American watchman and Delaware advertiser. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1822-1828, 1827-05-08
THE LATE CONGRESS.
From the Charleston Is. c. GaSeftt.

THE LATE CONGRESS.
From the Charleston rs. CO. GaSefts.
| Saturday last closed the second session or the
Nineteenth Congress OF the y. States. ! ne Repre-
sentatiyes Of a mighty empire are now return
;nv "a their respective constituents, TO render
mn an account of their performance OF the great
trusts which have been confide, to them. i'ow
they shall accomplish this last duty Is an INJURY
of the most serious import. Are ,heie many WY
can look back with unmingled satisfaction 70 ''e
hstory of their official labors The period OF cool
reflection. of ,ispassionate Judgment, has arrived.
Are there not some, then, who stand rebukea Tor
a crafty and insidlous purpose, which overookea
The public good in the qualification Of personal ant
mostly, and the promotion OF party interests are
there not others who, commencing with purer IN
tent,ons. have gradually yielded to the irritation
Of their feelings, and, provoked into retort' ven
tured into and persisted at length IN prac.'ces
which they would otherwise have condemned, as
unbecoming equally their honor as men ana 'heir
duty as the servants Of the pubic Anu, now many
more are there, who either disguised with the low
intrigues, the corrupt practices, and the unnanly
dissensions daily passing under their inspection,
or stupdly insensble to their exhibition, have re-
manned in their seats in shameful silence, with
scarcely solitary effort to arrest the degeneracy.
and restore the dignity and purity 81 the national
councilsa 1t will be happy, indeed, i the task OF
selfexamnation be accompanied with neither OF
thcsercsults to who are now, perhaps, Oh their
way to their own and the homes OF their conshtu-
cnts for the consciousness OF his own rectltuee
can alone supply to each mans bosom consolato-
nv feeling, as lie surveys the past and anticipates
the Judgment of the future upon that utter destu-
ton services, and neglect OF duty which have cha.
rae teriZed the legislation OF the session which has
but Just closed. The floor Of Congress has been lite
rally converted in an arena for contending part
sans, whence the PEOPLE have been excluded, or
into which they have been only occasionally adj
mtted, that they might witness its worthless and
Improbable games and sports.
Such is the Notifying reflection Of those who,
removed from the excitement of the party feelings
which have too much swayed the discussions Of
the last Congress, and regarding, as they justl,
should, the determination Of any new party gues-
ton OF infinitely less moment than the disposal OF a
variety OF other subect which have been submit
Ted to its consideration. now scrntlnizlng the
few insufficient and unimportant enactments, which
have been passed. and the discontinue or post
ponement Of measures the most vitality affecting
the interests Of the Union at large.
1t is therefore, most devouty to be wished, that
the labos and results OF future years will speedily
erase the reproach which is thus left upon the an
nails Of our legislation.
In the preamble to certain resolutions, adopted
at recent meeting in Fauquier County, virginia,
it is stated. that, in the election Of tie present
Chief Magistrate of the United States, the known
wishes Of the people We're dsregardcd,'' &ci The
same sentiment is uniformly incucatcd in the pre-
ambles and resolutions Of the various opposition
meetings, in that State. 1t is the language of the
leaders of the opposition. 1t is the language Of
the Richmond Enquirer. Now. we would nut it
to the originators and movers in these opposition
meetings, and cmphatically would we ask Of the
Richmond Enquirer, whether, in case Of MIR. Craw.
ford. who was suppoted to the last by the vote Of
that State, and the voice Of that Journal had been
elected, $ the known wishes Of the people" would
not have been in much greater degree disregard
ed Mr.. Crawford stood the lowest in the votes
Of the electoral college, yet MIR. Richie and the
State of Virginia struggled. with great industry
and fidelity, to secure his election against the
known wishes Of the people, We would inquire
whether this very effort to elect Mr.. Crawford, I'm
der these circumstances, was not an admission
that, the people having failed to give that constu
tonal expression OF their preference which is ne
cessary to elect Chief Magistrate, the House Of
Representatives was left, untrammeled in their
discretion, to choose the President out Of the three
candidates submitted to thenF IL they were bound
to select hln who had plurality Of Yates only,
why was It made necessary By the constitution IL
subject the election in such case to the formalit,
OF going through the House, A plurality only
having shown preference for General Jackson, il
amounted to constitutional rejection Of him b.
the people; yet he is now to be brought forward
and forced upon the people after this explicit re-.
lection OF his claims We shall be clad If some Of
the opposition editors Will show us the cunsisten
cy and the rcasonablencss Of this course.
Il Nat. Journal.