Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1836-04-15
AN EXPUNGER
COMMUNICATED
MEETING IN MlDDLESEX.


At meeting Of the people Of MddeseS, al jamaica,
on the I'd April. s'G Major r. NJ Scgar called
the Chair and VIM. Broaddus appointed Secretary. The
object of the meeting having been explained by the Chair
m.sn on motion Of Col Win. Shepherd, that commit
tee be appointed draft preamble md resolutions
piessvr of the Of the meeting, the following gen.
llemen named By the Chair, viz: Col. Shepherd
Mm Broaddus, WIN. LESSEE, Re. Mckan, l.. Is. Monta
que, John Street, 4. O. keeninshum: and on motion Of
Col She ph,rd the Chairman added After retiring
ir short time the committee reported the following
preamble and resolutions, which adopted each una
HimGuSiY:
We. cIlizrns Of MiLlesex, this day assembled for tie
purpose cI pressing opinions the course oil Ben
amn w. Leigh. ESQ., of the representatives OF r.
gni the Senate oil the T. States in refusing to obey
the nslrscons OF the Legislature, tie legal and autho
used sfgan through which our wishes and requirements
be made known to those aIentSdo, after giving
the letter OF the said B. W. Leigh, the most attentive
and candid cunsderaun most soirmny declare, as our
opinion that the said Senator has aimed mortal stab at
OF the most vital principles of our Republican lnst!-
uton-!hut lie has abandoned The great and tundauien-
tai Rgi o. Instruction. thereby placing the servants OF
the people rh@Ve their masters the people themselves
hat without tnrs right republican institutions would
sooH dwinde into gn!cancy and even into desPo,!sm
selt-lha the people, II b. comes US 10 scrulnize
well every infringement Of the principle and whenever
discover the slightest departure from it, to come tor
ward and express opinions firmly aud torclbly-that
by this the said Is. w Leigh has departed from
s principles clearly aud ucdy expressed IN the pre-
abIe and resolutions Of which lie was the author IN lel2
and by which Mr. Brent aud NJ: Giles were driven into
elirrenl-,c forever, and the other unll! his true
repentance for and acknowrd OF ms error-'hat
the right to instruct implies tile obligation on the agent
either obey s instructions or TO resign his agency;
to do either Of which the said |; W. Leigh has uEeQu
vucay declared she cannot, ",h! not and otH not -
Therefore,
l. Issoiced as our op MON, " That the Right Of In
strucon rests the broad basis OF the nature OF repre-
srntutiou and is one of the vital principles Of our free
institutions: and that it the duty OF the representa-
tive obey the instructions OF his constituents or resign
the with which they have Clothed Inn. IN order that
DC transferred 10 the hands OF those who VIII cat-
r. into rt CT Tie wishes aud :i$ Euclois % 'c eohs'"'
cDt body.
2 kcyoIved That B. W Lei ia has violated the sacred
rio IN Of liz people, aud for doing deserves their eier
ma! exrcaaDn. The so?hstry by which this breach OF
Ia, 5f defended leads i1conSohdiuon the loot
Stool OF desp0tisn 49,
:: Reso!frd That the apparent contempt Of Is. w.
Leigh, expressed III his letter Tor me ID
danr,ricaIIy with his own chart OF The du-
ties of representatives, as drawn IN lol2 and places
him IN a ,gh, ridiculous !! is anti republican,
On motion OF Col. Shepherd,
!. RsS0ircd That the proceedings OF this meeting be
signed by the Chairman, and copy thereof be forward
ed to the Editors Of the Enquirer with the request that
they publish the at early day.
| RICHARD VI. SEGAR, Chairman.
! WI. Lao, ppas, SECRETARY.
When the eas's,ion was about TO be taken the
coud rrsolulio Mr. G. 6. Grssod moved that the word
eternal be stricken out; which motion he supported
m speech o length, declaring that the resolution
as it stood called ior the eternal punishment of Mr. Leigh
in another world which penalty he believed the people
neither ready willing to see inflicted on him.
This motion opposed by MIR. Broaddus, on the
grounds that tho signcaon Of the word eternal, as
used in Ike resolution, strictly POLITICAL and simply
conveyed the idea, that MIR. Leigh, and oil other such
public serennts himss should be eIecratcd as p0
cams by the people, long free and haPPy Co
vcrnn,cl continued ~ exist The question being taken
on the strike out, decided in the negative
the ayes being only three and the resolution as 1t
| stands was adopted unanim0us'y
After the third resolution, Mr. Z. T. Montague moved
to insert tue following: " Res0lrsd, That John Tyler
BY promptly rcsignng bis seat in the Senate of the u
States wien he could OBEY the instructions OF his
constituency without violation of the Constitution,
Thereby mal.i.rsng his de.o,cn, as we'll to the Constr
tulion as 10 great Right Of Instruction. demands the
appreciation OF every Patriot Of Virginia.
| This resolution opposed by several members OF
tic meeting Yvhc considered that Mr. Tyler had not been
called on to violate the Constitution, declared in tho
rrsostion bat 10 mend breach in that sacred nsru
ncnt which &c himself had aided to make: that even 1t
he had fss called pa!pably TO violate the Constltu-
tion lie had done nothing moro" resigning his seat,
.sn his duly imperiousy demanded that he could not
have doas less without exposing himself TO the just IN
dgnaon Of every true Republican: and that for such
an act lie could deserve vote OF thanks from lhe
flee people Of MlddlrseI, which the resolution OF Mr.
NJ plainly pu!ported to be. The vote being taken on
lhe resolution, it was ncgalivrd-aycs only z