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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 --MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 1783
Congress being informed of the arrival of the Commander in Chief in the neighbourhood of Princeton:
Ordered, That he have an audience in Congress to-morrow at twelve o'clock.
The Committee [Mr. Theodorick Bland, Mr. Stephen Higginson, Mr. James McHenry] to whom was referred a letter from the Superintendant of Finance of the 18th July, 1783 beg leave to Report.
That they have attentively considered the letter committed to them, and do not conceive that the Act of Congress of the eleventh of July, which took its rise from a serious representation of the State of Massachusetts, on the subject therein recited could have been dispensed with, consistent with the duty of Congress; nor do your Committee think that any later information has contradicted, but rather confirmed the said recital, viz, that certain parts of the Army retired on furlough had not received their pay &c., which recital is
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complained of by the Superintendant of Finance as a censure of him which is unwarranted; much less in the opinion of your Committee will subsequent information justify the insinuation contained in the letter to them referred, that the recital abovementioned is void of truth.
Your Committee are fully in opinion with your Superintendant of Finance that Congress have passed no particular order for paying any praise sum to the army at large, on which the order of the eleventh of July, "for paying the officers and soldiers of the Massachusetts line" would be founded, but they are of opinion that the sense of Congress on that subject, is sufficiently manifested by their several resolutions of, by their continuing the said Superintendant in his office for the special purpose of making such payments to the officers and soldiers as might enable them to retire satisfied from the field; and from the official information of the said Superintendant to the Committee which was appointed to confer with him on that subject, as well as by a resolution which Congress came to on that consideration to support him in carrying their views into effect. Of this the Superintendant seems to admit, when he says (after the objections above stated) "Supposing however that by the resolution is meant the three months' pay in notes payable at six months from the date"
Your Committee cannot conceive the necessity, the utility or even the propriety of the observation of the Superintendant of Finance "That it is not the business of his department to complete the pay to any part of the army--but that of the Paymaster", as the several duties of the Departments were originally assigned and pointed out by Congress and as the due execution of the subordinate departments in receipts and expenditures of every kind are under the Controul of the Superintendant of Finance.
Your Committee are fully satisfied that no time was lost in completing the signing the notes for the payment of the troops after the measure was concluded upon; but they are of opinion that in so important and perilous a step as the furloughing the troops Congress should have been fully apprized (after they had pledged their faith that no part of the Army should be disbanded without a settlement of their accounts and a certain part of their pay being advanced to them) of the difficulty or impracticability of doing the one or advancing the other in due time. That so the furloughing might have been suspended for a short time, whereby in all probability the subsequent tumults and discontents in the Army might have been avoided, but this was not done; to avoid which evil in future, and such others as
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may arise from Congress's being uninformed of the measures, which the Superintendant of Finance may think necessary for carrying the views of Congress into effect, in support of which your Committee find Congress have pledged themselves in their resolution
Your Committee beg leave to submit the following resolution.
Resolved, That the Superintendant of Finance lay before Congress the arrangements he has already taken, or which from time to time he may think necessary to take, for carrying the views of Congress, as expressed in their resolution of theday ofinto effect, and all plans and regulations in the department of Finance which he may at any time during his continuance in office think necessary to be adopted, that such plans and regulations may be known to Congress, and undergo their revision before they are put into execution.1
[Note 1: 1 This report, in the writing of Theodorick Bland, is in the Papers of The Continental Congress, No. 19, IV, folio 415. According to the indorsement, it was read on this day.
On this day, as the indorsement states, was read a letter of August 23 from Elias Dayton, covering resolutions of the inhabitants Of Elizabeth Town offering that place for a residence for Congress. It was referred to Mr. [James] Duane, Mr. [James] Wilson, Mr. [Jacob] Read, Mr. [James] McHenry and Mr. [James] Madison. It is in No. 46, folio 103. The resolutions are on folio 109.]
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