Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856, Vol. 3 (of 16)United States. Congress
History
Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856, Vol. 3 (of 16)
United States. Congress
Law -- United States; United States -- Politics and government
In the treaty lately concluded with France, the treaty between France
and Spain is referred to; only a part of it is copied. The treaty
referred to must be a public treaty. In the nature of things it must
be the title-deed for the province of Louisiana. The Government must
have a copy of it. As there is but a part recited, it is evidently
imperfect. It becomes therefore necessary to be furnished with the whole,
in order to ascertain the conditions relative to the Duke of Parma; it
also becomes necessary to get the deed of cession; for the promise to
cede is no cession. This deed of cession, Mr. G. also presumed, was in
the possession of Government. It was also important to know under what
circumstances Louisiana is to be taken possession of, and whether with
the consent of Spain, as she is still possessed of it. If it is to be
taken possession of with her consent, the possession will be peaceable
and one kind of provision will be necessary; but if it is to be taken
possession of in opposition to Spain, a different provision may be
necessary. From these considerations he thought it proper in the House to
call upon the Executive for information on this point. Other important
documents may, perhaps, likewise be in the hands of the President.
Mr. RANDOLPH hoped the resolution would not be agreed to. He was well
apprized of the aspect which it was in the power of ingenuity to give to
a refusal, on the part of that House, to require any information which
gentlemen might think fit to demand of the Executive, however remotely
connected with subjects before them. But the dread of imputations
which he knew to be groundless should never induce him to swerve from
that line of conduct which his most sober judgment approved. Did he
indeed conceive that the nation, or the House, entertained a doubt
of our having acquired new territory and people to govern; could he
for a moment believe that even a minority, respectable as to numbers,
required any other evidence of this fact than the extract from the treaty
which had just been read, he would readily concur with the gentleman
from Connecticut in asking of the Executive, whether indeed we had
a new accession of territory and of citizens, or, as that gentleman
had been pleased to express himself, subjects to govern. He hoped the
gentleman would excuse a small variation from his own phraseology,
since, notwithstanding the predilection which some Governments and some
gentlemen manifested for this form, Mr. R. asked for himself the use of
such as were more familiar to American ears and American constitutions.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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