Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1802-03-16

be diicsrded. The Legislature is not Ii
mited in the amour. Of the taxes which
they have right TO impoie, nor Is 20 the
ohjetfs to which they are to be applied.
Does this power give US the property of
tue country. becsuie by taxes we might
draw into the public Golfers, and tiien
cut up the treaiury and divide the lpoils ?
I. there any power in relpett TO which a
-preciie line Can be drawn, between The die
Greet exefcife and the abIie Of it.
Icanon!y fay, therefore, on this fub-
jet, that every man Is acquitted to his
own confidence who bena fde does rot
intend, ard who hnccrsly does DOT be-
lieye, that by the law which he is about
to PATS, be interferes with the judges
holding their Offices during good beha-
,vior.
am now brought, MIR. Chairman, 10
take notice of len1e remarks which tell
from the gentleman from Virginia, which
do not belong to the fubjeet before US );
but are of fuhcient importance TO deleryc
particular attention. He called our at
tention, in very impreflive manner, to
the fate of the parties in this houie at tie
tine when tie ad Of the laR iefion paf-
ed. He delcribes Us in Rate of blind
parexyim, incapable Of diicernipg the ma
tuIe or tendency Of the meafues we were
puhoirg. That majority Of the houfe
were fruggling to eeunteraa the exrrei.
Gon of Tire public will, in relation to the
perfon who was to he the chief magiars,s
of the ccun,ry.
I did fuprcie, Sir, that this tufnefs
was at an end, ard | DID imagine tina,
as gentlemen had scccmr'ifled their OBJ
jet, they would lave been latished.-
But as tie futjett is again renewed, we
NUT be allowed to jufify CIR ccndua.
] knew not what the gentleman calls an
expretlion of the public will. There
were two candidates for the ofice of Pre-
fdent, who were prelented to the houfe
of Representatives with equal iuffrages.
The contribution gave US the right and
made it our duty to eloa that enc of the
two whom we thought preferable. A
public man is to notice the public will as
confituticrally exprensd. The gentle
mar from Virginia anc many others may
have had their preference, but that pre-
ference of the public will did not appear
by its confitu,ional exPreiion. Sir, l
am not certain, that either of thofe cardi-
dates had majority Of the country in his
favor. Excluding tie fateo of South Ca
rolira, the country ives equally divided.
We know that parties in that fate were
nearly equally balanced, and the claims
of both the candidates were Imported by
no other frutiny into the public will,
than our official return Of votes. 1hofe
votes are very imperfect evidence Of the
true will Of majority Of the nation
They reiuIted from political intrigue, and
artificial arrangements.
When We lcck ct Tie votes We mutt
fuppofe, that every man IN Virginia vot-
cd the fame way. 1hefe votes are receiv-
ed as correct exprefion of the public
will. Ard yet we know, that if the
votes of that fate were aPportioned
according to the feveral voices of the
people, that at leaf ie,en out of TWEEN
ty.one, would have been oProfed to the
iuccefstul candidates. 1t was the fup.
prei4ion of the will Of ore third Of Viz
GINA, which enables gentlemen now to
lay, that the prefent chief magiara,e !,
the man OF the people. ! conhder that
as the public will, which is exprefed by
copftitu,ionsl organs. To that will
/ bow and fubmit. The public will, thus
manifeaed, gave to the Houie Of Repre-
fentatiyes, the choice of the two men
for PreGdent. Neither of them was the
man whom / wifhed to make Preiident,
but my election was confined by the con.
ftltution to one OF the two, and / gave
my vote to the one who thought was
the greater and better man. That vote
/. repeated, and in that vote ] f1ould
have per6ited, had I 70. been driven
from it, by imperious neceility. Iht