Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1831-02-23
MIR. burgess SECOND SPEECH
ON THE MISSION TO RUSSIA.

| salary of a Minister to Russia being under con.
sideraton, Mr.. burgess, Of Rhode Island, ad-
| dressed the House as follows,
/ Mr.. SPEAKER: Permit me to Justify
mys under all which has been said
both against me, and az ainst whatever
has been advanced by me in support OF
the motion made by the gentleman from
Ohio. With the indulgence ofthe House,
it may be well to look back TO the question
made by this motion; for, gentlemen in
their zeal to eulogize the Minister, or to
abuse those who doubt the correctness
of his appointment, have departed almost
entirely from the matter in issue before
US.
/ The obi ection to this appropriation, and
the motion to strike it from this bill, have
been made, because it is proposed for
payment ola salary to foreign Minister,
who, by his commission Of Leglation, or
by certain secret articles given to him, is
authorized to leape the Court to which he
is sent, to 90 TO any other country, uhen-
erer, i'll his o,cn opinion, his health may
require it, and not to return to that Court
as long as, according to the same opinion,
it may be injurious to his health to do so.
We deny such mission to be a legal one :;
we deny that the salary provided by law
for foreign Ministers, is, or ever can be
due to any man sent abroad under such
credentials; with such privilcgesreserred,
and such powers granted to him, not to
the public, but to his own use. The OBJ
lection to this appropriation has, therefore,
not been made because the gentlemen
was, when sent abroad, and had long
been, valetudinarian; or because, if
then in health, that health, exhausted by
the tolls Of diplomacy, might require re-
freshment by relaxation and relief from
public service: No, sir, nor because that
rclreshment might not be found unless
under milder sky, and by removing to
more genial climate than that of Russia.
Such things may excite, as they certain
ly have excited, the special wonder oithe
n alton; and they are, and will be very
proper topics of debate, when considering
the estate purposes of this mission; but
they have not been, nor will they be
made the grounds of objection to the ap-
preparation of this item in the bill.
We object to this salary on &C count of
the il!egality of this Mission, and because
the Secretary of State, knowing the en-
feebled health of MIR. Randolph
ing his inability to attend to the labori-
Gus details of that public service-know-
ing that his constitution could not endure
either the rinier or summer climate of.
Russia, did invent this mission, and did
advise the President to send out this gem
tleman with credentials as Envoy Extra
ordinary and Minister Plenpotentiary of
the United States at the Court of his I'M
perial Majesty the Emperor of Russia
and at the same time to give him COM
mission, no matter for what cause, to re-
side as such Minister in phdteper country
he might choose. Such mission cannot
be formed-such n Minister cannot be
sent abroad, either under our laws or our
constitution, or under the usages and
laws Of Nations. | ask the attention of
the House, therefore, to the enquiry,
gal and rod Mission? whether it can be
due as quantum meruit, or as pro rata
compensation for the services which
were rendered at the Court of Russia
or, last Of all, whether it can be due. be-
cause this mission may subserre certain
purposes highly useful to the Secretary of
State? Before these enquiries can, to the
best purpose, be made, it is proper to
give some reply to what has been offer
cd by several gentlemen against this mo-
ton. These gentlemen have said less to
support this appropriation, than to lmpugn
the motives of those who oppose it
With my motives the gentlemen arc well
come to amuse themselves. The storm
of their abuse passed over ,as the win.
ter storms of my native New-England
have often passed over the humble dwell
ing of my boyhood, without shaking a
stone from tho chimney, or starting a
shingle on the roof. | have too much re-
spect for myself to believe that they have
abused me from the wantonness of NAL
ice, but do believe it was done simply be-
cause they could find nothing TO say
more appropriate to the question.
This motion has been made to protect
the rights of the Nation against the en-
croachmcnts of power. Those who re-
sist such encroachments and assaults of
power, must always expect to encounter
vocilcrous, if not iniuriatcd adyersares.
have not entered this warfare without
The cost" A school of high
authority taught me that, IN war OF ag-
pression, ale who takes the sword shall
perish by the sword"--but in a war Of
defence, "let him who has no sword sell
his coat and buy one" 4
How then has our defence been met
md answered! How by the gentleman