Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1812-12-03

could have been supported with sucn
unequal odds !; that strong must na's
been that side of the argument WHEN
could be sustained but for moineh'
against such an advocate. 1t was
one Of those occasions on when INC
gentleman who then presided III 'ne
House declared s. he never wines,
sed mere unpronisins debate
il was .o-for it was one OF those
which tended to put that gentleman
AID his friends into the situation
which so many Of them VIII not
say all-for there are some liius'fi-
Gus examples to the contrary--ihlos
the situation on which 50 many OIL
them have since occupied. 1t was
an assertion of the great fandamen-
tai principles of our government a
gainst arbitrary high toned courtiy
notions. The party then in power
had been nearly as long in Office as
the party now in power, and looked
at tho question pending before them
with a very different eye whilst they
welded the sceptre, than that with
which they lock at the question now
wien the sceptre is applied to thelr
backs. am sorry 10 say that fear
that Tie converse Of the proposition
is in a great degree true, and that
thos. principles which l then sup
ported, and which were the ground .;
the revolution o. political sentiment
in 1901 which thereafter ensued.
have fallen as it were in ebeyance
that in fact We have forgotten our
oracle.
have said on former occasion
and il were Philip l would en-
ploy man to say it every day, that
the people Of this country, if ever
they lose their liberties, will do 1t
by sacrificing some great principle
of free government to temporary pas
sion. There are certain great rrin-
cipIes, which if they be moi held in
violate at all seasons, our liberty is
gone. five give them up. it is per-
fact!y immaterial what is the charac-
ter ofour sovereign : whether nc &c
Kiux or President, Elective Or He
rcdi,ary-it is perfectly imisr!erial
what be his charactcr-Ne shall be
slave.-it is rot an elective govern
,nent which will preserve Us.
But I ain afraid have fallen some
what into error, by wandering from
the course l proposed. On the oc-
cas;an to which / have alluded, |
maintained laat tie provision Ola BILL
then pending, similar 20 that l now
Object to, WAS arbitrary, unconstitu-
tionai and unjust. because it was in
the nature Of an &c post .facto law.
II is OF the nature OF aa e,t post fdciO
law-it is more-it tends to eXaIt the
military authority over the civil; it
is this or j. isnoth;Dg. II the see
ton pronounce an ambiguous voice,
to be construed according to expedi-
cncy. then is there so snuch greater
reason to rccommit the bill, to reduce
it TO some shape which Shall render
il Ineligible to tie meanest capaci-
ty. ii goes to alter the nature OF a
remedy-to impair the obligation of
a contract. 4 man has contracted
debt, and his cresitors arrest him.
lie en.ists. He eaiists through lie
CRATES Of prison orwiiilin the limits
orpyison bounds. The contract BE-
tween this man and the creditor is
varied by the law. because the re-
medy OF The creditor is changed. Let
us not have descant on the cruelty
ofimDvisonmcnt for debt, and Of the
exEs;iiency ofintroducing other pro-
visions en- that subject. That is not
the question. 1t is On a law for ex-
empuDg a particular class of men
from those penalties and provisions
which attach TO all other classes OF
society. The military, Of all class
es III society, that class which we
are about to exempt from the gene
raj prGvisians attaching to other
classes. IS Eat Of which the people
Of this coaHtTa have been led By all
our writer's, by all our authorities.
to entertain the most watchs'ul and
Justly founded Jealousy. Ii is on
principles somewhat analogous to
these, or. rather the same, much
better enforced, that IN opposition
was maintained to a law, net dissiini-
lar in its provisions from this, in the
winter of t799-1SOo.
In the fury and tempest of his pas
sion, my friend iroG, South Carolina
seemed to overlook what !! thought
he would be one of the last to for
get, that We live in limited govern