James Duane, Richard Peters, Daniel Carroll, Benjamin Hawkins, Arthur Lee

“ And that for these purposes and for Indian affairs in general, the standing a Committee of Congress on Indian affairs should be revived be appointed with instructions to prepare and report to Congress an ordinance for regulating the Indian trade, with a clause strictly prohibiting all civil and military officers and particularly all Commissioners and Agents for Indian affairs, from trading with the Indians or purchasing or being directly or indirectly concerned in purchasing lands from the Indians, except only by the express license and authority of the United States in Congress assembled. ”

“ And whereas the trade with the Indians ought to be regulated, and security be given by the traders, for the punctual observance of such regulations, so that violence, fraud and injustice towards the Indians, may be guarded against and prevented, and the honor of the federal government and the public tranquility thereby promoted. ”

“ The committee are of opinion, that in the negotiation which they recommend, care ought to be taken neither to yield nor require too much; to accommodate the Indians as far as the public good will admit, and if they should appear dissatisfied at the lines which it may be found necessary to establish, rather to give them some compensation for their claims than to hazard a war, which will be much more expensive ”

“ Secondly, that was it not for the purpose of comprehending the settlement of Detroit within the jurisdiction of the new government a more compact and better shaped District for a State would be for the above described line to proceed from the Miami Fort and village along the river of that name to Lake Erie, leaving in that case the settlement of Detroit and all the territory north of the rivers Miami and St Joseph's between the Lakes Erie, St Clair, Huron, and Michigan to form hereafter another State equally large, compact and water bound. ”

“ Provided that if those tribes shall voluntarily agree to exchange their present claims for a district more remote from the settlements of our citizens and such exchange shall not be deemed disadvantageous by the State claiming the jurisdiction it shall be lawful for the Commissioners to ratify such exchange for the better security of the said Indians. ”

“ Seventhly, That the said commissioners be and they are hereby instructed to obtain a particular account of the French Inhabitants at Detroit, Illinois, and other villages within the territories of the United States, and that they give assurances in the name of the United States to those inhabitants [who shall profess their allegiance to the United States] that they shall be protected in the full enjoyment of their liberty and their [just and lawful] property. ”

“ The committee report however, says "northern and western departments."} are seriously disposed to a pacification, yet they are not in a temper to relinquish their territorial claims, without further struggles. That if an Indian war should be rekindled, repeated victories might produce the retreat of the Indians, but could not prevent them from regaining possession of some part of the distant and extensive territories, which appertain to the United States ”