A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875
Journals of the Continental Congress --FRIDAY MARCH 7.
Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789
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Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789
FRIDAY MARCH 7.
Link to date-related documents.Printed copies of the Report above-mentioned were delivered to each member, as follows, viz.
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(1.) Resolved, that it be recommended to the several States, as indispensably necessary to the restoration of public credit, and the punctual & honorable discharge of the public debts, to vest in the U.S. in Congs. assemd. a power to levy for the use of the U.S. a duty of 5 Per Ct. ad valorem, at the time & place of importation, upon all goods, wares & merchandizes of foreign growth & manufactures, which may be imported into any of the said States, from any foreign port, island or plantation, except arms, ammunition, cloathing, and other articles imported on account of the U. States or any of them; and except wool cards, cotton cards, and wire for making them; and also except Salt during the war:
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(2.) Also a like duty of 5 Per Ct. ad valorem, on all prizes & prize goods condemned in the Court of Admiralty of any of these States as lawful prize:
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(3.) Also to levy a duty of 1/8 of a dollar per bushel on all salt imported as aforesaid after the war; 1/15 of a dollar per gallon on all wines; 1/30 of a dollar per gallon on all rum & brandy; 2/3 of a dollar per 112 lbs on all brown sugars; 1 dollar per 112 lbs on all powdered, lump and clayed sugars other than loaf sugars; 11/3 do. per 112 lbs on all loaf sugars; 1/30 of a dollar per pound on all Bohea Tea, and 1/15 of a dollar per lb on all finer India teas, imported as aforesaid, after--, in addition to the five per Ct. above-mentioned:
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(4.) Provided that none of the said duties shall be applied to any other purpose than the discharge of the interest or principal of the debts which shall have been contracted on the faith of the U.S. for supporting the present war, nor be continued for a longer term than 25 years: and provided that the collectors of the said duties shall be appointed by the States within which their offices are to be respectively exercised, but when so appointed, shall be amenable to and removable by the U.S. in Congs. assembled alone; and in case any State shall not make such appointment within--, after
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notice given for that purpose, the appointment may then be made by the U.S. in Congs. assembled.
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(5.) That it be further recommended to the several States to establish for a like term not exceeding 25 years, and to appropriate to the discharge of the interest and principal of the debts which shall have been contracted on the faith of the U.S., for supporting the present war, substantial and effectual revenues of such a nature as they may respectively judge most convenient, to the amount of--, and in the proportions following viz.
The said revenues to be collected by persons appointed as aforesaid, but to be carried to the separate credit of the States within which they shall be collected, and be liquidated and adjusted among the States according to the quotas which may from time to time be allotted to them.
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(6.) That an annual account of the proceeds and application of the aforementioned revenues shall be made out & transmitted to the several States, distinguishing the proceeds of each of the specified articles, and the amount of the whole revenue received from each State.
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(7.) That none of the preceding resolutions shall take effect untill all of them shall be acceded to by every State, after which accession however, they shall be considered as forming a mutual compact among all the States, and shall be irrevocable by any one or more of them without the concurrence of the whole, or a majority, of the United States in Cong: assembled:
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(8.) That, as a further mean, as well of hastening the extinguishment of the debts, as of establishing the harmony of the U. States, it be recommended to the States which have passed no acts towards complying with the resolutions of Congress of the 6th. of Sepr. and the 10th. of Oct.r., 1780, relative to territorial cessions, to make the liberal cessions therein recommended, & to the States which may have passed acts complying with the said resolutions in part only, to revise & complete such compliance.
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(9.) That, in order to remove all objections against a retrospect'lye application of the constitutional rule of proportioning to the several States the charges & expences which shall have been supplied for the common defence or general welfare, it be recommended to them to enable Congress to make such equitable exceptions and abatements as the particular circumstances of the States from time to time, during the war, may be found to require:
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(10.) That conformably to the liberal principles on which these recommendations are founded, & with a view to a more amicable
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and complete adjustment of all accounts between the U.S. and individual States, all reasonable expences which shall have been incurred by the States without the sanction of Congs., in their defence agst. or attacks upon British or Savage enemies, either by sea or by land, and which shall be supported by satisfactory proofs, shall be considered as part of the common charges incident to the present war, and be allowed as such:
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(11.) That as a more convenient and certain rule of ascertaining the proportions to be supplied by the States respectively to the common Treasury, the following alteration in the articles of confederation and perpetual union between these States, be and the same is hereby, agreed to in Congress, & the several States are advised to authorize their respective delegates to subscribe and rat'fly the same, as part of the said instrument of Union, in the words following, to wit.
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(12.) "So much of the 8th. of the Articles of Confederation & perpetual Union between the thirteen States of America as is contained in the words following to wit 'All charges of war &c (to the end of the paragraph)'--is hereby revoked and made void, and in place thereof, it is declared and Concluded, the same having been agreed to in a Congress of the United States, that all charges of war, and all other expences that shall be incurred for the common defence or general welfare and allowed by the U.S. in Congress assembled shall be defrayed out of a common treasury, which shall be supplied by the several States in proportion to the number of inhabitants of every age, sex & condition, except Indians not paying taxes in each State; which number shall be triennially taken & transmitted to the U.S. in Congs. assembled, in such mode as they shall direct and appoint; provided always that in such numeration no persons shall be included who are bound to servitude for life, according to the laws of the State to which they belong, other than such as may be between the ages of 1--."
[Note 1: 1 In the draught as laid before the Come. by--the (7) paragraph was placed last of all, so as to render the plan indivisible. In the (10) paragraph the word "reasonable" before the word "expences," was not inserted; but to the paragraph was added "provided that this allowance shall not be extended to any expences which shall be declared by nine votes in Congress to be manifestly unreasonable." In other respects the original draught was unaltered, except that a former resolution of Congress in the words of the (6) paragraph was incorporated by the Secy. before it went to the press. [Note in MS.]]
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