Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1802-03-01

IiOt1 IA tftS SSufSAtuhiON ! otnA, sAAS ~
::nuofable gentleman, Sir. when With IA ia
c.ilegiicus hand this vital wound was H.
fitted on the contribution, .if no RATED
10. plaintive cry of 4pare, Oh! fpare the
contribution Of my ccpnttys Ye.telday,
Sir, the gentleman informed us if the
BILL on your table mould ipafs he would
heave no fgh,I ne would drop no tears O.
yer theexpiring contribution. When that
law paGed, did be, heave no Gsh did he
drop no tear ! Oh no Gr, very different
was the couhe which was then purified.
With cool, with cruel delibera,ion, the
devoted victim was irnmola.ed, snd the
blcod which iausi from the gaping
wound will forever tain the pages Of
your fta.u,e book.
Mr.. Chairman, the expediency Of the
law now under confederation, and the
ptopriety of adopting a meaiure of THIS
na.rre, at the pretecs time, have been 10
fully and 70 {a,lstactorily diicuiisd IN the
ieaate, not many days ago, that to this
poin, Ilhall apply out few oblervations.
Coming from fate where juitice is ad1
minifsred with promptueis and frugaIity,
/ confefs that the auperdous fabric Ofthe
federal Judiciary excites my saoa!lhG,ent.
l had, Sir, fippofe>l, that the document
wh.c., has been tarailhed by the execu-
tive, weuld be fu,l and conp.eat an
fwcr TO any thing that could be faid on
shis diyiiion Of he iubjest; but, Sir, the
gentleman from, Pennsylvania, has inform
ed US that if the ur,secided eaules. Of the
tate Of f,'arylsnd were added, the ag-
gregate number Of depending Ca -fes in the
Court. Of The United states would probably
amount TO fifteen hundred, and he en-
qaHes if il is practicable for the courts,
after the repeal OF the law of the lah
eilisn, t. determine this number Of caut-
les, icattered over the United States. Sir,
itvhen Gait MY eyes acrois The Potomack,
and cali 10 ny recollection the fyitem Of
Jurisprudence eifabiihed in ny country,
cannot heii,ase moment in giving him
| ar affirmative anfwsr.
! have NOT, Mr.. Chairman, nor was
it pofible for me to procure, documents
| from the difriet courts Of my fate to thew
the committee the number of fuits which
are depending in them. But. Sir, when
I reflect how often / have feen vene-
rable citizen of that fate refpeAable for
his great learning, respectable for his IT,
reproachable life, and respectable for his
years, (being aged ! believe full feventy)
who is Judge of the high court Of chancery
there, devoti:g his days and his nights
to the avocs.ions of his Office, in the
plain garb of common citizen, difpen-
fng lutfice and fatisfaetion to the multi
tude of citizens whole cauies are tried be.
fore his tribunal; when l reject on the
number of deciions which are made in his
court in the courle of a year; and when /
overlook document which have now in
my pcGeAion from the clerk of that court,
and which I ihall prefsntly offer to the view
Of this committee, / can have no difficulty
in pronouncing the Gncere opinion which |
entertain that he performs more!duty, and
perhaps with greater ability, than the
whole judicial corps of the United States.
Tread the document from the clerk Of the
hfgh court Of chancery of Virginia.
And what, Mr.. Chairman, is the CON-
penfstion which this venerable citizen re-
fceiye,l Fifteen hundred dollars; no
more compare this with the FUN which
Imports and decorases the fair compoGte
column, which we are infolmcd is one of
the frong pillars Of or government and
|. TO touch which we are told will occaion
the beautiful fabric to tumble in the duff.
Have we not fate courts DILUTED in a.
bundaure over every commonwealth COM
pohng This unions are they not compe.
tent to the deciGon of all cafes of contro.
very between citizen and citizen? Is NOT
the juriniHion Of the federal court ex-
tremely limited from the true and genu-
Inc contribution of the contribution Where
then was the necefity Of the law Of the
lat FELTON, which rami6ed and encreafed
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