University of Virginia Library

FRIDAY 6 DECR.

An ordinance, extending the privilege of Franking letters to the
Heads of all the Departments was reported & taken up. Various
ideas were thrown out on the subject at large; some contending

for the extension proposed some for a partial adoption of it, some
for a total abolition of the privilege as well in members of
Congress as in others. Some for a limitation of the privilege to a
definite number or weight of letters. Those who contended for a
total abolition, represented the privilege as productive of abuses,
as reducing the profits so low as to prevent the extension of the
establishment throughout the U. S. and as throwing the whole
burden of the establishment on the mercantile intercourse.—On
the other side it was contended that in case of an abolition The
Delegates, or their Constitutents, would be taxed just in proportion
to their distance from the seat of Congress; which was
neither just nor politic, considering the many other disadvantages
which were inseparable from that distance; that as the correspondence
of the Delegates was the principal channel through which a
general knowledge of public affairs, was diffused, any abridgment
of it would so far confine this advantage to the States within the
neighbourhood of Congress; & that as the correspondence at
present however voluminous did not exclude from the mail any
private letters which wd be subject to postage, and if postage was
extended to letters now franked the no & size of them would be
essentially reduced, the revenue was not affected in the manner
represented. The Ordinance was disagreed to & the subject recommitted,
wth instruction to the Committee giving them ample
latitude for such Report as they should think fit.

A Boston Newspaper containing under the Providence Head,
an extract of a letter purporting to be written by a Gentleman in
Philada and misrepresenting the state of our loans, as well as betraying
the secret proposal of the Swedish Court to enter into a
Treaty with the U. S; with the view of disproving to the people of R.
Island the necessity of the Impost of 5 P Ct.; had been handed
about for several days. From the style and other circumstances,
it carried strongly the appearance of being written by a Member
of Congress. The unanimous suspicions were fixed on Mr.
Howel. The mischievous tendency of such publications & the
necessity of the interposition of Congress were also general subjects
of conversation. It was imagined too that a detection of
the person suspected would destroy in his State that influence
which he exerted in misleading its counsels with respect to the

Impost. These circumstances led Mr. Williamson to move the
proposition on this subject.[15]

It was opposed by no one.

Mr. Clark supposing it to be levelled in part at him, rose & informed
Congress, that not considering the article relative to
Sweden as secret in its nature, and considering himself at liberty
to make any communications to his Constituents, he had disclosed
it to the Assembly of N. Jersey. He was told that the motion
was not aimed at him, but the doctrine advanced by him was
utterly inadmissible. Mr. Rutledge observed that after this
frankness on the part of Mr. Clarke as well as from the respect
due from every member to Congress & to himself, it might be
concluded that if no member present should own the letter in
question, no member present was the author of it. Mr. H. was
evidently perturbated but remained silent.

The conference with the Committee of the Legislature of
Penna., with subsequent information had rendered it very evident
that unless some effectual measures were taken against separate
appropriations & in favor of the public Creditors the Legislature
of that State, at its next meeting, would resume the plan which
they had suspended. Mr. Rutledge in pursuance of this conviction
moved that the Superintendt. of Finance be instructed to
represent to the several States the mischiefs which such appropriations
would produce. It was observed with respect to this
motion that however it might be as one expedient, it was of itself
inadequate; that nothing but a permanent fund for discharging
the debts of the public would divert the States from making provision
for their own Citizens; that a renewal of the call on R. Island
for the impost ought to accompany the motion; that such a combination
of these plans would mutually give efficacy to them,

since R. Island would be solicitous to prevent separate appropriations,
& the other States would be soothed with the hope of the
Impost. These observations gave rise to the Motion of Mr.
Hamilton, which stands on the Journal.[16] Agst. Mr. Rutledge's
part of the motion no objection was made. But The sending a
deputation to Rhode Island was a subject of considerable debate,
in which the necessity of the impost, in order to prevent separate
appropriations by the States, to do equal justice to the Public
creditors, to maintain our national character & credit abroad, to
obtain the loans essential for supplying the deficiencies of revenue,
to prevent the encouragement which a failure of the scheme
would give the Enemy to persevere in the war, was fully set forth.
The objections, except those wch. came agst. the scheme itself from
the Delegates of R. Island, were drawn from the unreasonableness
of the proposition. Congress ought it was said to wait for
an official answer to their demand of an explicit answer from R.
I. before they could with propriety repeat their exhortations.
To which it was replied that altho' this objection might have
some weight, Yet the urgency of our situation, and the chances of
giving a favorable turn to the negotiations on foot for peace rendered
it of little comparative significance. The objections were
finally retracted, and both the propositions agreed to. The Deputation
elected were Mr. Osgood, Mr. Mifflin & Mr. Nash taken
from different parts of the U. S., & each from States that had
fully adopted the Impost, and would be represented in Congress
wth.out them; except Mr. Osgood whose State, he being alone,
was not represented without him.