Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1832-01-31

20 the Senate and tho country on this question:
he owed it to himself, To the people whose repre-
sentative he was and 10 the body of which he was
II member, TO state briefly the grounds upon which
he should render vote, Withholding his advice
10 the President.
agree said Mr.. C., with my friend from Ma
ryland, (Mr. Chambers,) i'll the view which he has
taken of the instructions given by the late Sccrc-
crctary OF State to our Minister at the Court of
ST. James. | consider the late negotiation respect
ing the West India trade with the English nation,
the most humiliating TO national pride, that
has occurred in the annals of diplomacy
The Minister was sent with instructions to
fawn and beg boon at the iootstool of foreign
power what we were entitled to S right and To
abandon u dcnouncc, las untcnablc 'pretcnsons' to
what had always been before insisted upon mat
ter ofustce country He positively direct
cd to consider his own Government as justly asSaH-
G5Ic for ''tou long and too tenacousy resisting the
rights of Great Britain" and particularly for omit
ting to accept the terms offered by the act of Purla
mcnt OF July, 1922. He directed to speak
aoith confidence "of the respective parts taken by
| those To whom the administration of this Govern
ment Is now committed" TO lay before Europe tho
state of parties in this country, and to degrade
and disgrace all the formor Administrations Of
Government, during which this right had been in
| sisted upon, by entirely and uncondition-
| ally Withdrawing all our claims for Justice on
that country. lie was tsld IN substance, to press
upon England tho state Of domestic and arty
differences at home, and he admonished that
tins subject had bearings and relations which reach
Cd 6cyondt the immediate question under discussion
SIR, this Minister did as he ordered to do
| lie entrcated," and "appculcd," and "bcgged" and
prayed regretted" and .solicited," and chop
cd 10 be excused" and confessed had been in the
,oronS' instead of rcpolling with dignity the inso-
ence and sarcasm of the British ministry, until tho
contemplate boon was "granted," and the national
character effectually degraded. Lot him take his
place in the Treasury for this; but lot not him who
gave these instructions succeed him at the Court
oil 81 James, again to "bog" and "solicit" and
degrade us in the eyes of Europe, by laying
before the world the state of our domestic
differences ut home. Let us say to the Brit.
ish Government this day by our vote that we
never consented tc the disgrace which has befalen
us, and that we prefer to recall the Minister who
has dshonorcd us, to all the pretended benefits OF
tins miserable negotiation. On this ground alone
L will this day condemn this appointment, far as
my vote will go TO effect it; and in doing as an
American Senator, say to England, that will
never consent to crouch for tavors and to oul
ministers now and forever, that we will con
denim every attempt to carry our family divi
: sions beyond our own household
Sir, the gentleman from MARYLAND, who last ad
dressed us, (Mr. Smth,) replied to similar object
f IONS mace by his colleague, that the President
vas alone responsible for the instructions, and
the Secretary whose name sigr cd to them
such has been the pretence for generating from
, all responsibility other persons charged with NAL
administration OF the Government. Either by pre-
venting the disclosure here of impcachubc matter
or by presenting the President shield TO the par
rlor public agent is melted away to nothing
The gentleman, without defending tho Score
: tary or the Minister in this negotiation
about the West India trade, feels safe if 1t
:, can ntcrpose the President the party charge
e able with the whole matter. But | will d,
= the President the justice to say that cannot be
d llevc that he had read these instructions wher
r they were given and hold the Secretary an
5 swerable to his country for every public act per
formed by him while he remained in office
u There ls another topic, closely connected with
inc honor and interest of this nation, upon which
i the nominee before us has been strongly charged
! and In relation to which L confess the wish thai
an investigation, instituted before | took my sea-
Tins session. had been prosecuted to its termination
before this day. j refer to the causes which pro
duced the disruption of the late cabinet l view
that event as highly disreputable to our country
and find that ording to the declarations of a
gentleman who formerly edited paper in the
State OF New York, advocating thu Prcsi-
dvnrs administration, Mr. Val Buren, pri-
vatcly informed him ''that it the dissolution
. ''ofthe late cabineD caused more by the con-
'duct of the Vice President and Mr.. Inpham
'who desired the retirement of Gen. Jack sol
''from Office at the expiration of the frs
"iour years OF his term of service;" thus il
effect charging a conspiracy between these gentle
men to traduce the character of a chaste and vir
tuous woman, in order to produce the destruction
of the cabinet; and (stating) that he Mr. " B.
had thought 1T better to retire in time, knOpiRn
;, fhat u he led tie ray 'he rest must folLo,o -
This information Isl believe, now in the hands O
J. Senator from Mississippi near me, (Mr. Pondex
cr) and 1t is said that the author of it is present i,
the City, ready to bear testimony to the truth of if
However this may be, must be permitted to say, a
, one whose course here has been plain-havIns
, had nothing 10 do with either of the contendinl
!, branches OF the party in power-that | conside
: SUCH charge against the Vice President as un
just, and utterly without foundation; while hol
Q that the declaration containing the charge con
talns also an uncquivocal admission as TO the tru
agent, and the motive of that agent, ii the tran
saction 10 which | have alluded. But, witbou
] reference to this, and many other matters which
} might oe fairly pressed into this discussion a.
, reasons for the vote which | am about to render
content myself by resting that vote on tn,
ground OF the instructions given by Mr.. VaI
Buren, 20 our late Minister to England, an,
the consequent, dshonor to our dipomati
intercourse with that country.
, Mr.. {. concluded by observing that on SOM
more suitable occasion he might give his view
on the subject of that negotiation; bu: he woul,
prefer doing so in the face of the country to a sc
cret discussion in the Executive session of TIN
Senate.
lDEBATR TO CONTINUED