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

| which The same snail DC, lot Tue eiectio,' I
magazines, arsenals dock-yards, anu o'rei "e'u'
, full buildings. oxh,rs,
The direction held that this power was exhahsl
ed. but wby? The Constitution did not say 80
Did The exercise OF power necessarily eAhau9
Thai mower 2 Congress had power TO declare wa
was that power exhausted when Congress nav
once drclaIed var. 50 that il could never declare
war any more co,aree.
Mr.. il. would rather suppose that congress
having exer;cd the power once, was an aIsu'''eH
,ha, i, might exert it more than once ouPPo'e
should ,nrn ont that a district coded by one OF
more States 10 the General Government as sea
Of LEGISLATION should prove - be 50 sicKy lha' J
was ROT safe 10 inhabit il or suppose u "ds =
situated as 10 be wholly insecure from ihV"s'o"
and dangerously exposed 70 The attacks OF "n euI
my. would any man tell him that Congress ecu"
no, remove Could ii be supposed mat tiie lra-
mcrs oil The Constitution did not fofeSee d chdhse
in The centre of population CeI'aihiy 'ley nus
have expected il. Mr.. Madison hau expressly le-
TERED 10 such an event; ana u lne -
lalion was 10 remove then i; was ceI'aihiJ uesna-
he thai there should be in the Constitution a
permanent mower granted TO meet such an event
rhe jurisdiction OF this District was delegated 10
CONGRESS in The same terms as ils Ju'isoic'iph
>1,,,r fl,,s and dock Yards Would any gentle
man nrelend thai that power was exhausted he
whole legislation OF the country contradicled
such an idea.
Bot suppose, for arguments sake, maj tiie Ira
mers of the CONSTITUTION did intend that this us
/ ,rict should be the permanent seat OF The Gene-
raj Government. (hough the word permanent,
which had been inserted III the draughl OF the
! Constitution, was stricken out by The CohVeh-
lion.1 what was the power granted 10 congress
over the seal of Government II was mat lhey
might locate themselves there, and exercise eA-
elusive jurisdiction, provided that lurlsulcllon
did moi extend beyond The limits OF territory
len miles square. Now as Congress was at-
barred from going beyond The extent OF len mi!es,
| LEI lis need be ever So great supposlng, on Inc
other hand, il should find that il did mol need SO
much, would not The converse OF The proPosi1ioh
also hold, so that il might take less than ten miles
souare2 Cerairly il would. And Mr.. H. insist
! eli that. in the exercise OF this granted power,
| Congress was bound 10 take and 10 keep no more
territory than il found 10 be necessary Tor me ends
| fcr which The territory was given. IL misht en-
large its bounds as far len miles, or II lnleni
| if il so pleased, diminish them 10 one ana, u u
was admitted that this was not intended as lhe
permanent seat Of Government bat congress
might remove It's seat from tie banks OF Inc 70
tomac 10 The banks of the Mississippi, then sure.
Is The major power would include The MINOR, ana
il could remove The seat OF Government from both
banis of the Potomac 10 one bank only.
Some gentlemen insisted that Congress had no
power TO transfer portion of the District 10 me
State o: Virginia. Different advocates OF inc
! oil had sought and as they believed, luund tna'
power in different clauses OF The Constitution; bul
| Mr. II reid The true doctrine 10 be that, when
r."sress released that portion oil Inc TERRITORY
from lis jurisdiction, il reverted 10 Virginia as OF
course Congress held il only for seat oil
! Government. When il ceased 10 hold II Tor
that end, il reverted to Virginia Suppose
The seat Of Government shoud be removed
entirely 10 different part OF the Union, whs'
would become OF the territory coded by irSlria
and MARYLAND for a scat of Government Must
i, not OF course, 90 back 10 those Stalesf
II Mr.. H. was right in these views, then The
constitutional objection 10 the bill must be pro-
nonnced an unsound one There was one other
objection which had been started, and that was
founded or The spirit OF our compact WIN me
ccdng States. But that objection could not APP
ply 10 this bill, because here the assent ol all me
parties was provided for The assent OF The peo-
nile OF Alexandria was assumed in the first Sec
lion Of the bill; so that no objection would lie on
Inc ground OF compact. Thus il appeared that
no direction could be drawn from The Consllu
/ lion or from The compact; and, IN me name ol
| Heaven, he would ask, could any possibly bs
| drawn from considerations OF exPedIcncyi II
Congress held exclusive jurisdiction over a GER
tain portion Of the United States, and that luris-
diction was not needed did IEeY not owe II 10
Justice, 10 policy, 10 patriotism, 10 every Amerl-
can feeling - restore the political rights oil those
Who, wiihou; nccessty were now deprived oil
lhcml Virginia was ready 10 receive those peo-
pie back into her bosom, and they were ready
and anxious TO return. Ought not Congress 10
foster such feeling, and encourage and CRAFTY
ii2 Were not our American sympathies with
The oppressed in every land? But who were
hose who now asked boon al the hands OF this
Government? Were they aliens from our bloodi
Were they strangers 10 our tongues or we're
lhey not our brethren, 10 whom We were boundby
all the lies Of kindred, and common language, and
common descent, and common Interests, and
common hopes and aspirations? Nay more had
they not upon Congress still nearer tie! had
hey not, like political orphans, been conided 10
lis care and guardianship And how had Con-
sress exercised tina, guardianship If any man
wanted 10 know, let him 80 10 The spot; let MN
look a, The deserted dwellings, at the declining
commerce. al The forSaken harbor, at the waste ol
al natural advantages lei him 60 and behold an
ancient and once tourishing town smten, not oy
the hand OF God, but by the neglect OF man. Lei
him turn his eyes from The detected and comna-
ra;ivcly hopeless men, who were bound 10 Tue
snot 10 their sons, and see them shaking OF The
dus, al The paiernal threshold and turning their
hack upon The scenes of their childhood and The
place of their nativity, because they were denied
the rights OF men, and stripped OF the privileges
or freemen. Were we not bound to sYmpathlse
with peope under such circumsanccsl And
should we refuse them permission 10 return 10
that State from which, in an evil hour, they we're
cut Off No; lei Congress grant boon, to US So
small, but 10 them so precious
IN drawing the picture Of their privations and
desoaion and in charging the responsibility IN
/ some measure upon this Government, MIR. IL.
| look 10 himself full share in whatever blame
Justly attached to that House. But The people OF
| Alexandria uttered no mnrmur no complaint;
they were fully aware that The evils under which
| they suffered, arose in a great measure from cir
cums,ances, and that Congress would have re-
moved many OF them il they could. But, hence
forlh different state OF things must arise.
Should the present opportunity be neglected, and
Congress arbitrarily reject their petition, il must
bepceiorward be responsible for much Of The
evils they endured. MIR. II. desired that no part
of that responsibility should rest on him. He
was most anxious to free himself from tina,
which he now felt 10 be upon him, and he earn
eslly hoped that Congress would not refuse 10
pass this bill and thereby grant 10 the people ol
Alexandria all they asked.
No amendment being moved 10 the first section
of the bill, The second and the third sections were
then read an: also passed over.
Mr. Culver moved 10 amend The fourth Sec
ton OF the bill by striking ont The word "white'
in the seventeenth line. The clause reads as fol-
lows
"And on The day and at the place so appointed
every white male citizen of the county and town
Of Alexandria, of ,wenty-one years of age OF
more, and who shall have been residenttheren
for two years or more next preceding the time
when he offers 10 vote, and who shall not be in
sane or pauper, shall vote viva voce upon the
question Of accepting or rejecting the provisions
OF this act"
Nr. C. desired that every male citizen OF Aley-
andEa might have a voice in this matter, lei his
I shade OF complexion be what il might. The term
white was a relative term and admitted various
constructions, and he held lis insertion TO be an
, act of injustice. The compilations OF men were
OF different shades, from The Jet black Of Africa
10 the white OF The Caucasian race. Such a
word as that ought mol 10 remain as blot, as a
stain on the legislation Of any public body. MIR
Z. would observe further, that ne should have
been better pleased had the gentleman who intro