Litchfield enquirer., 1830-03-11

crumbs of comfort have fallen. not a thOus- and miles from the door of the Hartford Con-: vention itself And if the author of tho or. dinance of l787, posSrsscd the other requisite qualifications, there iS nO knowing. notwith- standing his Federalism, to what heights of favor he might not yet attain.
 MT. President, in carrying his warfare, such as it was, into New England. the honorable gentleman all along prOfesses to be acting on the defensive. He desires tO consider me as having assalcL South Carolina. and insists that he comes fo.th only as her champion, and in her defence. Sir, do not admit that l made any attack whatever on South Car olina. Nothing like it. Tine honorable mem Der, in his first speech, expressed opinions, ID regard to revenue, and some other topics, which ] heard both with pain and with sur- prise. l told the gentleman that l was aware that such sentiments were entertained out of the Government. but had not expected to find them advanced in it that knew there were persons in the South, who speak of our Un- ion with indifference, or doubt, taking pains to magnify its evils, and t" say nothing of it's benefits; that the honorable member himself, was sure, could never be one of these; aud 1 regretted the expression of such opinions as he had avowed, because l thought their ob- vious tendency was to encourage feelings of disrespect to the Union, and to weaken its connexion. This, Sir, is the sum and sub stance of all l said on the subject. And this constitutes .he attack, which called on the chivalry of the gentleman, in his opinion, to harry us with such foray, among the party pamphlets and party proceedings of Massa- chusetts! If he means that spoke with dis satisfaction or dsrespect of the ebullitions of individuals in South Carolina, it is true. But, if he means that had assai!ed the character l,e h..rh fui. I had reflected on her history or her conduct, he had not the slightest ground for any such assumption. I did not even refer, think, in my observations, to any collections of indi- | viduals. l said nothing of the recent Con- 1 ventions. spoke in the most guarded and careful manner. and only expressed my regret 1 for the publication of opinions which l pre- sum4d the honorable member disapproved as
 much as myself. In this, it seems, was mis- taken. do not remember that the gentle
 man Las dIsrlaimed any sentiment, or any opinion, of supposed anti Union tendency.
 which on all CT any of the recent occasions
 has been expressed. The whole drift of his speech has been rather to prove, that, in d-
 vers times and manners, sentiments equally
 liable to my objection have been promnlged
 in New England. And one would suppose
 that his object, in this reference to Massachu-
 setts. was to find d precedent to justify prO-
 ceedings in the South, were it not for the re-
 pruach and contumely with which he labors, 1 all along, to load his preccdents. By way of
 defending South Carolina from what he
 chooses to think an attack on her, he first
 quotes the. example of Massachusetts, and
 then dcnouncps that example, in good set
 terms. This two fold purpose. not very con
 sistent with itself, one would think. was cx-
 hibited mure than once in the course of his
 speech. He referred. for instance. 10 the 1 Hartford Convention. Did he do this for au-
 thority, or for topic of rrproach Appar- ] ently for both: for he told us that he should l find no fault ith the mere fact of holding 1 such a Convention, and considering and dis I cussing such questions as he snpposes were then and there discussed; but what rendered it obnoxious was the time it was holden, and the circumstances of the country, then exist ing. We were in war. he said. and the cuun- try needed all our aid; the hand of Govern ment required to be strengthened, not weak ened; and patriotism should have postponed such proceedings to another day. The thinS itself, then, is precedent; the time and man. ! her of it, only, subject of censure. Now, Sir, go much farther, on this point than the honorable member. Supposng. as the gen tleman seems to, that the Hartford Conyen- ton assembled for any such purpose as break
 ing up the Union, because they thought Wn- constitutional laws had been passed. or to concert on that subject or to calculate the value cf the Union; supposing this to be- their pur- pose, or any part of it, then say the meet ing itself was disloyal. and was obnoxious to censure. whether held in time of peace or time of war, or under whatever cireumstan- ces. The material matter is the object. Is dissolution the object? If it be, external cir cumstances may make it more or less ag- gravated case, but cannot affect the principle. do not hold, therefore, Sir, that the Hart ford Convention WAS pardonabls, even to the extent of the gentleman's admission, if it's objects were really such as have been mpu- ted to it. Sir, there never was time, under any degree of excitement, in which the Hart ford Convention. or any other Convention, could maintain itself one moment in New England, if assembled for any such purpose as the gentleman says would have been an allowa able purpose To hold conventions to decide questions of constitutional law Ito try the binding validity of statutes. by votes in a convention! Sir, the Hartford Conven- ton, l presume. would not desire that the honorable gentleman should be their defender or advocate. if he puts their case upon such unicnable and extravagant grounds.
 Then, sir, the gentleman has fault to find with these recently promulgated South Carolina opinious. And certainly, he need have none-for his sen-