The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1806-06-17
Scat of 1nhrrnnrnr.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
MONDAY, April 81.
DEBATE

On e6e,iss TIE Hemorisk Of viara.. S. S.iis, and
Sayxei G. Ogden, relative their concern .visI Ge-
neral Msaaas in Estxg sni tie Leanasr.
The memorial having been read,
MR.LYON moved, that the petitioners have leave
to withdraw their petitions
Ma. N. WILLIAMS faid that il appeared to him
that the tendency of this memorial was BY obtaining
the fancion of the Houfe TO its contents to throw
the blame and eenfure on the prufecstors- Il APP
peared to him proper to AREA fuch mode OF PRO.
ceedng, Especially while the bulinefs to which the
memorials referred js6 JUDGE. They contained
accuatiuns again the Judge, who himfelf was under
a profecuton. He did not fee the Object of the Pc
titions, unlefs t excite eamor and indigna-
tion againR the court. 1t was improper that they
hould be fanctioned by being printed under the d.
retion Of this Houe, while the oaule depending,
and i, was unknown whether the court had acted
properly or improperly. Suppoe previouly to thefe
trials coming ON, c-nure ou,d be can the court
would not this be novel kind Of proceeding would
itnot be wrsang iutiee from its due eoure, and be
degrading to the legislature Such procedure
would lkevife be dangerous the principles Of uf.
tee. Shall we permit perfon under aecufation to
prefer CHARGE againf the tribunal before whom he
is funmoned TO appear Suppofe we declare the
COURT, and not the criminal guilty. fhal not there
by prora,e every principle of juiee. and fe, pre-
cedent never known in any country, dangerous to-
the liberty Of the fubie, asvioative of the contu-
tidn In my opinion the Legislature ought not in this
Gage If the hunefs TO interfere Such interference
will be premature. If hereafter the profecuion APP
pearsto have been improperly conducted, it will be
time enough to make an enquiry INTO the conduct of
the pr reutor and the court but before that, fueh
an enquiry will be premature, and will be a prejudg
ing OF the cafe. From the moment heard thefe Pc
titons read, they Gruck me as being Of mott DANCE
rous tendeney-if at all auttoned By this fioufe they
viii tend 60 cenfs not only the country aganh the
standardization, but aganh the tribunals of juhce
We find it afer.ed in them, that the administration,
and particularly the fetretary Of fate had full know
ledge of all the traula tnns connected with the fit
ting out The Leander This charge has been already
made in the ne;yfpapers-it has gone abroad, and
been contradidcd and lido not hefi,ate declare in
my place that the accuation is ae, that it is ca
luny, that there is word in the petition char
cling the administration with this fad that is founded
in truth. think the proper ceurfe is for the petii
TONERS have leave to withdraw their petitions
Not thar am for denial of juaoe. IF the petition
ers fail their application for Juice to the court, il
will then be time enough for us to interfere Indeed
It thing unheard of in this naton--whie rhe ac-
eufed under profeeution, that they oud be fuf-
fsred 10 come forward to the Houfe of Reprefenta-
tives with charges againR the court and the govern
alent. The memoriafs not only charge the govern.
n,ent, but the magistrates with corrupt motives
Shall we permit the government be thus treated
and the tribunals of Juice to be thus illuminated;
and give fanaion TO the charges by printing pa.
per that contains them2 hope fnali have yr-
rue and frmnefs enough to reflt fuch procedure.
think we have gone far enough in patiently liGen-
ing petitions which have no legal obeta in view
which only charge the departments OF the execu.
tive government with improper views, but which
contain accufa,ons againlt the tribunals of juaee-
what fcarcely merit TO be called aceufaons-but
bafs c aumnies. Themanner too in which thefe me-
MORALS have been prefented is mott extraordinary.
r. - IL. Al. In rfI~
il n,uft have been known that il was of our power
To nveGgate their contents. II is alto very unfor
tunate when the citizens Of New York are 70 ably
repreened this oor that the petitioners have been
obliged to travel to Bottom, in order obtain gen.
tleman TO prefent their memorials For thefe reaons
fhall vote decidedly againa the printing.
Mr.. QUINCY flid that the obfervations which
were made fueh as might have been expected to
be offered, had it been propofed to go into an en-
quiry on thefe memorials ] do not fay, faid Mr..
Quincy, that the information contained in the petit
lions is true-all fay ia, that high officer of the
government is implicated, jnce require. that an en-
auiry, at fole time fhould take place | do not fay
that it ought now 10 take place. The quefion at
prefent is whether this information fha reR on our
tables. Gentlemen fay no--throw it off. But fay
enquire bseaufe believe when an examination
5iai be made part Of the lateDlent at LEAH will be
found TO turn out correct. II is faid that the me-
rnorialifts are under accuation but have they not
therefore, right petition this Hou(e hut 70 far
as relates to the Judge, there only information
by the grand jury-not profecution. Whoever
heard of man accuf.d before hinlef! Genteme n
may throw thele petitions under the table, but ifhey
do 20, they will do grea, diirefpea the Houfe
My only objea is thar an enquiry fhould be made
az convenient feafon into the facts aledged in thsfe
petitions. The information co,taied in fome of rhpfe
itaten,ertss corroboratsd by information known to
fome gentlemen on this hobr-that the executive had
been advifed Of tho fitting of the Learider time
enough to have prevented her failing BY throwing
thele petitions under the table, gentlemen will how
that they not ddpoed N nveHgate thrfe facts.
MN. SMILE believed the Houfe were to- blame
in permitting thefe petitions to be prefeuted II was
a rule of the Houfe that every member prefenting
portion fhould frit generally Gate its contents The
member who preented hefe petitions having made
this RateInent, think the Houe ought not TO have
pesnitted Them to have been read. I will call to the
recollection Of gentlemen a tranfa9ion which took
place two years ago petition then prefented
from certain aeDsin Pennsylvania and New York
and beeaule ,ley reflected on former admnRrati-
on the Houfe would not hear Them. never did
laid MIR. s. witness uch attempt this; aud could
iuch attempts be fulainsd, they would Iubvert all
government, Whatever. Shall perfon aeeuled of
crime, while bis trial s pending, bring forward com
plants sgain his Judges Iffn have no regular
governments. This is turning the Houfe Of Repre-
Ientatves iDso Judiciary body, and authorizing them
70 w1sft all other buhnefs from the tribunals Of uf
tee.
Mr.. ASTON. would not rife bbt for the ex.
tracr5nary declaration of the gentleman from Malta