Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1811-02-04
MR.. QUINCY'S SPEECH.

Debate an tie Z" bill to enable the pespk
Of tie territorY Of Orleans TO farm a
a ccnRitmion and fate g5vernment,
and far the admiGoa Of Jucb fate in
to the tmion, on an equal footihg with
tie original fafes; and Jor ctbsr
pwpges."
Mr.. QUINCY.-Mr. Speaker, |
addrefS you, fir, with an anxiety and
diitreis of mind, with me, wholly
unprecedented The rricnds OF this
bill feem TO Confider it as the exer-
cife of a common power as an or
binary affair; mere municipal re-
gula,ion, which they expect to fee
pats without other qusit;ons than
,hole- concerning details. But, fir,
the principle Of this bill materially
affects the liberties and the rights Of
the whole people of the United
States. To me it appears that it ould
iuitify srevolution in this country !;
and that, in no great length Of time,
may produce it. When fee the
zeal and perseverance with which
this bill has been urged along in its
parliamentary path, when | know the
local interefS and afIociated projects,
which combine to promote its fucceis
all oppotition to it ieems manifelily
unavailing. am almof tempted TO
leave, without ftruggle, my country
to its fate. But, FIR, while there is
life, there is hope. SO long as the
fatal fhaft has not fped, if heaven 70
will, the bow may be broken, and
the ylgor 1t the mitchell meditating
arm wither.d. If there be a man in
this houie or nation, who cherifhes
the contribution, under which we are
Attended, as The chief itay of his
hope, as the light which is defined
to gladden. his own day, and to fof-
ten even the gloom of the grave by
the profpe6t it fheds over his children,
| fall not behind him in fuch fenti-
ments. | will yield 20 no man, in
attachment this contribution. in ven.
Grafton for the FACES who laid its
foundation, in devotion TO thofe prin-
ciples which form its cement and
oonaitute its proportions. What
then mult be my feelings what
ought to be rhe feelings of a man
caeIilhing Guch fentiments, when he
fees an act contemplated which lays
ruin at the root of all thefe hopes I
When he fees principle of action
about to be ufurped, before the ope-
ration Of which, the bands of this
conititutlon are no more than fax
before the IRE, or bubble before the
whirlwind. When this bill pafes,
fuch an act is done, and fuch a
principle ufurPed.
MIR. Speaker. There is a great
rule of human conduit, which he
who honeitly obferves, cannot err
widely from the path Of his fought
duty. 1t is, to be very icrupulous
concerning the principles you fsleGt
as the tett of your rights and obliga-
lions to be very faithful, in notI-
cling the reiult OF their application !;
and to be very fcarlels in tracing md
expoGpg their immediate effects and
difant onftquenoes. Under the
fanGtlon Of this rule of conduct, I
am compelled TO declare it as my de-
hberafe apinlon, that j. this bill PaDs5,
the bonOs of this union are VrtuaAy d,C
y6lved that The f1teJ zvbicb compeE it
are freed from tbeIr nl,ral obligation,
and that, as IL 7viA be tbs right Ct al.
"a it will be the duty # jane to prepare
definitely J0r a Jfparctisn amica6J if
they CIR 0i9lenfB if they nagf.
mir Quincy was here called to or
der by Mr.. Poindexter, delegate from
the Mihifippi Territory, for the
words in ltallic. After it was deci-
ded, upon appeal to the Houle, that
MIR. Quincy was in order, as itated in
the papers, Mr.. Quincy proceeded
rejoice, Mr.. Speaker, at the re.
lult OF this appeal. Not from any
perfonal confederation, but from the
telped paid TO the ellential rights of
tile people in one of their reprelenta-
lives. When fpoke of operation
of the ftates as re(ulting from a vio-