Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1807-04-07

time. Wnethes IL wculd be crorer at any faturc
nme doo't prs1end 10 say. Il is itkely thar
prosecutions will be commenced a-ain5i general
Wilkinson Ard will nor this House slew as
much eandor as the editors of newspapers who
say nothing on criminals .ft for trial ,e here
Should DC a bias made on the pubic mind No
person can csudidiy say tina, general Wilkinson
ought not TO have deprived thee men of liberty
TO p event thei treason and the destruction ,hey
meant against N 5. u. States
WHY such sympathy for these persons In
what circumstances we've they ,aSeni Were
shey taken Isom heir homes and ieiI ii &C sides
and denied the kG5eas co pps. ior come months
as has ben in former cases. which Compared TO
this Were Only as Il H. TO TIE 6geEet These
men were taken in lie act Of treason nrispli-
Sion ofueasoh agaiur.t ta,se United States. We
ougM to wait till we know more OF the mIIteg
before we decide
l. any membr so lost to humanity in this
House as 10 rerr"baie the Conduct U. the exc
cut.ve or Of geuera! Wilkinson III t.is mater
The former insurrec;ions oompa ed 70 thi. were
ino'e properly opPosinons % COVE nnenc, oGpo
stiOns o obnoxious and unjust lav s. which rave
been since repealed AID now jusuy ccnsisn-
cd 20 eternal nfsmy.
The ma ter ress solely on two plain question:.
The first is. was the confinement tie e pe'sons
necessary I Aud second. wa the civil au horny
aoega.te TO ,hsir safe keeping 1t Is Ian their
-
cues ion, 4 appears f,om the aid, avis general
Wi kiis ;, hat OgieR one OF ihe consplra,ors.
was rcleaeed by The kabe"S corpus alter being
coGGnud.
IL force of coo men had come against
New Orleans as the general expected, ana he
mad Eot aoies,Cd and sent these person, away,
and they haG beea released b, BUR- aEsr cSptus
ing the CITY, ;hss, persons wHcm We see on This
Hoor 70 nave 50 mucn 81 a,pGlhJ would be The
6r3i 70 cha g & meat Wilkinson with negiect,f
Iuiy. / haye no dcubi bus tins wou.a u The
SaSe.
l consider the conduct of general Wilkinson
| iot o. ly ju,t.habls. 6ut.higo!y conmsndabe, \
am as,Guishod ,ias any .hoUid wi,ho.d tAe
tIbIte o justly due. oud sly: Wei done
tb,u goOd aid f..tiiu. servant, thou hast dc.
selvca wei! otthy country.
Mr.. ]. RANDOLPH introduced his
speech in favor OF the resolution BY cbserv-
ing that he understood the question before
The house to be, whether they would rc CT
| to committee of the whole u motion pro-
posing an enquiry whether further ,egal
provision be not necessary 10 proven vioa-
tons of the writ OF nabeas corpus.
How long IL had been the fashion to de-
bate the merits of subject on a simple
| motion to commit, il was not material to
| inquire. He believed it had commenced
the present session.
Mr. r. supposed the object Of the mover
of the resolution IN referring it to a conf
mittce OF the whole was to obtain discussl-
on. As that had already been had abun-
dainty, and as the session would soon close,
he suggested the propriety of varying Tie
| motion and referring the resolution in the
first instance to a select committee, who
might Immediately consider the subject and
report bill Were the + solution to go
TO- ~r,a e "a. l..
would never get through.
Mr. K. then observed that he would pro-
coed to answer some objections which had
been yesterday offered against the resoluti-
on, and state the reasons which induced
him to support it, come from whence it
may. The first objection which he heard
was the quarter whence the resolution
came. Permit me, said Mr. X. to remind
the house that Il those who have been called
INTO public life Oil account of their professed
attachment to correct principles, ever ouit
the ground of;rlal by jury, the liberty ofthe
! press, and the subordinatiOn of the military
to the civil authority, they must expect that
| their enemies will perceive the desertion
and avail themselves of the advantage -
I Can they who thus desert their old princi-
pies, blame others Tor assuming the poDu-
lar ground which they have abandoned /?
| whoever stands forward in defence Of the
! constitution, and the rights OF the people,
shall have my support gaoad hoe.
An objection was taken by the gentleman
| from Georgia, Mr.. Early, Oh the ground of
| time. IL was said that this is an improner
! time to consider the subject contemplated
! by the resolution. Sir, this is no new dis
! covery. The question Of parliamentary e.
form has been 30 years agitated in Eng
land and the right time has never arrived
| to consider the subject, and probably never
| will arrive.
also understood him TO say-THcre Mr..
! Early interrupted MIR. Randolph and bcg-
! ged leave to explain. Mr.. X. said he was
! confident that he understood the gentleman
! right. However he at length sat down. and
| MIR. j. stated that his objection was that the
! house had not sufficient time this session to
J finish an investigation into the subject and
| that therefore it had better not be attempt
I ed. MIR. X. proceeded ] understood the
/ gentleman perfectly before, and he would
! have found it so, if he had had patience to
/ hear me out. He urged two objections on
! the ground of time LIST, that we had not
! sufficient time this session to consider the
| subject fully and 2dly, that the present
| time was improper because the SUBJECT Of
habcas corpus was under consideration in
the court below. LMr. Il. here either was
or affected to be little conIuscd.1 lie was
/ sorry for the interruption. To prevent it
/ in future, he would mention no gentleman
! by name, and nc hoped he should not be
! apain interutDfpd a o-e,tfcro.., 10, 60 -