Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1813-06-14

| him, begins to shake his huge sides, &
unheayes old ocean from It's lowest
| deems: Yet this resistance 10 an'oppres-
sive government, is denounced by MIR.
| Clay " as a conspiracy against the inte-
-rity Of the unions" and those who dare
lisp a word against the infallioiiity' OF
the administration" are called stories
and conspiratocs." Strong and provok-
;np words-enough to madden a gene
rons people, and TO drive them to the
extreme Of separation, so much depre-
Gated apparently by Mr.. Gay, but traly
By esesy southern man who locks at the
con ion Of lis own country-But wnch
the policy which he supports and the
language which be uses are too we'll
c,jcula,ed to produce. Mr.. Clay 10 this
reGoublet speech. has discovered ihtic
Of the notwithstanding OF tic pa
tri;,t Asa s.atcsa,an be wo9ld have
smo,hered susDiciops IS be fe!t them,
the Dromugati3n az which could only
,end TO ,ne dissolution dE our onion, 10
ar5rchy, and 30 ma!,r the present copiu-
sion WORSE conf1ardcd. As q patriot he
would have u.ad : langnage OF copc'!ia-
ton. persuasion w;d i1tsca;y; he would
nat hive buried ,lansSce IN the face of
acoolc wei ta,ghl in ali their rights snd
t,risS, pious In habit, patient in iabour,
dauntirss IN danger, nnconQuerahIe III
action. II WIS Sufficient for Mr.. Clay 10
know that Kentucky governed this pos
err1i section OF the y. States. 1T would
save been vic 20 Conceal that know
ledge ICON atI---it was an insulting dis
nIg of power To tell them that they were
suspected; tAat they we're watched as
traitors and conspirators. But we find
ousselvos running into greater length
tran the intended scope Of these obser-
yStlops can dam't.>
What has been stated was only meant
to shew that an administration, pursuing
solely party views, regardless OF nation
st honor and prosperity, would iaeriia-
biz lead to q separation of the states
and the administration for the last IL
wears has bccp sHch as almost TO have
accomplished it, Though much depends
or the personal character Of the in6iYl-
duaIs intrus.ed with the public power,
and much of the evil which we have sui
tered and are likely 20 suaev, may be
traced TO that source; yet perhaps we
shall ind radical defects 10 the constitu-
ton under which they act, which detects
sariyten to produce the condition
IN which the nation now fnds itself.
There eligibility of the President is
the mos, palpabIe and tic mcst mischlc-
vcns. This circumstance makes the
presl! epf tie mere prppct OF his party:
in3tead oi being a firm, independent. and
integral member Of The gorernmcDt.-
He beads to the supposed popular hn~
mour, which is held 70 be expressed by
The Senate aai House of Representa-
lives. He becomes . tooi Of the party
which directs nose badscs. And these
bodies have cnGeavorcd tolncrease that
dependeace, since the first election OF
Mr.. Jefferson, by forming themselves
into an initiative electoral college, COM
monlv called s. caucus, which has assum.
ed inc power of nominating the future
President and ce-Preoldent inls no.
animation having been heretofore sue
cessFuI. thi: dependency OF The President
is increased al every successive election.
For THIS evil there SENS 20 be no rene
dy, tut by changing the constitution so
rs 10 render the President eligible but
once. That being the case the term OF
othce seems 70 be too short, for the sta
bliity of public measures. 1t would be
wlse therefore to prepare an amendment
liking the term OF office al years, and
rendering the President Ineligible.
There is also another defect In the
constitution. s,hch in the ED may pro-
drce lie dissolution of tie union--the
YS2regsat2tcn allowed to the southern
ststcs Tor hrce fourths oil their slaves
AEss ,ge consider the extension of our
territory ~ the south west, ard the adj
mission OF new states as The population
extends. and the tendency of this cir
cumotsnce to destroy the former rela-
,icns OF the parties to the present GEM
pact, and the danger thcfeirom that the
most powerful section may be induced TO
withdraw from the present association--
il would be an &C, of wisdom and mag
nanimily in the slave states, TO iorcgo the
power which they derive from this re-
presentation. Their relative strength
will be still great enough and ore
weigh,y pTetext for separation will be
taken away:
But as 10 the practicahility Of scpara.
ton. This requires no demonstration.
Ii may be mcreiy asked, ifthe Western
choose to separate from the Atlantic
states, what power exists to csmpel t..em
10 obedience? If tire states north otsthe
Hudson, even if the New-England states
separate, what power exists to coerce
them to remain in the union To the
writer there appears no means SUBJECT
~ a,,A ode