"Sec. 4. And be it further enacted: That, until further provision shall be made by Congress, the President shall be, and he hereby is empowered to establish within the country he may acquire by this act, a temporary government, the civil and military authorities of which shall be vested in such person and persons as he may appoint, and be exercised in such manner as he may direct: Provided: That he shall take due care for the preservation of social order, and for securing to the inhabitants the enjoyment of their personal rights, their religion, and their property: And provided, also: That the section of country herein designated, that is situated to the Eastward of the river Perdido, may be the subject of further negotiation."
Ordered: That it pass to a second reading.
Thursday, July 2.
Agreeably to the order of the day, the bill, entitled "An act authorizing the President to take possession of a tract of country lying south of the Mississippi Territory and of the State of Georgia, and for other purposes," was resumed, and considered as in Committee of the Whole; and Mr. Gaillard was requested to take the Chair.
On motion by Mr. Crawford, he was permitted to amend his motion, made yesterday, as follows:
"And be it further enacted: That if the United States, in the prosecution of the present war against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, should obtain possession of the British provinces in North America, or either of them, that the President of the United States be, and he is hereby authorized and empowered to establish within the same a temporary government; and the military, civil, and judicial powers thereof, shall be vested in such person and persons, and be exercised in such manner as he may direct, for the protection and maintenance of the inhabitants of such province or provinces, in the full enjoyment of their property, liberty, and religion: Provided: That the principles upon which such temporary government shall be established, shall form no obstacle to the restoration of peace between the two nations."
And, on motion to agree to the amendment, it was determined in the affirmative—yeas 20, nays 10, as follows:
Yeas.—Messrs. Anderson, Bibb, Bradley, Brent, Campbell of Tennessee, Condit, Crawford, Cutts, Franklin, Gaillard, Giles, Howell, Leib, Pope, Robinson, Tait, Taylor, Turner, Varnum, and Worthington.
Nays.—Messrs. Bayard, German, Gilman, Goodrich, Horsey, Hunter, Lambert, Lloyd, Smith of Maryland, and Smith of New York.
On motion, by Mr. Tait, to amend the bill as follows: