The Illinois free trader. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1840-1841, 1840-10-09

and he had had in some of its proceedings
as much cause for individual qualification
as could well, under the same circum-
stances, fall to the lot Of any man; not
withstanding which, and also the strong
partiality he had always felt for that DO.
dy, he could not say. that in the many
years he was there, the sentiment ever
occurred to him that such was the case.
On the contrary, a regard for the truth
constrained him to say, that every thing
which regarded the imposition Of public
burdens, and the disposition of public
property, was more closely looked into,
and more severely scrutinized by tie
Assembly than the Senate. The sense OF
the immediate responsibility to the people,
produced more effect on the Assembly
than the consideration that they represen-
ted those who were supposed principally
to bear the burdens, did in the Senate
and such, he conscientiously believed,
would always be the case. He asked
the members of the committee whether
they believed there had been moment,
for the last forty years, when PROPOSE
ton to the Assembly to make an unjus,
distinction between real and personal
property, in the imposition of public
burdens, would not have been hooted out
of that body if any one had been found
mad enough to have dared its introduce
ton! Why, then, he asked, alarm our
selves by fears for the future, which the
experience of the past had demonstrated
to be erroneous - Why disregard the
admontions of experience, 10 pursue the
dubious path of speculation and theory
"He had no doubt but the honorable
gentlemen who had spoken in favor of
the amendment had suffered from the
fearful forebodings which they had ex-
pressed. That ever-to-be revered band
of patriots who made our Constitution,
entertaining them also, and therefore they
engralted in it the clause which is now
commended for. But full and perfect
experience has proved the falacy of their
speculaiions, and they were now called
upon again to adopt the exploded notion ;
and on that ground, to disfranchlse, if not
a majority, nearly moiety, of our citi-
zens. He said he was an unbeliever in
the speculations and mere theories on the
subject of Government, of the best and
wisest men, when unsupported by, and
especially when opposed to, experience.
He believed, with sensible and elegant
modern writer, ",hat constitutions are
the work of time, moi the invention of
and that, to frame a complete
system of Government, depending on
habits of reverence and experience, was
an attempt as absurd as to build tree or
an opinion.
ave were, said Mr.. V. b., next refer
red by the honorable mover of the amend
ment to the opinion of Mr.. Jefferson, as
expressed in his notes on Virginia. In
making that reference, the honorable
gentleman had done himself credit, and
had rendered but justice to the merits of
the distinguished individual whose opln-
ion he had sought to enlist on his side.
He had truly said, that now, when the
strong party feeling which attended the
public measures in which Mr.. Jefferson
was an actor, had in some degree subsi-
led, most men united in the acknowledge.
ment of his deserts. That sentiment,
however, it appeared, was not general,
since the gentleman from Columbia (Mr.
f. Williams) distinctly avows the reten-
ton of his old prejudices. Whilst that
gentleman was trumpct-tongued in de-
nouncing the improperly Of indulgence
in party feelings by others, he had given
them the strongest reason to believe that
his own were immortal, that they had not
only survived the 'era of good feeling
through which he had passed, but were
likely to continue but, Notwithstanding,
he still thought of Mr.. Jefferson as he
always had done, he would condescend
to use him for the occasion. Sir, said
Mr.. V. b., it is grating to ones feelings
to hear man who has done his country
the greatest service, and who, at this mo-
ment, occupies more space in the public
mind than any other private citizen in the
world, thus spoken OF. But no more Of
this.
"Mr Jefferson did complain, i'll 1851,
of the Constitution of Virginia, because
the two branches of their Legislature were
not sufficiently dissimilar, but he did no.,
point out the mode in which he thought,
that object could be best effected.
"ln 1888, when, as he had before
stated n convention was cxnectel in