Virginia advocate. [volume] (Charlottesville, Va.) 1827-1860, 1830-07-30
STATE RIGHT CELEB2 ALTON
Continued from our iast.}


The Hon. James Hdmaton--Hs State will
never forget his Efforts in her behalf She waits
the opportunity OF confding to him her first Of,
fee.
Wen the cheering with which this toast was
accompanied had ceased, Major Hamilton adj
dressed the company as follows -
FeHo~ CHi-ens,-l thank you most cordially
Tor the sentiment you have just expressed, which
has been received by those assembled here in a
manner calculated infinitely to enhance the diff
ficultIes OF my making you an acknowledgment.
which would in any degree do justice to my own
feelings, II were even so vain TO suppose
could pay this tribute to your goodness. My
se'f-iave SHALL however, not tranccnd nv graft
tude must refer the largest portion of the
compliment you have paid me, to that kind par
TALLY with which, have been uniformly cherished
by my friends and fellow citizens in this commu
nifty rather than to any poor or humble merits Of
my own.
In this sentiment, you have been pleased,
pre- sumo, to make reference To nv efforts i'm the
National Legislature of this Union A retros.
Pect OF these efforts brings with it no recollectons
but those of discontinue and regret | was lit
tie else than the unavailing and Intellectual wit
ness OF how much your rights could be violated,
and your interests injured without the possibility
of prevention redress.
gentlemen, was comparatively young man.
when by the genetous confidence of an adjoin.
ing district, was sent to Congress
AT this period, 1 DO not believe there was an
individual In this Union more thoiouphIy and
enthusiastically national in his politics than nv
self went to the immediate centre of the ac
ton of the Federal Government with every pre
possession in its favor ] had tu.on up some
what on trust, without much examination, but
with no other than the purest motives opinions in
some respects (but with what l then supposed
proper guards) calculated to sustain some of its
| implied powers. There was something in the
picture OF magnificent government, invincbe
In war, bencticent in peace holding in exact
equiPose the scales OF justice presiding over ALL
sustaining ALL protecting all, with neither the
power nor inclination TO do injury to any, well
calculated to tascinate the Imagination of
young man whose estimates of life were as san.
guine as his knowledge was imperfect and linn
itcd. was not, however, long at the great fed
eral laboratory without discovering some radical
detects In the practical! operation of its mechan-
'Sm-some omens OF sinister import, which sat-
ished me that those who had been invoking un
ceasIng watchfulness and jealousy on the part of
the States over the general government, were
the trustworthy centncls ofour liberty that their
challenges on the ramparts were the true ard
faithful watchwords and if they did not cry in
a dark and starless night, 8" aus aoeU," it was
because indeed all was not well In confessup
this error of my first political impressions, am
Influenced quite as much by n desire of doing
justice to the wisdom, and honor to the motives
OF those WHO, from the commencement of the
operation of our federal system, have uniformly
thought its highest peril, as we'll as its greatest
tendency, was to consolidation, as to put my own
opinions beyond cavil or dispute. In short zen
temen, during the last four years ofmy service in
lCongress, have witnessed enough to convince
me, that the government of this confederacv
was nothing more or less than an organ of indie.
finite power, admirably used Of not contrived)
for the purpose of taxing one portion of the I'm
ion, with the view Of distributing its exactions
in another; and that, under league and copar-
tnership between the Tariff and Internal I'm.
provemcnt parties, monopoly was to be given TO
the one, and the fruits of the taxation necessary
to secure that monopoly, to the other
thought perceived, as think do now. in
this corruption, the seeds of the dissolution of
THIS Union, sowed broad cast, and about TO tor.
inmate with rank luxuriaDce. That man must
be far gone in Utopian visions, who supposes
that confederate government ,iko ours, can vi
oiate, II you please, even the spirit of the com
pact, Tor the purpose Of Usutping powers Of in.
ernal legislation among the states, when the OBJ
Ject OF such usurpation is to give 10 sheer plum
der the forms Of law, without terminating in a
raPacious despotism over the mino,iy, and in a
: thorough corruption Of the publ, s,iiit Of thos,