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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 --THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 1785.
Congress assembled. Present as yesterday.
The committee, consisting of Mr. [Pierse] Long, Mr. [Rufus] King, Mr. [David] Howell, Mr. [William Samuel] Johnson, Mr. R. R. Livingston, Mr. [Charles] Stewart, Mr. [Joseph] Gardner, Mr. J[ohn] Henry, Mr. [William] Grayson, Mr. [Hugh] Williamson, Mr. [John] Bull and Mr. [William] Houstoun, to whom was recommitted an ordinance for locating Lands in the western territory, having reported, "An Ordinance for ascertaining the mode of disposing of Lands in the Western territory."
The said Ordinance was read a first time.1
[Note 1: 1 See ante, April 12, and post, April 15.
On this day, according to Committee Book No. 190, Mr. Hugh Williamson was nominated for Commissioner of the Board of Treasury, in the room of Mr. Gervais, by Mr. [Charles] Stewart; his name was withdrawn June 28.]
Ordered, That to-morrow be assigned for the second reading of the said Ordinance.
Resolved, That the resolution of the 16 March, respecting the sum to which the late Secretary for foreign affairs is entitled, be referred to the board of treasury to take Order.
The G. Committee to whom was recommitted a Report on the subject of supplies for the year 1785, submit the following Report--
Resolved, That for the services of the present year 1785, for the payment of one year's interest on the foreign and domestic Debt....
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Deduct for monies actually applied towards a discharge of the last years estimate, and which the sums required from the States last year will replace; and for Loans now in the Hands of the Dutch commissioners, and hereby appropriated for the purposes of this estimate, one million one hundred and Ninety one thousand, Eight hundred and forty six Dollars and 29/100, and there remains the ballance of three millions of Dollars to be paid into the common Treasury in the course of the present year.
As more than two thirds of the sum caned for is to be applied to the payment of interest on the domestic debt, the committee are of opinion that the several Legislatures may be allowed so to model the collection of their respective quotas of the Stuns called for, that one third of any sum being paid in actual money, the other 2 thirds may be discharged by discounts of interest with the domestic Creditors. And to ascertain the evidences of interest to be discounted, the holders of loan Office Certificates shall be at liberty to carry them, to the Office from which they issued, and the holders of other Certificates of liquidated Debts of the U. S. to carry the same to the loan Office of that State wherein he is an inhabitant, or if a foreigner to any loan Office within the U. S. and to have the interest due thereon settled and certified to the last day of year 1783.
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[The next paragraph, in the report of March 31, was omitted entire in this report of April 14 and the two succeeding paragraphs were incorporated with insignificant changes in phraseology. The table of quotaed amounts was unchanged.]
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--and to the Receivers of federal Taxes, such checks and instructions as may enable them to detect counterfeited Evidences of interest, and thereby to avoid receiving them in discharge of Taxes, which certificates of interest being parted with by the holders of the principal, shall be deemed Evidence that he has received satisfaction for the same and therefore shall be receivable from the bearer in lieu of money in the proportion aforesaid, in any other State in the Union as well as in the State in which they were issued.....in the proportion that each State avails itself of the certificates of interest. And where loan Office certificates issued after the first day of March, 1778, shall be presented to the loan Officer they shall be reduced to their Specie value conformably to the Resolutions of Congress of June 28th., 1780, that specie value expressed on some part of the certificate, and the interest thereon settled and certified as in other cases.
[The next paragraph, on the letter from the late Superintendent of Finance, was omitted entire from this report. The paragraph immediately following this in the March 31 report is included without change and the paragraph following that: "When the Committee reflect on the great exertions, etc." is omitted entire.]
The committee find that the revenue system of April 18th., 1783, hath been adopted in whole or in part by Eleven States and being of opinion that it is expedient for Congress still to rely on that plan, which has been so long under reference to the States, and which after reported consideration in successive Congresses has been found preferable to any other system, and conceived necessary to the Establishment of public Credit; the committee submit it to Congress, earnestly to recommend to such of the Eleven States as have complied only in part, to adopt the same completely; and to the Two other States, who have not adopted the plan either in whole, or in part, to pass Laws as soon as may be in conformity thereto.
The Sum quotaed upon the States in the present demand, by providing for the deficiencies of former years, exceeds the sum the States were called on for during the last year; but the greater proportion of Discount now admitted will render it less impoverishing to the Citizens.
As a motive for the chearful payment of the sum now called for, as well as of the arrearages.....the committee cannot forbear mentioning that of the States claiming Western Territory Massachusetts alone has made the expected cession during the last year
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they are therefore of opinion that the subject be again presented to the attention of the States which have not complied with so reasonable a Proposition; and that they be once more solicited in the strongest terms to consider with candor and magninimity liberality the Expectations of their sister States, and the earnest and repeated applications made to them by Congress on this subject.1
[Note 1: 1 This report, in the writing of Rufus King, is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, Miscellaneous, in the Library of Congress. It seems to have been considered in Congress on April 14 and is indorsed: "Tuesday April 19th. assigned for consideration." In this report only the changes made from that of March 31 are printed above. Where omissions are indicated the omitted portions in both reports were identical. Accompanying this April 14 report in the Miscellany is an estimate by King of the supplies needed for 1785, which varies in some particulars from that submitted by the Committee as its report.]
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