American watchman and Delaware advertiser. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1822-1828, 1827-04-27
Volume VI.
FROM THE NATIONAL 1NrELLIGENcER.
a

4
ton of our columns. during the Session of Congress,
to the reports of proceedings and debates, leaves
us no room, if we had time, to speculate on ras-
sing events. The late dinner at Richmond to
Gen Floyd offered some matter for remark. and
did that subsequently given in the same city to
Gov. Tyler. They have passed by, however. and
now we have Dinner No. 8, given to Mr.. Raaaotphs
the account of which we have copied at large. A
few of the reflections arising from the pcrusa lit,
we venture to throw upon paper.
The first, second, and third Toasts, in memory
of our Revolution, Of Washington. and Of u fer
son, are unexccptionable. we rejoce to perceive
that the memory of Washington is still held in
outward reverence by those who pronounce
public measures, which he repeatedly recommends
ed to Congress, to be usurpations 0t power. Whilst
his memory is revered, there is hope of
renee to his principles Al preseat. according
| to the sentiment of the 4th Toast measures re-
commended by that sterling patriot are worthy Of
being corrected BY the dagger Of Brutus For, it 10
on, in reference to such measures that even the
resolutions of Mr.. Giles assume that there has been
any deviation. in the General Government, from
the strict constr ucton of the Constitution. 1t is
only III reference to such measures as the protec-
tion of manufactures, the encouragement OF learn
ing and the facilitaton of intercourse between the
yeal States that any body pretends to discover,
either in the acts Of tie Government, the recon-
mendations Of the executive. any necessity to cir
cumscribe the General Government by resolves,
or menace it with resistance.
This brandlshing Of daggers, even metaphori-
cay, at the festive table, s not only in bad taste,
but conveys a pernicious moral. The youth OF
America, already sufficiently prone TO the use of
daggers and other weapons OF blood, need no spur
ring up by toasts and sentiments, such as this
from the magnGtes Of the land. The sentiment,
however. when we come to anayse it. is as repug-
nant to the political to the moral sense. and It
is in that view that consider it most revolving
fhn ctrir m al
the Constitution. it is known that there is great
division of opinion among the best and the wlsest
People of the United States, as well among the
worst and the weakest. Ti,gsaia, as represented
lin her legislature is decidedly in the minority Of
the States upon several of these most important
points of construction. The Union is against her
on these points, il she be not, III fact against her
self (or there are many who believe that the pop
ular sentiment in that State has been misrepresent-
ed at Richmond) She has pronounced certain
exercises of poverty the General Government to
be acts Of usurpation she has declared, IN efect,
t that the Government of the United States has pas
. sed the Rnbicon lately, (as according to the same
: rule of construction, the Government has passed
S liz every time that Congress has assembled, from
D the 4th of March, 1889, up to this day.) This
e same dagger Of Brutus. had Virginia seen always
with the same eyes she does, might have been,
y from the origin of the Government. IN constant
play. Surprising the expression to be flgufatlve
!, one, importing disposition 10 resort to arms up
u on every such g usurpation passage OF the Rr
/ bcon, as angry politicians may imagine to have Ia
ken place. the sentiment OF the fourth toast is as
directly against the spirit Of our Government as it
is against the emphatic voice Of those departed ga.
d ges to whose memory the Dinner Company had
Il Just made libation The principle OF our Cow
eminent is, that the will Of the majority shall! pre-
d vail that error Of opinion may be safely TOLERATE
d ed where reason is left free to combat it;'' and
that erroneous actions Of public men and public
!. bodies shall be remeded-n0t BY the dagger, but
by the ballot-box. IT, indeed men, slaves to pas
1t sion or to ambition, not content to await the popu-
d lar voice or obey the public will, far transcend
the limits of their civic duty as to plot the dismem-
berment of their country, or turn their arms a.
gainst it. there is stronger remedy provided. but
= Still it is legal one. There can be pretence,
= under our Government, to justify, in any sense.
the application of the sentiment OF that toast to any
G. thing that has ever occurred in it: and Heaven
,s forbid that we ever see the day when it will be
a otherwise We have heard such language befole
q but it was listened to with indignation, mixed
10 with commrseration for the delusion Of mind IN
ID which it was engendered. We have heard it pro-
~ claimed with Stentorlan voice, in the Representa-.
- tives' Hall, when the enemy was not only thunder
n ING at our gates, but within walls that the ~
lustrious and virtuous Madison deserved to be
n brouct to the halter for his daring to cause the
If Constitutional Laws Of the unitss, States to be
carried into effect. We are not sure that we have
,r not heard almost much in debate from Mr. hda-
n9 dolph who must, by the way, have made wry
It. face in swallowing the toast IN honor OF That mails
So whose political integrity he more steadily ami
in constantly peached, Tor series OF years anteri'
in or TO the late war, il not subsequent to it, than an
ss other jim the heated mind OF furious poll
= tcian every man has passed the Rubicon, who -
) not on his side. The trainers of this toast seem y
III have forgotten that there two sides to every