Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-04-10

TYRANNY. is neither conceived in vengeance nor
recorded in the blood of the usurper and the ty- |
r.nt No sir. no. Mr. Speaker! whatever the
PRESIDENT may have done-and God knows no
man living has done more to impair the sacred :
auarantees provided by the Constitution and
fhe laws for the security of the life, liberty, cha
racter and property of every citizen OF this
GREAT republication the highest functonary
who wears the honOrs to the humblest Indlvldu-
al who breathes the air of his country; however
in the administration Of his summary and vim
dictive Justice to others, he may have trampled
on the consecrated forms OF Judicial proceed
ing. and particularly that most consecfatea ol
them all, the trial by jnry; trust that neither
the people of the United States nor their repre-
sentatives will for moment indulge the idea OF
giving countenance to his violence ana oufdSe'
BY following his example.
| must here, Mr.. Speaker, be permitted to say
few words on d subject which has given me
unaffected pain. | aDude, sir, to the pupllca-
ton in the official journal, and evidently by the
authority of the Chief Magistrate, OF certain an
onymo us letters, purporting to convey TO lhat
distinguished officer threats OF assasslnauoh-
Mr. Speaker, you are aware OF the contrIVance
by which the first tyrant of Athens subverted the
institutions of her greatest lawgiver. he inlet
ed wound upon his own body, rushed into the
market place covered with blood, eXclalmlng TO
the popuIace whom he sedueously courted, " Be
hold the wounds have received in the cause OF
the people, by the hands of assasslns, urged on
by the aristocracy." Upon this he solicited
and obtained body guard, and from that day
the throne of Pisistratus was erected upon the
ruins Of the republic OF Scion.
But, sir if there is one man living more inca
pable than any other, Of suspectlng the Presl~
dent of having any participation IN any such
nefarious design, am that man. But feel
| L l;-fio nfr1 hnf q
lieve there are hundreds and thousands OF heart
| less and mercenary wretches, who feel that they
! can basl only in the sunshine Of executive favor
/ and fatten en- the spoils of the people, who are
capable not only of this cOntrivance, but OF any
! other they may deem necessary to perpetuate
that political dynasty, in which all their hopes
are conferred, and for the perpetuation OF which,
we have the most visible and portentous signs,
that desperate struggle will be made, in which
no means will be regarded unlawful. There
is another Interpretation, of which these letters
are susceptible, and upon this feel it my duty
to express an opinion equally as decided, as
that already expressed. No man supposes that
either Of these letters indicate design on the
part of the writer to carry the threat it contains
into execution. But it is possible, and barely
possible that some misguided man, under the in
fuence of those passions which have been eX-
cited by public suffering and distress, may have
supposed that by writing such letter. the Pre-
sident nigh be alarmed for his personal safety,
and induced under the influence Of that alarm,
to change his political course.
If they were written even with such design
as this, they deserve Reproduction inferior only
to that which they should receive, suppOsIng
them to be written with the design | have be
fore suggested. The idea Of assassination is so
absolutely abhorrent to all the feelings, the
christian feelings of modern times, and ofsuch
pernicious tendency, that feel il to be my du-
ty thus unequivocally to express my utter abb
horrence to every proceeding that may have
the remotest tendency to suggest the idea Of
assassinating the Chief Magistrate. Such
course is not only obnoxious to the adherence
of every honorable man, from its moral atroci-
! ty, but from its political tendency. Every man
who will attentively read the history of Revo-
lutionary France, will be satisfied that the pro-
jectors Of the internal machine, more than all
his own partiZanS civil and military, contrlbut-
ed to elevate Napoleon Buonaparte from the
chair of the consulate to the throne of the en-
pire | will make one concluding remark on
the subject; God forbid that it should be pro-
phetic; and it is that if in the midst of a violent
political excitement it ever should occur that
a President of the United States should be as
sassinated he will be the last constitutional
President and his blood will cement the despo-
tic throne of his successor Then sir let the
President have fair, and if possible dspas-
sionate and impartial trial. He stands arraign-
ed before the great tribunal of the people of
the United States, who are now sitting in judg
ment upon his official conduct A tribunal,
from which am sure he will not appeal, as. he
has always been prompt to appeal from every
other tribunal to that of the people. Before
that tribunal he stands charged, that moved and
seduced by wicked, corrupt and mercenary
counsellors, without having proper regard TO
the Constitution and the laws before his eyes.
he has unconstitutionally assumed powers which
belong to the other Departments of the Govern
ment; that he has openly condemned the autho-
rty Of the Legislature, thrust aside the Judicial
ry power and usurped the seat of judgment,
and pursued reckless course Of usurpation,
whatever be its design, having fatal and Ger
tain tendency to subvert this great fabric of con-
sttutional liberty, and to establish on its broken
fragments, that great political paradox now
for the first time exhibited to the world, CON-
sTITUTIoNAL DEsPoTIsM.
l shall proceed, in due form, to adduce the
evidence by which | think the charge will be
fully sustained; but as | came to the House
without any expectation of speaking to-day.
l the House must excuse the delay which may
occur in selecting, from an undgested mass,
the extracts which shall have occasion to pre-