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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, AUGUST 4, 1788.
Congress assembled present the thirteen states
On motion2 of Mr [William] Few seconded by Mr [Abraham] Baldwin
[Note 2: 2 Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 30, p. 337, in the writing of Mr. William Few.]
Resolved That the superintendant of Indian affairs for the Southern district be continued in service three months from 29. day of the present month.
The Order of the day3 being called and the motion renewed by Mr [Jonathan] Dayton seconded by Mr [David] Ross to fill the blank with the words "city of New York in the State of New York". A motion was made by Mr [Hugh] Williamson seconded by Mr [Joshua] Seney to postpone the motion in order to admit a motion to fill the blank with the word Lancaster and on the question to postpone for the purpose above mentioned the yeas and nays being required by Mr [Hugh] Williamson.
[Note 3: 3 Organization of the government under the Constitution. See July 8, 30, August 5 and September 13, 1788.]
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So it passed in the negative.
A motion was then made by Mr [Edward] Carrington seconded by Mr [Joshua] Seney to postpone the motion for New York in order to admit Baltimore in the State of Maryland and on the question to postpone for the purpose above mentioned the yeas and nays being required by Mr [Joshua] Seney
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So it passed in the affirmative.
On the question to agree fill the blank with the words the town of Baltimore in the state of Maryland the yeas and nays being required by Mr [Edward] Carrington
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So it was resolved in the affirmative.
The preamble reported by the committee was then taken into consideration which is in the words following "Whereas1 the convention assembled in Philadelphia pursuant to the Resolution of Congress of the 21st of February 1787, did on the 17th of September in the same year report to the United States in Congress Assembled in the words following viz. "We the people etc." (here to be inserted the constitution and
[Note 1: 1 Roger Alden takes up the entry.]
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resolutions as entered on the Journal of last year Sept . 28th . 1787)1 whereupon Congress on the 28th . of the same September, did resolve unanimously, "That the said Report, with the resolutions and letter accompanying the same, be transmitted to the several Legislatures, in order to be submitted to a Convention of Delegates chosen in each State, by the people thereof, in conformity to the Resolves of the Convention made and provided in that case." And whereas the States of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pensylvania, Delaware, Maryland Virginia South Carolina and Georgia, have duly ratified the aforesaid Constitution, as appears by the several acts of the said States returned to Congress, and filed in the Office of the Secretary; and it is expedient that proceedings do commence thereon as early as may be, therefore," etc.
[Note 1: 1 The constitution and resolutions were not entered in the Journal on this date. They are printed, under the date of September 20, 1787. See Journals, vol. XXXIII, pp. 488--503.]
A motion2 was made by Mr [Thomas Tudor] Tucker, seconded by Mr [Daniel] Huger to postpone the said preamble in order to take up the following, viz. Whereas the Constitution proposed by the late general Convention held in the city of Philadelphia has been ratified in the manner therein declared to be sufficient for the establishment of the same; And whereas the ratifications of the several States are to be considered as containing virtual authority and Instructions to their Delegates in Congress to make the preparatory Arrangements recommended by the said Convention to be made by Congress, therefore resolved, and on the question to postpone for the purpose abovementioned, the Yeas and Nays being required by Mr [Thomas Tudor] Tucker,
[Note 2: 2 Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 23, p. 107 in the writing of Mr. Thomas Tudor Tucker.]
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So it was resolved in the affirmative.
[Report of committee on the requisition for 17881]
[Note 1: 1 Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 141, I, pp. 381--388, in the writing of a clerk, There is a printed copy of this report, together with an estimate for the Year 1788, in Papers of the Continental Congress, Broadsides. Read August 4, and made the order of the day for Thursday August 7, 1788. Acted on August 20, 1788, where the report is entered in extenso in the Journal. The parts printed here indicate the changes and omissions made in the adoption. See July 9, 1788.]
The Committee consisting of [Mr. Abraham Clark, Mr. Nathan Dane, Mr. Hugh Williamson, Mr. William Bingham and Mr. Abraham
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Baldwin] to whom was referred the report of the Board of Treasury respecting a requisition for the year 1788, Report:
Resolved, that of the arrearages due on the Requisitions of 1784, 1785 and 1786, be and there is hereby appropriated for the services of the present year, the sum of three hundred and twenty six thousand four hundred and Twenty seven dollars, and for the following purposes to wit.
Resolved, that the monies borrowed by the United States in Holland in the years 1787 and 1788 be appropriated to the payment of Interest due, and which shall become due to the year 1790 inclusive on the Dutch loans, and that the residue of the said loans made in the last and present years after paying the said Interest be applied towards paying the salaries of the Ministers of the United States in Europe, and the Contingent expences of the said States which have arisen or shall arise in Europe [or on account of the American prisoners at Algiers].
Resolved that the States be and there are hereby required to pay into the Treasury of the United States on or before the first of July next, the sum of one million Six hundred and eighty Six thousand, five hundred and forty one dollars and Twelve ninetieths of a dollar, being the amount of one years Interest on the domestic debt of the United States and that the quotas of the several States of the aforesaid sum, be as follows to wit.
As the sum aforesaid of 1,686,541.12 Dollars is to be applied to the payment of the Interest due on the domestic debt of the United States, and the same may be received in Certificates or Indents issued for Interest.
Resolved That the Board of Treasury furnish the several Loan-Officers, with Indents, to be issued for interest as aforesaid, and also
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with such Checks and instructions as they from time to time shall Judge necessary, to prevent Counterfeit Certificates of debts from obtaining a settlement of Interest, and to detect Counterfeit evidence of Interest, and thereby to avoid receiving them in discharge of Taxes; which Indents 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 any other State in the Union, as well as in the State in which they were issued.
[Report of Board of Treasury on memorial of H. H. Williams1]
[Note 1: 1 Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 138, II, pp. 531--533, read August, 4, 1788. The covering letter of the Board, also read, is in Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 140, I. p. 591. See April 24, 1787. Journals, vol. XXXII, p. 236n.]
The Board of Treasury to whom was referred the Memorial of Henry Howell Williams,
Beg leave to Report to Congress
That the damage done to the property of the Memorialist, and the articles stated to have been applied to the benefit of the United States, was previous to the formation of an Army, under the authority of the Union.
The Board are therefore of opinion, that if the evidence adduced in proof of the value and quantity of the articles stated to have been applied to the public use was more satisfactory than in fact it is, it would be improper to establish a Precedent, in the present instance, for an admission of numerous Claims, on the merits of which it would be impossible for the Officers of the Treasury to form any competent judgement.
The general fact, of a very valuable property belonging to the Memoralist, having been either destroyed or used for the benefit of the Army assembled at Boston in the month of May 1775, by order of a Board of General Officers, appears by the Certificate of the late Commissioner of Accounts for the State of Massachusets, marked A, to have been well established: Inasmuch however as the aforesaid property appears to have been applied for the immediate benefit of the State, and as the merits of the Claim can be best ascertained under their authority, The Board are of opinion, that the Memorialist should apply to that source for relief; and should Claims of a similar description be hereafter allowed by the general Board of commisioners,
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the State will obtain reimbursement for such sums as shall appear an equitable compensation for the real damage sustained by the Memorialist.
All which is humbly submitted.
Samuel Osgood
Water Livingston
Arthur Lee
August 1st . 1788.
[Letter from the Office of the Secretary at War on Indian Affairs1]
[Note 1: 1 Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 150, III, p. 449, read August 4, 1788. A copy of the letter of Superintendant R. Winn is on pp. 469--472, with its enclosures on pp. 453--454, 458--459, and 461--462. There is also a letter of Thomas Pinckney to the Delegates of South Carolina, July 18, 1788, recommending the subject, on pp. 465--466. According to indorsement and the Committee Book, Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 190, p. 201, these papers were referred to a committee consisting of Mr. Thomas Tudor Tucker, Mr. Jonathan Dayton and Mr. Hugh Williamson, which reported on August 14, 1788. See August 11, 1788.]
War-Office, August 4'th 1788.
Sir: In the absence of the Secretary at War, I have the honor to enclose to your Excellency, for the information of Congress, the copy of a letter from the Superintendant of Indian Affairs for the Southern district dated June 25th 1788, and covering two enclosures.
I have the honor to be, etc.,
J:o n Stagg Juner .2
[Note 2: 2 August 4, 1788. According to the Committee Book, Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 190, p. 201, the following committees were appointed:
Mr. Abraham Clark, Mr. Hugh Williamson and Mr. Jeremiah Wadsworth on the letter of Thomas Hutchins, August 4, 1788, respecting his salary. According to the Despatch Book, Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 185, IV, p. 37, the letter was received (read) August 4, 1788. The committee reported August 7, 1788. Acted on August 8, 1788.
Mr. Alexander Hamilton, Mr. Abraham Baldwin and Mr. Nathan Dane on the petition of Barent Martlings requesting a pension. According to the Despatch Book, p. 37, the petition was received (read) August 4, 1788.
According to the Committee Book, p. 199 and the Reports of Committees, Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 189, p. 37, the committee of July 16, 1788 on the motion of Mr. Abraham Clark respecting the copper contract rendered a report, which has not been located. This report was recommitted on August 20, 1788. See also August 27 and September 16, 1788.]
His Excellency
The President of Congress.
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