Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1824-02-26

Westminster Hall" Whatever trespass. sni,;
NJ, may be- guilty of upon the attention of
the committee, one thing l will promise them;
and will faithfully perform my promise-E
VIII dole out To them no political meiaphy-
sizes. Sir. uDlearned metaphysics almost as
early as Fou,eneIle, and he tells us, think,
u was at nine years old. shall say nothing
about that word municipal. am almost AS
sick OF II DIS honest Jack Falsiaff was OF "se-
| curiiy"-it has been like ratsbane in nv
mouth, ever since the late ruler of France
took shelter under that word Ia pocket our
money, and incarcerate our persons, with the
most profound respect for our neutral rights.
l nave done with the word municipal ever
since tbatGay. let us come to the plain com
moa-sense construction of the contribution
SIR We hive under government Of peculiar
structure TO which the doctrines of the Eul
ropean writers on civil polity do not apply
and when gentlemen get up and quote Vat
tel as applicable ia the powers Of the con-
gress of the United States, should as seou
nave expected them to quote Aristotle ar the
Koran. Our government is not like the con
solidated monarchips of the old world-it is a
solar system, an Emporium IN imperio : and
when the question is about the one or The
other, what belongs to- tho Emporium and what
to the tmPer1o, We gain nuthing by referring to
Faitel He treats of AN integral government.
a compact sirnrtnre-!ofnS fercs afque rof,,n-
aus. But ours Is system composed of two
distinct governments, The one general in lis
nature, the other internal. Now, sir, go
fernnienf may be admirable for external, and
yei execrab.c fur internal purposes And
when the question of ruver in the govern.
ment arises, Ibis is The problem hich every
honest man has tn work. The powers of go
verDinent are divided. in our system. between
the general and state governments, excepr
some powers, which the people have very
wisely retained TO Themselves With thesr
exceptions, all the power il divided between
the TWO governments. The given power will
mol lie, unless, as in the case Of direct ,ax.s
tne power IS specifically given-and even then
tbe states have concurrent power The
question for every honest man 10 ask him.
SELL Is, 10 which Of tltese two divisions Of go
vernment does the power in conf,ss belong.
And, said Mr.. II. lille / am on M. ,lhiecr
OF assumed power permit me TO say. if nv
strength allows me, | shall be compelled To-
slate some acts of assumption and us,ir;,atior
on the part of The states, as well as on the
part of the general government not that al
al agree with the gentleman from New York;
thif. Storrs,1 that the danger of This govern
inent Is rom the state governments can
initiate, while greatly admire the generosi-
~ with which that gentleman, a representa-
I'VE from the largest state ia The union. wuuld
smear her at her strength-to do what To
presprve this flniun No-fo reduce her to q
level, by possibility, with The smallest state
In he union. And this, sir, reminds me of one
olher OF The nofhings we have done for the
western country. We have, among other
.nolhIngs, given them, in The case of an ,lrc
Hon "i President coming into this House,
nine VOTES out of twenty four We have ..
r"'ted Item, as soon AS their numbers would
render II possible, under the law, into indie,
pendent states, and thus given thpm, in the
oti;rr branch of the legislature, a voice to-
weigh down the voice, or counterpoise il. of
N. York or Pennsylvania. These are among
me nothIngs we have done for them. Thiss
men, Is The problem we have to settle: Does
this power of Internal Improvement belong
to The Generator to the State Governments
or is 1t concurrent power? Gentlemen saw
we have power, by the constitution. to es,ab-
iish posi- roads, and having established post
Ioaos, we should be much obliged TO you To
allow us, therefore, the power to construct not
only the roads, but canals also II had the
physical strength, said Mr. X. j could easily
demonstrate to the committee, that, suppos-
ing me power 10 exist on our part-Of all the
powers That can he exercised by this House,
there ~ no power that would be more suscep-
tIbie OF abuse than this very power. Figure
TO yourself, said he aconmittee of this House
determining on some road, and giving out the
contracts To the members Of both Houses of
Congress, or tn their friends, &c. Sir il had
strength, could shew to his committee that
the AsaIic plGDder of L~adenbalI street has
not been more corrupriDg to the British go
vernnent Than the exercise of such noI,er
as This would prove 10 us.
The gentleman from New York (Mr. Storrs1
says that Congress possesses The power 10
CON money, and asks if that does not involve
a Jurisdlcilon over the whole subject of mo-
ney' 1t does, strand yet I would by The
hye, correct one mistake into which that gen
'Ieman alone has nat fallen. In IS hal does that
power consist! in designating the metal, de-
t,erInInihg the rate of alloy, fixing the weight,
directing The impress, aud declaring the yalue
OF the cOin--nOt in the mechanical act of
coming. And, il all our coin were struck by
WATT II Bolton, AZ Birmingham, the coinage
would be as much IN act Gf sovereignty. If If
had due weight, and the proper ASSAY. &c. as
VI II were coined vi the mint IN Pbadelpli,.
bu', sur, under this power, what have we
done! WehaVe erected hank, which will
not redeem the notes Of IFS braaches. and the
states are drluged with spurious hank naper,
while, with this base currency Throughout The
land, debtors are bound To pay in specie. Sir.
the bank note table Of New York. in ,vhicl,
they do not degn to name the Banks of Ken
tucky, isa p0liicO-ecOnomical curiosity and,
instead of one currency, Of uniform value We
nave a thousand different kinds Of papcr no-.
ney, ny lngIng the changes upon which, we
near the profits which brokers and shayers
ana stock tobbers levy on the honest industry
OF me naiiUn J said continued Mr.. n. that
ms government, II put 10 the test--a test IL
Is by no means calculated to- endure-asa ao-
VernInent for the management OF the internal
concerns OF this country, is one Of the ,ynrvf
Cun hss