The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States, First Congress, First Session, Volume 2 Page: 1,363
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1363 OF DEBATES IN CONGRESS. 1364
Febri ary 23, 1700 ] Public Credit [H. of R.
be inciensed much to the dissatisfaction of (he
citiyens In this c i°e, that ea^e in taxation,which
has been contemplated, would not take effect
These are the reflections which have arisen
in my mind, and really I did not think that we
should have got so fai oil with this business by
this lime; we ha\e been expeditious indeed; it
will not be doubted that we are wise politicians,
yet it must be granted we are bold ones We
have, without the assistance ol any part of the
community, except an ofhcei of Govei nment,
and the information we have obtained fiomeach
other, adopted lesolutions affecting the dearest
inteiests of the peop'e, without affording them
an opportunity of fettmg us know then senti-
ment*. Shall we go on to new-model all the
revenues throughout the United States, to alter
the disposition of eveiy State's scheme of
finance, without consulting them; giving ciuse
of chagrin to the State cieditois, and of alann
to our constituents and then Stat^ Gov tinment-,
generally? It appeua to me to be a hazaid >us
thing
I will make one obseivalion more, which the
last has suggested. The community might luve
adopted, willingly, had they been con ullcd, a
measuie which they may object to and opp>se,
if decided upon without their knowledge
I do not see, noi has it been pioved to the
satisfaction of my mind, that thei e is any occi
sion for using expedition in completing any pai t
of the funding plan I have not chtnged that
sentiment which I mentioned in the beg'nning
If we lay and collect taxes, we shall be in a
situation to pay om debts; but a fundingscheme
will not make us a fai thing the nchei, howevei
elevated on the scile of nations it may m ike us
appear We often adopt piopositions with the
fiimest reliance on then tiuth and prnpueij,
yet some thought and communication, with a
little experience, will induce us towondei how
we evei could have conceived them light
These are the suggestions of my mind, so fai
a9 I have examined the subject, and it appears
to be a step which we cannot take, at ih.stime,
with any piospect of advantage
Mr Clymer said, tint although the ,i«sunip
tion of the State debts appeared to him a mea
sure of a fedeial complexion, and necessaiy to
the preseivation of the Union, yet it lequued
consideiable caution. At present no vciy im-
portant objection occulted to him agiinst it.
Those mentioned by the gentleman fiom Mny-
land, he thought, admitted of an easy answei;
they weie principally, That we were lequired
to assume the unauthonzed, as well as the au-
thorized State debts; which never could be a
chaige against the United States: Thatit would
be difficult to find the means of satisfying both
the Federal and State debts consolidated. And
that if the power of pioviding for their own
debts was taken from the States, they would be
brought to too gieat a dependency on the Uni-
ted {states.
To the first, he answeied, that what we as-
sumed ot the unauthonzed debts of the States
would be sufficiently coveied in the gioss de
mand which they all would have against the
United States, when then accounts should be
finally made up To the second, he answered,
that Congiess could not assume the State debts
without "ssuming, at the same time, those very
means which otheiwise the States would em-
ploy in extinguishing their debts, were they left
on then own hand; and that, in this case, it
would be as easy to satisfy both species of debt
as one. On the third objection he obseivcd,
that if a condition of absolute dependency on
the General Government was to follow this
measure, it would he onlv the anticipation of a
necessary event Foi,on the final settlement
of accounts, whatever debts weie then due to
the States, must be assumed, and in like man-
nei piovuled for uy Congress, in taking the tax-
ation out of the hands of the States Other ob
ject.ons, and peilups matenal, might occur; but
he saw none at that time that militated fccibly
against the measure.
Mi Sherm\ w—It appeals to me, that the
objections of the gentleman ftnm Maiyland, are
not sufficient to prevent oui adoption of this
pioposition His hist objection is, that it will
;ive a gieatei degree ol impjitance to the Ge-
neial Government, while it will lessen the con
sequence ot the State Governments Now, I
do not believe it will have that effect. I consi-
dei both Governments as standing onthebiuad
basis of the people; they weicbiMi instituted
by them, for then general and pait.cular go k\
The Repiesentalives in Congiess draw then
authority horn the same souice as the State Le-
gislatuies; they are both of their, elected by the
people at laige,the one to manage then national
concei lis, and the other then domestic, wh cli
they find can be bettei done, by biing divided
into lcssei communities, than the whole Union;
but to effect the gi eater concerns, they have
confedeiated; theiefore, every thing which
strengthens the Fedeial Government, and cna
bles it to answer the end loi wh ch it was n.sti
tuted, will be a desnable object with the people
It is well known, we can ex'end om authority
no fuithei than to the bounds the people have
assigned If we abuse this pouti, doubtless,
the people will send otheis to conect oui faults,
or, if necessaiy, allei the system; but we have
eveiy reason to believe the people will be pleas
ed with it, and none suppose that the State Go
^ei nments will object They aie the supreme
power, within their own juiwdiction, and they
will have authority over the State-, in all cases,
notgiven to the General Government, notwith-
standing the assumption of the State debts If
it was a question between two diffeient coun
dies, and we were going to give the Butish
Pailiament powei, by assuming oui debts, of
levying what ta\es they thought piopei,and
the people ot Amenca were to have no voice in
the appointment of the officers, who were to ad
minister the affan s of the Gov ei nment, the ex
peument would be dangeious to this countiy;
but as the business is to be conducted by our-
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Gales, Joseph, 1761-1841. The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States, First Congress, First Session, Volume 2, book, 1834; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc29466/m1/46/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.