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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 --FRIDAY JUNE 20.
The Soldiers from Lancaster came into the City under the guidance of sergeants. They professed to have no other object than to obtain a settlement of Accounts, which they supposed they had a better chance for at Philadelphia than at Lancaster. (See the Report of the Committee on that subject.)
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The Report of the Committee (see the Journal) on the territorial Cession of Virga. being taken up, & the amendment on the Journal proposed by Mr. McHenry & Mr. Clarke, being lost, Mr. Bedford proposed that the second condition of the Cession be so altered as to read "that in order to comply with the said Condition, so far as the same is comprised within the Resolution of Octt. 10, 1780, on that subject, Commissioners as proposed by the Committee, be appointed" &c and that instead of "for the purposes mentioned in the said Condition," be substituted "agreeable to that Resolution." In support of this alteration, it was urged by Mr. McHenry, Mr. Bedford, & Mr. Clarke that the terms used by Virginia were too comprehensive & indefinite. In favor of the Report of the Committee, it was contended by Mr. Ellsworth that the alteration was unreasonable inasmuch as Civil expences were on the same footing of Equity as Military and that a compromize was the object of the Committee. Sundry members were of opinion that Civil expences were comprised in the Resolution of Oct. 10. 1780. Mr. Bland & Mr. Mercer acceded to the alteration proposed. Mr. Madison alone dissented, and therefore did not insist on a call for the votes of the States. Mr. McHenry moved but without being seconded "that the Commissioners instead of deciding finally should be authorized to report to Congress only."
In the course of debate Mr. Clarke laid before Congress the Remonstrance of New Jersey as entered on the Journal.
As the Report had been postponed at the instance of the President and other Delegates of N. Jersey, in order to obtain this answer from their Constituents, and as the Remonstrance was dated on the 14th. of June, and was confessed privately by Mr. --, to have been in the possession of the Delegates on Monday last, an unfairness was complained of. They supposed that if it had been laid before Congress sooner the copy which would have been sent by the Virga. Delegates might hasten the opening of the Land Office of that State. Mr. Clarke said there were still good prospects, and he did not doubt that the time would yet come when Congress would draw a line limiting the States to the westward and say thus far shall ye go and no farther.
Mr. Bedford moved that with respect to the 4th. & 5th. Conditions of the Cessions, "it be declared, that Clark & his men, & the Virginia Line, be allowed the same bounty beyond the Ohio as was allowed by the U. S. to the same Ranks." This motion was seconded by --; Congress adjourned without debating it; there being seven States only present and the spirit of compromise decreasing.
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From several circumstances there was reason to believe that R. Island, N. Jersey, Pennsylvania & Delaware, if not Maryland also retained latent views of confining Virginia to the Alleghany Mountains.
Notice was taken by Mr. Madison of the error in the Remonstrance, which recites "that Congress had declared the Cession of Virginia to be a partial one."
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