Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1824-02-27
Eighteenth Congress.

ElShteeMth Congress.
SPEECH OF MIR. RANDOLPH.
Ona fAfor obtaining the necessary Surreus
on the subject Of Roads and Canals.
INTHE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
JANUARY 81, 1924.
Mr.. Randolph, of Virginia, rose. He began
by, saying that he very much feared, that the in
diligence extended to him by the Committee, a
few days since, might induce them to think that
he was, thereby, emboldened to throw himself
upon their attention more frequently than was
'seeInly or betting, and that he should, on too
many occasions, offer to their consideration the
Crude conceptions of his very feeble understand
ing. But, said he, | can, with the utmost sim
centy, assure the Committee, that they NAV Law
aside all alarm that subject for, 1 do not
foresee, at this time, any further occasion, at the
present session, when it will be necessary for
me to trespass on their attention. | shall not
again, unless some very unexpected case should
arise, arouse in their breasts the feeling which
such trespass is well calculated to inspire.
During not very short course of public life,
Mr. r. said, heidi not know thatit ever had been
his fortune to rise under as much embarrass-
nent, or to address the House with as much re-
pugnance, as he now felt. That repugnance,
in part, grew out of the necessity that existed
for his taking some notice, in the course of his
observations, of the argument--if argument 1t
might be called-of an honorable member of
this House, from Kentucky. And although,
said Mr.. h. / have not the honor to know per-
sonaily, or even by name, a large portion of the
members OF this House, it is not necessary for
me to Indicate the cause of that repugnance.-
But this may venture to promise the Commit
tee, that In my notice of the argument of that
Member SHALL ot lac,r
ence to it as he Showed to the Message of the
President of the United States of America, on
returning bill of a nature analogous to that
now before us-I say at least as much-I should
regret if not more. With the argument of the
President, however, Mr.. r. said, he had nothing
to do-he washed his hands of it-and would
leave it TO the triumph, the clemency, the mer-
cy, the honorable gentleman from Kentucky
III, indeed, to use his own language, amid the
mass ofwords in which it was enveloped, he had
been able to find it. His purpose, in regard to
the argument of the gentleman from Kentucky,
was to shew, that it lies in the compass of nut
she-that it turns on the meaning of one of the
piaincst words in the English language. He
was happy to be able to agree with that gentle
man in at least one particular, to wit, in the esti-
mate the gentleman had formed of his own DOW
crs as a grammarian, philologer, and critic
particularly as those powers had been displayed
IN the dissertation with which he had favored the
Committee on the Interpretation of the word es-
tabiish.
Congress" says the Constitution, " shall
have power to estabiish-(crgo, says the gen
tleman, Congress shall have power to const,1sct!l
Post Roads"
One would suppose, said Mr.. r. that, if any
thing could be considered as settled, by prece-
dent in legislation, that the meaning of the words
of tue Constitution must, before this time, have
been settled, by the uniform sense in which that
power has been exercised, from the commence
mcnt OF the government TO the present time
What is the facts Your statute book is loaded
with acts for the {" establishment" of post roads
and the Postmaster General is besieped with
petitions, for the sc establishment of Post Off
Ces. And yet we are now gravely debating on
what the word Establish" shall be held to mean!
n curious predicament we are placed in-pre-
cisely the reverse to that of Moliere's citizen
turned gentleman, who discovered, to his Areat
surprise, that he had been talking sprosen all
his life long, without knowing it-a common
case--it is just SO with all prosers, and hope |
may not cxemplify it in this instance. But, sir,
are have been, for five-and-thirty years, estab-
fishing post-roads, under the delusion that we
were exercising power especially conferred up-
OH us by the constitution, while we were ac-
cordlng to the suggestion of the gentleman from
kentucky, actually committing treason by re-
filsng, for 80 long time, to carry into effect
that very article of the Constitution
To forbear the exercise of power vested in
us for the public good-not merely for our own
aggrandzement-is, according to the argument
OF the gentleman from Kentucky, treachery to
the Constitution. /, then, said Mr.. r. must
have commenced my public life in treason, and
in treason am doomed to end it. One of the
first votes that ever had thn honor IN or;,-o :;
this House, was vote against the establishment.
if gentlemen please, of uniform system OF
Baukruptcy-a power as unquestonably given
10 Congress by the Constitution, as the power
10 lay direct tax. But, sir, my treason did
not end there About two years after the es-
Enlistment of this uniform system of bankrupt
cy, was pnrttceps cr5miniS--with almost the
unanimous voice of this House, i'm COMMITTING
another act of treachery in repeating it; & Mr..
Jefferson, the President of the United States in
The commencement of his career consurnrnated
the treason by putting his signature to the act
Of repeal.
Miserable, indeed, would be the condition nj
every free people, if, in expounding the char.
Ter Of their liberties, it were necessary to 90
back to the Anglu-Saxon, to Junus and Skin.
ner, and other black letter etymologists. Not
Cir, that am very skilful in language; although
have learned from a certain Curate of Brent
ford, whose name will survive when the whole
contemporaneous bench of Bishops are Blu.
Ted in oblivion, that 11ords are the counters o.
wise men, the money of fools--that it is by the
dextrous cutting and shutting of this pack, thai
Is derived one half the chicanery, and more
than one half of the profits of the most lecratiyc
profession in the world-and, sir. by this dex
trons exchanging and substituting ofwords. We
shall not be the first nafion in fbo ,zovlJ II II