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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, FEBRUARY 17, 1783
Congress resumed the consideration of the report of the committee on the report of the committee of the whole, and the proceedings of the house consequent thereto; and the same being debated by paragraphs to read as follows:
Whereas by the Articles of Confederation and perpetual union, it is agreed and declared that all charges of war and all other expences for the common defence or general welfare, allowed by the United States in Congress assembled, shall be defrayed out of a common treasury, which shall be supplied by the several states in proportion to the value of all land within each State, granted to or surveyed for any person, as such land and the buildings and improvements thereon, shall be estimated according to such mode as the United States in Congress assembled shall, from time to time, direct and appoint:
Resolved, That the legislature of each State be, and they are hereby required to take such measures as shall be most effectual for obtaining a just and accurate account of the quantity of land in such State, granted to or surveyed for any person, the number of buildings thereon, distinguishing dwelling houses from outhouses and other buildings, and the number of its inhabitants, distinguishing white from black: that the legislature of each State be, and they are hereby
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also required to cause the said account to be transmitted and delivered to Congress on or before the 1st day of January next, together with the name of such person as the said legislature shall choose to be a commissioner for estimating the value of all the lands in each of the United States, granted to or surveyed for any person, and of the buildings and improvements thereon, that Congress will, on the 2d day of January next, nominate, by ballot, a commissioner for every State which shall fail to nominate one, or whose commissioners shall not attend Congress on the said 1st day of January: that a commission shall thereupon be issued by Congress to the persons so nominated, authorising and empowering them, or any nine of them, concurring in opinion, to make a just and true estimate of the value of all the lands in each of the United States, granted to or surveyed for any person, and of the buildings and improvements thereon; and to return such estimate to Congress, to be subject to their examination and approbation: that the said estimate, when approved by Congress, shall be a rule for adjusting all accounts between the United States and the individual states: that is, that each State shall be debited for its just quota or proportion, on the principle aforesaid, of the money theretofore advanced or paid, and of the amount in value of the supplies furnished by all the states for the service of the United States, and credited for the money advanced, and the amount in value of the supplies furnished by such State for the service of the United States: that the said estimate shall operate for a term not exceeding five years, as a rule for apportioning on the several states the sums which Congress shall, from time to time, deem necessary and require to be raised for supporting the public credit and contingent expences:
in order to be applicable toward the payment of the interest of the debt incurred for the charges of war and expenses for the common defence and general welfare and allowed by the United States in Congress assembled and towards defraying all such future charges
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and expences as shall be incurred for the purpose aforesaid and so allowed,
And that the money which shall be paid, from time to time, by any State, into the continental treasury, on account of such quota or apportionment, be duly passed to the credit of such State, on the said account.1
[Note 1: 1 This report, in the writing of John Rutledge, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 24, folio 61. According to the indorsement, it was the report of Mr. [John] Rutledge, Mr. [Nathaniel] Gorham and Mr. [John Taylor] Gilman, and was delivered February 14.]
On the question to agree to this, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [Theodorick] Bland,
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So the question was lost.2
[Note 2: 2 A copy of this vote, in the writing of Charles Thomson, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 24, folio 89.]
A motion was then made by Mr. [Eliphalet] Dyer, seconded by Mr. [John Francis] Mercer, in the words following:
"Whereas by the 8th Article of the Confederation and perpetual union, it is agreed and declared, that all charges of war and all other expences, for the common defence or
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general welfare, allowed by the United States in Congress assembled, shall be defrayed out of a common treasury, which shall be supplied by the several states, in proportion to the value of all land within each State, granted to or surveyed for any person, as such land and the buildings and improvements thereon, shall be estimated according to such mode as the United States in Congress assembled shall, from time to time, direct and appoint.
"Resolved, That the legislature of each State be, and they are hereby required, to take such measures as shall appear to them most effectual for obtaining a just and accurate account of the quantity of land in such State, granted to or surveyed for any person, the number of buildings thereon, distinguishing dwelling houses from other buildings, and the number of its inhabitants, distinguishing white from black. That the legislature of each State be, and they are hereby also required to cause the said account to be transmitted and delivered to Congress, on or before The day altered Feby 21 on a motion of Mr. Rutledge. the first day of January next March, 1784, and that Congress will, on the second day January next March, 1784, or at their next sitting thereafter, appoint a grand committee, consisting of a member present from each State, to take into their consideration the said returns, any nine of whom concurring Shall make a just and true estimate of the value of all lands in each of the United States, granted to or surveyed for any person, and of the buildings and improvements thereon, and shall report such estimate to Congress, to be subject only to their approbation or rejection. That the said estimate, when approved by Congress, shall be a rule for adjusting all accounts between the United States, and the individual States, that is, each State shall be debited for its just quota or proportion, on the principle aforesaid, of the money theretofore advanced or paid, and of the amount in value of the supplies furnished by all the states for the
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service of the United States, and credited for the money advanced and the amount in value of the supplies furnished by such State, for the service of the United States.
"That the said estimate shall operate for a term not exceeding five years, as a rule for apportioning on the several states the sums which Congress shall, from time to time, deem necessary, and require to be raised for supporting the public credit and contingent expences, and that the money which shall be paid, from time to time, by any State, into the continental treasury, on account of such quota or apportionment, shall be duly passed to the credit of such State on the said account."1
[Note 1: 1 A printed copy of this resolution, together with that of April 18, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 56, folio 447.]
On the question to agree to the said motion, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [Theodorick] Bland,
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So it was resolved in the affirmative.2
[Note 2: 2 A copy of this vote, in the writing of Charles Thomson, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 24, folio 89.]
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[Motion of Mr. Alexander Hamilton February 17, 1783, referred to Mr. Arthur Lee, Mr. Eliphalet Dyer, and Mr. Samuel Holten.]
Whereas it is in the opinion of Congress essential to those principles of justice and liberality which ought to govern the intercourse between these States, that equitable abatements shall be made in favor of such States, parts of which have been for different periods in the course of the war in possession of the enemy, on the application of the rule prescribed by the Confederation and on which the foregoing resolutions have been founded, and whereas Congress impressed with this conviction did on the 20th day of February last recommend to the respective States to authorise and empower Congress in the final settlement of the proportions to be borne by each State of the general expences of the war from the commencement thereof until the first day of January 1782, except the monies loaned to the United States for the security and discharge of the principal and interest of which Congress rely on a compliance with their requisition of the 3rd day of February, 1781 to assume and adopt such principles as from the particular circumstances of the several States at different periods may appear just and equitable, without being wholly confined to the rule laid in the 8th Article of the Confederation in cases where the same cannot be applied without manifest injustice, and whereas some of the States have not yet complied with the said recommendation, Therefore,
Resolved, That the several States be earnestly requested without delay to pass laws conformable to the spirit of the aforesaid recommendation extending the period to the conclusion of the present war.1
[Note 1: 1 This motion, in the writing of Alexander Hamilton, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 149, III, folio 17. According to the indorsement it was offered this day and referred as above stated. The record in Committee Books No. 186 and No. 191 shows that a report was delivered February 26, and acted on March 3. See post March 4.
On this day, according to the indorsement, a letter of February 11, from General Washington, enclosing a copy of his letter to Thomas Chittenden, was read and referred to Mr. [Daniel] Carroll, Mr. [Nathaniel] Gorham, Mr. [Arthur] Lee, Mr. [John Taylor] Gilman and Mr. [Oliver] Wolcott. It is in No. 40, II, folio 365. A copy of this letter, indorsed as read March 3, is in No. 169, 9, folio 110, followed by copies of Washington's correspondence with Chittenden. According to Committee Book No. 186, the committee was renewed on April 28, Mr. [Phillips] White and Mr. [John Francis] Mercer taking the places of Gilman and Wolcott, and a report on this letter and others relating to "the general affairs of Vermont" was delivered May 26.]
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