Report on the Petition of John Edgar

The Secretary of Treasury reports on the petition of John Edgar of Kaskaskias to the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Edgar claims to have given gifts to various Indian tribes in Illinois Country, in order to pacify their hostility to white settlers moving west. Edgar claims that he should be compensated for the gift-giving, since it was essential to preserving the lives and property of American citizens. Hamilton says that the claim is inadmissible, since the expense incurred was of the mere will of the claimant. Hamilton adds that it would set a mischievous precedent, as other settlers would likely claim the same.