Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1830-01-01

growers OH the Eastern Shore the Rappahannock and
''c Pamunkey! From the fishermen Oh, the Chesa-
arake? The Pilots ofEizabeth City? No, sir--irom
the great slave holding aud tobacco
planting districts of the state. / could not have
brought myself to believe it--nothing could have
persuaded believe that the real DANGER which
threatens this great interest, should spriug from
those districts themselves. And arrogant e. presump
tuous may appear in these epthets have been
applied to us by the gentleman from Augusta,) will
risk any thing short of my eternal salvation the
fact, that when the people of that regioiiScome to
understand the real question:. you will soon
force ratsbane down their tilroats,as Constitution
with such principle i'll 1t.
The Gentleman from Augusta told us, yesterdnv,a
or the day before, cannot be certain as to the
precise day, with some appearance as if it were q
grievance, that the People had interfered, he
asked five to be instructed out of our seats?-
answer yes. Such as cannot be instructed in
their seats, must be instructed out of their
seats. He says ttevoices OF the people from county
meetings and cross roads and tayerns, will come here
and interrupt the harmony of our deliberations.
trust they will. Though the people have hith-
ero been supinc, on this side the mountains i trust
they will take the matter into their own hands I
hope they are beginning to from their torpor;
and know II. VIII state fact, to show that
the current of public sentiment is fast setting in on
our side do not say whether it was for or against
us before have heard, hot one not ten, not fifty,
and whenl say not fifty, mean not less, but more
than that number,) of intelligent men declare, that
II by any possibility, they could have oreseen poor
innoccnts,) that such Were to be the results, they
never would have voted for this Conventions In the
mean while, not single convert has been made from
our cause; if there has. the mani could name
ten, twenty aye fifty, and if to to doc
umentary evidence, could name SO far am
from being one of those, who wish to prccpitatc
the QUESTION, am glad rejoice in the prospect
that our session will run into that of the Virginia
Assembly. In politics, am always for getting the
last advccs. You never get at the true temper
of the public and, till the occasionprescn, itself
for decisive action.
lhavcinadr and shall Make no disclaimer of hav-
ing Intended offence to any person party III this
body-and this for the reason before stated.
never will plead, Till | am arraigncl by conlpc-
tent tribunal; and the disclaimer would be misplaced
Gentemcn on all sides have spoken of the intention
with which they demanding. power for the gen
tienan from Augusta lifted theveif, and owned to us,
that power aud power alone, is the object he is in
pursuit of. Sir, mean disrcsprct, when say,
that however Important may he to themselves TO
me 1t is matter of perfect indItrcncc-I speak in
reference to the operation OF their mcasures-whe-
thcr their lntcnts be wicked or charitable. / saw
tie demand which they nuke is SUCH as ought to
alarm every considerate and fore tlouglted man;
and that there is nothing TO mitigate that alarm in
the STERN unrelnnting inexorab!c rcmorscless cry,
which they raise for power and their determination
TO ilst1l to no compromise One gentleman, indeed
has abated somewhat of his tone of triumph. Per-
haps the prospect of speedy enjoyment, has Gained
his cSuiation, and sobered him down.
Mr.. Chairman, since have been here, the scene has
recalled many old recollections At one time /
thought myself in the House of Representatives. lis.
tShthB 10 the on Tariff; another
imagined myself listening to the debate the sssou
RI lueslion-and sometimes fanced myself listening
TO both questions debated at ssaeNa me,
to consult about the affairs Of men? Or, are we, in
truth, robinhood society discussing rights in the
ABSTRACT Have we no house headsl Do we
forget, that we are living under Constitution, which
has shielded us for than half ntury.-that VIC
arc not parcel of naked and forlorn savages on the
shores of New Holland: and that the worst that can
come is that we shall live under the Constitu-
ton, that we have lived under freely and happily for
half q century! To their monstrous claims of power,
we plead this prescription; but then we are told that
nnutf1'n tempus oeemri. Regi King whom King
numbers. And they will listen to a prescription
OF 81 years. period greater, by four years. than would
secure title to the best e6tate the Commonwealth
unsupported by any other shadow of right. Nay, sir
in this case prescription operates against possession
They tell US, II rs only of long continued and
therefore, OF aggravated injustice. They say to u.s.
words the courteous and SOFT but am not so
soft as to swallow Them eve shall bewe will be-we
must be your masters, and you shall submit To
whom do they hold this language? To dependants?-
Weak, unprotected, and incapable of defence? Or is
to the great tobacco growing and slave holding in
terest and to every other interest this side the
Ridge? "We are numbers, you have property" am
not obtUse to require any further esIanation on
TINS mead. owe are numbers, you have property
Sir, understand it perfectly. Mr.. Chairman, since
the days OF the French Revolutions when the Duke of
Orleans, who was the richest subject, only in
France, but in all Europe, lent himself 10 the noun
tam party III the convention, in the vain and weak
hope of grasping political power perhaps of moanting
the throne still slippery with the blood of the last in.
inatuaon, has not been shewn by any individual, as
by the tobacco grower, and slave holder OF Virginia
who shall lend his aid to rve this yoke the necks
OF his brethren and on his own. Woe betide that
man! Even the Duke of Orleans HIMSELF profligate
and reProbate AS he was, would have halted in his
course had ne foreseen in the end his property confs
Gated to the Winds and his head in the sack of the ey
ecutioner.
| enter into no calculation of my own, for have
made none; nor shall follow the example which has
been set me. leave that branch of the argument if
argument it be called, oftbe gentleman from Au-
gusts, to be answered by himself.
The gentleman told u.s. the day before Yesterday.
that in fifteen minutes Of the succeeding day he would
conclude all he had to say; and he then kept US two
hours not by the Shrewsbury clock, but by as good
watch as can be made in the city of London. DRAW
ing out, and opening his watch.l AS fifteen minutes
are TO two hours, in the proportion of one to eight
such IS the approximation to truth in the genemans
calculations 1t all the calculations and promises of the
gentleman from Augusta, which he held out to IT'S to
gull usI speak not of his Intentions but only of the
effect that would have ensued-shall be no nearer the