Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1842-02-08

tleman had made the law he had then gone on and
| accused ON associate member OF violating that ia~
Ito sit rs judge upon him, and then TO turn ex
| eeutioner. And, to crown all, had declared that
was a great mercy and favor that the punishment
WIS not much more
| This was the first demand he had to make on the
gentleman. And, long as the gentleman's speech
| had been, under profession Of personal explana
! ton, he lNr Az was willing he should make
another speech as long that to show where he
found his law. Was this republican, Was there
Government on the face OF the earth that would
punish man for crime, when there no law
which constituted that crime lie should like to
hear the gentleman on that sabject. he, (Mr AZ
on the contrary, declared that there was law ex-
prcssly against IL. There was provision in the
Constitution OF the United States which declared
that post faeto law should be passed; and that
provision was declared to apply to all criminal and
penal laws. The provision was the dictate Of JUS
tice and humanity; and he trusted he should have
the benefit Of II before the House came to decide
upon this question.
The gentleman from Kentucky, MIR A. repeated,
had first made the law, had next charged him with
a violation Of that law-Un what MIR A. must be
permitted to call blackguard anguage)-and, in ad-
dton to this. had proceeded to punish him. We
read in the Scriptures, that when Michael, the
Archangle, had quarrelled with the Devil, Tgreat
laughter,l he used no railing accusation against
him. BE advised the gentleman, who was pro.
found a lawyer, to read little Of the Bible; and
there learn that he meant TO attack uan-to ruin
in his character, to ruin his usefulness the coun-
try, and to deprive him Of his rights member of
| this House-to make 1t not a railing accusation.
The gentlenan's accusation against him, (Mr Az
in addition to all its other defects, was railing &C
| sus,tion.
! But he was commenting upon the extraordinary
combinations of parties, all concentrated against his
devoted head, because he had presented petition
He had spoken Of the extraordinary position Of the
gentleman from Kentucky, combined with the
chief OF the Tyler party, heretofore called the Cor
poraps Guard, but who, Mr. A. should think, was
the Field Marshal of the armies of the presen, Ad-
minstration. When he that combination in
the FIRST instance, he could not help asking, What
is this Misery, It was said, make strange bed
J fellows. And he thought to himself, the gen
tleman from Kentucky, in such misery that he was
compelled 10 seek such companions Laughter. |
Then came the Georgia Wings. who, after endea-
vorins to produce an impression unfavorabe to him
Tor having presented petition, on the ground tina,
It was a hoax had gone on voting against him, for
the purpose OF bringing censure upon him.
The third part Of this combination was a large
portion Of the Virginia Wings, who were neither
Tylerites nor Kentuckians. And then, the great
Democracy ofthc free States-ihe auxIinries of the
peculiar institutions" tLaughter.l This was the
combination of parties he called 10 meet in or
der TO maintain his right as member Of this House
10 present petitions COMPLAINING of grievances. A
very strange composition And already he found
that IN the operation of that great party there was
radical difference Of opinion on some things ex
tremey important and vital in all this controversy
between the commander'in-chief from Accomac and
} the admiral Of the Kentucky squadron from X en-.
L
| IN i've hours speech, had considered this as a
question of abolition from beginning to end. And
how did his friend, rival and opponent flor he bore
all those characters) brave that most preposterou:
charge ever made in this House, that all the move
menis OF his (Mr As) were under English influence
Among the beautiful parts of the composition of tn,
gentleman from Kentucky, he was happy to find
that he discaimed as totally false any such impua
ton. He also thanked him for another part of hi,
speech, for every word he had used to show wha
horrors this country in every part would endure If
the event Of dissolution of the Union. And he
hoped his Southern confederates would lay il &c
their hearts, that they should have no more such re
solutions rs were prepared by the gentleman Il on
South Carolina, mir Rhet) and kept in his drawe
, TO be presented TO this House. He should hav,
J hoped that, out Of mere sympathy, the gentleman
If he had though; him (Mr Az guilty of the Grim,
OF perjury or high treason. he would be necessa
: rIly included in il, would have gwen him (Mr A..
the benefit OF his vote upon this occasion. "A
taught But no, he was part of the party. He
! now voted that he (Nr A was guilty Of suborna
ton OF perjury or high treason for having presented
petition exactly agreeing with his views IA
laugh That gentleman and the rest of the Repre-
sentatves from South Caroina-that land of multi.
fcation against whom Andrew Jackson himself wa.
reduced TO the necessity of issuing proclamation
! threatening them with the second section if they
continued IN there was the whole representation
from that State ready endorse the charges of III,
q gentleman from Kentucky, and 10 charge him with
y subornauon OF perjury and high treason because
fortyhve of his fellow-ctzens thought on the par
tcuar point Of the dissolution OF the Union lust a.
u they did
d He said this was a formidable combination. He
should certainly belle his feelings he could say that
II he was Indifferent TO what the effect Of such a
Is combination OF parties might be in this House But
:, as it was concluded, and the House had thought
proper 20 determine that this proposition should moi
&c be laid on the table, he was obliged TO meet IT,
r. and he now repeated here, what he afraid his
81 own countrymen and constituents would not fully
understand, that he was not responsible for mo-
e meni OF the time consumed on this subject in the
c present condition of the country. He would have
: sat down just now, under the heavy weight of the
eioquence Of the gentleman from Kentucky, without
asking TO say n word on this subject, if the House
had thought proper TO layt on the able. He would
have reoiced at it, il the House had said they would
have nothing further 10 do with this accusation.
J he would have gone in that way TO his countrymcn
as he must and should go to them on this whole
subject, TO save the time of the nation There were
great and important interests stake at this momen,
and every moment the House consumed on this
subject took away their power 10 on these con-
Germs. What was il, after all, that the gentlemen
from Virginia, Kentucky, and Georgia were all
pushing1 Ii was TO make him Mr. A. sit here hour
after hour, and hear invectve from the most elo.
queni members of this House-personal invective :;
and that all their grievances, public and private,
were TO be detailed here, in the face of the nation,
and the time OF the country 10 be consumed. He
was willing TO submit to IT, but he had thought pro-
per not 10 be accountable himself for this consnmp-
ton Of the lime OF the House.
He had demanded, If this House were TO act on
him-on the position assumed that he had been
guilty by act thought OF the charges contained IT.
the gentlennn's preamble and resolutions-he had
demanded trial by his peers, secured TO him by
the Constitution of the U. s. And he demanded now
that, before the House TO the final conclusion
on the motives assumed in this charge, they should
send him out to be tried before tribunal Of the
country. IL was in the power Of the House 70 is.
sue order to the Attorney General OF the United
States TO prosecute hin for this crime before the
= proper courts. Then he should have the benefit
secured by the Constitution Of the ". S. lie de e
manded this still, If the House was TO proceed and
y oct on the resolutions. They were bound, before
they came to any such resolution, have the act
established, and established in the judicial court
? The House had no right whatever 10 act without
hrst having established the fact which they them
, selves undertook to censure him. That was the
course pursued in the Of John Smith; into the
particulars Of which he briefly catered.
But he was going to say, that, after having done
with that, and IL the House thought proper 70 pro.
coed with this mater, he should want TO have two
or three calls made on the Departments for docu
ments and information which would be necessary
for his defence. He would send list Of the reso.
utons to the Chair
:, 1.-THE reso uions then sent TO the Chair and.
after briefly eyamining them
The SPEAKER made a remark % the gentle
man from Massachusetts which was not heard AZ
the Reporters desk; to which
Dir ADAMS replied that, as member Of this
House, he had not the power 10 offer these resou
tons IN order. IL was as accused person before
Criminal trvinO him nm -, L..