The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1830-03-10

ilt-ln the hands OF theif own Governments. Il
is their affair, not mine. Nor do complain o.
| the peculiar effect which the magnitude of thai
| population has had in the distribution of power
ukde. this Federal Government. We know
sir, that the representation of the States in the
other House is not equal We know that grea'
advantage, in that respect, is enjoyed by the
slave.holding States; and we know, too, thai
the intended equivalent for that advantage, thai
is to say, the imposition OF direct taxes IN the
same ratio, has become merely nominal the
habit of the Government being almost invaria
bly, to collect its revenues from other sources
and in othe. modes. Nevertheless, do moi
complain: nor would / countenance any move
ment to alter this arrangement of representa-
ton. It is the original bargain, the compact
let it stand: let the advantage of it be fnllJ
enjoyed. The Union itself is too full of benefit
TO be hazarded in propositions for changing it
original basis. go for the Constitution as j,
is, and for the Union as it is. But am resolv
ed not to submit, in silence, to accusations
either against myself individually, Or against
the North, wholly unfounded and unjust accu.
sations which impute to US disposition to
evade the constitutional compact and to extend
the power Of the Government over the internal
laws and domestic condition Of the States. All
such accusations, wherever and whenever made
all insinuations of the existence Of any such
purposes, know and feel to be groundless and
injurious. And we must eonfide in Southern
! gentlemen themselves I; we must trust to those
whose integrity Of heart and magnanimity oil
feeling, will lead them to desire to maintain
and disseminate truth, and who possess the
means Of its diffusion with the Southern public
we must leave it them to disabuse that public
of it's prejudices. But, in the mean time, for
my own part, shall continue to act justly,
whether those towards whom justice is exer-
cised, receivo it with candor or with contumely
| Having had occasion to reeur to the ordi-
nance of 1887, in order to defend myself against
the differences which the honorable member
has chosen to draw from my former observa-
tons on that subject, am not willing now en-
tirely to take leave of it without another re.
mark. 1t need hardly be said, that that paper
expresses Just sentiments on the great subject
of civil and religious liberty Suck sentiments
were common, and abound in all our state pa
pers of that day. But this ordinance did that
which was not SO common, and which is not,
even now, universal that is, it set forth and
declared, as high and binding duty of Coo.
J eminent itself, to encourage schools, and ad-
vance the means Of education; on the plain
reason, that religion, morality, and knowledge,
are necessary to good government, and to the
happiness of mankind. One observation further.
The important provision incorporated into the
Constitution of the U. S., and several Of those
of the States, and recently, as we have seen,
adopted into the reformed Constitution of Vir-
gina, restraining legislative power, in questions
of private right, and from impairing the obi
CATION of contracts, is first introduced and es-
tablished, as far as am Informed, as matter Of
express written constitutional law, in this ordi-
nance of l987. And must add, also, in regard
| IN the aufhor If ha Ordi ,ho bod
the happiness to attract the gentleman's no.
tice, heretofore, nor to avoid his sarcasm now
that he was Chairman Of that select committee
of the old Congress, whose report first express.
ed the strong sense of that body, that the old
Confederation was not adequate to the exigen.
cles OF the country, and recommending to the
States to send Delegates to the Convention
which formed the present Constitution.-.Nots /
/ Mr.. Webster here adverted to an attempt
which has been made, to transfer from the
North to the South the honor of excluding
slavery from the Northwestern Territory.
He then proved from the records of Con-
gress that two successive attempts to effect
that object, in 1884 and 1855, had been sup
ported by the northern States, and defeated
by the votes of the south. The north per-
severing, the object was obtained by the
votes of the north, the four southern States
still voting in the negative.l
But the honorable member has now found GU,
that this gentleman, Mr.. Dane, was a member
of the Hartford Convention. However unin
formed the honorable member may be of char
acters and occurrences at the North, it would
seem that he has at his elbow on this occasion
some high.minded and lofty spirit, some mag.
unanimous and ue.hearted monitor, possessing
the means of local knowledge, and ready to sup
ply the honorable member with every thing
down even to forgotten and moth-eaten two
penny pamphlets, which may be used to tn,
disadvantage of his own country. But, as e
the Hartford Convention. sir, allow me to say
that the proceedings Of that body seem now L
be less read and studied in New England, thar
farther South. They appear to be looked tc
not in New England, but elsewhere, for the
purpose of seeing how far they may serve as 1
precedent. But they will not answer the pur
Pose-they are quite too tame. The latitude
in which they originated was too cold Other
conventions gilmore recent existence, have gone
a whole bars length beyond it. The learned
doctors Of Collector and Abbeville have pushed
their commentaries on the Hartford collect SC
far that the original text-writers are thrown en-
tirely into the shade. have nothing 10 do, sir
with the Hartford Convention Its Journal
which the gentleman has quoted, / never rea!
So far as the honorable member may discover
in its proceedings spirit in any degree resem
bling that which was avowed and justified ir
those other Conventions to which have allud
ed, or so far as those proceedings can be shown
to be disloyal to the Constitution, or tending L
disunion, so far shall be as ready as any one
to bestow on them apprehension and censure.
Mr.. w. went on to say that Mr.. Haynt
had referred to speech made by him il
1926, and quoted a passage or two from il
with an air Of confidence, as if he had de.
tected him in an inconsistency. "A stran.
ger" said he, "woud have imagined from
so triumphant tone that the honorable
member was about to overwhelm me with a
manifest contradiction" He then said
there was not the slightest difference in hi:
remarks on the two occasionsl Indeed
those Of the other day were made with the
former speech lying open before him, and
were in exact accordance with il. In order
to put It in clear light, he would recur to
! tho nrinin nj fhio Iaknen - .....-... "a