Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1829-01-19

rrinuy referred TO select committee, whose
report may be anticipated in few days BY agreeing
to consider them the House Of Delegates has rcdu-
ced itself to the alternatives, either of dissenting from
the Georgia and s. Carolina construction of the TIA
riff, or asscnting to it, Of waving decision by an
indefinite postponement of the report after it shall
have been made. Time, money and difficulty would
all have been saved, by the adoption of Mr.. Gaines
motion to lay them the table in the first instance
This rs the fourth consecutive year that the General
Assembly hos been urged into declaration of con-
st'tutionnl faith During all that time we have been
ultimately associated with the House of Delegates
aud We undertake to affirm deliberate opinion,
THAT that body has in every instance been decidedly
opposed to the course and in instance. when Mr..
GILES resolutions were passed. contained a majority
whose unprejudced and unbiased opinions led them
10 conclusions directly opposite those, which pre-
vailed upon by the fear of political dcnunciaon and
nnwillngness 10 separate from supposed majority,
they soIcmnly voted. We have seen men in that bo-
dy, on each of the occasions mentioned who basrly
surrendered their avowed private opinions to the COW
srdly apprehension of being left in minority; and
acting under the obligation OF an oath support the
Constitution, permitted themselves declare that I'M
constitutional which in fact they believed and in pri-
hooking upon suchmen as perjured--wc look upon them
not infamous from disregard of a OATH but as des-
picable from political imdity which drives them to
rcnquish the rights of private Judgment. and the no
be independence offrccmcn. What liberty is worth
unless it leaves the mind well as the body free we
have never been able understand, vet what is more
common than to see men, who are ever roaring out
their democracy, tamey surrender the liberty judr
a =
thodoxy, OF central club, selfstyled the Republican
party: IL is melancholy, to in this boosted Re
public less independence of opinion and of speech and
more Gespotism thought, than exist in England
and a set of men debating what is orthodox with papal
arrogance, sid ebeyed with supersiious reverence.
Such has been the state of things nthc legislature
ut Virginia for some years back. Particular n;livi-
duas to answer extrinsic political purposes acting
upon the known weakness of men, their love Of ma
Jorcs and antpathy to uInorites, have l3d the Ie-
glsatlrc of Virginia into which in the alb
sence OF this weakness it could have been made
toenibrace. Twas only necessary FOR these self CON
stituted arbiters Of Repu5licansAf 70 draw the Inc
to make the obedient General Assembly toe it. When
the subject of State Rights introduced in the Lee
gislnture an awful psrsc ensued until it could DC
what should be declared orthodox; and when 50 dc
cfared, it adopted Of COURSE We have seen the
prevalence of this system OF arrogant dictation on
the one hand and unmanly suoseryiency on the
other, vIth establishment and disgust. Unless w
had seen it, and seen 1t enacted over and over WE
could never have believed, that AHerlcans Virgin.
lans, and Republicans, possessed souls mean and
groveiing, as to have words put in their mouths
which they repudiated, and from the fear of being
called Federalists, made to adopt sentiments which
thoy disbelieved Who does not know that this is
faithful picture of the transactions of preceding ses
sions of the General Assembly.
The General Assembly is again called upon W
Georgia and S. Carolina, to declare the Tariff laws
unconstitutional, and to protest against them on the
Journals Of the Senate of the u States. he shape
in which the subject this year comes before the c-
gisature, favourable an unbiased decision
than in former years. Gen. Jackson is elected and
IL is not necessary for any political purpose unconnec-
Ted with the subject, to resolve way or the 9th
CT. In the name Of the people of Virginia who pa
moro for the making Of laws than any other on the
face of the earth, protest against the unnecessary
waste of time and treasure which must result from
Legislative enquiry into the ccnsttutionality Of the
Tariff. Exercising the right which belongs TO tho
Press Of this country, and with the freedom which
belongs Of right It's citzcns we call upon tho Con
raj Assembly to fulfil what the people sent them for
especially to relieve the public mind by passing the
Convention Bill, and then 10 spare tho Treasury the
expenses Of abstract Gnl frui;lcss legislation,
But ftis determined tosuspcndtbe regular business
of legislation, in TIC QuXottc enterprise OF Jcf,n-
ding the constitution Of the g. States we hope that
the subject will receive tho full and mature consdc-
ration whisi its impDrtal!cc merits Uni. Hone
Of Delegates so superior TO any that Virgin
Ia has seen assembled for q long time, will not wc
hope, tread in the serve footsteps Of OF pre-
deGessors, aud reject this swallow that at the bid
ding Of any set of ncn. We have reason Co.
uIink that majority Of that body, believe in the con-
sitdtionolity ofthe Tariff, andbaye more confidence
In Mr.. Madson's, than III Mr.. Giles, Mr.. Haplton's
Dir. RitChe's ability Of expoundng it. That pub