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A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875
Journals of the Continental Congress --FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 1779
A letter, of 25, signed Joseph Reed, president, in behalf of council, John Harris, chairman committee of assembly, was read;2 enclosing extracts from the minutes of the general assembly and council of Pensylvania, desiring "a free conference with a committee of Congress upon divers transactions of that honorable body, which may have a tendency to interrupt the harmony and confidence so necessary for the common interest of this and the United States;" and appointing committees of their respective bodies to hold such conference.
[Note 2: 2 This letter is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 69, II, folio 23.]
On motion by Mr. G[ouverneur] Morris, seconded by Mr. M[eriwether] Smith, that the same be referred to a committee.
The yeas and nays being required by Mr. [James] Searle,
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So the states were equally divided.
A motion was made by Mr. [Gouverneur] Morris, and seconded by Mr. [William Henry] Drayton, in the following words:
"Whereas, it appears from an extract of the minutes of the general assembly of Pensylvania of the 25 instant, enclosed in the letter read this morning, that
"The honorable the speaker, agreeable to the direction of the house last evening, made the following report of the conference with the supreme executive council: that
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the president, on the part of the council, had represented that the harmony and confidence so necessary for the common interests of this and the United States, was in a great danger of being interrupted by some late transactions of the honorable the Continental Congress, respecting the executive authority of the State: that several instances were enumerated, shewing that reasonable complaints made to Congress on former and late occasions had been either wholly neglected, or so treated that it would have been more honorable and advantageous to the State, to have submitted silently to the injuries complained of, while other states on complaints of a similar nature, have received speedy and ample satisfaction: that it was necessary that the true interests of the State of Pensylvania, its importance and services in the common cause, should be better known and understood by that honorable body than they hitherto seem to have been: as a happy means of removing all discontents, and promoting a perfect restoration of that union and harmony so essential to the interests and happiness of all, that it was proposed as an advance to those desirable objects, to request the honorable the Congress to appoint a committee to meet a joint committee of the council and this house, in a free conference on the subject matter of said representation."
And whereas, it appears by the said extract, that "the house taking the said report into consideration, resolved, that the house do approve of the said proposal contained in the above report, as highly necessary and proper to effect the desirable purposes abovementioned, at least to demonstrate their most earnest wishes to avoid every ground of controversy."
Resolved, That although Congress by no means admit the justice of the representation made against them by
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the said president, yet from an earnest desire to remove from the minds of the said assembly all ground of discontent, a committee be appointed to confer with the joint committee of the said assembly and council; and that the said committee be directed to report the matters and things which may be adduced in support of the said representation.1
[Note 1: 1 This motion, in the writing of Gouverneur Morris, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 36, III, folio 513.]
A motion was made by Mr. [Meriwether] Smith, and seconded by Mr. [John] Penn, to strike out the words "with the joint committees of the said assembly and council;" and insert the words "with the committee of the said assembly."
On which the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [John] Jay,
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So the states were equally divided.
Adjourned to 10 o Clock to Morrow.
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