Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1832-08-21

aeneeTea an me House Of Representatives. 1fay 2s
confidently believe that the contributions oxoc,o
rom ,he planning States OF this Union, by the action
ms disguised ana irresponsible despotsm of conlederat
ed interests in degree less oppressive and saso
than the exacions levied, by the most Unsuitable of tb
roman emperors from the conquered and dependan
provinces oil the empire. Indeed, sir, do not beiov,
that the late Emperor of France any period ofhis ca
reer oil conquest ever levied military contributions from
tue sutugated nations to crafty his boundess ambition
more h'oerabe and oppressive than this IRRESPONSIBLE,
majority have levied from the productive industry of m,
planning States, TO crafty the Unsuitable avarce of MI
manufacturing confcdcracy. IL is true that these cop
buttons have been levied nj The poin or tho b,,,n
though even that has been threatened; but the effect Of
legislative plumber though less terrible in the array OF
us agents. Is not less eNhausing and delcterous in lis
operation on the country than that If mill,
tary rapine But the standing answer TO all these com
plants, on the part OF the Southern States has universal
oeen That the will of the majority is onnipotent even
10 the extent OF consecratng Injustice and
precisely as we had constitutional charter and as n
le very object oil that charter were not 10 mDose re-
stran upon the majority, which, this country consti
tues the government This principle laid down in The
most broad and unqualified Terms nv tho ~,
gentleman from Kentucky, 10 whom have already re-
erred in speech delivered in another part of the Can't
toll He airms that though the majority on, gt TO govern
equably anu consituonaly yet they mast govern ri
no effective limitation but their will and subject 10 mo
appeal but the sword! Ifths be true sir tho Co,s,
oh IS iraud upon the People, and have TO all prac-
ca intehts and purposes ga Government without ina
ton OF powers or what possible value can il he to inn
pose constitutional restrictions Government il the
pare Tact OF It's assuming power 10 be conclusive Of H.
right TO exercise it, Does this plainly and
substitute the will of the majority for the consio ,T
ana conionnd all distinction between rghtlu power and
downright usurpaion? 1t amounts 10 no,inG less tIon
that the majority have constitutional RIGHT 10 do what
"ey Pease' without any practical responsibility 10 the
power That created them This the very definition Of
desposm; and will add, that il is the most odions and
lntolerable OF all the forms ofdespoiic power If nus
DC governed by an unrestrained and unlimited power
should decidedly prefer the despotism of single tvran
10 That oil eight millions. What right human or divine
can the majority in Congress have TO dispose oC te nr
perry ana hOeiy oil ths minority, without any authority
iS L..
pose THAT majority has any natural right TO govern
merely because is majority This right is purely con
venhonal In this country it is derived from written
compact, or constitutional charter and cannot
the limits prescribed by p constitution Even This CON
Vehuoha' right oil The majority to govern tder the con-
sutuonl founded upon the presumpo that they act I'M
der that complete responsibility each and every par of
the conederacy which have heretofore explained Its
natural and proper that majority should control thc mi
nority within the limits of The constitution where h
common rights and interest of that majority and tat mi
nony are equally affected by the action of the Govern
an the minority But he Sen Eases only it mG
cend the limits OF the constitution, and upon The
rate and exclusive Interests of the minority he robt IN
govern ceases well the presumption upon which
is founded. In such the power of the majority be-
wholly irresponsible, where responsibility is mos,
essential 1t was the opinion OF celebrated philosopher
that man was naturally warning animal think il we
viii look lille deeper into the springs of human action
II VIII be found that man is naturally robbng animal
All the struggles which history records are but the effort
of portion of mankind TO appropriate their own use
which it has been attained ~
The same struggle which has been carried on by arms
between different nations has been less inces,antv
carried within the respective nations of the earth be-
tween the different classes OF society Accordingly we
hnd that 1t was the great and primary object of The law
giver oil antiquity in organizing free Governments to Sc
cure the rights OF property, by providing various checks
and guarantees to prevent part of society from plum
aering another In the present condition of the civzeJ
world, when government would dare TO invade mere
personal liberty the great, and almost the exclusive OBJ
Ject OF the fundamental laws which organize free Govern
he Ihn ppofac fin IF
universal propensity for plumber where act i'm masses
and, especially, to protect the property of the minority
against this propensity in the majority. In this respect,
more danger IS to be aPprehcndcd from representative
majority, than from any other form of Government If
would be obviously less dangerous and less oppressive TO
enust one man with the power Of plunderng ten than
TO entrust ten, with the power Of pundering one.
Nature imposes limits upon the power of the most alb
sOluc despotsm when vested in n single individual Tho
physical power of society the side of the governed
and this, OF ITSELF creates practical responsiitv how
everdespouc may be the form Of the government Nature
also imposes very limits comparatively speaking
on the pundering capacity of single tyrant He may
be clothed in purple, covered with diamonds and sur
rounded with all the appendages, thc pomp and circum-
stance oil human power at expense comparatively in
significant. But what treasures sufficiently album
dant, what Industry sufficiently productive, saate the
millions of tyrants of which this representative majority
are but the ministers; where the sole aud exclusive OBJ.
ject OF their domination is pecuniory gan' 1t was in this
aspect of an unlimited and unchecked democracy, that
the dramatic poets and philosophers Of antiquity repre-
scented King Demos, in such fearful coors as the most
horrible Of all tyrants. And truly, Sir there can be no.
thing in the shape OF government foul and horrible
than this gigantic monster cut loose from the limitations Of
the Constitution, he is, in the very nature of things
from all the restraints Of conscience.
mean not TO casiany special reproacb upon the manu-
featuring conledcracy which constitutes The existing ma
iority in this country speak nothing but the plain truths
Of philosophy, when say that such question as that
which considering, they cannot, in the nature
of things, have any more sense oimoral esponsbiy than
inluriaied mob.
IL is melancholy fact Sir, that nations have no sense
of justice n their conflicts with each other; and the same
is true Of the subordinate divisions of human society act
ing in masses, and under the impulses of common interest
II has been said that zone murder makes villain millions
make hero" May not add, with equal truth, that
cone robbery makes ieou millions make patriot The
deuon Sir, which the military murderer
into hero, converts tie legislative plundercr into pat
riot And IL Is worthy of special remark here at tie
despolism Of irresponsible majority existed in any
country in form so dangerous and difficult 10 be re
sisted, IL does at this moment in this conlcdcrdcy nj
evies its exactons, like its Roman prototype by i'm
perpeaGng the work of imperial puudcr-or to such an
undisguscd operation portion OF the Anglo American
would have submitted for single yearbui IL
pishes the end much eilecualiy by the in
sidous operation Of complicated SYSTEM which has ope-
rated unseen aud, for fine, unknown TO the great mass
OF the community. Nor has this delusion been confined
to the minority. great portion Of The majority them
selves, conscienliously believe, while undoubtedly
gagged in the work Of plumber, have felt that they
performing the work Of patriotism.
canuot but bring TO the view of the committee a
proof Of the spirit which anmaes the manufacturing con.
federacy the bold and open avOwa Of Of their proni
nent leaders gentleman from New Jersey IN speech
recently delivered in the other House after complaining
vehemcny that the southern States should be per.
mtted sell their staple productions In Europe aud sup.
ply the market Ofhe United States with the
they receiver exchange for them, he excams How