Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1831-01-08

lowed the privilege OF making the ruad. II W..
not proper to put it into the power Of any indi.
vldual or corporation to say where the road sbond
be located. There was no engineer wanted .
examine and mark out the route Of the road. r..
Baltimore company offered TO make it free of er
pense, and they should be allowed TO locate AMI
carry it where their interest would be The mos,
promoted.
Mr.. Ihrie said. there were various and coof;o,
ing interests among the citizens of he !istr;rt
and it was proper that, before receiving the a.
ton Of the House, the bill should 90 where :.
never had been, viz to the Committee for III.
District. Congress was the sole Legislature e..
the District, and it waists bounden duty to watch
over its interests, and protect the people m All
their rights. Therefore It was expedent that ,hs
bill should take the course proposed. tie wasir
favor of the construction of the road but ne wish
cd it located where it would best subserye the in
terests, and tend to the prosperity of the District
He had, however, risen. principally to draw tb+
attention OF the House to one of its rules, and bs
called for the reading it. 1t was read BY The
clerk. as follows: - 1t shall be tie duty Of III.
Committee for the District Of Columbia TO taxi I
into consideration all such petitions, matter,
or things, touching the said District as shall h. 4
prcsented.or shall come in question, and be r.,
terred to them by the House. and to report heI
opinion thereon, together with such proposition. re-
lativcs thereto rs to them shall seem expeJ.
ent."
Mr.. Dravton enGuired whether the memorial
asking for liberty 10 construct the the road within
the District, had been presented BY citizens Of
the District, or by the Baltimore and Ohio Raj
Road Company.
He was answered, by the latter.
Mr.. InsersoIl expressed himself very strongly I.
in favor OF the motion before the House. II va,
an absurd idea that the citizens of the Distr,c
should not be allowed to demonstrate against any
measure that vas not for their interest or thai
any portion ct them should not be permitted 70
memoralize Congress, eithe r to obtain bench
from any proposed act of legislation, or to pr,
vent an injury to arise tberefrom. The peoptk
OF tins District Sere almost disfranchised en-
he thought it would be hard case to debar then
from enjoying the little liberty that was left them
He saw nothing wrong in consulting with the \
people before passing laws by which they were
to be governed. lie considered the doctrine O.
the gentleman from New York as very sngu
lar one, and should be sorry if it prevailed t
any great extent. He thong int the request Of
the Chairman of the Committee very resaona
ble one. and hoped it would be granted.
Mr.. Howard said. that when the memorial wa,
sent to him to be pr esented to the House, he had
searched the records to know to what Commit
tee he should propose its reference. He had
found two cases Of a similar nature. (which he
stated, one of which had been referred to
the Committee on Roads and Canals, and tn.
other to the Committee for the District of Co
lumbla. He was consequently at loss TO know
what direction to give it. The gentleman VIII
had just addressed the House had said, tina, q.
was not right to pass laws having relation to The
District, without consulting with the people there.
Of He cOncurred with him in this opinion
When the petition was presented, it was noticed
in the public papers, and was published al large
in one Of them the next day. If the people here
had any objections to the proposed measure. why &
did they not appear before the Standing Com.
mittee for the District, and state them. That
Committee had been in Session on MANY days
since. and thus gave the citizens an opportunity
to be heard, il they had any remonstrance to Of
fer; but no one had appeared before it. II val
inconsistent to say, therefore, that an opporun'F
ty had not been given them to be heard. Tn
Committee was at all times accessible, and n
SOulo Uc Wauc W tnc
Mr.. H. would remark that no injury coult
possibly arise to the citizens, or the Corporations
of the District, by the passage Of the bill on th
table. 1t was carefully worded-the road wa
not to interfere with or obstruct the travel
transportation on any street; and all private pro
perty necessarily condemned, was TO be pald tor
He trusted, in conclusi that the bill would
not be thrown from the table, aud thus lose
station which it would not, perhaps, ever regain
Mr. Doddridge said that if he ccnld rightly
understand the bill land he read 1t atrntivey
with that view there was nothing oPrevent tn;
road from passing through the northwest corner
Of Georgetown, SO as to meet the ONO and ehe'
sapeake Canal at or above the Little Falls, which
would prsstrate the value Of property IN this Cr
ty either held under, or by the uuited States
The other argument. that this bill had ALREADY
been under the consideration Of Committee "ho
had attended to the interests of the District. ant
before which the inhabitants might have appear
ed and defended their interests, he though, ad'
mitted of this reply: that the same thing might
be urged, and with the same proprlety 1t the Tor
mer reference had been to any Other Standing
Committee that on Manufactures for instance. 81
The question was then pat on referring the
bill to the Committee for the District OF ColuM'
ba. and ,leter mined in the affirmatiye-Ayes bh