Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1819-05-18

Or suppose the court, after hearing a
most elaborate and able argument on the
constitutionality of the law, had said, Il!
is not our intention to bring that subject
into discussion. We are wiling to acqui.
esce in this particular case so long as the
charter continues without being Violated
because it has been repeatedly argusai be.
fore congress, and not only in 1871. but
in 1915, was sslemniy decided against the
measure"
Would this reaoning have satisfied ?or
ought it 10 have satisfied The publick p
Would Amphyctisn himself be- content
with the declaration of the supreme court,
that or any question concerning the oonsti-
tutinnality OF an act, it is not enough to say,
"it is not consistent with Judicial moles-
ty" to contradict the opinion Of Congress,
and g thus to arrogate to themselves the
right of putting their ueto upon law" or
that they are willing to acquiesce" in
the particular act, because il has been
particularly argued before Congress, and
MOI only in I79I. but in 1885," or at some
other time since 1901, was soiemnly
decided in favor Of the measure ?"
ulif, As we must believe was the fact
in this case, because it was so stated by
the judges, the court should he" unani.
mously and decidedly Of opinion thai the
law is constitutional" would it comport
with their honor, with their duty, or with
truth to insinuate an opinion tina. congress
had violated the constitution If it would
not. then was it incumbent on the court
in this case, to pursue, net the course
marked out by Amphyction but that which
he censures. 1t was incumbent ON them
to state their real opinion and their rea-
sons for il. Those reasons, AIN persua-
ded, require only to be read with fairness
and with attention 10 he approved.
A FRIEND TO THE UNION.
Il is probable that, before Mr. Onis reach
es Madrid, our treaty with Spain will be
ratified. We say'it is probable, because
there is possibility that it may not, patti
cuIarly when we recollect how long the
convention, ratified last autumn, and which
will now be merged in this more compre-
hensive treaty, was held in suspense by the
Spanish government. We should rot, how
ever, have seriously entertained an idea of
the possibility of its not Icing ratified, if
our attention had not been caught by the
following paragraph, which, considering
the scource whence it comes, {from the pc
of member af the senate of the United
States SIS entitled to more respect than is
ordinarily paid to newspaper speculations.
We certainly hope the treaty will he rati-
fed; though, should it not, there are some
very respectable citizens who would be
grali6ed at The failure. From certain es-
says we have seen in the western papers,
there are not few in that section OF ihe
country, who think our boundaries are not
sufficiently extended towards Mexico
Oul views ere not quite so expanded. We
are content with the secure possession OF
what we have, and " tha consider our pre-
sent limits comprehensive enough for hap
piness. A wider range would hut enlarge
the field for speculation, which, God knows,
IS already ample enough
National IntelHgencer.>,
From The Trenton True american.
TREATY WITH SPAIN