Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-01-21
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,sw fna fault with " Ii u, dc iks SCRIP H6sh 10 sc
=, soon aboa; 30 yic: "a ihasa %in va. Eo'F'' '''
rn;rv 40 uuss, wiser aud better Khan W. i'a4e "''s
o., * onr ,r,nr is to introduce, at ls late moment
now course of policy, is il generous IN the Senator
ask No now to undo our old and established poiicy, iu
To uet on the ground of the new Administration ana
will he complain of if we s,ill carry out the pocy
which we purely and as sincerely approve 10 y. 49,.
that of the coming Administration: ms seems 10 he
l;,,le nngenerous The who asks US to undo aia
take hack the most prominent policy Tor winch we
have commended from entrance into power makes
demand which, in his own case, ne would consider
somewhat unreasonable if not ungenerous
MIR. CLAY j shall offer but few words IN reply
Among nil the charges which at various tunes nave
been made against me, had supposed 'ha wall. "
generosity at least was not one OF 'heih -. ~,
man thinks il un generous in me to ask-wiae mat
he and his friends here shall obey our common masters
,h p.o,le that tl;ev shall repeal the Sub reasury
law which, the People have condemned. why, SIR,
in This only call upon gentlemen to conform To the'r
own doctrine so often SO long, ana SO iouoiy procia
cd by themselves, "ihat the People are 10 govern
~, he Democracy must rulcthat the Democracy OF
mhers is the real and only sovereign-that we are all
har 80 servants of the People-tat, as Senator's we
have no original rights-that we are 10 DOW 10 the
majesty Of the People in all their pleasures But now
il seems that this Subrcasury schehe Is Hef measure
1 nnt The measure Of the People whom they repre-
$50 ND i 10 very ungencrous 10 ask them TO obey their
,s,ors' will Why sir, what IS the honorable Sena
tor, Able adroit, as,ute learned, ingenious as he s
i be no, The servant OF the people oil New York. ofthe
IN; law, And whose win is to prcvail-thers his.
h,ye asked him TO yield 10 their pleasure hope
,hnrs will be no fnching no shutiling but that the
honorable Senator will have the goodness to act ac
cordipu 10 the principles he has often incucaed on
ns-,hat he will bow 10 the "Democracy ofnumbers,
and conform himseft to what bis constituents require
This measure of the Sub Treasury was, as | have
ds-s,ood the one constant theme of the gentleman 5
eoouence from the shores OF the Atlantic to the borders
of the S. Lawrence-that was the issue he continually
made-t,at the issue on wtch his State cast her
vo;c-she has condemned his iavore measure-and
vel now he considers it ungenerous in TO ask him
10 abandon what his constituents condemn
Far from it, am the counsellor of the honorable
senator or his friends; but will tell what would do
So help me- God on my sacred honor, would move 10
repeal the Sub-Treasury law. would not say that |
had changed nv opinon-,ny pride of principle would
prevent tat-but, finding the measure not acceptable
TO nv constituents, would conform TO their will
Where on the whole face Of the globe does not public
sentiment exact obedience IFS VILE Is ii in Russia
No, no. The Autocrat himself is bound TO yield TO lis
behests, aud so in fact he has done. Where ask
again. In Turkey: No. The Grand Seignior is
OBLIGED to submit as mach any other despo We
are charged with want Of generosity because have
asked the Senator TO bow TO this common law Of
ture-a law that rules the whole civilized world!
| have now few remarks 10 make on the question
raised by the honorable Senator respecting the elective
franchise Why he has risen 10 discuss IN elaborate
a manner mere opinion of mine, thrown out withou,
argument | do not know lie is too acute and prac-
tiscd lopician not to know that the of put
ting question, Of ITSELF often decides IT, The Sc
naor asks what right this Federal Government has 10
prescribe for State who shall vote for her rulers IL
has none-it pretends TO none. But this case Of un
naurazed foreigners is exception 10 the otherwise
universal exercise of the State sorere gnty. The
cep;ion applies here. An alien is not a citizen Of a
State nor is he one of '.the People Of State, and
therefore he is not included III the words which the
Senator read from the Constitution. The question
wculd be more correctly stated TO be, what right has
any State to perform that process Of naturalization
which is exclusively coniided to the General Govern
ment' But lie asks, who has right 10 contest the
cons,itutona,y of the Constitution ot the State of
Michigan: | say to him, gan have; every man has
who lives under the Constitution Of this Union. Ii
State Constitution declares that aliens may vote then
their votes may affect Tie composition OF the House Of
REPRESENTATIVES. OF the Senate and eventually the
question might into these bodies in iudging as
they respectively have rg, 10, of the qualifications
OF persons returned as members of the two Houses.
The Senator supposcs as case possible, that Con-
press should refuse 10 pass any naturalization law, and
he asks what is then TO be the condition OF large bodies
OF emgrants TO this country: There are two answers
10 be given TO this question: /. II Congress should fail
to pass naturalization laws 1t fails 10 do express duty
DUTY to which it is bound under the Constitution
Congress has passed such laws and presume ii always
will. There may be difference TO the time TO be
prescribed probationary PERIOD but there can be no
doubt as the obligation OF Congress to fix rule.
But there is yet another answer Ii Congress fails
to make provision the subject, then the right re-
vers and accrues TO each State, exactly il would
crue should Congress neglect to pass uniform bank
rupt law. But tor another clause in the Constitution
which declares that State shall pass any law impair
inr the obligation Of contracts, but Tor that every State
would have the right There is no such obstacle in
alo,io IN alIzni | 1pSire "a 6
this natter but If the gentleman is very DESTROYS
Of abstract argument on tins point, am ready
IT is not necessary, however, 10 enter into II; my
only purpose 10 enter cd1cdt against the doctrine
advanced by him, beng, in my judgment, not con-
stiulona The right to vote implies citizenship, ne
cessary essentially, although the converse Of the pro-
position does not apply: then in the State auho
rty; but the State has authority TO confer the cleo
tive franchise any foreigner who is not constituent
portion Of the people of the Siate-who is not mem
Der Of political communicative is not one Of the
People of the IT, S. That incorporation Of aliens into
our society Office conidcd, and wisely conded 10
Congress alone. State may confer any other privi-
lcges it peases-aow foreigners TO hold and transmit
lands but it cannot make citizen OF foreigner-it
cannot make alien my fellow citizen without the con-
sent of our common Government. Nor can il invest
him with those privileges the existence and exercise OF
which necessarily imply the existence OF citizenship
protest against the right any State by its separate
action to disturb the balance political power between
the State, TO affect the political condition oil the pco-
pie of other States.
The Senator to tlin; it easy, after the ith OF
March next to get rid of this new presumption law
should it pass and he delighted, he appears
to chucke at the thought that he has got hold Of lit
tie popular measure, and that it Will be difficult mat
Ter TO repeal it, Why, sir, should think that after
setting land traps for the People for these twelve years
past and all in vain, the Senator and his party would
not be very sansune in their expectations of the
of new You have had all these traps for
the popular favor Cor period Of twelve years,
and what have you got by them? About much as
you likely 10 get hereafter you have got four
the nine land States! The traps you set, the
fewer States you will catch And now, in conclusion,
if might be allowed TO give TO the gentleman and his
friends my sincere, and hope unobtrusiye advice,
would remind them all that in the long and
great scale in politics and private life, HONESTY is the
best POLICY
Mr.. WRIGHT made brief and somewhat playful
reply the first part Of which the Reporter lost owing
inte neo- him In CLOSING his rpmnrks Mr.