Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1809-02-01
IcoNcLupED.]

Mr.. quincy said, whether it was or was
not an offence to keep in an Office, the salary
of which is 5000 dollars a year, man who
had declared his inability to execute it, was
for the house to determine. The charge
which he had made was simply this that an
officer had been compensated for doing no
services, and keptin situation the duties
of which he was unable to perform. 1t was
an offence that so great an Office as the col
lectorship of Boston should be kept in this
position the q. S. paying to an individual
5000 dollars year for inadequate services,
contrary to the express wish Of the gentle
man himself, who, ever since June, had not
been in the town of Boston and of conse-
quence the execution of the duties Of the Of
fce had been totally dependant on one indi
yidual, the deputy collector.
You send law on (said Mr.. G. to be
executed, and by one individual. The de-
putty says he will not act the collector is
unable to act, and the consequence is, that
the law is not executed. In answer TO the
question whether the country has suflered,el
will state fact; the deputy collector Of that
port had right to resign his Office to the
collector and if the collector had been an
efficient man, there would have been no diff
6culty; but because he was not efficient the
law is not In state OF execution. take
this position because the facts which | have
stated can be proved. Whether the house
will or viii not agree to these resolutions, is
no concern of mine nor,if gentlemen chuse
to utter any abuse do regard it. / stand
before this nation, and fear not to do my du-
tY.
Messrs, Johnson, w. Aston, D. r. VII
Hams, T. G. Jackson, Dana, M'Creery, Ba-
con, Rhea, Macon, Bib, Southard, Mas
tiers, Fisk, Sloan, Rowan, and Key follow
ed Mr.. Quincy il debate, allof whom diff
fered with MIR. Quincy as to the propriety
Of adopting the resolutions. The reasons
assigned by gentlemen were yarious,but ge
morally to this effect: that it would be indie
corous, if not beyond thepower of this house
to call upon the President Off the u. States
for his private correspondence with any in
dividual, without doing which, it would ap-
pear that none of the facts could be establish
ed that were the facts established and the
charges maintained, they constituted no
crime or misdemeanor, and it was said By
some of the gentlemen no ground forrepre
henslon; that, constituting no crime or mis-
demeanor it was not matter coming with
in the cognizance of the house, or on which
an impeachment could be grounded; ). and
being matter on which the house lad NO
constitutional power to act, it was also a
matter into which it was not their province
to enquire. The debates which now take
place in the house on important topics, are
SO frequent and extensive, that their length
precludes any one paper from giving the
whole of them. We therefore select Mr.. !
Bacons observations On this subject in reply
to MIR. Quincy, as he is representative
from the same state with him; and as his !
speech will give general view of the argu
ments against the resolution Intel
Mr.. Bacon said, that whatever might |
have been his feelings on the subject matter
OF these resolutions at the moment when |
they were first propounded to the House IN |
so menaclng style by the hon. mover; yet !
from the course of reject which had since |
taken place in his own mind, as well as
from view of the reception which the re-
solutions had since met with on all sides of
the House-the feelings which their extra
ordinary nature were at first calculated to
excite, had in his bosom totally changed.-l
He really thought that the gentleman by the
indiscreet course which he had taken on
this occasion, had reduced himself to con-
dition in which he was an object of sensa-
tons very different from those of resent
ment. For himself he now harbored no
other passions in relation to him than those |