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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 --TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 1784.
Congress assembled: Present as before.
The president being absent, Congress proceeded to the election of a chairman; and the ballots being taken, Mr. Thomas Jefferson was elected.
The grand committee, consisting of Mr. [Thomas] Jefferson, Mr. [Jonathan] Blanchard, Mr. [Elbridge] Gerry, Mr. [David] Howell, Mr. [Roger] Sherman, Mr. [Charles] De Witt, Mr. [Samuel] Dick, Mr. [Edward] Hand, Mr. [Thomas] Stone, Mr. [Hugh] Williamson and Mr. [Jacob] Read, to whom was referred a letter of 19 March, 1784, from the Superintendant of finance, with sundry papers enclosed, and who were instructed to revise the institution of the treasury department, and report such alterations as they may think necessary, reported the draft of a circular letter to the supreme executive of the several states, which was agreed to, as follows:
(Circular)
Sir,
The Subject of this address claims the attention of your Excellency on the principle of the most urgent necessity.
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The state of our finances is such as to require the united efforts of Congress and of the several states for obtaining immediately a supply of money to prevent the loss of public credit.
When the army were furloughed they had the promise of three months' pay and as there was not money in the treasury, the Superintendent of finance was under the necessity of issuing his notes to discharge this and other demands. The notes becoming due, part of them were redeemed with money supplied by the several states; but this being inadequate, the financier drew bills on Holland for the deficiency. A considerable proportion of these drafts have been paid by loans obtained there on the credit of the United States: But the letters from our bankers to the Superintendent of finance inform that they had been under the necessity for the want of funds to suffer so many of his bills to be protested for non-acceptance as with the damages on protest in case of non-payment will amount to the sum of 636,000 dollars.
We expect the return of these bills under a protest for non-payment, and should there not be money in the treasury of the United States to discharge them, your excellency may easily conceive the deplorable consequences.
Under such circumstances Congress think it their duty to communicate the matter confidentially to the Supreme executive of each State and to request in the most pressing terms their influence and exertion to furnish with all possible dispatch on requisitions unsatisfied their respective quotas of the sum mentioned according to the apportionment herewith transmitted.
I shall only add, Sir, that Congress rely on your wisdom for accomplishing their views with as much dispatch as possible, and that the estimates and requisitions for the year will be soon transmitted to your excellency.
I am, &c.
(to be signed by the President)
[Note 1: 1 The circular to the states, and the apportionment were also entered in the manuscript Secret (Domestic) Journal.]
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According to the order of the day, Congress resumed the consideration of the report of the committee on the letter of the 6 November, 1783, from the legislature of New Hampshire, as entered on the journal of the 21 of January last, touching the proceedings and sentence of the court of appeals in cases of capture, on the case of the brig Lusannah.
And a motion was made by Mr. [Jacob] Read, seconded by Mr. [Samuel] Hardy, to postpone the consideration of the report of the committee, in order to take into consideration the following motion:
Whereas by the ninth of the Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union, the United States in Congress assembled are vested with the right of establishing courts "for receiving and determining finally, appeals in all cases of captures;" and the United States in Congress assembled, having, on thedayofin pursuance of such authority, accordingly appointed such court of appeals, and commissioned proper persons as judges in the same:
Resolved, That it is improper for the United States in Congress assembled, in any way to reverse or controul the decisions, judgments or decrees of such court of appeals:
And on the question to postpone for the purpose above mentioned, the yeas and nays being required by Mr. [Abiel] Foster,
{table}
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So the question was lost.
On the question to agree to the resolution reported by the committee, namely,
"That the said capture having been made by citizens of New Hampshire, carried into and submitted to the jurisdiction of that State, before the completion of the Confederation; while appeals to Congress in such cases were absolutely refused by their legislature, neither Congress nor any persons deriving authority from them, had jurisdiction in the said case."
The yeas and nays being required by Mr. [Abiel] Foster,
{table}
So the question was lost.
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