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Mr. Van Buren presented the memorial of J. B. Stuart, who was the purchaser of some lots of land in the State of Ohio, praying relief in the settlement of his accounts; the memorial was read, and referred to the Committee on Public Lands.
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Mr. Van Buren submitted it to the Chair, and to the mover of the amendment, whether this motion was in order. Both questions were important, and the discussion of them, he thought, ought not to be embarrassed by mingling them thus. He thought if the discussion were to proceed, a correct result would be more easily arrived at by considering the propositions separately. They were, moreover, variant... Continue Reading
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Mr. Van Buren presented the memorial of "The American Society for the encouragement of Domestic Manufactures," praying the protection of Congress to national industry. The memorial was read, and ordered to be printed for the use of the Senate, and referred to the Committee on Commerce and Manufactures.
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Mr. Van Buren presented the petition of William Vaughan, sailing-master in the Navy, praying to be allowed prize money for the destruction of two vessels of the enemy, in the late war; the petition was read, and referred to the Committee on Naval Affairs.
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Mr. Van Buren, for the purpose of bringing the subject distinctly before the Senate, moved to strike out one-eighth and insert one-fourth of one per cent. The question of fixing the compensation of public officers, he remarked, was one of importance and entitled to consideration; but this was not the part of the bill to which the discussion of that question properly belonged, and he should... Continue Reading
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Mr. Van Dyke, for sundry reasons which he offered to the Senate, going to show the justice and expediency of allowing to the collector of Wilmington, in Delaware, a higher compensation than what the bill proposed, ($250,) moved to raise the sum to $500, the amount provided for the collector at Sackett's Harbor.
Mr. Holmes, of Maine, entered into a number of details to show that the entire... Continue Reading
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Mr. Van Buren presented the memorial of Henry W. Delavan and Company, merchants, of Albany, in the State of New York, engaged in the importation of goods from England, and various other ports of Europe, complaining of the operation of the act supplementary to an act, entitled "An act to regulate the collection of duties on imports and tonnage," praying that certain sums paid by them in accordance... Continue Reading
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Much debate took place on this and other provisions of the bill, in which Messrs. Brown, of Louisiana, Otis, Holmes, of Maine, Lowrie, Parrott, Van Buren, and Johnson, of Louisiana, participated.
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Mr. Van Buren presented the memorial of Ebenezer Stevens and others, praying that Congress would afford them relief on account of a demand against the United States, arising out of certain contracts entered into with Robert Morris, Esq., for the supply of provisions to the Army of the United States during the Revolutionary war; the memorial was read, and laid on the table.
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Mr. Van Buren presented the petition of James Byers, of the city and State of New York, who was a contractor for supplying rations to the troops of the United States, within the States of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, for one year, from the first of June, 1814, praying relief in the settlement of his accounts, for reasons stated in the petition; which was read; and... Continue Reading
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On this bill a pretty wide debate took place, embracing the general question of the equity of indemnity for losses incurred in time of war; the circumstances of this particular case to justify its being made an exception to the customary rules, &c. Messrs. Ruggles, Holmes of Maine, Morril, Lanman, Brown of Ohio, Brown of Louisiana, Van Buren, and Chandler, took part in the debate. But, before... Continue Reading
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Mr. Van Buren observed that the Constitution had very wisely divided the judicial power in the manner described by Mr. Taylor, between the State and the Federal courts; and in reply to that gentleman, said he had yet to learn that relief had ever been granted by Congress to any applicant on avowed ground of error in the decision of the court, if the court was one of competent power. But, although... Continue Reading
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Mr. Van Buren offered a few observations on an incidental point touched on by Mr. Taylor; adding the opinion, that the large expenditure in making this road will have been worse than useless, if it were not suffered to go to decay, and his desire to see it preserved.
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Mr. Van Buren moved, by way of amendment, a substitute for the bill, embracing several sections, and a variety of provisions, and qualifications of the broad principle laid down in the original bill. He followed his motion with some remarks explanatory of the amendment he offered, and the reasons why he deemed the bill inexpedient without his modifications.
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IMPRISONMENT FOR DEBT
The Senate resumed the consideration of the bill to abolish imprisonment for debt, and the amendments offered thereto, by Mr. Van Buren.
These amendments as before stated, embrace a variety of provisions, which are, substantially, the following: 1st. They make the act prospective, so as not to interfere with the remedies of the parties upon existing contracts. 2. They except... Continue Reading
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Mr. Van Buren delivered an argument of than an hour's length, in support of the object the bill. He laid down the principle that imprisonment for debt, as practised in this country, is inoperative as a remedy, unnecessarily rigorous, unjust, and ought to be abolished, in regard to debtors involving no fraud or breach of trust to the public of an individual, and this principle he defended with... Continue Reading
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Mr. Van Buren, from the Committee on the Judiciary, to which was referred the petition of Samuel Buel, made a report, accompanied by a bill for the relief of Samuel Buel. The report and bill were read, and the bill passed to a second reading.
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NEW ENGLAND MISSISSIPPI LAND COMPANY.
Mr. Van Buren, from the Committee on the Judiciary, to which was referred a petition of the Massachusetts Directors of the Association called the New England Mississippi Land Company, made a detailed report thereon, adverse to the prayer of the petition; which was read, and ordered to be printed.
The report is as follows:
That, by an act of Congress, dated... Continue Reading
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On this bill a debate arose, which occupied the remainder of the day's session. Mr. Taylor, of Virginia, commenced the debate, by submitting, at much length, his objections to the bill. Messrs. Holmes, of Maine, Van Buren, Eaton, Lowrie, Mills, and Macon, joined in the debate—the two first named going more into the merits of the act in question, than the other gentlemen. The discussion turned... Continue Reading
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Mr. Van Buren presented the memorial of D. Dunham, praying that certain privileges may be conferred on the steamship Robert Fulton. The memorial was read, and referred to the Committee on Commerce and Manufactures.
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Messrs. Dickerson, Lowrie, Smith, of Maryland, Barton, Van Buren, Taylor, of Virginia, Holmes, of Maine, Brown, of Ohio, King, of New York, and Johnson, of Kentucky, followed Mr. Benton, with their respective views of the expediency or inexpediency of this measure, and continued the debate until past three o'clock. In the end the bill was, at the request of a member, laid over to Monday.
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Mr. Van Buren, from the same committee, to which was referred the bill, entitled "An act to amend an act, entitled 'An act further to regulate the entry of merchandise imported into the United States from any adjacent territory,'" together with the amendments proposed thereto, reported the same, with a further amendment; which was read.
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On motion of Mr. Van Buren, it was
Resolved, That the Senate will, to-morrow, at 12 o'clock, proceed to the choice of a President pro tempore.
[Though nothing was said by Mr. Van Buren on offering the above resolution, it was known that the Vice President had withdrawn from the Chair of the Senate for the remainder of the session, being about to return home.]
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Mr. Johnson, of Kentucky, moved to amend the resolution reported by the committee so as to reverse it and make it favorable to the petitioner, and followed his motion with a speech of some length in support of the claim.
An earnest debate ensued on this question, which occupied the Senate until nearly four o'clock, in which the various facts, and numerous papers, adduced in support of the claim,... Continue Reading
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Mr. Van Buren presented the petition of Daniel Brown, praying the passage of a law authorizing the equitable settlement of his accounts. The petition was read, and referred to the Committee of Claims.
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The gentlemen who spoke in favor of including the three large claims, named above in the bill, were Messrs. Johnson of Louisiana, Van Dyke, Brown of Louisiana, Smith of Maryland, and Mills; and those who opposed it were Messrs. Taylor of Virginia, Van Buren, Eaton, Lanman, Barbour, and Chandler.
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