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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 --SATURDAY, MAY 29, 1779
Two letters, of 21, from P. Henry, governor of Virginia, were read, one enclosing a letter, of 5th, from T. Bee, lieutenant governor of South Carolina:
Ordered, That they be referred to the Committee of Intelligence.
A letter, of this day, from W. Palfrey, paymaster general, was read;2 Whereupon,
[Note 2: 2 The Henry letter is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 71, I, folio 233; that of Bee, in No. 72, folio 494; that of Palfrey, in No. 165, folio 498.]
Congress taking into consideration a report of the Committee on the Treasury,
Treasury Office,May 22nd, 1779
The Committee on the Treasury having received the representation (No 1) from the Board of War on the necessity of some alteration in the manner of keeping the accounts of the expenditures for the Army, in consequence of the establishment of a pay office for that Board, and having referred the same to the Pay Master General and Mr Johnston, Auditor for the Army, the said Pay Master General and Auditor make their report in the paper (No 2) which being submitted to the Auditor General, he reported his opinion thereon in the paper (No 3), which are severally referred to.
And your Committee having considered the said representation and reports, and being satisfied of the necessity of reducing the accounts of the pay and money allowances to the army to one view,
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without which stoppages cannot regularly be made or Justice done to the public, and being also of opinion that the books to be kept for this purpose may be so formed as to serve as auxiliary to the books of the Treasury, beg leave to submit the following resolutions:
Resolved, That the paymaster general shall keep his office in the place where Congress may from time to time hold their sessions:
That he be allowed to employ as many clerks as shall be judged necessary by the Board of Treasury.
That he be authorized to superintend the several deputy pay masters general, whose duty it shall be to make monthly returns to him and reasonable applications for money for the use of the army; to follow his directions in the mode of keeping their accounts, and all other matters relative to their office:
That all accounts of advances made by any of the states, or any officer or person whatsoever, for the pay of the continental army or for the recruiting service, shall be delivered to the deputy pay master general of the district where such advances may be made;and so much of the said accounts as may be lost by as aforesaid, shall be disallowed by the public; and the said deputies are hereby directed to keep a copy of such accounts in a book to be provided by them for that purpose, and to transmit the originals immediately to the pay master general:
That the pay master general shall keep regular books, and charge therein all monies that have been, or may be advanced to the deputies in the several departments: and when he receives their monthly returns shall give them credit for the same, charging the several regiments or persons to whom such advances have been made, and transmitting their accounts to the auditors of the army respectively:
That the auditors of the army in the several districts make monthly returns to the paymaster general of the accounts
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settled in their office, particularly specifying the manner in which such accounts were balanced, and the date of the settlement:
That a deputy pay master general be appointed for the army, under the immediate command of his Excellency General Washington.
Resolved, That it be referred to the Committee on the Treasury to consider and report the allowances of pay to be made to the deputy pay master general at the main army, as well as to the deputy pay masters general in the other districts, and to the clerks of the several deputy pay masters general.
Resolved, That the assistant auditor general and secretary of the Board of Treasury be respectively allowed the same salary as is granted to a commissioner of the chamber of accounts.
In consequence of a nomination by the Board of Treasury, Congress proceeded to the election of an assistant auditor general, and a secretary to the Board of Treasury; and, the ballots being taken, Joseph Nourse was elected assistant auditor general; Robert Troup secretary to the Board of Treasury.1
[Note 1: 1 This report is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, III, folio 333.]
Resolved, That so much of the report as recommends that "So much of the accounts of advances made by any of the states, or any officer or person whatsoever, for the pay of the continental army, or for the recruiting service, which are ordered to be delivered to the deputy pay master general of the district where such advances are made, as may be lost by neglecting to deliver them, as aforesaid, be disallowed by the public," be recommitted.
In consequence of a recommendation of the Committee on the Treasury,
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Resolved, That William Colladay, Matthew Strong, James Johnson, Samuel Nicholas, William Gray, John Graff, jr. Jacob Masoner, John Hazlewood and Daniel Wistar, be appointed signers of the continental bills of credit.1
[Note 1: 1 This recommendation forms part of a report, dated May 27, in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 136, III, folio 343. The report also contained grants to Carleton, printed under May 31, and to Govett, printed under June 2,post.]
A letter, of 27, from T. Pitcairn, captain of the 82 British regiment, a prisoner at Reading, was read:2
[Note 2: 2 This letter is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 78, XVIII, folio 223.]
Ordered, That it be referred to the Board of War, and that they take order thereon.
A letter, of 18, from G. Clinton, governor of New York, was read,3 enclosing copies of sundry papers, viz. No. 1. A petition of the committees of Cumberland county; 2. A letter of Colonel [Eleazer] Patterson of Cumberland county to Governor Clinton, May 5, 1779; 3. Governor Clinton's letter of May 14, in answer to the petition of the committees of Cumberland county; [4.] A printed pamphlet, entitled, A public defence of the right of the New Hampshire grants, &c. and sundry other papers relative to the dispute between the State of New York and the inhabitants of a certain district stiling themselves inhabitants of the State of Vermont.4
[Note 3: 3 This letter is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 67, II, folio 186.]
[Note 4: 4 This letter is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 41, I, folio 171. All the enclosures, except the printed pamphlet, are on the folios following.]
Ordered, That it be referred to the committee of the whole.
A motion was made by Mr. [Gouverneur] Morris, seconded by Mr. [William Henry] Drayton,
That whenever the House shall go into a committee of the whole, the chairman be chosen by the committee by ballot.
On the question to agree to this, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [Gouverneur] Morris,
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So it was resolved in the affirmative.
Congress was resolved into a Committee of the Whole, and after some time, the President resumed the chair, and Mr. [George] Plater reported, that the committee have had under consideration the letter from Governor Clinton, of the 18th, together with the papers enclosed, and the resolutions moved by the delegates of New York and made some progress, but not having come to a conclusion, desire leave to sit again.
Resolved, That on Tuesday next, immediately after reading the journal and important dispatches, if any there be, Congress be resolved into a committee of the whole to consider farther the matters referred to them.
Adjourned to 10 oClock on Monday.
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