Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1822-01-22

! it, and that history had not recorded it Tha
wish, however, was now vain. Yes, sir, sale
he, it was,,a frishtfnl scene though was then
but young man just entering into life, re-
member it well. There was a state of al;lral
-of deep anxiety: the good men of the
country every where stood on the tpt0,
OF expectation looking towards the Capt.
tol, where 1t was believed that the liberties oil
this infant republic were in danger, The al
| tempt was made, as the world knows, To place
| IN the presidential chair man who did no,
receive from the people single vote for the
| Office of President. There was rrnlor
whether true or false, l will not he responsible
that the party who had attempted TO impose
ON the people President of the United States
Tor whom they knew a vote had not hecn Civ
en-, intending to profit by their own wrong
had resolved to appoint President by law.
Whether true or ftlse, such was the suspicion,
and such the excitement in consequence, that
thousands and tens of thousands of patriots
mad ready the avenging steel to plunge into
the heart of the usurpcr, and of his guilty as
SOCRATES. Fortunately, the attempt was not
made. And, if any one would deny the fact,
being anxious to believe it not true, he would
readily acquiesce in the assertion, az it involv-
ed deep stain OH the character of his coun-
Try. We are told, indeed, that different times
But, Mr. Is. said, what has happened may
happen again and he who entertains con-
fidence different from this, must have gained
little ad vantage from the lessons of history,
Sc.t 1t required no spirit ofprophecy TO dis
Germ already specks floating ON the horizon,
portendIng future storms ; and although, owing
u our peculiar form of government, and the
attachment of the people TO liberty, this ma
ton may have great duration and enjoy an
extent of happiness heretofore unknown, yet,
said he, we are human 1--WE are subject to the
law of nature-and it would be presumptuous
10 suppose that the DEGREES of Heaven are to
be reversed IN our favor. Mr.. B. was against
placing the election with the House of Repre-
sentatives, because he believed it would d.
minish the chance of duration of the govern
ment-and he was, therefore, opposed to this
amendment to the constitution, because Inc
believed its inevitable tendency would be, by
multiplying the number of districts to
throw the election into that body. Why,
SAID Mr. b. take from the states the little weigh!
which they now have in this government:-
why, from him that hath not, will you take
that which he hath PAT the time when some
OF the states see, or think they see, the en-
croachmcnt OF this government on certain of
their rights, as the Senate had it eloqucn,ly
stated to them yesterday by the gentleman
from Kentucky-when they believed, too,
that Congress itself every now and then went
to the full limit Of its authority under such
circumstances, asked Mr.. b. Will you declare
that the little privilege of directing the mode
| OF eiectng of electors shall be taken from
them Besides, he said, that power already
belonged to Congress, ifthey chose to exer-
cise 1t; and what need was there for an
amendment to the constitution to do that
MI Iu h,A III
do There IS something dear TO every one
M his own peculian. The most triiing OBJ
Ject in nature, if it be your own, inter
weaves itself with your affections Leave, then
| said he, to the states, this little authority,
which may be dear TO them but is of no real
importance to you. Mr. b. then reverted to his
] hrst and most important consideration against
this measure, viz: that it dcranged the com
promise in which the Constitution had its being
He called upon Mr.. Dickerson to establish a
palpable evil requiring a remedy, and that
this was the proper remedy. The onuS pro-
6andi, he said, rested upon him. II there was
any difficulty under the constitution in its pre-.
sent shape, Mr.. b. said il was difficulty on
paper merely, and in practice not felt at ALL
| whilst he had shewn, he thought, that practi-
cal and serious evils might grew out of the
proposed change. Mr.. B. concluded by say
|
views and he had done so in the humble hope
that the few suggestions which he had thrown
out might at least afford to some members
ofthe Senate materials for reflection.
Mr.. DicKERsoN, in rising to reply to Mr.
Barbour, who, he said, appeared TO have been
moved by the spirit 10 some purpose, said
that, In proposing this amendment to the con.
stitutioD, he had acted under instructions from
the state which he represented, rather thar
from his own mere motion. He was not fdis
posed, more than others, to NEEDLE too freely
with the Constitution of the United States
but being instructed on this point by his con
stituents, he should feel it his duty to bring
forward this proposition, year after year, il
this house, as long as he remained a member
or until it was adopted. With regard to tn,
constitution, which the gentleman from vir
gina appeared to consider as almost bcyont
the reach of human beings, that gentlemar
himself had, on three occasions, introduced
resolutions proposing amendments to it, some
OF them going much further to impair tina
compromise Of which he had spoken than tn,
amendment which is proposed This propo
sitioD, Mr.. ID. said, did not originate in New
Jersey, but, he believed, in the old state o
North Carolina, which was also one Of the grea
states, and twelve or thirteen Of the states hat
given instructions, directing their Senator.
and requesting their Representatives to us,
their cxertions TO procure IFS adoption. VIVA
It proposed, moreover. was not new. 1t pro
posed to give validity and renewed operation
to an old principle--to the course which wa
; adopted by the states generally, and by Vir
ginia herself, in the first election Of Presiden
of the United States. That state had chan
ged its practice only, because, under all cir
cumstances, it was right to do so, seeing that
in the Eastern States, the Legislatures hat
usurped the power from the people, rese rvin
it to themselves, or making The election b