The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-02-16

gufv let the penalty Of the law be exacted and e
DE people ON the frontier Of New York and the PEG
bic throughout the widest extremity 81 'his iaha y
urcpared 10 meet the consequence when 'hoss con
se senccs shall present themselves, not only VIII ths
STATE Of New York be ready 70 meet them, but lee
sure that patriotic feeling, which supefsehes a.
uestons and merges all political differences, WIN .a
his whole nation TO the rescue. II Will then De una
nough 10 act; but in the name Of justice LEI ~ no.
anticipate that event by nlamng hspublie mind and
adding 10 the horrors Of war the ihat we
have interiered with tho impartial operation Of ouf
laws or trihed with their supremacy. .
Some conversation took place between mess.s
| Adams Pickens and GfinneI Of which the Reporter
could hear nothing, except that u resulted IN mo-
| ton by - AZ.
| Pickens (Which was that the report be ain ON we
table and printed above stated 80 as TO lay on me
table the whole subject; that was TO say, the repor.
and the motion to print the report &c and on tha'
motion Mi. q, asked the yeas and nays, which were
| ordered.
| that motion closed the debltel
| The SPEAKER replied in the affirmative.
| Some conversation ensucd between various members
when division of the question was called Tor
| Mr. BRIGGS suggested TO Mr.. Grinnei that, as
h. TMr supposed no one wanted the yeas and nays
on the motion TO lay the report on the table, Il would
save time withdraw the call for them, SO far as that
| part of the motion affected,
/ MIR GRINNELL having assented,
The question taken, and the motion to lay the
report on the table prevailed without division.
| SO the report laid on the table.
The question then REQUIRED, and was taken on the
second part of the motion OF Mr.. Grinne--to lay the
motion to print the report ON the tabeand II was de-
cided in the negatise-Yeas III nays TO-
SO the motion TO print the report &c, was mol iaid
on the table
And the question recurring the motion Of Mr.
Everett
MIR. PICKENS said he had few remarks TO make
in reply to the gentleman from New York (Mr.
Granger.)
That gentleman lcontinned MIR. P.) has delivered
regular set speech, prepared for the occasion, win
tones as regular as il they had issued from bagPpe
He was the very last gentleman here, Judging from
the sentiments he expressed few days ago, who
should have supposed would have found his PATRIOTISM
and his yalor ooxing from the palms OF ms
hands His speech, ia my opinion, b worthy OF at
teuon lie speaks clothed with authority, and
regret very much the he has thought proper
10 pursue.
MIR Speaker will declare 10 you and To this House
that 81 lar from this report being the war report, as
the gentleman from New Y ork has characterized it, it
is essentially the reverse. To speak our sentiments
plainly and fearessy before the worIdto declare that
we know our rights and dare maintain them--must
in my Judgment have tendency directly the reverse
Of that which the gentleman seems to anticipate.
He has spoken Of this report in two points OF view
la the first place. he asserts that the Committee on
Foreign Affairs have travelled out Of the record The
subject matter in relation the Caroline" and to the
demand Tor the liberation Of Mcleod, consider as
having been actually and in fact referred to that COM
mittee They could not separate the two cases SO
to present them in an ineligible point of view to this
country And does he say that that part of the report
is beyond the record Other matters have been men
toned merely incidental, by way of illustrating the
interest thrown around this question: and with no in
ention To any hostile feeling in this or any
other country. deny the impuation, thrown out by
the gentleman from New York, that the report has
rayed the strength Of Great Britain and proclaimed
weakness, or, as he terms il our own hnmili-
ty before the world. II does no such thing. cha-
lenge the gentleman TO lay his finger, II he can,
upon single sentence which, even by inference
proclaims weakness or imbecIity. thought
il was proper to present the precise condition OF things
to the country and will here take occasion to say
that the report was written by myself without consul
taton with any human being, the commit tee to
whom it presented. In drawing II up, looked
over the whole subject matter; ! looked at the great
interests involved; looked at the position in which
you, Mr.. Speaker, and this House had placed the
COMMITTEE on Foreign Affairs before the nation and
the world and felt il to be duty which owed to
this House and to my country TO utter freely and with
out reserve the sentiments we entertained.
The gentleman tells that the Executive has called
for no action that il is due to the Executive branch
Of the Government that this House should wait until
it hears from that quarter Sir take the reverse OF
that position, say that we were constituted under
the Federal Constitution as a coordinate and indie
pendent branch Of this Government that this House
in the contemplation Of that Constitution the pecu-
liar guardian of the interests and the rights Of this
Coniederacy and that when any subject matter Is le-
ultimately brought before il, il not only right
but it is duty the Constitution and to the
try to proclaim sentiments upon it, ] repel the
idea that TO look 10 the Executive branch Of
this Government for dctaton counsel upon any
question that may be supposed to involve the interests
and liberties of the people.
But, Mr. Speaker, my principal object in replying
to the remarks of the gentleman from New York is to
declare, have already done, that this so far from
being report is Of precisely contrary charac-
ter had hoped that the vote might have been taken
silently that the report might have been laid the
table and printed; that there should have been pa
mic that discussion should have sprung up; that
no excitement calculated to arouse the people OF tins
country by false appeals their patriotism and their
honor should have been manifested here But the
Committee Foreign Affairs have thought that it
proper to present TO the people the exact questions
at issue between and great and powerful nation
We thought-or, at all events, far concern
ed thought, that the people in every part of the U
States and OF every party had tor the last two years
been UGH absorbed in the political conflicts vf the
day. thought 1t was right that the country should
understand, in authentic form, the points at issue
between us and Great Britain, and, under these cir
cumstances, presented this report, acting, as do on
all other occasions, under conscientious sense of my
duty. Yes-l resolved to do my duty, leaving
the consequences to God These the principles
upon which have been taught to act And when
hear from certain quarters appeals TO the honor, the
patriotism, and the valor OF the people oil tins land
when hear indirect annunciatons made that the ac-
credited heads of this Government have heretofore
neglected their duty and slept on the rights of the
country have right to expect that those gentlemen
who make such appeals and such annunciations will
themselves forward occasions of Importance,
and vindcate the sentiments whichthey have previous
| ly uttered
As to the allegation that this report will have the
effect Of exciting the people tt border, ! say
should rather think its tendency would he the
The people there have been greatly excited meetings
of angry unnecessary and an uncped for character
have taken place, and recommendations were made,
will say, of unjusfabe meetings in this very case n