Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1827-02-15

vigor, and on that day, with new violence!
All that the gentleman had said was but ebulli |
ton of feeling. Whatever Of argument he had
used was argumentun dd hon,ineni, and applied
| to him individually. II he were to go in'o the
| subject, he could show that the enquiry ~
| important one, and ought tc be had. 1t he had
-ubutted a specific proposition, according to the
| wish of the gentleman, an end would have been
put TO the question of enquiry. But did not the
resolutions proceed more circumspectly and eau
! liOusly, than il specific measures were proposed
| by an individual? They left the subject the
| investigation of a Committee. He had not, he
said, presumption enough to come forward, as an
indiv idual, with such propositions, on subjects o!
so much piih and moment He had pursued
different course. by proposing that Committee
should enquire into certain great principles and
ascertain important facts; aud that this should be
done with great elaboration. As to his silence
| and concealment, in what did it consist? In ask
| ing open sndliberal enquiry? Could any mem.
Der have devised cool and respectful
| course,
had met the gentleman from Norfolk on the
| of that floor. On that occasion, tina, gentleman,
and the many able associates with whom he acted,
manifested the alarm, and raised the same
cry of Virginia then in a minority
She was threatened, and even mensced with force
| The subject then the sedition law. One
individual had been punished for words, aad he
Members OF the Legislature found il necessary,
before they proceeded, 10 guard their personal Ii
berty and if gentlemen would look into the sta
ute book they would find law directing our
judges to issue wris Of habeds corpus and release
members if they should be confined for word spok-
en- in that House. Those days, lie said, were called
| the days of terror; and great alarm prevailed
| throughout the country. Then il was proposed to
go forth in vndication OF our rights; nothing
| was proposed but statement of truths. Then
every thing agains, u.s. and we succeeded in
.l-fn trt nIc f,Fr
every thing in hands, and nothing but a
dereliction of duty could prevent Virginia from
! sustaining her principles and her rights.
There was another epoch in our history to which
reference nigh, be made-the period at which our
Constitution was formed. When our masters, the
most powerful nation in the world, were against
US when surrounded by pers. threats. and the
most imminent danger. But, in the face of all
these, our fathers had pursued their I'd COURSE
formed our Constitution, and achieved our lber-
ties. Here, III 1927, was another epoch in our
history, in which are called on to save the
rights and liberties of the people, and TIE govern
ment Itself Ahd here, again, we hear the same
alarms OF danger and OF war, when nothing like il
exists. In the two Other epochs TO which he had
referred, real danger existed; but i, was met
promptly by energy and decision, and put down by
our i!us,rious ancestors. Was i, possible that
The descendants of those were 10 be deferred
from the assertion of their rights by highly CO.
Toured pictures OF imaginary dangers! And a gen
tleman, too, who took to himself the compii:nen,
OF being Military Chief,ain, the first to come
forward to rouse our fears! Mr. G. thought, If his
propositions were well understood, they would
lead TO peace-to the establishment of right and
justice
The gentleman seemed to think said Mr. G.
that he was reluctant in expressing his opinions
This was mistake; for politician of the age
had been moie remarkable than himself, for the
| open expression of his opinions aud lie did not
IN alan1 he
time arrived, he should not only express his o
pnons freely aad candidly; but he should claim
il as right to do No man should doubt their.
or think that any thing Was lurking about him,
that lie was unwilling 10 ayow. He did not an
swer /! e gentleman's question because he dill no,
! think ii proper He ceuld no, answer i,
truly, because he could answer truly as 10 what
The Committee would do recommend. (Ie,e
Gen. Taylor said his question was not under stood
He meant TO ask what paiIiculsr measure The gen
denan hin self meant 10 recon @1enj) Mr.. CT
still did not think the ques ion proper: He said
| there was no direction given in his mind 10 the
enquiry. IL was proposed for the investigation Of
! others, he should press nothing himself
Gen. IayiOr said, he had never asrribed TO Mr.
" any intent!on OF giving direction 10 The inca-
suEes Of the Committee. All that he wanted was
! 10 know what were the ideas floating in Mr.. O.,
mind Of the probable remedies tina, ought TO be
| applied.
| Mr.. Giles said, il was goin. very FAR indeed 20
require that any thing that should pas. in his mind
should lie given TO the gentleman as the basis of
| an arGumsnt. The gentleman need not be afraid
| that he would not fully, express lis opinions He
repeated he said, that the honor, dignity and mo
rails OF the country, demanded the proposed enquiry
ihe gentleman had repeatedly read the concludjnr
part OF the resolutions; but always leaving out the
| condition upon which the Committee were re-
CURED TO report any measures in the event tina,
they should Ind thst our rights had been assumed
oy DINERS, &C. then, and in that case, to report
measures, &c The particular remedies, or mea
su'es OF redress, were to be determined upon en-
trely BY the Committee. They were not tied down:
but The whole range OF expedients was lief, omen
10 Their choice. They might take the course pur
sued In Us, and submit tie subject fully TO the
Federal Government, to the people OF the u. S.
and particularly to the people of Virginia And
IT 1t should be asceTta!Eed tia, any Of our rights
bau been u.urped, were we 10 be deferred from
suggesting this or any other remedy3 Notbnp
was so foreign from his mind as disuni on or war
No rational ground existed to infer any tendency
10 war. He hoped the subject would be brought
before the House IN the usual way, by the report
of Committee.
II the question on indefinite ros;ponemept should
be put oil until Monday he said that then he would
so more fully into The matter if il me, the Measure
OF TIE House In the mean time, he wished an
opportunity TO examine some documents Refer
snce had been made TO OF his speeches before
'ne war, and he wanted 10 show, among other
things, how extremely different the cases were
ihe president told the nation that our Independence
was attacked, that war actually existed; and he
MIR. IT,, was called upon, The Chairman of an
important Committee, TO express his and other
gentlemen's opinions on The subject Here i, il
only proposed TO enquire into our rights. before
any measure was proposed. II gentlemen would
examine, they would find that the rcsot,,;o,. -