Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political — Alexandria [Va.], 1810-06-08 00:00:00, page 2

5
* " Dodssfi-tssneete," communicated by the
preaident to, congrese are called " public,"
because we can naturallv take no other ties!
osthc etthjrct that that such communication:
are made in pureuanre ofthat part osthe con
ntitutinn which makea it the duty of the
president, " From time to time to give to
congreee information of the state of the
union." ln diecussiog the pnesident's pow
er upon this point, it. has already been re
marked that the power to give information
to congress could not mean the essamc as to
withhold infocsimation from the people.-—
We may go farther and say, with perfect
confidencc, that the frameraof the consti-'
ssution exgceelj contemþlated pob'licity as
she eesential characteristic of this act of the
. preeidch The constitution ie imperativess, ss
si ** if: men".. lrom time to time, give to the
ss gon-fen, &c." .Thiaprovipion ie contained
in a eectiott of the eondtitatioa which pre
ur'þee the dutt'eesi rathetsi than the pmm
of the extent'tve- The intention of the
mond-article regulate! the election 'of the
wicket ; the eecond give: him the- pow- ,
are of military command, of reprievee and 5
Pan-done, of making tecatieegssand os'ap- j
pain-um end the thirdehnmndecthim t'o ctj
.m- insornsiation to the kgielatuce. to re- .
commend heath!!! lbtheirconeidmtionss, *
to receive gobeaeedon, and lots-cence the
um. ** He dull-eit- i'? the. Warm"—
ww! einq-VRW me
,n'nu mol'MeM"lt is worthy of
"pened "Wh, un 5. she Man]:
of etititiae'iiictwem nsch'nius this "duty
of comaoidﬂbgsiinfilmm is sinfully
hop! dine-inn from the win-si- Jankin:
neatiea'tﬂsi-flss'hg stenten of the conltitution
The question how lar the house ol repre
ct sentatives possesses a constitution'al power
to bind its'memhers to secrecy. in respect to
" pufiic doe " ents," is now siopcn foresa
minatt A -
*' si ss 'A FRctACMENT.
THE little Ethisinpian was only two years
old;—alas was sitting on the threshold of ct
fit-door which looks into the garden-sweep- ss
In: bitterly, and calling for her mother :—
this tender name awoke all my sensibility;
and riretted me to the spot ; for !, too, have
had a child, and know the poignancyssof its
woes when sepersted, as it thought, forever,
n'am its parent! ' Where isthy mother, my
little child, said I ;' 'when a low voice behind
me, repliad, " she is here ; but I am as near
my daughter as ! am allowed to go. She is
- sold away from me, for! am a slave :--See, ss
it istied with a string to keep it from running
back agiin. it was too young to take 4
away : —-si it weeps and calls for me all the
time! Ohl [have often prayed earnestly to
hate my child, for then ! might have peace !— i
How, all day ! am thinking of my insant, and *
all night! pm dreamiag of her ,—-—my heart \
is lit-eating fast ]" Here the young captive
had caught" the sound of its mother's voice,
and ran towards her, holding out its little
hands, tiilthe hedge of its eaptivity straitenedy
and brought if to the ground. ' Out upon it '.'.'
cried ], (for I had lost all my prudence, in
the fervency of my pity and resentment) 'and
cursed, in his bashet and in his store, be every
one who causes such tears as these z—l'or
he shall not easily wash his hands of it at the
sisigtWQ'WMMMsi-i
' Mix Duly Guettcsi
in day l-'-_
TMIy Gum: 6 Dan-t: per anthem.
CWMR, : Dollan.
w
'-MMY, .IUNE ]. ct
—_———- ...— W—C—c—d— .
si
w
CONIBRCLAL &! BOLlTlCMu—si
run-no no "lum: si * 4
SAMUBLSNOWDEM
man!-"omen, dies-advic
To the People of the Unitid State.}.
Lettess upon French influence.
No-ctV.
Fretit the Freemen' : Your-nel: (
set the WXath-id Gazctt'e.
...p-mo-d
7?- Usisi'si'si sisi'si ' "'HIJ-M 'V -<
"" "- '***'*W in"
those illustrious sagctuss and psiatriots did not'
contemplate the pursictisiasise of an Aribi'sss Desi'
sette, or even an Arabia Felix". They did
not make it the duty of the ectxe'cutire to
make tenties to buy. tmitor); or to day
peace -'si *Yst it is only upon the ground of
an imagiuary, but ,clearly extrsia-eonstitution
al, connexion between the treaty- -inaking
power, and the communication, by tlte1
departtnent of the government which pos
sesses that power, of ". administration" to
; congress, in the shape of diplomatie doc'u
si ments, "that the friends of information pre
tend to justisy even the house of repre
sentatives in imposing a perpetual injune
tion of secrecy in relation to the contents of
. those documents. The present writer does
[not hesitatesitq May, with at least equal
boldness, and he hopes more cogent rea—l
soning, than what sir Francis Burdcttt has \
dis-played in questioning the right 95 the
British house of commons to imprison a
British subject, the-constitutional and legal
'power of the house of representatives to
'impose's uch an injunction. He hasalrea
, dy totally denied the tight of the president
! to exercise this power. He now denies its;
' existence in the house of representatives,
i as the constitution, the laws and the rnlsiesi
of that house, have hitherto stood. But
he does not aﬀect to be wise!- than seven.
1
, men who, can rendex-a reasor't.- He will. not ;
!
i
)
7
lss which the house may determine (it would ]
nemby an expreu vote) to be improsier. to
be published.- & not any other paper; "but
ever, which are not entered on the ioumal,
that are thus protected by the shield of the
constitution, and-sc'neen'ed stout the vulgar
gaze. What is " a joumal of proceedings l'
Certainly neither more orleas than : record T
of lete. The house in parliolnemary phrue,
'Uþroceeds to consider"thi'e or the other met-.
ter, and the statement osits proceedingssput
into the form of : diary, eonnitutee the" jour
nal. As tt does not keep a journal of debate., .
it in neither required to publish it: debate., '
nor on it prevent the publicntioaof then
although they have token place with cloud _
door-. For menace, when the home resug;
ed_ to tublith the joust-ale of no proceeding:
upon the secret propoeltionto bay Arabia
the Scaly, (ma-) any- "member had a
But will give the reasons for the political
saith that is in him upon this subject,,with
his usual concisenessanci simplicity. _
It is certain that there are but two con
stitutionul psirovisions which bears upon this I
point: That which ie contained in the Oc
cond clause of the fifth section- of the first
article, in these words: ** Each-house may
determine the rules of us proceedings ;. pu
nish—its members for disorderly behaviour;
and. with the. concurrence oltwo-thirds ex—
pessl . member-:." And am which follows
in the very next clause, " Each house vital!
keep a journal of its proceedings ;- and from
time to time publish the same, excsiepting
such parts as may in theirjurlgment require
secrety: And she yeas and nay-s, of the
members of either house, on any question,
shall, at the desire os. one-fifth ol'those pre
seot, he entered on the jouttnal." Now, at
the'house might do business without any set
tled rule, except perhaps that of- vening the
speaker with a sort of absolutc power, and
is only permitlrd'ctto " determine the rules of
its pi'cicec-dings," itis clear as light that this.
PERBHSSlON to make mles of form, haum
natural connexion with the COMN'AND' to
keep ajournal, which is a rule of substance
prescribed by the cons titution itself,. and of'
course a necessary and indispensable one.
.The rules otsi'proceeding are to govern mem,_
bers only, and only while membero.ss The
right to keep a- part of the joumalks'ecret
must bind all men at-all times. [( exercised
siconsormably to the constit'ution, it must he
a gross contempt of the house to purloin or,
copy that part of the journalctfbr publication-cti
Bm it is the Mjournai" alone that is held
sackd. it is those parts ofthe jpuroal on
nghttom-wmmdmmdmwp- ss
l'CIOI'l (0
Arguings that. are unintelligible,
And mysteries nice of quit-le and quibblh
._—
si, '.
en tK'e-eubjeesst gent-My, is he stagedct no too;
tion or vote. The diatinetion siis obvioue-_
'Metlons and Ootee are entered _upon the
,jamd, ;rgumentnnd' eloquence ere not
ltsideesine thatin England the ezclupien 9!
the popullee ftqm the gylleriee has not been
confideted as involving a denial of the
eight of the member-to publish even the
ssproc'eedings, :: we learn by the sollnwing
! curious article from : late numbek of 'that
celebrated public-tion, Besill'e Wert/3, Her-]
sette-er. " We remember : time, "durssmBss
Tpulous-l The report of the proceeding"!
ssal. They were furnished by members
themselves. Till at length the good hu-ct
mored lotd in the blue tibbon, stepped
across the house to Mr. Pox and said—
"Really, Mr. For: since we have turned:
Ereporters ourselves, the speeches are so
elumsy, there is so much misrepresentation, ,
: and so much nonscnse, that we must open l
I the gallery door in our on" n defence." This.
reniark was better calculated for the mere
dian of London than it would now be sorth'at
of VVtishctington. The majority osour legis
lntors must either be silent, 'or speak with.
closed doors, is they mean to be respected
by the people. They can never be under
the necessity of opening the galleries in (le
fenre of their own. reputation as men of in.
tellect. Enough however at this. Nor is
is clear that we are obliged to adopt the
common law of parliament. But if that bo
dy,. which is sometimes, with a spice of
prbsanenesa, called " omnipotent,"'does not
presume to consider its unquestioned' right
to hold secret scssions as involving that of
preventing the publication of its secret pro
ceedings, it would seem to indicate a little
a'mgance in a legislature whose powers are
so litnited as those of Congress, to predume
to say that documents which- forms no part
of its journal are not to be published, be
cause it is permitted to lceep a. portion of
the journal itstls secte-t {.
The tas]: which the writer has undertak
en may be a task 0!" years. He hopes to
be enabled religiously to perform his en
gagtments to the people. But as he an
noonces explicitly, as the result of long and
.deep- reﬂection, that he conceives himself
entitled to make use osat least the substance
No. [. -
-OF'that eervile spirit, which character
izea the chief- of our democraoy; which
crouches beneath the lash of France ;-and
bend: under the yoke of Bonaparte, auch
multiplied proofs have been given, that any
additional evidence of. it, far from exciting
surprise, can namely attract attention. ln
jurtea which Ill better time: would have
ssnmed-the high toned and indignant mind
of. America, and-have awakened in every;
boaoqx'thoce generous and pattiotic seeiinga,
which can alone preaerve the independence
they gave, have been long contemplnted .;
ordinary eventa, Which, is they poems any ss
inﬂuence, aer'vcte only to [prepare us to ete- ;
eate the will of him frojn whom they pro
ceed. ; si ,
.To enumerate the accutntisslated wronga
and indolta which anbtniasstive and unolsend
its. America has auttained, without a mur
mur, would be only to preaent in man,
what haa passed in- rapid detail, without
prove-king the alighteet reaenttnent, or cti
ncttiilating us to the maniseetatidn of one na
ﬄctlneziefeect " -'
of all the documents upon' which Congress '
siwith all the firmness of patriotism.
--.:m:——
has acted, and of the whole of the dt-bstes
of the house osrepresentatives, be they now
polilic,or be they yet private, " even uniniti
"med" will in a moment be satisfied thaLthe
field before him is" voluminous and vast."
The torrent of popular passion is now so
of principle, assnd will meet its conscqsiuences
pected to result from these page-s, it must
he ol'a date ss least as distanr as the proh'a
ble termination of them. The responsibili
but-he assumes it with-all— the cheersulness
,). of the writer may be a tremendous one,.
resistless, that if any goodtcan ever be ex
thessadministration of lord North, 'When the ss
gallery was one: shut. {Only " once" in
the reign of the great "Tory," North?
however, went on in the newspapers as usu- si
Our " Whigs" ofths west m not so scru- ss
-\-.
From the I'ss'edczbl Republz'can;
(
!
fsuu. - —-_- -
; But this patient suﬀering ders not—inly
. the tyrant of continual-Europe. _- it into:
j enough, that .,we are pmwsie out-Jew}.
commandt us to be actitte,ctlctndssthe imped
ous mandate must be obeyed: He call.;
lupon us to enter- into the lengue he has
7 formed against a free and a pliant people,
3 ho are now fighting the battles-.of the
! world, and who present tl- oltlysi obetncle to
: his ambitious views. ._ Let. him nhdue
. Britain, "and Boneperte is the lord of one
; earth. . . .
! The tmls therefore of this exmpstor of
si'human liberty, while tilent as the "grave
F-with respect to the act-1 In: waged upon
i us by France, findin every measure. olthe
ssiBritish government cause olsiqunrrtl. The
L-nrtisicsse of coneeaiing real lnludel ,and sub—
staatint dangem under the meek of loud
l and clamorous indignation epic—t acts of
ss questionable right, and expntsion's in their
"nature equivocsl, has long been practi d
1
the feetos Bonapztrte the only power which
cancheck his-furious career. No wit.-pre
sentation is too grosttto be made ;. no rxsg
geration too extravagant to be imposed on.
the public. For eVery action the wont
motives are astigned :" and meusuresmhici'e
are the inevitable result of. the present state
of things, ere-tortured.- into- indications of
hostilityct
By boldly drawing unwarmnted ins r
-ences. and daringly asserting them as (acts;
by concealing or lightly passing over the
deep, perhaps mortal wounds inflicted on
our intlependence, by the tyrant, who con
ceals— only from the wilfully blind; the
chains he has forged. thesi attention of the.
American people is directed from the, tre
mendous danger which is ready to burn.
upon them, and all their powers are direct
ed against that nation, which stands alone
between them—and that all devouring
gulph which has strallovred up the continenn
Of Europe. ;" _ si
Pre-eminently conspicuous in these cri—
miual machinstiont it the National lntelsslio.
ed to tqe :dttor of that paper, given to the
poison it disseminates an active eﬄcacy not
disposed by the struct'ure or bias o£ theirssssr
minde to receive it! venom. "With um
sleeping eye he watches eVery opportunitjt,
which the progress oftbi may predent,
to rekintlle that interminam hhte 05 Eig
land which Bonaparte brentheib' into all in}
creatures. No occasion is permitte'dm en.
cape. He seites on every event 'WQIG
be so managed as to aid this pots,—52 _
employs every artsul'coloring, wille! ' '
deceive the American people'into a _
ken view. ofz'their resfsit'uatio'at 'ssct'. :
It is not intended to collect trent- the
lumns of that paper, the numerouspt "
as the proﬂigste cons rscy ainst ettr isssi
lependence. with which theyssfre ot
But his recent remarks on the go.-fewe";
lence between Mr' Pinkney and the nine-:
]uis of Wellesley ought-et to can,. mio-i,
nadversion,
alwst'sctto be resisted even by those not pre- '
genccr. T-bc confidentinlsituatien ascrib- .
Is- the interdhzdcton of cut: Wﬄsiﬄf
other "nations ; the neiznre end MW
of our property sound et nen 91 in Monk,."
nr in countries reduced to ekwery by)"
erte and her arms ; the burning os nati";
chant vessels on .the'sipeennz the imprimsict
mentand tale-as, _ou'rsssi learned, and thy cssou
tnmelious langu'a : "eddrceeed to 49; 39.
vestment, had-no )! produced cttþgtsiwsi
which, with uncomplaining meeknen, be...
all that is imposed," the cup of Athcficm
humiliation would have been euficiuely
Between 3 nnl man ANS
md scmrnwc. Apply If?" "si
too creduloue majority will receive insorsi.
mation. The papert, which are under
stood-to convey to the peOple the senti
ments of their rulers, either with unhlmh
ing eﬀrontery justisy the undtsguised u
surpmionmis the tyrant at whose feet they
crouch, or diminish their eﬀects by a lie i"
concealmcnt and the 'attt'ul insinuntion of
npologies. Meanwhile the loreessos lan
guage is exhnustcd in the _ endesvsr to, sti.
mulate every angry passion-against Britnin.
it would seem on it the nttntnment of eVehr
master of the " two Antertcas" mia tobe
his motis'e for applying the new-se". .
ln this degrading caurse, they nre' si f.
ersully aidt-d by thoee Gan-ties,, n'hic si}.
the almost exclusiv-e channels thro' which} .
human good depended on. grow-sting s't '
the Giles's, the Eppes't,1 anda longetsics
tera in congress, exhtbit no symptom as
feeling at the stripes inﬂicted- on the if I:!)
missive country by Bonapane, they lou ly
and boisterously demand,. that war age-inn
England; to force us into which,.the lutnre -
with lamentable success. Whik the Smit , " '
hue;, ss ' ct 4bcl Wdsitsisi
For Salt, my lawfu- CaJAgss:
summon .si '
n—
'
.!