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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 --WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 1782
On the report of a committee, consisting of Mr. [James] Madison, Mr. [Jesse] Root, Mr. [John] Lowell, Mr. [John] Rutledge and Mr. [George] Clymer, to whom was referred a letter of 17, from the Superintendant of finance, and who were instructed to confer with the said Superintendant:
The Committee appointed to Confer with the Superintendant of Finance on the Subject of his Letter of theday ofReport, That they have conferred with the Superintendant of Finance on the subject referred to them, and from the information received on this Conference they find that Some of the States have not passed Laws for levying any part of the Quota of the Continental estimate for this year; that Some others have passed Acts for raising only a part of Such quotas; and that others have passed Laws for raising the whole, but at distant periods; and that several of such Laws are in some respects defective.
Your Committee apprehend that a Circular Letter to Each of the States, being inapplicable to their different Cases, is improper, but it appears to your Committee absolutely necessary that the most effectual means be used for obtaining a general Compliance with the Requisitions of Congress--
Resolved, That proper persons be sent to the several states Mr. [John] Rutledge and Mr. [George] Clymer be appointed to repair forthwith to the several states southward of this, and Mr. [Joseph] Montgomery and Mr. [Jesse] Root to the states eastward; and that they be, and hereby are instructed to make such representations to the several states, as are best adapted to their respective circumstances and the present situation of public affairs, and as may induce them to carry the requisitions of Congress into effect with the greatest despatch: that they make the like representations to the State of Pensylvania before they leave this city: that previous to their departure they confer with the Superintendant of finance, the Secretary at War, and the Secretary for foreign affairs, who are hereby directed to communicate
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to them such information from their respective departments as may be most conducive to the end proposed.1
[Note 1: 1 This report, in the writing of John Rutledge, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 47, folio 341. Morris's letter is in No. 137, I, folio 463.]
Resolved, That the gentlemen appointed to repair to the southern states, be excused from proceeding to South Carolina and Georgia, unless they shall for special reasons find it absolutely necessary.
Congress resumed the consideration of the report of the committee, to whom was referred the letter of the 23 of February last, from the president of New Hampshire, and agreed to the same as entered on the first day of April last.
The Committee of the Week [Mr. John Lowell, Mr. Turbett Wright and Mr. Thomas Smith] report,
That the memorial of Capt. Turner, respecting Bills of Exchange to the amount of £1500 Sterling lent to him for the Public use upon his own personal credit, while he was Dr Commissary of Prisoners at Charles Town, be referred to the Superintendant of Finance.2
[Note 2: 2 This report, in the writing of John Lowell, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 41, X, folio 163. It is undated, but the memorial of Captain George Turner, dated Philadelphia, May 19, 1782, is on folio 157, and, according to the indorsement, was read May 22.]
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