Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1810-05-25

more weight than Magma Charts and che
laws DC t6s land, I think Il my duty 60 10y
my setstimsnte thereon before my eonstitu-
snta, whess eharseser % irsemsn, and even
whess pefsonal safety, depends Ia 90 ersa,
. degree, upOn'the decision Of this question
s..a qusssioa of no less Smpor.ance than
this; whether our liberty be still To be sc.
cured by the laws Of our fsrefa,hers, or be
to lie at the absolute mercy Of O part Of our
fellow subjects, collected together BY means
which IL is not necessary for me to de.
scribe. a<.@;.a
In order to give to this subject all the at.
teEtion to which it is entitled, and 70 avoid
the danger Is be spprehended from partial
views and psrsonal feelings, it viii be ad.
viseable to argue the question ON its own
merits, putting the individual, however we
may deplore his present suserings, out Of
view though at the same time every man
ought to consider the case his own because
should the. principle upon which the gentle.
nneu OF the house Of commons have thought
proper to act in this instance, be once adj.
mitted, it is impossible for any one to con-
lecture how soon he himself may be sum.
moned from his dwelling and hurried with
out trial, and without oath made against
him, from the bosom of his family into the
clutehes of jailor. 1t is therefore now
the time to resist the doctrine upon which
Mr.. Jones has been sent to Newgate or it
is high time to cease all pretentions to those
liberties which were acquired by our FORE
fathers, after so many struggles and so ma
NJ sacrifices.
Either the house Of commons IS author
Tsed to dispense with the laws Of the land,
or it is not. If the constitution be of 50 de-,
licale texture, so weak a frame, SO fra
gile substance, that il is only to be spoken
of in terms oil admiration, and to be viewed
merely as piece OF curious bot unpro6ta-
bic workmanship; if Magma Charta and all
the wholesome laws Of England be dead
letter in that case the affirmative Of the
proposition may be admitted: but If the
constitution lives, and is applicable to its
end, namely, the happiness Of the commu.
nifty, the perfect security of the life, libel
~ and property, Of each member, and all
the members Of the society, then the AFR.
NATIVE of the proposition can never be adj
nitted then must we be freemen for We
need no better security, no more powerful
protection, for our rights and libertiss than
the laws and constitution We seek for,
and We need seek for nothing ne.O. We
ask for No more than what our forefathers
insisted upon as their own we ask for no
more than what they bequealhed unto U.s.
we ask Tor no more than what they, in the
Testament which some of them had sealed,
and which the rest OF them were ready 70
seal with their blood, expressly declared to
be The birth right of the people OF Eng
Land" namely, TIRE LAWS OF ENGLAND
To these laws We have right to look with
confidence for security To these laws the
individual now imprisoned has, through
mr., applied for redre 50 in vain. 3hose.whs
have imprisoned him, have refused TO lis
ten to my voice, weakly expressing the
strong principles of the law, the undeniable
claims Of this Englishman's I" birth'right."
Your voice may come with more force, may
command greater respect; and. i am not
without hope; that it may prove irresista-
bic, if it proclaim to this house of COM
nous, in the same tone, as the tongues of
our ancestors proclaimed to the kings Of
ole, AeIEmEs Lcses .Angkas Mutari Dor
in our own more clear and not less forcible
language, THE LA$ys.or ENGLAND SHALL
NOT DE CHANGED" 4
:! The principle, fellow citizens, for which
we are now contending, is the same princi-
pie for which the people Of England have
conteuded from the earliest ages, and their
glorious success in which contests arc now
upon record in,the great charter of~our
rights and liberties, and in divers. ether
subsequeus statutes Of scarcely less import
ance. twas this same grea. principle " hich
was again attacked BY Charles the Firas, in
the measure Of ship money, when again the
people of England, aud interrupted house
of commons. renewed the contest, contest
which ended in tie Imprisonment, the trial,
the condemnation, and the execution of that
ll.advissd king. The self same principle
i Was that was 60 daripgly violated by his
son Tarnes the Serond for whieh yiol.t;,-,