Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-03-18


that the Constitution, and the vital principles OF
civil liberty, are in danger of being subverted!
If in Great Britain, at any time since the Revo-
nt;on of 1888 any Minister of the Crown (the
King can do no wrong) had dared to assume
sncb mowers over the public treasure, he would
have been impeached of high crimes and misde-
meanors, convicted without dissenting voice,
and-not sentenced to death upon the scaffold,
for hanny the thirst for blood has been greatly
allaved in modern tmes-but incapacltated, tor
ever. TO serve in any place OF trust or nonor-
II s not the interests of the Bank am contend
inc for. though would not trample on Its rights
or take away cent of its property-lt Is not the
security of property, chiefly, vital as the secufl-
ty of property is to the common veal say,
sir, that the vital principles of civil liberty are
Slapped: Liberty, Liberty, is in jeopardy.
To show that it is in jeopardy, it is not neces-
sarv to convict the President of wilful design
to subvert it, wholly acquit him of any cor
rupton; believe he has been acting under the
impulse of passion-of passion unsuitable to his
station. ellis very elevation should raise him
above it. But will not inquire into his proba-
BILE motives or ultimate designs | only examine
his conduct and its consequences.
A gentleman from Georgia Mr.. KING SAID,
Yesterday, that he had travelled, during the last
Autumn, through several States, converslng (o1
course) with his fellow citizens; andreadlng SUCH
public journals as fell into his hands; and that,
duct ofthe President as inexpedient and unWlsee,
he had never seen or heard any objection to 1t
on the ground that it involved an unconstltu-
tional and illegal assumption OF power; and ne
expressed his opinion, if | understood him
Alright, that this objection was founded on dis
covery made by the gentleman from Kentucky,
near me- (Mr. CLAY,) and first announced in
this House. | am certainly not disposed to de-
tract at all from the merit ofthe gentleman from
Kentucky; but cannot allow him the whole Gre
! dit of this discovery, though have no doubt he
was one of the first that made it. 1t could not
have cost him any pains The gentleman from
| Georgia was (WithOut any particular design, L
dare say,) select in the company with which he
associated during his travels, and in his news
paper reading | can only say, that convers-
ed with no individual on the subject who did
not either object that the measure was an
usurpation of power by the President, or de-
fend him against the charge: | saw not single
newspaper own | read very teW-that did
not state the objection, either to support or to
confute it. One press there was, which intimat-
ed the opinion that this measure ofthe President
was not warranted by law-though it must, in
Justice to the editor, be acknowledged, that he
at the same time ascribed the most patriotic mo-
tives to the President, and has ever since been
defending his conduct with all his mig ht-the
objection to the legality of it, | suppose, being
in his mind quite unimportant.
By the way the gentleman from Georgia gave
us curious piece of criticism | understood
him to intimate that the speeches of the gentle
man from Kentucky, near me, (Mr. CLAY,) on
this subject have been chiefly composed OF
shreds and scraps of Greek orations. | read
most of them in my YOUTH mean, in an En-
glish translation-they have faded in my memo
ry. Will the gentleman point out single pas
sage in an Greek Grafton, thatcan give colour
to this charge of plagiarism? If it had been
oiI hot
ing utterance to the strong conceptions of his
soul, and the dictates Of truth and reason, in
that bold and glowing language which nothing
but zeal for his country and the ardour OF con-
viction could inspire, had copied the manner of
the master orator of Greece, this whole House
might have convicted him, not or the design to
do so, but of the fact of having done so; and,
for my part, wish we had more such plaglar-
lists.
| find in another remark Of the gentleman
from Georgia, some reason to congratulate my
self and him too. that the memorlallsts or Pc
tersburg waving all questions as to the legality
and constituiionality ofthe Presidents proceed
ings take up the subject on the ground of poll
cy alone and impute the grievances of which
they complain to the errors Of the Executive
The gentleman declared his belief, that, if the
subject had been put on that ground, the deposl-
ties would have been restored early in the session,
by a majority of two thirds Of both Houses. [
have no means Of Judging whether his conjec-
ture is correct; and | shall make no remark on
the peculiarly of the admission it implies as to
the state of his own mind, and of the opinion it
seems to disclose Of the leading motive of others
who have been defending and sustaining the
President in his course. Would to Heaven, the
President could his error in the light in
which some of his Warmest friends regard It,
and reverse his unhappy measures. Such a
change of policy for whatever reason adopted,
would be a great alienation of the distresses
that afflict his grooming country. Such an ack-
nowled cement and counteractOn of his errors,
would evince the highest virtue, wisdom, and
magnanimity and acquire for him more of true
glory, and more of the affection and gratitude
of his countrymen, than eventhe victory Of New
Orleans achieved for him. But, if he shall
vangloriously shut his eyes to the evidence of
his errors, flashing like lightning through the
darkness that surrounds him-if he shall obsti-
natelv persist in his present course of measures
if neither the opinions of the People, nor the
voice of the Legislatures, can move him-if
" The furies that relentless breast have steePd,
"And curs'd with heart unknowing how to
yield"-
still it behooves this House to persevere in the
performance of its duty. Let him, if he will,
+o ot on hic cola recnOncibitv tITnon