The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1831-02-23
WHOLE NO. 3O21.
MIR. BURGESS SPEECH.


strike out the appropriation for minister to Rus
STA.
Mr.. Speaker Permit me to Justify myself. under
al winch has been said, both against ne, and a.
sdihst Whatever has been advanced by me in sup
p 6Tl' ol Ine motion made by the gentleman from
Cho. WIN the indulgence of the House, it may
"en 10 looH caGK TO the question made by this
niotion Tor, gentleman in their zeal to eulogize
the Minister or to abuse those who doubt the cor
reetness OF his appointment, have departed almost
entirely from the matter in issue before u.s.
Inc ooJechon to this appropriation, and the mo-
o W stflhe II IRON this bill have been made be-
cause 1t is proposed for payment of salary to for
elgn Minister who, by his commission off ecation.
or certain secret articles given to him. author
lzed to teGUe the Court to which he is sent tn 90
10 any other country, ichenerer, in his otcn opin-
ION, MS health may require it and not to return
- that court SO long as according to the same
OPINION II may be Injurious TO his health to do So
we oeny such mission to be legal one; we DENY
that the salary provided by law for foreign Minis
tefs Is, or ever can be due TO any man sent abroad
under such credentials; with such privileges re-
serUed, and such powers granted to him. not to the
pu6hc, but to his oscn use. The objection to tkia
appropriation has, therefore, not been made because
the gentleman was, when sent abroad and had
long been, valetudinarian; or because if then in
health that health, exhausted by the tolls of dplo.
macy might require refreshment by relaxation and
relief from public service No, sir; nor because
a mIlder sky, and oy removing to more genial
climate than that of Russia. Such things may ex-
cite, as they certainly have excited, the special
wonder OF the Nation; and they are, and will be
very proper topics of debate, when considering the
state purposes" of this mission but thew have
not been, nor will they be made the grounds of OBJ.
Jectlon to the appropriation of this item in the bill
we OBJECT to this salary on account of the ille-
gality of this Mission, and because the Secretary
OF state, knowing the enfeebled health of MI
handolPh-knowing his inability to attend to the
laoorous details of that public service-knowinr
that his constitution could not endure either the
tctHter or summer climate Of Russia did invent this
mission, and did advise the President to send ont
this gentleman with credentials as Envoy Extraor-
binary and Minister Plenipoentiary of the U States
at the Court of his Imperial Majesty the Emperor
OF Russia and at the same time to give him com.
mission, no matter for what cause to reside N
such hnlster IN tchdteUer country he might choose
to reside. Sach mission cannot be formed-such
a 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 inquiry whether this salary can
be due for an illegal and uoid Mission whether
IL can be due as qudntum merltit, as a pro rata
compensation for the services which were render
ed at the Court of Russia or, last Of all, whether
it can be due, because this mission NAV s.tbssrre
certain purposes, highly useful to the Secretary of
State Before these inquiries can, to the best pur-
pose, be made, 1t is proper to give some reply to
what has been offered BY several gentleman against
this motion. These gentlemen have said less to
support this appropriation, than to impugn the mo-
tives of those who oppose it. With my motives
the gentlemen are welcome to amuse themselves.
The storm OF their abuse passed over me, as the
winter storms OF my native New England have of.
tenPassed over the humble dwelling ofmy boyhood,
without shaking stone from the chimney, or
s'ortA"s oshingle on the roof. have too much re-
spect for myself to DeilS,v chat thew have abused
me from the wantonness of malice but do belieya
it was done simply because 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 encroachments of power
Those who resist such encroachments and assaults
ofpower, must always expect TO encounter vocifer-
Gus, if not inluriated adversaries | have not en-
tered this warfare without "a counting the cost"
A school ofhigh authority taught me that, in war
of aggression, " He who takes the sword shall per-
ish by the sword"-but in Of defence I" let
him who has sword sell his coat and buy one"
How then has our defence been met and answer
ed How by the gentleman from Virginia? IMr.
BARBOUR First of all, | accused of Directing
to this appropriation because il is for the use of
Virgnan. In this the gentleman is utterly mis-
taken. informed him of this error in few mo-
ments after he had taken his seat. He has, not
withstanding, chosen to put this error in print
Suffer me, sir in my place and before this House,
to protest against this procedure. The gentlemen
who heard me then, and who do me the honor to
hear me now, call to witness, that said no such
thing; and l should have nothing to regret, could
nay protestation be made the printed companion of
the gentleman's allegation against me, and travel
side by side with it under the eye of the nation.
This, know cannot be done; and I must suffer
the imputation, wherever his speech is read with
out my correction of its errors. Be it So but
believe there is too much good sense, and too much
moral sentiment in Virginia. to set down one of
their fellow as quite so stupid, or quite ma
leVOlent.
I'M III. Al =
mission as a bride offered to Virginia. This might
have been said by me, because believed it to be
true. If said, was it said, or could it be intended
in derogstion of Virginia2 Is Virginia dishonored
by this attempt of the willy Secretary? did not,
and no man will intimate that Virginia had even
looked with favorable eye on this bribe-this
| splendid bestowment. Not those who hear, but
those who listen to the song of the syren, and are
allured by enchantment, become debased by the
! temptation. Sir, temptations are spread over the
whole path of our lives, from the cradle to the
grave. The enticements of pleasure beset our
youth the tolls of ambition are spread for our
vigorous manhood and in old age, the honest amor
habendi, when all other loves are frozen in the
heart, alures the dim eye to gaze at, and the surd
ear to listen to, the gttering beauties and golden
melodies of aVarice. Are we dshonored because,
| in the language of Sir VIM. Jones' vice is permit
/ ted to spread her snares around u.s. that the tri-
umph of virtue may be more conspicuous ~
The ermne of the Judge is not furnished, because
some unprincpled litigant has crafly proffered a
bride to the court. The name of the insulted Luz
cretil has arrived to after journey of more than
1000 years. Is it soiled by time, or by the breath
of any one of the millions of millions who have
pronounced it That name, sir, like the Alps oil
her own Italy, whose tops nearest to heaven, are
covered with enternal snow, is the monument Of
imperishable purity-while the name of the treach-
erons and cowardly Tsrquin, scared with infamy,
will be, as it has been, throughout all time, tho
name of whatever is most vile and odious Sir,
Virginia is not dshonored, the tempter and not the
tempted, will suffer che iRlamy of the deed.
The gentleman from Virginia Mr.. BARBOUR
would overthrow our objections to this approPrla-
ton by eulogizing the man sent on the mission.
= He alludes to the monuments of Mr.. Randoph's
fame; and lest men might call on him TO show
where they are, he has placed them in the hearts
of his countrymen, where no being but the sesrch-
er of hearts" could discover their existence What
indications has Virginia given that those monu-
ments are where the gentleman has located them
lie has long been Representative in Congress
from that State. 1hisi is something In ms favor
but from State so long separated into districts, il
is not conclusive. 1t is confined to his constitu-