Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-10-08
MR.. WEBsTER's SPEECH,
A. the Wing Dinner given at Concord, NJ ID.

Apologising to the meeting LOT uig feoSloii;
Mr. w. continued.-But 1t is the principles anu
authority asserted in the protest bv the
President to negative and construe tne Jaws,
and to reject the construction of Congress and
the courts-the assumption that all omcers are
his, and that every act Of an offleer IS Ills ltne
President's) act. If this be SO, wha' Deconles
of impeachment The constitution says tna.
any officer shall be liable to impeachment ior
mal-practices. Impeach a man, however, I'M
der this doctrine, and he says, " Behold the re-
script ofthe Emperor" Impeachment In such
a case would be idle, supererogatory. In SNORT
though do not wish to make extravagant state
| ments venture to say, that II we yieio 10 inc
doctrines of the Protest. we shall live under an
elective monarchy; elective as yet. putsor in.
formation as to how long 1t Will remain 50, iet
ms consult the page of history. know no diff
ference between the King of England and the
President of the United States, if the assump-
tons of the Protest be submitted to. And how
| has this happened2 What has brought ABOUT
| this state Of things? What would have been
done, if John Quincy Adams had acted thusf
put the same question to you In regard 10 MS
predecessors, not excepting even Washington
| | do not believe that Washington, in the most
palmy state Of his administration, at the mo-
ment of his greatest popularity, would have
| been able to have maintained himself single
| month had he claimed the powers claimed by
the present President in the Protest. Why are
they, then, tolerated now even Tor moment!
There is but one reason; it is this: that there
are those in the present generation who are m
teresied to deceive and those who, from culpa-
BILE inattention to the concerns of their country
suffer themselves to be deceived Power now
maintains itself by the purchased and the de-
ceived.
Every thing said Mr.. w. now turns upon
personal confidence. Alarm the people, and
the reply is, "the hero can do no wrong" Tell
them the constitution is in danger. and they say,
"H NAV be so, but he means no harm" Speak
to them of the seizure of the Treasury, and
they will tell you "that if the President had not
acted as he has done, the bank would have cor
rupted the whole legislature before next ses.
sion" He (Mr. w. thought this man. worship
dangerous. 1t was not what our forefathers had
taught us. Jefferson said he did not fight for
an elective monarchy. But this was not the
worst. Were we sure that these various exer-
tons of Executive power originated with the
hero2"-sure that the main spring was held by
his hand,-that he was the head of his own ad-
minstration2 Or were they realizing the fears
| of the Roman Coriolanus before the gates of
Antum7 Was it not possible that the blows
| which they received proceeded " from boys
with sticks, and cooks from the kitchen with
splits and ladles2"
Let him revert to another matter. The pre-.
sent administration would expire in three years.
Let them suppose the accession OF another mill
tary man, with the same popularity, to follow
up, step by step, the Pretensions OF his prede-
cessor. What would be the state ofthe country
eight years hence? Could they say then that
they governed themselves--made their own
laws? He (Mr. w. put it to every man to say
! what must ensue il the present system were fol-
lowed up. They could bear every thing but the
destruction Of the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
thing. If their money was needed, let 1t now
! 49, tnn
for tribute. IL ID not because II is money, said
Mr.. W., that we refuse to part with it; but be-
cause we know that if our opponents get our
money, they get every thing; and if they do not
get that, they get nothing Yes! continued Mr..
W., we can give up every thing but our consti-
tuition, which is the sun of our system AS the
natural sun dispels fogs, heats the air, WHITES
and Eliminates; even SO does the constitution,
in days of adversely and gloom, come out for
our rescue and hold us up. If the lumlnary
which now sheds its light upon and invigorates
our sphere, sinks forever in his ocean bed,
, clouds, cold, and perpetual death would environ
us; and if we suffer our other sun, the constitu-
ton, to be turned from us, if reject it or dis
regard its benefits; if its beams disappear but
once in the west anarchy and chaos will have
come again, and we shall grope out in darkness
and despair the remainder Of a miserable exist
ence. ] confess, said MIR. W., that when speak
of the constitution, feel burning zeal which
prompts me to pour out my whole heart. what
is the constitution? 1t is the band which binds
together twelve million oil brothers? What is ito
history7-who made it? Monarchs, crowned
heads, lords, or emperors? No! it was none Of
these. The constitution ofthe United States, the
the nearest approach of mortal to Supreme wis
dom, was the work of men who purchased il
berty with their blood, but who found that with
out organization, freedom was not blessing.
They framed it, and the people in their intelli-
gence adopted it. And what has been its histo-
ry for forty years2 Has it trodden down any
mans rights7 Has it circumscribed the liberty
of the press2 Has it stopped the mouth Of any
mans Has it held US up as objects Of disgrace
abroad? Quite the reverse 1t has given US
character abroad, and when, with Washington
at its head, it went forth to the world this young
country at once became the most interesting
and imposing in the circle of civilized nations.
How is the constitution of the United Statesre
garded abroad2 Why, as the last hope of ii.
berty among men. Wherever you 60, you find
the United States held up as an example by the
advocates of freedom. The mariner no more
looks to his compass or takes his departure by
the sun, than does the lover Of liberty think of