it might be better for the United States to lose the debt, than to establish a precedent which might open a door to every delinquent debtor of the United States. -If the memorialist is an honest man, and has any property, he will throw himself on the justice and humanity of his country.—The conduct of the petitioner in withdrawing from his country, and his consequent deportment were reprobated.

In support of the motion, it was said, that the only question was, whether the United States would insist on receiving the whole of their demand, and get nothing, or compromise their demand and receive something.

This it was said, was not establishing a precedent; it was simply following the custom established in all similar cases by individuals—it was true that public bodies adopt generally a more rigid line of conduct, and perhaps with propriety in most cases—but in the present instance the memorialist is out of the country, out of the reach of the laws; he is able to pay something, but is not willing to be divested of all his property and be still bound to discharge a balance he never can pay.

Mr. Nicholas proposed the following motion as a substitute for the first motion,—that a committee be appointed to enquire whether D. Parker and Co. have any equitable or other claims to a reduction of the balances which appear against them, on the books of the treasury of the United States, and report specially thereon to the house.

—This motion after some further debate was agreed to, and a committee of three appointed.

It was then voted that the House proceed to the consideration of the report of the select committee on the memorial of Andrew G. Frauncis—some conversation ensued respecting the discussion of this report with open galleries, on account of a communication of a confidential nature, made to the select committee. The rule of the House, the Speaker observed, required that the question for closing the galleries should be privately discussed, on which it was ordered that they should be cleared.