Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1839-02-28

IN,
ono OF The most glowing, impassioned and eff.
iective passage l ever listened to.
What soil! Che exclaimed) the English,
the Anglo Saxon soil In what soil
would we expect to fiud such plant indi.
genous! In what soil has the tree of liberty
hourished more than in England. Is il NOT
the land oil our glorious ancestors. Whence
they brought the most valued principles of
our Cons,itution-theirl love of liberty-and
hatred OF granny aud defiance of oppressors
and above all that sturdy spirit, which II
now revived, would be the salvation OF our
present institutions! Whence did our faith
ers imbibe the principles of the Declaration
oi lndependence-ofourD Bill of Riyhis-anJ
OF the great Charter of our Liberties !,
Whence but from England. Is this land
To he thus dishonored? Are Locke and Sid.
ney, and that long line OK illustrious sages
from whom our fathers drew their lessons Of
political wisdom, to be thus dishonorcd. and
To held as "idiois"--as "intamous"-com.
| pared 10 those who are illuminated by Mod
ern Democracy
When the Ministerial despolism of Lore,
North was broken down, une Of the fiji st acis
was To disfranchise every officer employ ed
IN the Customs, in the collection and man.
aSement of the excise duties, and in the
ro>t Ofiice-furty thousand in number And
IN the same session, during the Administra.
tion OF Lord Rockingham, a law was passed
prohibiting contractors from having seats il,
Parliament.
The Legislative proceedings were in entire
accordance with the max inns Of The soundest
aud most illustrious writer's on Government.
This great principle OF English and Ameri-
can liberty was announced by Locke the
man from whom the author of the Declara-
lion OF Independence, and all the distinguish
ed statesmen OF that day derived many of
their greatest and nOblest principles He
taught the great Apostle of Democracy
und let him leach also the gentleman of New
jersey, (said MIR. Rives) and then his ,le>
nocracy will have hut little infusion of Fed
eralIsm. Mr.. Rives stated that Mr.. JefTer-
SON had borrowed considerable portion of
theDeciaration OF Independence from, Locke's
Treatise on Government. He rea, several
striking passages from that Treatise, all en- -,
forcing and Illustrating the importance of
preventing the interference OF government
oHcers IN elections, and exposing the aCcu :
INFLATED mischief which must flow from IL
especially if there be cunoneL with il The
system OF rewards and punishments.
w hat are the forms of our institutions nm :
less animated by The soul of freedom which
J now, u ihis report is sanctioned, is to be re-,
strained and iettered by party Dictalion and
Dominion
| MIR. RIvEs then referred 10 tho sacriIe,
gions deed OF WALL in attempting 10 Der
! vert the Resolutions OF Virginia, so as TO
furnish some ground for his assumption that
once holders are entitled and also bound, in
duty, TO interfere in elections The able
and eloquent Virginia Senator said truly
, mat no Two documents were ever SO " ide a :,
part as the Report on those Resolutions in
70 and The Report Of the Judiciary Com.
!n'ttee The Opposition TO the Sedition
Law. and The Opposition TO the Report STAND
precisely on The same principles. He hop
ed he should hear no more of the authority
OF those Resolutions being involye ed to sus.
tain such bill.
MIR. RIvEs contended that in no coupt,v
IN The world was there a greater necessity
10 impose restraints on The Executive au
thoriy than here. He asked "where in
FRANCE or England, has there been such
sweep OF Executive Power and PATRONAGE
as here within the last few years? When
has The retO been exercised there under such
fHcums innces as il has been applied IN this
country When have we seen in Eppland
or France Minister of the Cabinet daring
10 inter iere in the election OF a Representa-,
1--we OF The people as was the case last fall in
southern State. Mr.. Rives here refers
ied 10 MT. Secretary Poinsetrs eiectioneer->
ing against Mr.. Legare; and he alluded
most justly TO the loss Of the distinguished
member from Charleston, from The Nation
al Councils as a National Calamity. His,o
ry VIII celebrate Mr.. Legare as one of the
proudest ornaments ofthis Congress-
MIR. HIVES exposed, with great power.
The ialiaCy Of the Constitutional argument
"e 1s; w all made in defence Of his report.
ne CHAIRMAN (said he) confounds the
right Ut uofing with The RICH, of INFER ference
NO one proposes TO abridge the rig6, of vo,
ing. The bill is designed 10 prevent inter.
terence with The conscientious, pure. and
independent exercise Of The right by Others.
MT. HIVES conlroveried with great abil.
" and effect the argument that the Bill
violates The freedom OF speech and the
press
His anxiety was not great for the pas
( sage oi 'bis Bill, as that some deliberate and
solemn disavowal Of the dangerous and de-
structIve doctrines the repor, contained
should be made by The Senate. After bav.
lug already gwen some sanction 10 tbem Inv
ordering ten thousand copies'to be ptin,ed
he was VI opin ion that The Senate shonId
perform solemn iustration TO purify i,self
rom The contamination Of these doctrines
He, Tor his part, could not regard them bu,
as radically and essentially abominabIe II
lbey shall he sanctioned by concurrence in
,hi' report, and avowcd, Liberty has had her
day '''
me Closing passages of this excellent
speech were distinguished by remarkable
usgfee OF eloquence. What are The forms
OF tree Government, MIR. Rives asked. If
ihe spirit is wanting? Had not Cesar
senate! Were there not then officers and
agents appointed: normally by the peopIe
And yei these did not furnish any security
against bis despolism. Let US Continued