Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1839-03-26

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RI; ;r,rn,la,ion must be inserted, before gentlemen
n chow auy power pass the present bill lhey can
mn, advance one step in their argument wl'h0ut II
M; Constitution can never be construed according 10
the meaning of ranets but by men OF PLAIN, wen IN
armed and PRACTICAL Judgment Common sense is It's
hos, esvoundpr Ingenious men, dsp0sfdto ralSe one
medication upo1 another in favor OF Fcd'ai Po"ei,
mud to make each previous precedent The iouhcl"'' "
which TO proceed another step IN The mare" ~
C, medication NAV make il mean any lnlhS VI Nv
thing The liberties OF this country can only De Pee
cd nv strict construction oil the cnuneta'eu P""
granted BY the States 10 Congress ;, ,L.
RsG,,a n,,ceed Cnr her in my arghme nj agaihs' 'i
cnu.;i,u;ionaIi,y Of this bill it will be proper tia'
deyennp sou,e of its latent beauties desire W w '
ATE little more precisely lis chaTacier-t" PtesF" ''
nj its striking features, aud 10 show what II 'S ~ P
ME and whs, II will prove 10 be IN rraciicc.
There are twenty sX sovereign states 10 ,''T o"'s
;,d bv n Fedora! compact called The to''4'i-
,,,; f tho limited States Each individual circ'ni 4"
IRIS country sus.aius distinct characters H' -
citizen Of some OF the Stales' ana III Is @'so ~.
zyu nc The T. :. lie is bound 10 perform 'ie ""'s "
n gnod ,Izpn both towards his own S'a'e anu
,h ~ Nav VIVA, does this bill propose: In me
aids, States Of this CoE!ederacy, oil me f'deia Ola
crrs which we have in the interior are Pos''haSe's
II js true that al our ports 81 ehUy 'cle CIV '"'
,om house Officers but i'll Pennsylvania Tor exhrhpe'
from the SrhuYIki!!,o the Ohio and to Lake E'e. our
,e,.,. scarcely feel their connection with lie peue
rnl Government except through me mfu't'" u ''e
Pos, Office Department These posima.ets are very
.va,v cross road They agents Tor disseminating
inflammation throughout the country might P'ohany
say tina, in instances out ot len The ONCE IS
~ worth holding, on account 6' lis p'c"h'"y ei'"l
men,s In mos, the postmaster accepts u 'o'
tho accommodation Of his neIgGbors. Now ths post
muster is generally man OF property and OF cna'ac
ter having deep stake IN the community an" !" 'e
faithful administration aud execution oi Tue iaws
Two candidates presented 10 the prope 'of n'ce'
say that OF Justice of the peace II one Of hese 'ge
N
tights as citizen c Pennsylvania ADVISE MS ne'enuo'
TO vote for one of these candidates, ana against "e
other this bill dooms him to fine OF i've huh''eG 90,
lars aud to a perpetual disqualification from ever hoIn
pp any office under The Government OF The Unlted
States No matter whether the merits which lie may
have ascrbed 10 of the candidates be true as ho'y
writ aud the delnquences which he may have chargen
against the other may be susceptible OF The ceaIes proof
this will not arrest the vengeance oil The bill lie Is
doomd to remain mute although his dearest interests
NAV be involved, incur It's penalties gag Is 10 De
put his mouth and he is 10 be punished 1t he dare "
express q preference for candidate over the "her
And let tell the gentleman, tese posEastrfs h"!'
oil sorts of political opinions In my own State con
siderable proportion of their number are wings anu An
tinlasons, opposed 10 the present Administrator !
might cite other examples 10 depict Inc enoriy Vi 's
but consider it wholly unnecessary. might aScFhL
from the Justice Of The peace The constable through
all the grudaons of elective office, Slate aud Federal,
TO the President OF the United States, and SHOW that
each ascending grade the violation o! The rights ol
the citizen becomes more and more outrageous Eh'
enumprate The weghers and the guaGeIs and tie other
prescribed classes OF inferior Office holders and paint
The mad and wan'on Injustice which this bill would IN
ilict upon them-Bu enough.
The man who would accept office upon such terms,
mus, forfeit all self respect and would become at once
6t tool for corruption aud for despnsrn lie must be
GefaGpd in his eyes and Degraded IN the eyes o!
his fellow citizens below The rank OF freeman II You
desire deprecaie the Government itself under which
live, you cannot do more ttectuuy lhan ny Piac-
in9 such stigma on lis officers
Why, Sir You could not, by any possibility, carry
snch law into execution II Ii should pass Tomorrow,
it would fail dead letter upon your statute book l
would advocate orcibe resistance 10 any law, and
DO not believe that such the inlenion OF my triend
from New jersey (Nlr WaII) when he spoke Of resist
auc-; but dOc no, the Senator from Virginia know Tint
rvs NAV be passed o! character odUus that nobody
could be found 10 carry them into execution: Such are
all laws which entirely opposed to the Spi1il Oi HE
age and The united aud over henilOg current OF pub
lie opinion firmly believe tins 10 be the character oil
the present bill.
But, suppose me 10 be mistaken in this opinion, and
that The law could be carried INTO execution, what
would be the consequences; The doomed officer, Inc
prs master the weigher the guager, rs p'a ceG IN The
mids, of thinking, acting, busy p"puiali"n Every
thing around HIM proceeding with The linPrtuosy oil
steam. Public opinion is matching onward win gia;t
strides The officer talked ri and talked 10, daily aud
hourly, BY the surrounding multitude, whilst the law
cumpeIs him 10 close his lips in silence. Under such
CIRCUMSTANCES would be Impossible tor human nature
long refrain. What them If he utters syllable on
any of the exciting political topics Of the day aud these
are all involved in the perpetual canvass which Is pro-
cerng for officers high aud low, he is at once seIz-d
upon by some harpy oi an iniormrr. THIS bill oilers
tempting hrIbr 10 such caves drorpets IL won.n
call INTO exste such race 10 deg and surround
each officer, aud To catch up every IncauiICus woic
which might be construed into endeavo to persuade
or 10 dssuade Cector Each individual IN society Is
stimulated by this bill to become a common no'mer, by
the tempting offer o! bride of Two hundred a"d MY
dollars ia each particular case. The prescribed oihctr
thus be comes his prey and in most cases. Will DE glad
TO comp with him for the ment OF great part or
the whole of the penalty of five hundred dollars IN order
to avoid the Stigma OF perpetual disability 10 hold any
Office under thus Government
There is another remark which desire 10 make on
this branch d. The subject. Whenever you attempt 10
violate the plain letter and spirit Of the Constitution,
thousand evis OF which you have never Dreamed pre-.
sent themselves in the perspective This law can alone
be executed by the Courts OF the U. ). Where are
they situated? In the large States such Fennsy Iva
MIA or Virginia. they are held great distances from
each other. postmaster IN either OF these States The
income Of whose office does moi exceed Fifty dollars per
annum, may b. dragged from home, distance OF one
hundred and fifty or two hundred miles, 10 sand ms
trial under this bill before Federal Court Tn ex
pense would be enormous, whilst he Is Obliged TO appear
before tribunal far from the place where his character,
and that OF his prosecutors is known and appreciated
Undsr such circumstances, he would almost be certain
10 become the victim Of the common iniurimrr, u"Gcr
either b. convicted compelled 10 buy his peace al at
most any price.
In comforting the powers enumerated in the Cons'i
tuition Of The Federal Government, the States expressly
reserved 10 themselves respectively, TO their people
all the powers delegated by II 10 the UGsd Saies
OF prohibited by 1t 10 the States Now ! would ask
the Senator from Kentucky when, where or how las
the S!as Of Pennsylvania enteed 10 Congress Tie
RICH, Of dspriving any Of her ciiizrns, vino may
cept office under The General Government, oi line tree
dom Of speech Of the press: Where is 1t Geclar, d
by the Constitution, either in express terms, or from
what clause be fairly inferred that Congress may
mskH forfeiture of the dearest of all political rights,
an Indispensable condition OF Office; Each Ui the
people Of Pennsy lvania, under her Constitution ard
Laws, secured in The inalienGbe right Of speaking
his thoughts The STATE we'll rs each individual CT.
tzen, has the deepest interest in tie Of this
right | ask The gentleman to lay his finger the
clause OF the Constitution by which has been surrender
ed. Where is it declared, from what can it be in
fired that because the States have yielded the Fedc