Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1817-02-19

rb;cb Il relates Two ar three copies
ssen and circulated by as many &C
tive individuals, or even single cony
,laced in the Exchange CoGte.'tnuse.
von,d soon Obtain a sHHirteut "uuoeri
~ SIGNATURES 10 command the attention.
Of Congress.
MEMORIAL.
To the SeRqtp ,,.3 House Of R'prPspn
Atires of the United States, in Congress
asssgblsE:-
The memorial Of the subscribers. ci;i-
zeaa of Alexandria, respectfully "p''
sent,
That in the year. that pat OF
what is now called the District of Colu@-
bia,lyiug on thcs"uth side ofthe river Po'
tomnc, wa coded by the state Of Virginia,
70 the general government, to- the pur'
posr of completing a territory Of 10 uiles
SQUARE. over which. the latter. were by
the Constitution of The United States.em-
poyered to exercise exclusive jurisdIc-
ton. The cess,on was COR your memo
Iia'ists beleve,l both ma"e and accepted,
with the most liberal views; and the IN.
habitauts 81 tae territory in question,
readily welded their assert 10 measure.
which b, bringing them more Immediate
ly under the eve OF their government,
promised then the most prompt and bene-
fcial attontion 20 their general Interests
Al experience Of years, however,
has satisfied you wemoriaIists, that none
Of tine promised advantages nave resulted
from the change: AID ,hey have, accoI-
din ~. looked TO their restoration to the
,t,,. from which they have been taken,
AS he means. aot Gully OF promoting her
owa prosperity, but Of relieving the gene
n, rnysrnment from IN inc easing, and
An unur,6 able burden Cut oil from all
Dar,iciostion in the political po'rer, Sc
su-ed by the contribution to every other
~ NJ the Union; tive inhabitants Of he
h;,trict NJ Columbia, hold even their CT.
rii RIGHTS, dependent; GU the will OF go
ycrn1ent, IN WhOse N'u
no voice. over whose detinfratiors they
san exercise no contour, anH 10 whose
attention they eau use ~ other c!a,M'
Than such as aust address liseIt eNtIn
.iysly to the justice and t"roearance OF
It's administrators. The experience OF inc
world has demonstrated that "ghts 'h'
hslJ, are held feeble tenure. anu W,
only example uf our OWL co 'h'rE' ah"," :,
an ev,t :. Ut the inpo lance OF that
nr;ac,ple. which secures to the c''izea a
lair participa,ion in the enset"e"t -
Laws. to whose operation he is oouuo !"
submit himself. -.
Tasse considerations alone, would Ia the
on,nioa of your memorial'sts. justify not
opIy a serious Apprehension, as to the
na,,Dansnt secmIty o!rheir nights. but a
sn every CONSTITUTIONAL effort to place
them on a IN. re eligible tuonpg. They
Iarive additional lorce, however, from
the recollection, that, now the destiny OF
tbs citizen is cor mitted, not merel v 10 4
government, over which he has no con-
trsul, but to a government, The greater
mart of whose atSea,ion ~ necessarily and
. most constantly directed to weisS,ler
concerns. The consequence IS, "a would
nutu ally be expected the postpanement
frem day to day, aud from year to year,
of most of the measures, whether OF JUS.
tee or expediency, in which he alone is
interested. and while ais neighbours on
every side are enio,iag the benefits OF
such Improvement IN then civil aud poll
teal codes, az wisdom and experience
are hsurly suggesting, he Is left to the
continued operation OF system OF laws
sulted to other times, and adopted under
other circumstances than now exist.
Tn, Sc evils senslhiy as they must be
Rit by every part OF the District.operate,
with peculiar force, on the town OF Alex
and ia: too remote from the seat OF 60
,ernment. to DO the object of daliy and
,ennnal attention to !sis Offices, and
living no indiSiduat QsslAe Boo; o. CcRs
se,s, Immediately mtefeste,i IN its cen
cer4s, the nature aat urgency OF Its
wants eau be made known onI' by re-
Gated unofficial. ani detailed yepresen-
i.tions. 10 say nothing, Of the ineon-
ssasnes,ts which the sitizsns thssses'es