Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1824-01-27

II the gentleman wished time to consider it, he
should be accommodated he might take days,
or weeks, if he pleased, for more mature re-
fr kion. but il the liberty Of the country was
kth preserving, we must rouse ourselves we
ID BIT take decided ground, or we are gone, al
lalst in prospect. He trusted that the commit
the would now proceed The pleged himself to
shcw to it that this tocsin of war which had been
sounded with so much effect from one side of
the house to the other, was, when examined, a
mere creature of the imagination. He hoped
that the resolution Of the gentleman from Mas
sachusetts would be adopted. The measure tor
which il prepared was in strict accordance with
the policy ot this country, AID with the practice
of all our Presidents, FROM the days OF our Inn
mortal w ashington to this hour He was dis
posed to accord to the gentleman from Virginia,
every reasonable accommodation; but, asked
MIR. C. has it come to this ? Have we yet to
moke up our minds on the question ofthe Greek
cause. Has there, then, been no pillow re-
Elections on such subject? Is it now that we
arc cor the first time to " sleep upon it," He
trusted not. He did hope that, ere thus tune,
every gentleman had made up his mid on such
a question. The proposition is before Us. Lit
asks Us 10 speak cheering word TO the Greeks.
Gentlemen had only TO say Yes or no. L nal
nonosyiiablc was all that was asked OF them.-
Let them say, distinctly, whether ihcy would
give so much encouragement Is this TO nation
OF oppressed and struggling patriots IN arms, or
whether they would shut themselves mp IN cold,
shivering, contracted, hui mistaken policy,
which must in the end react upon ourselves
If, in proposition so simple, SO plain, so harm-
less, SO free from all real danger this, we
were to shut our hearts from the influence of
every generous, every manly feeling, let gentle
men say so at once. But he could tell the gen.
tleman from Virginia, that he who follows the
dictates Of heart warmed with humanity, and
with the love Of freedom, has better guide than
that cold, unfeeling, pence calculating policy,
which shrinks before it is menaced, and will ne
yer do noble deed, fer fear OF some remote,
possible consequences of conceivable danger.
Mr.. Randolph, in reply explained the object
his motion, which was simply TO have the Sc
veral resolutions printed, that they might be bet
ter compared and considerable begged the
pardon Of the gentleman; nc did not mean to in
terfere with his resolution He presumed,
Judging from the source from which the obser-
vatiops Just uttered had proccedcd,) they were
held to be perfectly in order: but the gentleman
from Kentucky would pardon him, if the lofty
promises that gentleman had given, with respect
to what he would shew and prove when his reso
luton came to be considered, left his mind some
what to doubt as to their realization. He .ecol-
lected that, In the case lately before the Horse,
on the motion of his honorable colleague, pro-
misses equally lar had been given bv the gen
tleman from Ker elk, ich in his ludg!nent.
had failed of their 4aiih u He certainly had
not spent SO many sleeples, .k9shts in Washing
ton without rejecting, and without maxingu his
opinion Oh the question of Greece, and of that of
South America too; but he did not hold this to be
any reason why the respective resolutions which
had been Offered on those subjects should not be
printed. As to consulting, IN legislation, the
heart rather than the head, he had indeed, learn
ed from much higher authority than that OF the
gentleman from Kentucky, that our passion
may sometimes instruct Cur reason; but the
question was whether the present was one of
those cases?
Mr.. Clay, in answer, said, that he had pre-
sentcd his resolution in no invidious spirit; he
had simply read it, and asked to lay it on the
table; and any thing that had since fallen from
him respecting it, had been drawn fort. entire
ly by the illusions to it in which the q nan
from Virginia had unnecessarily he M mink,
indulged himself. As to the :, alizat;un OF pro-
misses, il was possible, in TIE instance referred
to, he might, in the Judgment Of the gentleman,
have failed: but That gentleman, was one with
whom, III any effort he might make, he should
not calculate on much uccess.-Complete,
however, as his failure might have been, he
would venture TO assure that gentleman, that it
had not been greater than his would be in at
tempting to prove the danger he had attributed
to the resolution now before the committee.
Observations of this kind, he said, were painful
they were extorted from him with reluctance.
He hoped the discussion would be conducted
calmly, fairly, and with good feelings. So far
as his own resolution was concerned, he could
assure that gentleman, and every other, that he
should ever be ready to afford the amplest time
for deliberation and discussion.
Mr.. Foot, of Con. hoped the committee would
rise. The amendment, he said, enlarged the
ground of discussion, and the resolution of the
Speaker widened the field still more. He mop.
ed for his own part, that the resolutions would
all be referred to the Committee on Foreign
Relations.
Mr.. Webster said, that he thought he was
not without some reasons for complaint, that
matter irrelevant to the subject of his resolution
and proving, in effect, a substitute, rather thar
an amendment, had been permitted to take the
latter from; contrary, as he believed, to rule
Of the House, which forbids it. He did not re-
fer to the resolution of the Speaker since that
was distinct, and its discussion not now insisted
on; but he referred, especially, to the latter o.
the two resolutions offered by the gentleman
| from South Carolina.
! THE Chairman here reminded Mr.. w. thai
the latter of these resolutions had been with
| drawn
| Mr.. Cuthbert, of Geo. repeated the expires.
sion of his hope that the committee would rise
and some of the reasons he had before given, he
now insisted on more largely. He glanced Al
| the possible consequences of approaching the
shores ofany ofthe European powers at the very
{ time VIC are about to denouncc their approach t
1t.