Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1846-05-15

rhi,a oih,rs hold thai. under the power OF eXclt
s;vc Jurisdiction conilded 10 Congress over "a
District institutions OF learning might mere
established nv the Government, HAVING an eA'sA
sive influence in bringing The great ro"e q =. =.
,iopal education within he conIoi o t''e ~ -
mept And from lie fact lha' SohSiess Va. .
ac, >, The loo al Legislature over three ilVal cue
within This small space, each aspiring 10 an
earnestly erasping al The trade and resources Z
The Northwestern portions OF Virginia ana Ma
ryland the most embarrassing questions mlSt
| arisa-quesions that would be taculaleu 10 en-
| barrass a strict constructlonist himseH. ftenct
when This part OF the Constitution was under us
! cussion in Virginia such men as falricH hent.
and Mason cid eypress not 4 little alarm as 10 IN
results 10 which il might lead. MIR. II. observed
| hal All history went 10 show that every success
lul usurpaton Of liberty had grown up py smal
degrees and entered by easy ana almost upper
ceived advance. Some OIL 'hese usutPauon
MIGHT be effected hy the General over The Stat
Governments, others by me pEetoS".tses ~ Wv
Executive over The rights of the people. II wa
wise 10 guard against all such dangers. The ca
reer of usuroallon ought 10 be resisted IN IS De
ginning: and one OF lis easiest entrances miSh
be q, This very jurisdiction OF Congress over lni
District. To place guard there was one oil tnt
most obvious duties. and matter OF high poiit
cal consideration
There was another reason. Every one kne"
,bat when i had been objected that the people
Of the District enloyed almost 10 poIitcai fiSi's
The ready answer was thai they wooio ENJOY Po
li,icaI influence enough 10 make up ior mem
And il was true Mr. Ii. begged me ihemoer'
III The committee 10 look at that influence 10 set
what was lis nature and how dangerous II mi@h
in time become Ia our institutions. The peopi'
Of the District of Columbia were deprived OF The
highest political right OF man, which consisted
in The choice of his rulers-a right which had
The most sleyaling effect upon jl.c nuIan charac-
Ter. Did any man believe hat such pIiva'Ion
was 10 be compensated by Government disburse-
mcnts? No; but then these people, IRON theh
position, could exert a great influence upon Con
gress Now suppose this population (and Inc
oxpec,ation was not irrational) should one day
rise 10 two hundred thousand, wha, po~erin
influence would they now exer', and nov impos.
sible il would be toI Congress wholly 10 resist II
Public opinion, as il existed in The metropolis o
a despolic Government, was all The despot usual
" knew OF public opinion Who did not Kno"
that in France il was maxim maj France
was Paris" ana 10 the Government, Paris was
France. In The States OF The Union the seat OF iht
STATE Legislature always exerleda powerful lnfu
encc upon those bodies. But here tina, opinion va:
purified and elevated by The political responsioiii
~ ofthose who hello and VINO exertedit. Il was y"
a secret influence, but one openly ard pISiciS
brought 10 bear. Ii was purified IS The exercise
OF the elective franchises and .nUse who used
shared rs eject, only in common win Inc resi- Q
lhei. citizens But here Tery different IN
renee was exetled Imagine this entire EisirIc
10 be filled with wealth, and refinement and IN
leigencc. What nation or lesser body Of peo
Pile had ever failed 10 seek lis own a2grah''Ae
meat2 how, then, might the influence ~ suct
a community, deprived OF the elective iranchist
and It's healihiul Influence, be expected TO act
How would il act as between The GENERA ana INT
State Governments The General Government
was all The Government il knew--all, I'll lcas,
tha, il practically ielt or came in contact with
Il knew no Stale Government, and OF course is
sympajhies would naturally be with the Genera
Government aud against the States How wonIt
il work in The mater OF appropriations Inc
direct ineres, al such a community YOU'D D.
that the expenditures oil The Governments should
be large: OF course their Influence would be eA'
ered 10 enlarge those expenditures, especially a.
the seat Of Government and its vicinity, and
against national economy. How might u he eN-
pecled % operate in questions touching the rights
aud privileges Of the people Having little or
no personal enjoyment OF those rights, or exer-
else OF those precious privileges IN Their own
persons, they would gradually hscome indlHe-
zen. ana comparatively dead 10 their value anG
10 he necessity OF guarding them hence, their
influence would naturally rally around Executive
power. Consider The effect OF such an amount
Of influence in wealthy and refined commu-
niry, awake 10 lis own interest, and skilled in using
lis influence over those who were clothed with
the power oil Government. Was il not we'll cal
~ua,ed 70 eop tho foundations nt ali political viz
tuel And was il mol more 10 be DREADED than
any influence ordinarily eSerled over The State
Legislatures The influence Of public scnli-
mcnt might availto project the Government, were
i, openly assailei; but the iIanence Of which ne
was now speaking was like he effect OF sur
rounding misunderstanding, but constant, all
peryadng ana almost irresistible. Dill il not be-
hooyc Congress 10 be alive TO such danger and
10 diminish such a cause Of evil, as lar as II was
ia their powerl Such would be the Influence OF
he present bill The extent oil the District would
be diminished. A portion OF The population, being
placed under Stale Governments, would find their
sympalhies receiving new direction, and those
in The remainder OF the District would receive,
10 large extent, new Infusion which, as far as
il went would tend 10 diminish the evil.
Mr. II. said he trusted that he should not be
misunderstood in lie remarks he had now sub
mitied He hoped noae would consider him as
intending in the smallest degree 10 tisparase The
character OF The people Of this District. On The
contrary, he believed that they would compare
not disadvan,ageously with the same number OF
people in any Of The States; but the most respect
able among them were constantly subject 10 The
baelul influence OF horde OF Government de-
pendants.
II he was .igh, in the views he had submitted
then he would ASK whether the portion oil the DIS
lrct on this side OF lie Potomac would mol alloid
ample room for all the purposes OF seat oil Go
vernmenll THIS portion cut OF contained aoou
thirty square miles, while the portion retained
would contain seventy. This surely would ht
amply sufficient Congress could attend to IN.
wants OF The people with greater ease and WIZ
FAR less difficulty. As matters al present STOOD
the people of the District were governed by i've
distinct codes oil law, the portion on this si6'
being regulated by The laws oil Maryland, ahe
tha, on The other by the laws OF Virginia. NO
had Congress been able 10 spare The necessary
time 10 examine, compare, and harmonic lhes'
Two systems OF law, while sIch we're Inc ioca
lea,olsies prevailing between the two portions
OF The population, and sucn the rival interests o
the cities, that the people we're not likely 10 har
monte them for themselves. On this subject
and the evils connected with it, Mr.. H. teieIre'
the committee 10 a report made in 1880 by NJ
Powell. Whoever would pernse that able report
and learn from II the actual state of the laws
they stood on the statute book, might we'll look a
/ the spectacle with asonishment.
Mr. Fl. here went into some statistical state
nen,s, showing the amount which the people 9
/ Alexandria had paid 10 the Government and re
ceived from it, The pa ticulars of which the re
porter could not Catch, but The result il he right
understood il, was that they had paid more tina
they had received. He then adveTted 10 the pre-
sent condition Of tina, ancient city, It's trade pro,
trae, It's population stationary, is exports an
imports declining, is buildings falling into dcca,
He referred also 10 The effect OF barrier crecte
BY Government, between the Virginia shore an
Masun's island in The Potomac, the effect {
which had been 10 deprive her OF The benefit OF
greater part OF The boat trade OF the upper PolC
mac. Considering the natural position Of III
civ, The excellence OF its harbor, and The bac
country by which il was supported who coul
doubt thai, had i, remained portion of the Con
monwcallh of Virginia, and beer free from IN
operation of lis incorporation il The District,
would by this time have become a large an
aou.ishing lownll She asked now 10 so back !
her ancient allegiance; 10 eave this Governmer
in one capacity and 10 return 10 IL in another; |
leave il a, dependant, and 10 return 10 il in III
enjoyment otis original independence; 10 leav
il as a subleci and 10 come back 20 il as free;