Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1802-09-13

In the language then ola nervous wrl-
ter, aLet me .cxbort and ,onjure you, my
fellow citizens, never TO lnffer an inyaiion
of your political contribution, however
minute the inRauce may appear, to pals by
without determined, perisvering Eetit-
ance. One precedent creates another.
They foon accumulate and conf:sute law.
What yeaerday was fact is to day doctrine
Examples are inppofed tojuaify tie mott
dangerous meafures ard Where they Go
.not,fuit exate!y, the defect is inppied by
analogy. This is not the carle Of faction
or of party, 0. of any individual, bet TIE
common ioterea Of every man in Ameri-
Ca. If the conlifu,ioeal powers OF the
PRECEDENT Gid not in the cafe we arc about
TO confder, extend 1othe refnatlon o. The
fine which had been levied, OF If the par
don, as iilued, was not legally competent
to produce the cfea afcrlbed &c it, then
The contribution Of tie country has been
violated and if it may be violated wl'f-
impunity in one infance, what iecuriy
have we for its future fatety.
Having made thefe preliminary remarks
we come now more Immediately to the
fubiea of the prelent NUMBER.
In order 10 avoid being perPlexed with
uie!efs controversy, and lohns hght Of the
principal queaion, let Us here tate the
leading features Of tie caGt islelf,
On the 78,h Of May, 1890, James
1ho,npfon Calender, waslcgaliy Convict
ell Of a miflemeanor, and tenranced TO
pay a hne of two hundred dollars, 10 be
i,npriiened nine months, and find iecuTity
for his good behaviour for a certain teri"
g beyond TIE expiration of his inprl!on
ment )" lhorsly after Calender had pad
the fine into the hands Of the Martial, snd
| after the term othis imprisonment had ex-
pirel, general pardon of the mildemea-
| nor, remttiag and relsefxg al faHs and
| bsxaltis5 incurred or to ks iacnrred T. rec
| Im t5eyeof was granted ard TENT to the
Martial. Doubts were fuggeaed whe-
| Their, having once received the money i:om
Calender, the officer could legally pay It
back to him. 1heie douhss were com
| municased TO the ating Secretary Of State,
who, after delay Of nearly month, re-
| piled, that the queeiop had been condder-
ed, and t5,- eP4raon RENTS and Fettores
| TITO the party concluding with direc-
| ton TO the Martial to " refore the no.
ney to Mr. Callender )" which was ac-
cordingly done.
On;h:s Gatemens ii Viii be maintained,
frf, that the PRECEDENT had 10 power to
refore tie fine after it had been levied
fecona, admitting him to be poleGed OF
the right, yet that a charter Of paraoa
fa.p.y, like the one in tbs cafe, could not
without express words OF refitution, have
that operation. II I an GucceGful in my
attempt to eltabliih thefe proportions, i,
will follow, that Mr.. Jetferfon has ex-
ceed7d his conaitutional powers, ana vio-
lated the laws ofhis country. Surely this
fabjetf is iatereaing, although ,he.inyeii
cation may be tedious but however |
may fail to amufe I'll. multitude OF readers,
I Aatter myieif I faall receive the ferrous
and candid attention. Ct ak men of reacc-
ticn. /.
In difcuGing thefe two POINTS, I GaIl
conhne myflt trietly to tAe,saas, leaving
to another opportunity, more particular
enquiry into the PTsGdent's motives. For
the prefent, / fhall take it for granted,
that he was actually influenced by thofe
aicribed to him in the papers devoted to
his defence, particularly that printed at
Worcefer, under the immediate care and
direction Of the Attorney General, de-
fire to evin:e his oppoition tothe fedition
act as al unconstitutional law. He is vel
come to all the beaefrs TO be derived from
iuch defence; and IN truth, he mua take
OPP with this, or relors To one equally IN
jufifable, and far more difgracetal. But
to return
Firn, tie Pyefdeut has no bozUs. ia re-