The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1831-1858, 1832-04-18
THE ApPoRTIoNMENT BILL

Inc National lntellgencer contains The /
able report of Mr.. Webster, from the Select I
Committee Of the Senate, to which was
committed the bill for the apportionment of
the Representatives in Congress under the
last census. The committee has labored
to amend the bill so as 10 arrive at rule
OF representation, plain, simple, just, uni |
form, and OF universal application.
"This rule, says the report, mny he ear
ly expressed in either of two WAYS. Lei
the rule he, that the whole numhe. of the
proposed House sail he apportioned among
the several States according to their re-
spectlve numbers, giving tn each tState that
number of members, which comes nearest
10 her exact mathematical part or proper
ten; or, let the rule he, that the popua
ton of each State shall he divided by q
common divisor, and that in addition to the
urnlher of members resulting from such di-
vision, a member shall he allowed to each
State, whose fraction exceeds molety of
the divisor.
Either of these is, it seems to the Gem
mi,tee, fair and just rule, capable OF uni
form application, and operating with entire
impartiality. There is no want of a com
mon proportion, or n common divisor there
- IClt " oiSSsStiOh' -
the rule, in either Of these forms, he adopt
ed, it can never be doubtful how every
member of any proposed number for
House OF Representatives, oughtto he assign.
ed. Nothing will be left in the discretion
OF Congress the right Of each State
will he mathematical right, easily asrer-
tanned, about which there can lie neither
doubt nor difficulty; and in the application
Of the rule, there will ne no room for pref
erence, partially Or injustice. In any case,
in all time to come, it will do all that hu-
man means can do, to allot to every State
in the Union its proper and just proportion
of representative power. And it Is because
of this, its rapat,ility Of constant applira-
ton, as we'll as because of its impartiality
and Justice, that the committee are earnest
in recommending its adoption to Congress.
If it shall he adopted, they believe it will
remove cause OF uneaslness and dissatis
faction recurring, or liable TO recur, with
every new census, and place the rights Of
the States, in this respect, on fixed basis,
OF which none can with reason complain.
THE COLONIAL TRADE. A resolution
was sent TO the Treasury Department from
ihS ObitCu oldlCS ocudtC 10 iOuS hEO uS
last December, requiring a statement Of the
effects of the late British West India ar
rangement, concocted by Mr.. Van Buren,,
on the Navigating interests of the United
States. The information has At last been
furnished, and is now printed, so that we
can see how this matter has worked, since
" .7meracan Professions" were surrendered
at the feet Of the British Ministry. 1t is
we'll known that while the British West In
dla ports were closed upon US, our ship
owners drove the trnde through the Swed-
lsh, Danish, and other neutral islands, and
the Northern provinces, where the English
received cur produce and transported it to
their Islands. The long voyage and the
profits were ours, the short ones and the
losses theirs. The Treasury Department
has sent statement from the Register
Oihce, giving the tonnage employed during
the last year since the opening OF the ports
on Mr.. Van Buren's terms, Tor, as some call
It, since we gained the W est India trade" "
in the intercourse Of this country with the
British Swedish, and Danish islands, and
the Northern provinces; and as some yes
sells clearing for the West Indies general
ly, may have gone to British Islands, the
Register has added all those cleafances TO
swell the list. But let that pass. Accord
ing to this official document, there were in
the whoie trade, under Mr.. Van Buren's ar
rangement, during the lastyear, 156, 776 tons
OF American vessels entered, and no 699 OF
foreign NEARLY all British J and Of depart
nres LOT, 434 American tons, and 1IO,S99 OF
British or foreign. Now, let us see how
the account stood before the surrender OF
American Pretensions" Take the wear
le3O. In that year the American tonnage
IN the same trade was of entries 2O4,4I6
and the foreign tonnage but 5O42; the de-
partures were of American 199,476, and OF
foreign but 1850
Thus it will be seen that since Mr.. Van
Buren, gained the colonial trade for us, the
American tonnage employed in it, has fallen
on nearly 70 per cent, and the British ton
mage has increased in the same trade near
ly two thousand per cent. Mark too, this
is hut the first year. The next year will
show much greater disparity in favor OF
British shipping; and the next, greater still.
The advantages surrendered to the British,
now enable them to take freight from New
York to the Islands, in many instances at
one hall cheaper than can be done by our
vessels, stripped as they have been of the
"pretensons" which formerly enabled them
to drive prosperous trade. The whole
matter has in short been surrendered to
John Bull ON his own terms. The only
question in dispute from the beginning hav-
ing been, Who should carry The British
contendng frem the first, from the peace of
3d. or, soon after it, that their vessels should
do the carrying. We maintained our
ground under every administration till the
late Secretary of State persuaded the Pres
ident TO sanction, and insist upon, the dis
graceful instructions which he penned, on
being brought into the Cabinet. And the
documents now certified to, nv the yery
Minister who conducted the negotiation.
contain the damnlng evidence that the eff.
iects of the arrangement are not ess disas
trous to our shipping intel ests, than the tone
of the Instructions were disgraceful to our
honor.-Aaiional Intclhgeneer.
The CHEROKEE, CASE The National
Intelllgencer says, we presume correctly.
that the power of the Supreme Court of the
United States to issue writs of ha5sas cor.
pus is limited TO those cases in which the
party is imprisoned under some autboritv
proceeding from some Court, or Officer. Of
the United States. Therefore, it would seem
that if the authorities Of Georgia persist in
retaining the Missionaries in prison. thew
cannot be relieved in i.ie recess of Couri
by habeas corpus. But the remedy is AIDE,
quate, and is, indeed, no slower than thatby
writ. For habeas corpus unless it he such
as single Judge might granl, could not is.
..xnl Il
term shall come, if the Missionaries be sill
UnOl. tho S,,nrasno