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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, JULY 9, 1779
Mr. [William Churchill] Houston, a delegate for New Jersey, attended, and produced the credentials of his appointment, which were read, as follows:
New Jersey,May 25th. 1779
The Council and Assembly met at Trenton.
The Joint Meeting proceeded to the Election of a Delegate to Represent this State in Congress, and the Votes being taken,
William Churchill Houston, Esquire, was duly elected.
Resolved therefore, That the said William Churchill Houston, be impowered in Conjunction with the Honourable John Witherspoon,
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Nathaniel Scudder and John Fell, Esquires, or any one or more of them, to Represent and vote in Behalf of this State, in the Congress of the United States of North America, untill the first day of December next, unless a new Appointment shall sooner take place. It is nevertheless expected, that three of the Delegates do constantly attend in Congress, unless prevented by sickness or other Accident.
By Order of the Joint Meeting,
Caleb Camp,Chairman.1
[Note 1: 1 The original is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, New Jersey,Credentials of Delegates.]
Congress proceeded to the consideration of the reports of the committee on departments, and of that on the letter of 3, from J. Cox and C. Petit, assistant quarter masters general; and, thereupon,2
[Note 2: 2 From this point the entries are in the writing of Thomas Edison.]
Resolved, 1. That the executive powers of each State be earnestly requested instantly to make the strictest enquiry into the conduct of every person within such State respectively employed, either in the quarter master general's or purchasing or issuing commissary general's departments, and in case of any kind of misbehaviour or strong suspicion thereof in any such person not being an officer immediately appointed by Congress, to remove or suspend every such person, ordering him at their discretion to be prosecuted at the expense of the United States, and to appoint another in his place, if necessary, and so, from time to time, as occasion may be, giving notice to the Board of War, and also to the quarter master general or commissary general in whose department such removal or suspension shall be, of the change; the person so appointed to have the same authority and pay which the person removed had been vested with and entitled to, or such pay as the said executive powers respectively shall agree for, to be in like manner subject to the head of the department to which he belongs, and to observe all the regulations for the government of deputy quarter masters and deputy commissaries
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respectively; and that the executive powers of each State be in like manner requested to enquire into the number of persons employed in the quarter master general's and commissary's departments, and immediately to discharge such as shall be judged unnecessary.
On which the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [Meriwether] Smith,
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So it was resolved in the affimative.1
[Note 1: 1 From this point Thomson resumed the entries.]
2. That no Quarter Master, Assistant or Deputy quarter Master, or Commissary, shall keep, own or be in any manner whatever interested in any boat, shallop, vessel, waggon or cart, or in any waggon horse or Cart horse engaged in any manner in the transportation of public supplies of any kind under pain of being immediately on discovery, discharged with infamy and of forfeiting all his pay during the whole time of his being in employment.
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3. That every person to be appointed as aforesaid by any of the executive powers of these States shall, before he enters on the execution of his office, and every other person now employed as aforesaid, to whom the executive powers of any State shall think proper to have the same tendered, take and subscribe an oath before some magistrate. "That he will to the best of his skill and Judgement diligently and faithfully execute the office of (mentioning the office he bears, or to which he is appointed as the case may be) therein endeavor to the utmost of his ability to promote the service of the United States of America, in the least expensive manner he can; that he will give to the Chief Magistrate of the State from time to time the earliest information of any frauds or abuses in the Quarter Master General's or Commissary General's Department, which he knows or suspects to be committed; that he will not during his continuance in the said Office engage in or carry on any kind of trade or traffic whatever, nor make or endeavor to make directly or indirectly any other or greater emolument profit or advantage whatever by the said Office, or by virtue or under cover of the powers vested in him for the discharge of it, or of the opportunities thereby afforded him, than are or shall be allowed to him by the United States, or by the State, in which he is employed." And the affidavit so taken shall be returned to the Chief Magistrate of the State to be by him transmitted to the Board of War.
4. That all Deputy Quarter Masters and Deputy Commissaries shall every month render to the executive Powers of the State in which they act, an account of all their proceedings particularizing all the vessels, boats and carriages employed, the names of the owners, the time they were employed and the supplies removed in them, and regular returns of all the articles of supply and the prices with the names and places of abode of the persons from whom, and the days on which they were purchased, exactly mentioning the sorts, the number or quantities and quality thereof then in stores or magazines, and the situation of such stores or magazines, and shall pay obedience to all such orders, as they shall from time to time receive from the said Executive powers not inconsistent with orders received from the Head of the Department.
5. That every Deputy Commissary shall on every barrel of flour, pork and beef purchased by him or packed under his direction, brand or inscribe plainly and legibly so that the same cannot be rubbed out, his Christian and Sirname at full length.
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6. If Congress shall judge proper to recommend the laying an embargo on the produce, that then it be also recommended to every State to make laws for confiscating all articles imported into the same contrary to the laws of that State from which they are imported; and that if any State is permitted notwithstanding such embargo to procure the produce of another State, all purchases of such produce be made by the same persons who purchase for the United States.1
[Note 1: 1 These paragraphs are taken from a papers, in the writing of Charles Thomson, in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 28, folio 165. They appear to have been copied from the original report, but at a later date, as the vote just given is regularly placed.]
Ordered, That the farther consideration of the reports be postponed.
A letter, of this day, from J. Cox and Charles Pettit, assistant quarter masters general, was read,
Adjourned to 10 oClock to Morrow.
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