3883. INCORPORATION, General welfare clause and.—[continued].
The House of Representatives
sent[to the Senate] yesterday a bill
for incorporating a company to work Roosevelt's
copper mines in New Jersey. I do not
know whether it is understood that the Legislature
of Jersey was incompetent to this, or
merely that we have concurrent legislation
under the sweeping clause. Congress are
authorized to defend the nation. Ships are
necessary for defence; copper is necessary for
ships; mines necessary for copper; a company
necessary to work mines; and who can doubt
this reasoning who has ever played at “This
is the House that Jack built”. Under such
a process of filiation of necessities the sweeping
clause makes clea work.—
To E. Livingston. Washington ed. iv, 329.
Ford ed., vii, 444.
(Pa.,
April. 1800)
