The Wheeling repository — Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.], 1807-05-21 00:00:00, page 4

'"c maidens ! guard those lips from lips
That warmly glow and warmly speak!
And guard,* oh! guard those breasts of
[snow!
They melt beneath a burning cheek/
[ Port Pol.']
Speech of Mr. Hughes,
In the Legislature of Orleans.
c.arly in the session ol the Oi lc ans Le
gislature, a resolution was unanimouslv
adopted to address a memorial to C'on
o ess, complaining oi the conduct of
Oon. Y\ iikinson, and a commute * ap
pointed to draught one. It appears that
this committee, after considerable delay,
>■. as discharged, and a new one appoint
-'T Eight or ten w< eks r the r s -
lution had been adopted, a memorial
was reported, complaining in strong
terms of Wilkinson's conduct. On the
iGth of March the memorial was taken
I?, when a motion was made to reject
'y fins motion appears to hive been
vithdrawn. The memorial having been
tad, a motion was made to recommit it
o a select committee. On this motion
an animated debate took place, which
;• t d two days, when the memorial was
*: ruddy lost.
_J he following speech, delivered hv av
Ir. Bushes, places the conduct of Wii-'
.inson, in many particulars, in n new
point o; view. I* or bold and energetic
doquence, severe, sarcastic, and bitter
np'; 1 a , we think this speech little in
•nor to ar.v of j\ir. Randolph’s.
1- seems to be a favourite idea with
• /- me people, that calling in question the
■. pprk iy cl the ari.itran* proceedings of
Wilkinson, is vindicating Burr. We
...nnot accede to this opinion. If one
:nan be very bad, floes it follow fiotn
'hence that another is good,-5 There is
certainly a wide diff. re nee betwee n -
'n?.that Wilkir.3,,n h;is the tv
- a i , and asser ip.j that Barr has com
mit! ed no a .m . J
I pc motion proposed by the go nth
. i.ui from Acadia, is cert inly one that
-m.. m vt Tr.y most hearty disaoprob; -
I am astonished sir, that t'h • gwn
> '«•••* lro-a Acadia,or indeed anv other
-r.tV.:*i i-ou-,-, could have the boldness
to nse and support a motion for lira re
comir.'g.u niioi the nv mnri.il now under
'me consideration of till.*; It n...... v '
; :“etid
t ve.i nuxtered a >out from on • com nit
tee to another, of oik of w’..i h commit- j
tecs the gentteman hiintm. was a m.m- 1
her for at least forty days ; that commit
tee was discharged, and another ap
pointed in its stead, and now upwards
of twenty days have elapsed, the memo
rial is brought forward for considera
tion, and the gentleman has the good
conscience to propose the postponement
of us consideration. I am in hopes the
proposition will have no effect, and
meet the opposition it justly merits.—
And now I am up, ii I am in order, I
will make some g neral remarks on the
extraordinary occurrences which pro
duced the memorial. They will he
such I believe as no j erson in this house
will find easy to refute.
Instead ol hearing the memorial sub
mitted by your committee, termed a
libel, I expected to have heard it ap
plauded lor the temperance St mildness
of its language ; instead of hearing it as
serted that it contained charges un
founded and malicious, I was myself
prepared to accuse the committee of
having overlooked many important cau
ses ri c nnplaint, and I was even tempt
c d to offer proofs of some, to be added
by way ol amendment to the report.
I confess, Mr. Chairman, that I look
around me v, ith astonishment—that I
doubt the evn! nee of niv senses, when
I hear conduct, such as that of which we
complain, palliated or excused ; and I
would rather hear the idea that a tem
porary insanity had assailed me, than,
he forced to the mortifying certain
that these palliations, these excuses, the
mt an, humbling, half justifications, of
arbitrary power, have been asserted by
A met icans, in a free,deliberative assem
bly — Free Assembly! pardon me, Mr.
Chairman, the unguarded expression :
it is the bittqi t ir< ny, in our situati >n.
Am you cafe, sir, in your chair? Is
either of u; in our scats free from the
tear of actual violation ? The sword of
power is waved over our h ads—the
I ay on ts of military despotism are at
\ mr dour, a id the adoption of that me
moi ial may be the ; ignal for yc ur imm< -
'.v- s i/.urc, hani hnent, or death/
.viv; pray sir, to v hr cpiait r will yon
! for pro: ebon ? To the executive of
ti: t niton? He has been under the r.e
c< .>s.it\ of delegating e rtain powers to
r’'1 r dictator /— I o your constituents
\ our tame submission to these outra;
'■our wretched time-serving delav_T.i
wit of character an | <>ni rgv v.c hnv
for two long mo- t'-.s displayed,—hi
d "itroved all confid xc • in us, or > vin
. u’.y for our suflerh ; , But the • b
no danger; the 6torm has blown over -
the clouds are dispersed, and we are
now to enjoy the lull sunshine of liberty
and peace.
1 will now, sir, proceed to inquire
what security have we that the momen
tary calm w ill last ? It is true that for
two or three weeks past, we have not
seen any of our constituents dragged
from their families and friends: that the
guard which insulted even members of
this house, and violated its privileges,
is withdrawn; that a citizen may now
ride a few miles out of the city with
out having his pockets searched, and the
secrets of his friends and family expos
ed to the insulting scrutiny of a subal
tern; that defenceless women and chil
dren are no longer made prisoners of
state • and that the business of the court
is no longer confined to the nugatory
writs of habeas corpus, or the reception
of insulting returns.
But sir, these seem attended with it
thousand aggravating circumstances,
which have but just passed be lore out
eyes; and what security have you, I re
peat, that they will not be renewed?
1 he same force that was employed ; the
same tyranny that directed it, are yet in
your city. An eye iskept over all your
proceedings; every word uttered here
is, I most religiously believe, carried to
your oppressor : and upon his will alone
ulepencls our future iate. We know this ;
we feel it, and vet we do not blush to
say we are fn e ! No sir, we arc not free ;
and our constitm nts Avid, I hope, ascribe
to fear, and nothing but fear, the event
which I anticipate with mortification
and horror, wht n a majority of the
members of this hors • shall reject the
memorial ; and when the same majority
shall adopt in its stead, an address, ex
cusing, palliating, >r < vcn justifying the
conduct that has wantonly destroyed
vour constitution, and impudently vi
olated your laws ; avIk n wc shall crawl
in the dust ucneath t.feet of oar op
pressor, and h av t:. • weah.ness,hut sur
pass the i <.bcara: z>. of the poor reptile
that turn , av hen trodden on.
b'r, will it, can it be said, that real or
Kitv.ii d i .cnlercd this conduct
nccessarc l! I ain answered in the af
firmative, I sty the assertion is a libel
on our constituents—l will never sanc
•! >»'• h by mv voice. What sir/ Avas tne
i tiiic'd I, »Jy contaminated here,
! that j r fic - coul 1 not be administer
c. j \ the trait t I lu.vr
y f .cl from j ,ialice ? liar. they mi