The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-09-16
REMARKS OF MR.. GILMER.
or VIRGINIA,
FapAY, sErrEsmxs no. is4i.
In reply to Mr.. BORIS on the Veto Message.


y Mr.. GILMER said that lie was himself too young
member OF the House to be justified IN saying ina.
no such scene had ever been witnessed In y as 'n@'
which was now presented 10 the American feop'e.-
But. a. an American citizen, and as patriot, ne
could NOT but hope that such spectacle wou,o ever
.yain be exhibited in this in any hall oil iegisa,
ton. What, said MIR. G., what have we seen
What do We hear Z The President oil the y nheu
States charged by member Of the House oil REPRE-
entatiyes coming too from the Presidents own State
mir BORIS. Yes and from his own district TOOL
gentleman coming from ancient and YET unteihncu
Common wealth, State which, instead OF osng
honored as the mother of statesmen, we hear 80 often
tons. with per6Jy" Yes, sir, perfdy rs the charge
no less than peridy-a word which cannot be uttered
even in the without exciting disgust and
loaihing. Perfdyl Yes, let that word ring through
this nation. And per6dy TO whomI 10 what rer-
6Jy 10 his country Peffdy to his Godl Perhdy 70
the Cons,i.utoni Perfdy to private trust conbded
10 him under the complicated relations OF society
Or. with peridy TO his party II that Is the charge
then can refer 10 my colleague himself for an aoun-
dant defence Perfdy in WHAT ask my colleague
to put his finger upon single sentence, IN wnM my
President has now written, containing sentiments
which he and every other Wing on this hoor dld not
know that John Tyler professed at the time when the
Harrisburg Convention met. Where - Lei
be pointed out Perfdy 7 Indeed and what u the
proof7 Steamboat conversations, scraps from VII
NOR with her thousand tongues. These, these are
the witnesses which my colleague, representative
from the metropolitan district of the State OF Virginia.
brings forward with view TO fix the charge OF per-
fdy not John Tyler-for, i that were the charge
Virginia would TO the rescue"-no, but on the Pie
sident of the United States, the incumbent OF the
highest and most august Office which the world con-
talns office conferred upon him in part by the SUIT
ages of my colleague himself 1t was but yesterday
that we heard the war-cry echoed throughout every
IF N nj 10 Inert ar
nation CONFUSED and the cause alleged was that
its liberty was threatened. Then the Wing motto
every where seen, liberty or death y But what
do We hear now Why, slr, the election Is now
over the victory is won the millions formerly assem-
bled by that cry have been dispersed The voice Of
the orator longer resounds from the stump log ca
bin banners longer float in the breeze All that Is
past and over. The President has been elected, and
elected with the full knowledge that he cherished the
very principles for which he is arragned; and
what il the cry we now heart II is not now elderly
or Heath " All for country-all for the Constitution.
Ndhing for party--nothing for self But now my
colleague forth with the patriotic motto, Head
hin or die" A laugh."l
has been said there is but step from the sublime
to he ridiculous. Yesterday none was louder than
my colleague in laundering out his war-cry of hoe
cake but to-day because the President has acted out
the avowed principles Of his whole life, prime pies
which he has done much 10 illustrate any other
individual among us, we hear cry from
much of the beef story that Patrick Henry used to
tel.
| Mr.. Boris. | have heard it a dozen times
| Nodoubt; il occurred at the close of the Revolu-
tioo, when, amidst all the congratulations Of patriots
for the redemption of their country, man who had
suffered in the struggle came with demand for an
indemnity for certain quantity of beef furnished TO
the Army. The soul OF Patrick Henry was indig-
| ntnt and he denounced this cry of Beef! beet
befl" And here, amidst the congratulations of the
htrr hiatt nd oal.
vation of the country hear this cry Of Head him
| OF die" Head him die" Head John Tyler
Head the President of the United States Why
| Has my colleague changed, has the President
changed mighty change, indeed, has come Ger
the spirit of somebody's dream, but it is not that OF
John Tyler We hear great deal said about the is
made at the last election. Every thing made
the farming point. Every thing ultimo ratio.
| Every thing the great fundamental issue. Sir
there one issue made before the last election il
bet of ten fifteen thousand dollars in favor Of
the election Of John Tyler, and, am informed j,
was made by gentleman of my personal acquaint-
ance by member of the House Of Representatives
and by gentleman who was himself very active
agent in efeclng tina. election That issue at least
was decided.
| Mr.. Boris. ! was the man who made that bet
| and now. call on you to exploin your meaning
You have Explained it yourself
Mr.. Boris. insist that you will explain your
| meaning)
Mr.. GiiMER. repeat that you have given the ex-
PLANTATION. Well, Mr. Speaker, and does my colleague
blame Captain Tyler for winning him his bet Now
when The bet is won and the money in his pocket
now he turns round and raises the cry, "head him
head hm Sir, this will not do-this will d.
for the American People. Il smells too much Of thu
jockey. My colleague says, "head him die" Sir
he may die, but he will not head him.
My colleague has referred to charge of perfidy
which was made against Mr. Tyler in 1927 and which
| my colleague says proved upon him. Well sr
it is true that John Tyler and John Randolph were
then both of the political party and Mr.. Tyler
was elected in preference TO Mr.. Randolph, and in
this il seems he not guilty Of perfdy Does not my
| colleague consider that in making this charge he il
not only slandsring the President OF the United States
but scandalzing his own native State-scandazing
its Legislature, by whom that election was made a.
But where was the perfdy Mr. Randolph, pre-
sumo, had not an exclusive right to the seat in Con
gress He not perpetual tenant, whom nc
| man could eject Was he not the creature Of the Lee
gisature; and if the Legislature chose to elect John
Tyler in his ROOM where is the ground Of complaint
| Unless my colleague can show wherein the perfdy
lies, am at loss TO understand in what it consists
He tells you, however that he was himself political
gamer by the transaction, and therefore did not
plain. No, sir, he does not complain Of perfdy and
treachery when he can make any gain out of it. he
cries out, it seems only when he is the loser The
treason the in both cases; the difference lies
in this, that he gamer then and is loser now
Did it occur 10 my colleague that this act Of
treason which he says was committed thirteen years
ago, ought TO have been remembered when John ly-
Ter proposed candidate for the Senate Of the
United States a Sir, remember very well that, on
that occasion, my colleague stood by my side, among
little band of impracicables, consisting of fourteen
and his cry then that man so ct to repre-
sent John Tyler, Yes, sir, there he stood, I'M
terrified, unmoved, amid gums, drums, trumpets,
bunderhuss and thunderT He stood fire well
but if John Tyler had cen guilty Of treason, then
why such zeal on his part to send him 10 the Senate
Was that office for which perfdy qualif-
cation
But the President of the United States has, il
seems committed the objectionable offence in quoting
the better scholar, the President or my colleague. All
will say is, that hope the President will not utter
the sentiment for which my colleague contends, viz