Burr, as president of the Senate, addressed a note on the subject to
the secretary of state, Mr. Madison, and to the secretary of the
Senate, Mr. Otis, to which the following replies were made.
FROM MR. MADISON.
Department of State, December 11, 1803.
J. Madison presents his respects to the vice-president, who will find
in the enclosed the information afforded by the office of state on the
subject of former amendments to the Constitution. Mr. Beckley
recollects, that in one of the instances, copies equal to the number
of the states were made out in the clerk's office of the House of
Representatives. In the other, I understood from him that the copies
were not furnished to the executive; but it does not appear, from any
thing in the office of state, whether this was or was not the case.
J. WAGNER TO MR. MADISON.
Department of State, December 10, 1803.
DEAR SIR,
I find that all the amendments to the Constitution, though none of
them are signed by the president, have been enrolled in this office. I
do not find that the first set was forwarded by this department to the
states, though the president was requested to communicate them, as
appears by the journals. The last amendment was forwarded by the
secretary of state, by direction of the president, to the governors of
the states.
The vice-president called this morning and stated two questions, which
I was then unable to answer, _viz_.
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