Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1804-09-03
1or,YylzYA REMoNsrRANcE.


CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES,
49, IN SENATE AND
HOUSE or REPRESENTATIVES. 3
scoNVENED.
CONTINUED 1fs0m Saturdays Adpertiser.)
We NAV then again become the victims
of false information, OF hastY remark or.
preiueliced opinion; we may then againsbe
told that we are incapable Of managing our
own concerns, that the period of enlancipa-
ton IS not yet arrived, aud that when .indhe
school of slavery, we have learned how 10
be free, our rights shall be restored. Up
on the topic to which this leads, we: Hefe-
,uctant TO speak-but misrepresented and
insulted, it cannot be deemed improper 10
shew how groundless are ehe canmnies
whichrepresentu Us, as in state OF degre-,
dation, unfit to receive the boon OF freq
dom. How far any supposed ineaRacity,
to direct the affairs Of our own co,lnWy,.
would release the United States from their
obligation, to confer upon Us, the rights Of
citizenship, or upon what principle. they
are to become the Judges Of that seapacity,.
| might, we believe, fairly be questioned
for we have surely not become less shttor
the task, sltce,the signature of the Treaty,
lrthan weswere before that period; and1has
no such incapacity was. then supposed to
exist, is evident from the terms OF. thar in-
strument, which declares that we are to"be
admitted as soon as possible, according 70
the principles of the constitutions. Hsthe
United States then may postpone the per-
fornaDce this engagement until In their
opinion it may be: proper to perform it, OF
what validity is the compact, or can thatbe
called one, of which the performance de-
| ponds only on the will Of the contracting
! party.
| But if capacity is to be the criterion and
information the preliminary requisite Of our
admission let US respectfully enquire what
is the nature of this capacity, and nforma-
ton, and where it will most probably be
found. BY the distribution of powers be-
tween the general and state governments,
| the former have the exclusive superinten-
| dence of all external relations, and OF those
internal arrangements, which regard the
several states in their national capacity;
the resi3uary powers, retained blythe states,
are more limited in their operations, and
require in their exercise species OF ,lnter-
nation to be derived only from local
/ sources. The purest principles will be
| misapplied, the best intentions will be III
.i.-.e..I, sl1r.Inost splendid efforts OF ge-
Mus, will prove Intellectual without an init
4 mate knowledge of the manners, customs,
pursuits, and interests, of the people to
| whom they are applied, or in whose favour
they are exer,ed. Should this reasoning
| be just, i,would appearto fellow, that local
| information should be preferred in state
legislator, to splendid acquire ment, when
! they cannotbe united; and shoeld we give
the representatives of the United States all
the superiority they claim and undoubtedly
merit, yet we cannot be accused of pre-
sumption, in supposing that we know some
what more OF our own country, and Ifs To-
cal interests, that men who are acquainted
with it only from report. It will not, we
trust, he answered that the members of
the'counGi mustbe selected from the inha-
bitants; we have already shewnwhat share
the council will probably have in lcgisla-
ton: and the residence of one year is GER
tainly too short to attain information, or
secure any thing like permanent attach
ment.
Ifthis local knowledge is necessary to
legislate wisely, Row much more. SO is it in
order TO select discreetly, those on whom
this task must devotve. The President
must necessarily. depend on the information
of his agents here without any personal
knowledge of the men he must chuse ;; how