Life and Letters of George Cabot (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. 1791-1792. The United States Senate. Ix the month of June, 1791, Mr. Cabot was chosen, without opposition, Senator of the United States from Massachusetts, for the full term, to succeed Tristram Dalton. He at once accepted the office, and in the following autumn took his seat. The other Massachusetts senator at this time was Caleb Strong, with whom Mr. Cabot maintained a life-long friendship. Mr. Cabot's services in the State Convention had made him well and widely known; and, after his arrival in Philadelphia, he at once took a high position among the Federalist leaders in the national government. He took the oath of office just in time to be placed upon the committee to draft an address in reply to the President's message. But his services then, as well as during his whole senatorial term, were principally rendered in affairs of commerce and finance. During the session of 1791-92, Mr. Cabot served on the committee on the mint, and on that for establishing a consular system. He was a member of the committee on appropriations, and also chairman of the committee to consider the expediency of legislation, and, if it was thought proper, to report a bill respecting fugitives from justice, and from the service of masters. He also framed and carried through a bill for the encouragement of the Bank and other cod-fisheries, and for the regulation and government of the fishermen employed therein, and in this connection served as thechairman of the committee on fisheries. In this, as in all subsequent sessions, Mr. Cabot was most assiduous in his attention to all the duties involved in his office. Invariably present when the session opened, he asked for leave of absence but once during his term of service, and then only to go home and tender his resignation. Mr. Cabot...