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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 --TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 1781
On motion of Mr. [Samuel] Adams, seconded by Mr. [James] Madison,
Resolved, That the Commander in Chief be, and he is hereby, authorised to employ an additional confidential secretary, and as many writers as he shall judge proper, to arrange and register the public letters and other documents in the office at head-quarters; and to assign such salaries for their respective services, as he shall think reasonable.1
[Note 1: 1 This motion, in the writing of James Duane, is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 36, IV, folio 369. It is undated.]
On motion of Mr. [James Mitchell] Varnum, seconded by Mr. [Isaac] Motte.
Ordered, That no more of the bills heretofore drawn on the ministers plenipotentiary of these United States in Europe, (except those appropriated for the use of the southern army, and those appropriated and lodged in the hands of the Board of War,) be sold without special direction from the United States in Congress assembled, and that the Board of Treasury give orders accordingly.
Ordered, That a committee of three be appointed to devise ways and means for an immediate supply of the public treasury.
The members, Mr. [James] Duane, Mr. M[eriwether] Smith, Mr. [James Mitchell] Varnum.
The Committee appointed to confer with the Committee of the assembly of Pennsylvania upon the Report of the Board of War,
Report,
That they have conferred with the Committee of the Assembly of Pennsylvania, and find that no assistance may be expected from the State of Pennsylvania to enable Congress to comply with the Report of the Board of War.
And that your Committee be directed to inform the Committee of the assembly of Pennsylvania,that their request can not be complied with without deranging the whole system of finance and giving general.
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That Congress have it not in their power to comply with the requestin their letter of the 6th inst. of the assembly of Pennsylvania for the Loan of four hundred thousand Dollars.1
[Note 1: 1 This report, in the writing of Jesse Root, is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 20, II, folio 123. The indorsement shows that it was negatived April 10. Another version, also in Root's writing, is on folio 43 and is a follows:
The Committee to whom was referred the Report of the Board of War, and the Letter from the Committee of the assembly of the State of Pennsylvania take leave to Report,
That they have conferred with a Committee of the assembly aforesaid and find that no assistance is to be expected from them to enable Congress to comply with the report of the Board of War.
Your Committee further report, that the Committee of the assembly further state and urge the exhausted state of the Treasury, whereby they are rendered unable to comply with their engagements to the troops of their line previous to their marching to the southward, or to procure the supplies of flour wanted for the subsistence of the Army--and that in the course of three weeks they will be able to replace the sum asked for.
Whereupon your Committee submit the following Resolution:--That the Committee of Congress be directed to inform the Committee of the Assembly of Pennsylvania,
That the glorious cause we are engaged in, is the cause of the particular States as well as of the United States in Congress assembled, and that the means of effectually supporting it, must be derived from the particular States. That Congress have seasonably called upon them for the same, and by reason of an unhappy deficiency in the supplies asked for, Congress is unable to comply with the request of Pennsylvania, without deranging their system of finance, and giving general disgust to the other States. Yet Congress considers the marching of the Troops of the Pennsylvania line with all dispatch, and the procuring flour for the Army cannot be dispensed with; nor can the United States in Congress assembled consider themselves answerable for consequences which they have not had it in their power to prevent or remedy.]
Adjourned to 10 o'Clock to Morrow.2
[Note 2: 2 On this or an approximate date a petition of Lieut. Louis Joseph de Beaulieu was read. It was referred to the Board of War. It is in thePapers of the Continental Congress, No. 42, I, folio 250.]
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