University of Virginia Library

TUESDAY JANY. 15th. [14th.] 1783

Congress adjourned for the meeting of The Grand Committee
to whom was referred the report concerning the valuation of the
lands and who accordingly met.

The Committee were in general strongly impressed with the extreme
difficulty & inequality if not impracticability of fulfilling
the article of the Confederation relative to this point; Mr. Rutledge
however excepted, who altho' he did not think the rule so
good a one as a census of inhabitants, thought it less impracticable
than the other members. And if the valuation of land had
not been prescribed by ye. federal articles, the Committee wd. certainly
have preferred some other rule of appointment, particularly
that of numbers under certain qualifications as to Slaves. As the
federal Constitution however left no option, & a few[28] only were
disposed to recommend to the States an alteration of it, it was
necessary to proceed 1st. to settle its meaning—2dly to settle the
least objectionable mode of valuation. On the first point, it was
doubted by several members wher. the returns which the report
under consideration required from the States would not be final
and whether the Arts. of Confn. wd. allow Congress to alter them
after they had fixed on this mode; on this point no vote was
taken. A 2d. question afterwards raised in the course of the discussion
was how far the Art required a specific valuation, and

how far it gave a latitude as to the mode, on this point also there
was a diversity of opinions; but no vote taken.

2dly. As to the mode itself referred to the Gd. Come., it was strongly
objected to by the Delegate from Cont., Mr. Dyer—by Mr. Hamilton,
—by Mr. Wilson by Mr. Carol, & by Mr. Madison, as leaving
the States too much to the bias of interest, as well as too uncertain
& tedious in the execution. In favr. of the Rept. was Mr. Rutledge
the father of it, who thought the honor of the States & their
mutual confidence a sufficient security agst. frauds & the suspicion
of them. Mr. Ghoram favd. the report also, as the least impracticable
mode, and as it was necessary to attempt at least some compliance
with the federal rule before any attempt could be properly
made to vary it. An opinion entertained by Massachusetts that
she was comparatively in advance to the U. S. made her anxious
for a speedy settlement of the mode by which a final apportionment
of the common burden cd. be effected. The sentiments of
the other members of the Committee were not expressed.

Mr. Hamilton proposed in lieu of a reference of the valuation
to the States, to class the lands throughout the States under distinctive
descriptions, viz: arable, pasture, wood, &c. and to annex
a uniform rate to the several classes according to their different
comparative value, calling on the States only for a return of the
quantities & descriptions. This mode would have been acceptable
to the more compact & populous States, but was totally inadmissible
to the Southern States.

Mr. Wilson proposed that returns of the quantity of land & of
the number of inhabitants in the respective States sd. be obtained,
and a rule deducted from the combination of these data. This
also would have affected the States in a similar manner with the
proposition of Mr. Hamilton. On the part of the S. States it was
observed that besides its being at variance with the text of the
Confederation it would work great injustice, as would every mode
which admitted the quantity of lands within the States, into the
measure of their comparative wealth and abilities.

Lastly it was proposed by Mr. Madison, that a valuation shd.
be attempted by Congress without the intervention of the States.
He observed that as the expense attending the operation would
come ultimately from the same pockets, it was not very material

whether it was borne in the first instance by Congress or the
States, and it at least deserved consideration whether this mode
was not preferable to ye. proposed reference to the States.

The conversation ended in the appt. of a sub-committee consisting
of Mr. Madison, Mr. Carol & Mr. Wilson who were desired
to consider the several modes proposed, to confer with the Superintendt.
of Finance, & make such report to the Gd. Come. as they
shd. judge fit.