Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1825-03-01

gulate, by law, the fees OF the Justices
of the Peace: the Justices who may be
members, should, in other votes upon
subject of their own fees, be apt to be
influenced by what would be their indl,
vidual interest. Besides, Justice Of
the Peace may be elected President OF
the Council. If this would be the
case, the same person would be, 'at the
same time, exercising executive, le-
gislative, and judicial powers, and re-
ceiving pay in these three characters
The number of Justices of the Peace in
the District, exceeds twenty-five, the
limited number of which the Legisla-
tive Council is to be composed. It's
not among the improbabilities, that at
least majority of the Legislative Coun-
Gil may be also Justices Of the Peace for
the District, they not being less ambi-
tious Of preferment than other people,
and having from their judicial station,
more influence.
By the bill, the Judges & Registers OF
the Orphans Court are eligible to seats
in the Legislative Council. These Of
fcers are more interested in the laws
which the Council may pass than the
Judges of the Circuit Court; who are
Judges of the United States, & whose
compensation depends entirely upon
Congress, and are, Of course, in this
respect, independent ofthe Local Legis-
lature. the Orphans Courts are local
Courts, the compensation of the Jug
es & Registers of which will depend on
the discretion of the Legislative Coun-
Gil; and it may so happen, that one of
them may be President Of the Council;
and it may also happen, that he may
be a Justice of the Peace member OF
the Legislative Council, and President
Of it-and in all these characters re-
ceive the compensation attached to
each Office, there being no provision Of
the proposed law against such an &C
emulation of offices in the same person.
The grand pretext for establishing a
Local Legislature and Government is,
that it will be giving the people the
right of self-governmenl, and be saw
ing the time of Congress. 1t will not
have either effect. The Local Govern
ment will be no more than a grant
from Congress. Not being guarran-
ted by the Constitution, Congress may
abolish it whenever it chooses. The
liberty of self-government which this
grant may bestow, is more ideal than
real. The terms of the grant, reserves
to Congress the right not only to re-
iect the laws which the Legislative
Council may pass, but to abrogate
them at any time after Congress has
adopted them. The liberty Of self-go-
vernment given by the bill, will not b.
as complete as it is by the charters
granted to the towns. The laws which
the corporations pass, are not depen-
dent upon the subsequent consent of
Congress, to make them binding; but
are valid and operative as soon as they
are passed'by the corporate body. The
proposed Legislative Council, as au-
thorised by the bill, is nothing more
than body to prepare laws and bust
ness for the consideration of Congress :
they are to be laid before Congress,
who may, or may not, act upon them.
For a body of men, whose chief busi-
ness will be to prepare laws, which
are to be submitted to the con-
sideration Of Congress, the people of
the District are to be taxed from six to
ten thousand dollars year. Is the OBJ
iect such a one as to justify an expense
of this magnitude, especially when
there is committee of Congress rails
ed for this express purpose? If the
Legislative Council is established, the
committee of Congress will still be
continued.
The Local Legislature so far from di-
minishing the labors and saving the
time of Congress will have contrary
effect; there will be but few laws pass
ed by this Legislature, which will be
quietly submitted to by all the inhabi-
tants of the District. The discontents
knowing that there is an appeal to
Congress, will, no doubt, prefer their
petitions to the Senate and House OF
Representatives, againt the law, with
which they may be dissatisfied. This
being done, the memorial must be re-
ferred TO committee of Congress, on
which they will finally have to act and
decide. Thus, neither labor nor time
will be saved, but much money use
lesslNexpended, and not little unne-
cessary excitement created in the Dis
trict.
A CITIZEN OF ALEXANDRIA.
OHIO AND CHESAPEAKE CANAL.
From the National baselkgencer.
i ~