Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1838-09-12

Pc LITIC AL.
INSTRUCTIONS. I"

JuuC lust, CuiitdiuitiS HFS iCdsoHS ioi
voting against the Sub Treasury Bill
on the occasion Of lis defeat in The
House Of Representatives, In that
letter he sets forth his views upon The
doctrine of .. instructions" in a most
forcible and lucid manner. We ex-
tract that portion Of the letter which
contains those views.
The House has just refused, by an
almost unanimous vote, TO reconsider
! it's decision upon the Sab Treasury bill,
as reported by the Committee of Ways
and Means. That decision, you will
have heard, was Unexpectedly made
Yesterday afternoon the Committee OF
the Whole having struck out the en-.
acting clause, an1 made report accor-
dinghy, AMI the House ordered the
Previous Quest on, SO suddenly, that
many who were deslrous OF expr ssing
their sentiments on the great question,
we're deprived Of an opportunity OF
doing so in debate. was one ofthen.
Situated as was in consequence OF the
repeated declarations OF the Legisa-
tire, il was my own opinion, as well as
that fall my friends here, that man
iiest propriety, If nothing more, requi-
red that should assign the reasons
which determined me to disregard those
declarations. Not that would be un-
derstood as admitting, under any CIR
cu,nstances, the right of that body 10
instruct TO any binding effect, the KEEP
ieseniatlves OF the people IN another
sphere. | certainly 90 no such thing.
My views on that subject, generally,
were expressed very distinctly in the
Southern Review, IN a paper upon
HALLS Travels in America, (lS29.)
have seer no reason To change them
quite the contrary. | am sue they
met with the hearty concurrence Of
the great majority Of the people OF
South Carol ma at that time, and am
yet to learn that any revolution IN
public opinion has taken place since.
Ii would IN my judgement, be depio-
rable falling off If II were so. When l
came here IA September, found that
The moral influence arising from our
supposed independence IN TINS partIcu-
lar, was almost The only power lett US;
but il wls power, and IA very pre-
ctous one. Ii would nlaliIbly perish
undcr The slavisa docirlue by which 1t
IS attempted "to COW our Tee spirits,
aud to turn the members OF these high
dchberatlve bodies, into mere tools OF
popular lea4ers out OF doors. The
idea is incompatible with our dignity
as men and as Carolinians--it IS at
war with the great first principle OF the
moral order oil the unlvefse-responsi
Miifg-whch It would utterly destroy
IN our Government, in the constituent
as well as in the r. Prtsenlatlve. IL is
neither more nor less than to clam US
"A right Of every elective bodt, that
odlous privilege of the pectage OF
England, the absurdiiy oil which mas
lately attracted SO much a:tentlon--ihe
vote by proxy-the privilege OF parli-
cipatlng in a decision without hearing
the Argument. Suppose all argument
cut off, as it might rs well be under
such system, by the Previous Ques-
ton, and every Representative voting
perpelually under instructions, ana you
have the ideal perfection OF n delibera-
tive assembly constructed according
to these notions, "A body which 1t would
be fiattery to call Rump Parliament,
or 10 comrare with the Senate Of 1ibe-
RUS and Caligula.
Considered as a principle of regular
government, the doctrine oil when
am speaking will not bear moments
examination. The right to give BIN
ding instruction, implies the right to
disavow any act done in violation OF
il. and to revoke immediately the pow
ers of the agents dlsobeying It. But
nobody, so far as am get Informed, IS
so cxtravagant as 10 pretend that any
such riyht exists under our Govern
men,. The Senator or Representative,
who acts upon his own convictions and
not those of his constituents, forieIts
none of his authority, is not Jot the
less law-giver, binding the whole
country by lis acis, 10 the utmost ex-
tent of the jurisdiction of the Govern
ment. Ii is wild conceit to imagine,
as have seen it asserted somewhere,
that the State Legislature has right
to control the conduct, though 1t has
nothing to do with the consc,ences OF
its Representatives here. TINS is a a.
rorce in the true spirit OF the other
which it is intended to advance, but
much more inconsistent with all IDEAS
Of good government and social order.
/ Il would be nothing short OF iunda-
mental revolution in our institutions.
II would be making us a mere league
of foreign nations, and turning TINS
$50 n, 4 nj