Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1833-01-23
PROM WASHINGTON.

Chamber was thronged, and during ne debate
the House Of Representatives was almost desert.
ed By the members. who Hocked in to hear SO i'm
portant a discussion. Do motion Of Mr.. vii.
kins. the Bill reported BY = Judiciary Commit
toe was taken up, and he moved that its conside-
ration should he postponed until Thursday Ito.
morrow.) Mr.. Mangum referred to the impor-
lance Of the subject-a subject, he said, lnvolv.
ing the very principles on which the government
was founded and moved that Monday week
$ hould be assigned for its consideration. Mr..
Grundy said, that as the fatal first OF February
was at hand, a long postponement should not be
made. He was in favor of acting speedily.
Mr.. Miller, Of S. c., went into a vindication
of the Ordinance Of s.. Carolina-he said gentle.
men might obv,ate the effects they appeared so
much to dread. as about 10 take place on the LIST
Of February, il they would pass the Tariff La"
now before the other house: as it was, the consi.
Iteration of this bill ought to be postponed for the
longest time, to give gentlemen every opportunity
to reflect calmly upon it. Mr.. Clay hoped that.
in celebrating upon this important matter, the
House would not be quickened or retarded in it's
action by the course Of South Carolina. He had
no hesitation in saying, that he was in favor Of
clothing the government with all necessary and
constitutional power, to execute the laws Of the
country. If the present bill gave it this power,
and no more, he should vote for it,; il it gave
more power, he should oppose it. He proposed
Monday next as a period early enough at which
to take up the bill, and hoped that that day would
meet the wishes Of the Senator's generally.
Mr.. Poindexter vas in favor of delaying the
Importance, he said, TO be hastily passed upon.
He denounced it az altering the Constitution,
and making the President a military despot.-
He commented upon several OF it's provisions,
and declared that they, IN terms, abrOgated essen.
tial features in the constitution. Mr.. Freling-
huysen replied. and contended that the bill gave
no more power 10 the President than had hereto
fure been given by other acts ut Congress in pre-
yiuus times. He said it was purei. judicial IN
its nature, and only authorised the President to
use force when The laws were forcibiy resisted
Mr.. Wilkins said, that II was not denied that
South Carolina intended forclble resistance to
the Revenue Laws.
Mr.. Calhoun rose and stated that South Ca
rolina never intended resistance by violence
Mr.. Wilkins continued, and contended that The
whole action of the State showed that the laws
there were intended 10 be set at noughi by some
means or other-if necessary, by force-and that
,L.a I'LL ,naba r.nyicT,n IN aruly Far The cnlIpctInn
of the revenue, with the least possible risk OF
collision throwing, as far as it could, the whole
business before the Courts. Mr.. Miller again
rose, and denounced the bill as hestowing extra.
ordinary powers upon the Pfesident-as in
tending to coerce into Obedience, by force of
arms, the State Of South Carolina, which State
had acted in her sovereign capacity, aud was not
amenable to any other power for any thing she
might do in that capacity. Tie explicitly ad.
United that secession was not a constitutional
right. Remarks were also made by Mr.. Bibb,
Mr.. King. and Mr.. Brown. The question was
finally taken, and the motion to postpone until
Monday week lost by a large majority. The
bill was then made the special order Of the day
for Monday merit.
Our situation in the Senate N was
such as to prevent US from taking notes at the
time, and the above sketch was written from me.
mory. and is intended only to give a faint out
line Of the general course Of this debate, which,
although it arose upon a mere question OF post
pouement, was deeply interesting, and elected
the deepest attention.
After this decision. Mr.. Calhoun rose in bis
place, and stated that he was about to offer GER
tain resolutions to the Senate, affirming what he
considered to be the principles on which the CO.
vernment was founded, and which, il adopted by
the Senate, would secure the rejection Of the Bill
reported by the Judiciary Committee; which bill,
he said, was in the very teeth of those principles.
He then went into an argument to show that the
government was founded by the States, as sove-
reigns, and not by the people in their collective
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