Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Mass.) 1828-1830, 1830-03-16

Hartford Convention, sir, allow me to say,
that the proceedings of that body seem now
to be less read and studied in New England,
than farther South. They appear to be
looked to not in New-England, but else
where, for the purpose of seeing how far
they may serve as precedent. But they
will not answer the purpose they are quite
too tame. The latitude in which they
originated was quite too cold. Other con-
ventions, of more recent existence, have
gone whole bars length beyond it. The
learned doctors of Colleton and Abbeville
have pushed their commentaries on the
Hartford collect so far that the original
text-writers are thrown entirely into the
shade. / have nothing to do, sir, with the
Hartford Convention. Its Journal, which
the gentleman has quoted, never read. So
far as the honorable member may discover
in its proceedings spirit in any degree
resembling that which was avowed and
justified in those other Conventions to which
have alluded, or so far as those proceed
ings can be shown to be disloyal to the Con-
stitution, or tending to disunion, so far I
shall be as ready as any one to bestow on
them apprehension and censure.
Having dwelt long on this Convention, and
other occurrences Of that day, in the hope,
probably (which will not be gratifed). that
should leave the course of this debate to
follow him, at length, in those excursions,
the honorable member returned and at
tempted another object. He referred to q
speech of mine in the other House, the same
which | had occasion to allude to myself the
other day and has quoted passage or two
from it, with bold, though uneasy and la
bouring air of confidence, as if he had de-
tected in me an inconsistency. judging
from the gentleman's manner, stranger to
the course of the debate, and to the point in
dist ussion, would have imagined, from so
triumphant tone, that the honorable MEM
Der was about to overwhe]m me with a mani
fest contradiction. Any one who heard him,
and who had not heard what had, in fact,
previously said, must have thought me rout-
ed and discounted, as the gentleman had
promised. Sir, breath blows all this tri.
umph away. There is not the slightest diff
ference in the sentiments Of my remarks on
the two occasions. What / said here on
Wednesday, is in exact accordance with the
opinions expressed by me in the other House
in 1925. Though the gentleman mad the
metaphysics of Hudibras-though he were
able
"To sever and divide
"A hair 'twxt North and Northwest side,n
he yet could not insert his metaphysical
scissors between the fair reading of my re-
marks in 1925, and what said here last
week. There is not only no contradiction,
no difference, but, in truth, too exact SINH
Ia riff hnfh int hon~hk and - L
entirely in just taste. had myself quoted
the same speech /; had required to it, and
spoke with it open before me and much of
what I said was little more than repetition
from it. In order to make finishing work
with this alleged contradiction, permit me
to recur to the origin of this debate, and re-
view its course. This seems expedient, and
may be done as we'll now as at any other
time.
Well, then, the history is this. The hon.
durable member from Connecticut moved
resolution which constituted the first branch
of that which is now before us that is to
say,a resolution, instructing the Committee
on Publick Lands to inquire into the expedi-
ency of limiting, for certain period, the
sales of the publck lands, to such as have
heretofore been offered for sale; and wheth-
er sundry Offices connected with the sales
Of the lands might not be abolished without
detriment to the pubick service.
In the progress of the discussion which
arose on this resolution, an honorable MEM
Der from New-Hampshire moved to amend
the resolution so as entirely to reverse its
object; that is, strike out, and insert d.
rection to the committee to inquire into the
expediency of adopting measures to hasten
the sales, and extend more rapidly the sur
veys of the lands.
The honorable member from Maine (Mr.
Sprague). suggested that both those propo-
sitions might well enough 60 for considera-
ton to the committee and, in this state of
the question the member from South Carroll
ma addressed the Senate in his first speech.
He rose, he said, to give us his own free
thoughts on the publick lands. l saw him
rise with pleasure, and listened with expeca-
ton, though before he concluded was fill
ed with surprise. Certainly, / was never
more surprised than to find him following up,
to the extent he did, the sentiments and opin-
ions which the gentleman from Missouri had
put forth, and which it is known he has long
entertained.
Ineed not repeat at large, the general
topics of the honorable gentleman's speech.
When he said yesterday that he did not at
tack the Eastern States, he certainly must
have forgotten, not only particular remarks,
but the whole drift and tenor of his speech
unless he means, by not attacking, that he
cid not commence hostilities-but that an
other had preceded him in the attack. He,
in the first place, disapproved of the whole
course of the Government for forty years, in
regard to its dispositions of the publick
lands; and then, turning Northward and
Eastward, and fancying he had found cause
for alleged narrowness and niggardness in
the accused policy" of the Tariff, to which
he represented the people of New-England