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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Resolution by the Continental Congress concerning state quotas of money for the war, including circular letter from Robert Morris to the state governors
United States. Continental Congress
October 01, 1783
Volume 16, Pages 898-900

HON. ROBERT MORRIS TO GOVERNOR MARTIN.
[From Executive Letter Book.]

Circular.


Office of Finance, 5th October, 1783.

Sir:

I do myself the honor to enclose to your Excellency the Copy of an Act of the first Instant. You must permit me Sir, to call the particular attention of your State to this important Act. I shall not attempt to add any thing to it because it appears to me that Congress have said all which can be necessary. Neither shall I on this occasion attempt to display the extraordinary merit & suffering of our Army because I will not suppose any person in the United States to be ignorant of what is so generally acknowledged. Besides it is not my present Business to ask for our Officers & Soldiers any reward but merely to do them Justice. Your Excellency will I hope excuse however this one observation that their exemplary Patience under the detention of their dues gives them a double title to what Congress now ask for these their faithful Servants.

With perfect respect I have the honor, &c.,
ROBERT MORRIS.


By the United States in Congress Assembled,
Octo. 1st, 1783.

The Committee to whom was referred a representation of the Legislature of New Jersey

Report, That it appears from the said representation that Complaints have been made to the Legislature of New Jersey by the Officers of the line of that State of partial payments made by other States to the Troops of their particular Lines, and that it is proposed by the said Legislature unless measures be taken by Congress for securing equal Justice to the troops of New Jersey, to apply to their use a part of the Taxes by & allotted for the disposition of the United States in Congress Assembled.

That by the Articles of Confederation all charges of War, and all other expences incurred for the common defence or general welfare,

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and allowed by the United States in Congress Assembled, are to be defrayed out of a common Treasury which shall be supplied by the several States and the United States in Congress Assembled are to ascertain the sums so to be supplied, and to appropriate and apply the same in defraying such expences.

That in pursuance of this delegated power Congress did in the Month of November last require of the several States their respective proportions of the sum of eight millions of Dollars for the Service of the current year in which service was included the payment of the Army, so that in case of complyance with the said requisition the whole army will be regularly and duly paid.

That if therefore individual States undertake without the warrant of Congress to disburse any part of monies required for and appropriated to the use of the Army, or any other purposes of the Union, the foederal Constitution must be so far infringed.

That such infractions ought the more to be guarded against as they tend to subvert the plans which Congress have adopted, and are now carrying into effect, for a uniform and economical administration of the public Revenue, as they must prolong the existence of unsettled accounts between the United States and individual States, from which great Inconveniences have been experienced, and as they cannot fail to produce ultimately discords among the several States, and intermediate confusions and murmurs in the Army, Whereupon

Resolved,

That the Legislature of New Jersey be informed that Congress have adopted every means in their power for securing payment of the arrears due to the army prior to the first day of January last, and for the regular payment of the Army in future, which they hope the several States will exert themselves to enable Congress to accomplish. And that Congress have discountenanced all partial payments of the army by particular States.

Resolved,

That no monies paid by any of the States to the officers and Soldiers of the Army of the United States as pay for the year 1782 be considered as advanced in behalf of the United States, and that the same be not credited to the State by which the advance shall have been made.

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Resolved,

That the several States be required to make speedy payments of the respective quotas into the public Treasury that Congress may be thereby enabled to pay the officers & Soldiers of the American Army the amount of their pay for the present Year.

CHARLES THOMPSON, Sec.