Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1832-05-08

succeed in accomplishing the object tow,rd.
which the present aid was asked, it could be A.
monstrated to be their interest to burn dow
their city and abandon it forever.
Mr.. Fielder rcjolned, and in the course of ri,
reply related an anecdote about new turnnk.
road con structed by the State, parallel TO an od
road. the Consequence of which was the dsprsc;.
alton of al! the property on the old road hf,y ~,
cent, aud increasing that on the new three HIM
dred per cent. by which some Of the partip, w.r.
ruined, while others had their fortunes mad. ~
He considered ali government as an evil, and III,
less we had Of it the better.
Mr. Bnrd warmly Advocated the amendment.
dwelt upon the national character Of the wOrk
and the power and duty Of the Government 10
promote internal improvement.
Mr. Craig followed on the same side, and ar.
gued to show that this measure formed a neces,,.
nv link in the connexiou of the products of The
interior with the point where it must NEE, foreirn
commerce.. That point was not Georgetown.
for ships could not load there. 1t was AleYar.
dria, which was alone the shipping port for al
the trade of the upper Potomac. As to the con.
sttutional question:, ii did not enter INTO the sub.
ject,becansc the GencraI Government was vested
by the Constitution with exclusive leeis!a,o,
over the District, and it ought to exert the sam.
%paternal care over the people OF the District, who
were its dependant subjects. and unrepresentrd.
which a State Legislature was bound to exercise
over its own citizens. The effect OF the amend.
ment would be to provide for all the upper cuur.
try a double market.
Mr.. Everett briefly stated his reasons for i'd.
v%ocating the measure proposed. He insisted
that Congress was bound to do for the Dl.tric,
what a paternaI and liberal Government would
do for its nwn cltiZens: and he had no doubt thai,
if Alexandria was still under the care of her NJ.
tive Legislature, she would readily obtain from
it the boon she now asked from Congress.
The Government had brought itself under A
moral obligation to do this for Alexandria. BY il,
own acts in filling up the channel on one side the
Potomac. and by bringing down the canal. so as
to terminate at Georgetown. He thought Mr..
Blair had in part answered his own argument
1t could not be useless, as the gentleman had
said, to canal by the side Of a great river, since
the gentleman had admitted that if he were CT.
tizen of Alexandra lie would strain every nerv.
to effect the object. And as TO the power of th,
Government, it had as much right to take the mo.
ney of Tennessee. or of South Carolina. and ap.
ply it for the benefit Of Alexandria, as it had to
take the money of The people of Alexandra. and
apply it to the improvement IT Deer Island. 10
Boston Harbor. Il could not be held as a dut,
to return money collected. to the hands from
whence it came; else, why collect it! ltwasth.
very office of Government to gather from all and
apply the proceeds in such manner as the yarios,
quire.
The people of The Union were taxed about 8.
a head, aud as Alexandra contained about 900
people. she paid to the Government $4,000
year. That money had gone into other part'd
the Union. Why was not the money from els
where to be- applied tberea Justice required it
and Congress was the only power on earth Ina.
could effect it.
Mr.. Blair explained, in reply, and vindicatei
the consistency of his course.
Mr.. Barbour, though he denied The power Of
the General Government TO construct worksOf
Internal Improvement, insisted that, as the Con
s~,itution had given to Congress the power Ofer
elusive legislation, and under that power Con-
gress bad taxed the District, it was bound, ha'-
ing accepted the cession of Alexandra, and
thereby come, in loco PARENTS. to her people, 70
exert over them a guardian care. He referred
to law of Virginia, under which the peop'ea
AZ andria, having sub.ci ioed three ffths' might
cali upon the Government to aid them in the re-
naming two ffths of the sum they wished to
make up, which would enttle them to a mud
larger sum than they now asked for. She 0d
never subscribed this large sum for the Purpo'e
of throwing her whole trade into the hand, o.
her rival. He admitted the correctness Of w
Everett's estimate, as a general average Of ms
indirect taxation of the people OF the Un'Cn' O'
reminded that gentleman that the inhabitants
of cities consumed far more imported articles
than those IN the country, and therefore Pa'a :
far heavier tax. He concluded by calling on ts
House to remember that when the tears Of !"
land were m%lngling with the ashes OF the CaPno'
the people of Alexandria had come torwaru "
the relief of the Government.
Mr.. Polk adverted to the debate when n'
occurred when the Alexandria Company .~
been Incorporated. and insisted that from u.
language then held BY Mr.. Mercer IN advoed"Di
that measure, an impression had been reee'"
that the people of Alexandria we're TO 90 w.
thing on their own resources, and that We y"
eminent was mot to be called upon tor InO"T.
He denied that the lateral canal would %"
any use for the purposes Of Government ap""
fused to subscribe to the argument that 'e ~
ycrumcnt. nv its own act, had become m""'.