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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, JUNE 2, 1781
The committee of the week delivered in a report; Whereupon,
On the petition of Thomas Davis dated the 29th of May last, that the petitioner be informed his application ought to be made to the government of Pennsylvania.1
[Note 1: 1 This petition is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 42, II, folio 297.]
Ordered, That a letter, of 30 May, from Cha Pettit, assistant quartermaster general, be referred to the Board of Treasury;
That the petition of the Continental artificers at Carlisle be referred to the Committee appointed theday oflast who have the subject which it refers to under consideration.
That a petition of Mary Mathews be referred to the Board of War;
That a memorial of Colonel Hazen be referred to a committee of three:2
[Note 2: 2 This memorial, dated May 31, 1781, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 42, III, folio 409.]
The members, Mr. [Artemas] Ward, Mr. [John] Sullivan, Mr. [Isaac] Motte;
That the letter of J. D. Schweighauser with his account against the United States for necessaries furnished Captain Landais of the Continental Frigate Alliance at Nantes be referred to a special Committee the Board of Admiralty.
That a letter of J. D. Schweighauser, of November 30, 1780, be referred to the Board of Admiralty;
That a letter, of 1, from G. Risberg, be referred to the Board of Treasury3
[Note 3: 3 This report, in the writing of William Few, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 32, folio 165. Schweighauser's letter is in No. 78, XX, folio 597; Risberg's letter is in No. 147, V, folio 243.]
The committee on the letter from Captain J. P. Jones; and
The committee on the memorial of the minister of France; delivered in their reports.
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A report from the Board of War on a letter from C. Pettit, assistant quartermaster general, was read:
War Office May 31, 1781
Sir
We have the honor to lay before Congress sundry papers communicated by the Assistant Quartermaster General, but not being furnished with estimates we cannot ascertain the sum necessary. They will however serve to shew the destitute situation of the Department and the urgent necessity there is for supplies.1
[Note 1: 1 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 147, V, folio 223.]
Ordered, That the same be referred to the Board of Treasury.
A report from the Board of War was read; Whereupon,
War Office June 1, 1781
Sir,
The Board have considered the reference from Congress in the case of John Townes and Richard Worsham, and are apprehensive that a general resolution would create so many demands as might be eventually inconvenient in our present situation--if Congress are of the same sentiments they will be pleased to resolve
Ordered, That the Board of War draw warrants on the paymaster general in favour of Lieutenants Worsham and Townes, for three hundred and eighty dollars each, in bills of the new emissions, for which sum they are to be accountable, any resolution to the contrary notwithstanding.2
[Note 2: 2 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 147, V, folio 261.]
On motion of Mr. [William Churchill] Houston, seconded by Mr. [Samuel John] Atlee,
Resolved, That all bills of credit which issue in pursuance of the act of the 18 March, 1780, in any of the states, after the expiration of one year from the time the interest on such bills begins to be computed, be marked by writing or stamping before they are issued, with the words or characters, "Int. pd. 1 year."
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That such of the said bills as have already issued, or may issue in the course of a year from the time interest begins to be computed on them, be, when such interest is paid, stamped marked in like manner, to prevent the necessity and expence of exchanging them:
That where any State has adopted similar adequate provisions, these shall not operate:
That the several states suspend, as far as possible, the issuing of such part of their respective quotas of the said bills as remain to be issued.
On the question to agree to this last, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [Theodorick] Bland,
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So it was resolved in the affirmative.
A motion was made, that after the word "issued" be added the words, "until further measures be taken to secure their value."
On the question to agree to this, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [Theodorick] Bland,
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So it passed in the negative.1
[Note 1: 1 The following report belongs to this period. The indorsement shows that it was postponed. It is in the writing of James Mitchell Varnum, and is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 36, IV, folio 193.
Whereas the time has long since elapsed in which the Bills of the new Emission should have been issued and in Circulation agreeable to the Resolution of the Eighteenth of March 1780, and whereas but a part of the four Tenths of said Bills have been lodged in the Treasury of the United States notwithstanding large quantities of the old emissions have been collected by Taxation and otherwise for the purpose of being destroyed; And whereas the said four Tenths are immediately necessary to answer public Exigencies; It is therefore
Resolved that and Ordained by the authority of the United States in Congress assembled, that the commissioners of the Loan offices in the respective States cause the four tenths of the Bills assigned to the said States subject to the order of the United States agreeable to the said Resolution of the Eighteenth of March, to be sent, without delay, to the Treasury Office of the United States deducting such sums as have been drawn for by Warrants from Congress provided said bills have been signed and numbered by authority of said States; and where said bills have not been signed and numbered, that the Legislatures or Executives of said States cause the same immediately to be done: And to prevent Injustice to the United States, be it farther
Resolved, that the said Commissioners of the Loan officers cause the said Bills to bear date at and from the Time of signing and numbering as aforesaid, provided they shall not have been dated, but otherwise the said Commissioners are directed to cause Impressions to be made upon said bills in the words and Figures following "Interest paid to--A D. 1781." as the case may be; which date shall correspond with the time of preparing said bills to be sent to the Treasury office as aforesaid. And to prevent the consequences of too great a quantity of money being in circulation, It is farther Resolved, That
Ordained and the Commissioners of the Loan Offices aforesaid are hereby directed and enjoined not to issue any of the remaining six Tenths of the said Bills till the States respectively shall have deposited with them twenty times as much of the old Emissions as the nominal amount of the said four Tenths and then no faster, or in greater quantities, than the said States shall furnish them with twenty times the amount of the said remaining six Tenths of the new Bills in Bills of the old Emissions. And the said Commissioners are farther enjoined to cause the said Bills so to be issued to bear date at the time of issuing or to be impressed as aforesaid at said time.
And whereas in many of the States no part of said Emission of the said Eighteenth of March has been redeemed or sunk, for the year A. D. 1780. To answer therefore the purposes of the said Resolution as far as may be, the said Commissioners are directed to forward to the said Treasury of the United States the one sixth of the remaining Tenths of the Quota of their States respectively of said Emission; Which said one sixth shall be destroyed without going into Circulation,
And whereas the safety of the United States requires an equal uniform Execution of public measures; Be it therefore Resolved, and it is hereby recommended to ordained that the States who have not put a period to the called out of Circulation and currency their Quotas of the old Emission, cause the same to be done as soon as possible by bringing in their respective proportions to be destroyed agreeable to the said resolution of the eighteenth of March
Or instead of the last clause: ordained that the Bills emitted by the United States in Congress assembled previous to the Eighteenth of March A. D. 1780, do not Circulate or be current in the said States, from and after theday ofnext.]
A letter of 1 May from Parsons & Co. was read.
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A motion was made by Mr. [William Churchill] Houston on the foregoing subject:
Ordered, That it be referred to a committee of three:
The members, Mr. [William Churchill] Houston, Mr. [Joseph] Jones, Mr. [George] Clymer.
At a Board of War, May 30, 1781
Present Mr. Peters, Col. Grayson.
The Board have the honor to lay before Congress two different reports on the subject of depreciation. Not knowing the extent to which Congress will deem it proper to make provision, the Board have thought it advisable to report two different plans; the one is on a large, the other on a contracted scale.
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1. Resolved, That the line of the army and the independent Corps thereof, and also all Brevet and other Officers not attached to any particular commands, and all other persons of whatsoever description on the civil or military staff of the army or acting under the same who have been engaged in the Continental Service since the commencement of the present war shall be entitled to have the depreciation of their original pay made up to them, by the several states to which they belong agreeable to the Scales of depreciation established by suck states, and according to the periods for which such persons have respectively served; any resolve to the contrary notwithstanding.
Resolved, That each State who shall advance more money in making good the depreciation to their own citizens than their proper proportion shall be allowed for the same on Continental account.
Resolved, That the auditors of the army be directed to liquidate and settle the accounts of all persons entitled to depreciation and who are not included in the quota of any of the States, and ascertain the balances due on the same in specie, which sums shall be paid as soon as the state of the finances will admit out of the public Treasury of the United States.
That it be recommended to the Legislatures of the several States to make provision for their respective citizens described in the foregoing resolutions agreeable thereto.
2. That all officers of the Staff of the army of every description who are now in service and engaged for three years or during the war, or who were in service, and so engaged on the 10th day of April, 1780, shall be entitled to the depreciation of their pay in like manner as is directed for officers of the line and independent Corps by the resolution of the 10th. April before mentioned, or any other Resolutions of Congress.
That all such staff officers who belong to or are inhabitants of any particular State shall have their depreciation paid to them by that State in the same manner with the officers of the line of the State.
That all officers and soldiers of independent Corps or artificers who are inhabitants of any particular State, and who now are, or were in service on the said 10th day of April, 1780, and engaged for three years or during the war have their depreciation settled and paid by the State to which they belong or of which they are or were inhabitants in the same manner with officers and soldiers of the line.
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That all officers and soldiers of the army at large, or of independent Corps and artificers, and all staff officers not belonging to, or being inhabitants of any particular State who are now or we're in service on the said 10th day of April, 1780, shall have their accounts for depreciation settled by the auditors of the Army in which they now serve or shall have served and the sums due in specie on such settlements certified by the said auditors shall be paid out of the treasury of the United States whensoever the public finances will admit thereof.
That the officers and soldiers of the line, staff, or artificers not belonging to any State shall produce to the auditors previous to their claiming settlements a certificate from the Adjutant General or deputy Adjutant General of the army in which they serve or shall have served, ascertaining their ranks, appointments, enlistments and original pay, and certifying that they do not belong to, and have not been counted to the quota of any particular State.
That each State who shall advance more money in making good the depreciation to their respective citizens than their proper proportion shall be allowed for the same on account of the United States.
That it be recommended to the Legislatures of the several States to make provision for their respective citizens described in the foregoing resolutions agreeable thereto.1
[Note 1: 1 This report is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 147, V, folio 219. It is indorsed as having been read this day and postponed.]
Adjourned to 10 o'Clock on Monday.
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