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

ton one ave was heard in lis favor, ana II was -
ected without count. - 9, n,
MIR Morris then moved 10 amend Inc Sd ID ni'
clause by striking out the words Two fea.s' -,
Mr. Jones of Tenn moved 10 amend II ~ iea'
as follows: no;n
! "And on the day and at The place 80 app"
ted every Tree white male cItizeh Oh 'ne 49, =
States, who shall have Teslceo III saw IN,
Alexandria for six months preceding 'ns .'',.'
when he offers his vote insane persons ana pau
psrs excepled shall vote viva voce upon lhe 9u1s
lion of accepting or rejecting The provisions
this act" -, hair
MIR. J. observed tina, he understood me cnai !,
man or,be comm;,tee and the friends oil The bil
were willing that this alteration slouiu NC iiisue
and he asked MIR. Morris 10 accept Il as hiouiii'
lion OF his own amendment. o,,;no i
Mr.. Morris was moi understood d dcee P''uS :
Mr.. TibbaIts inquired Of Mr.. huner VIVA
clause in the Constitution authoilAeu, h;,,3
Judgment, The retrocession proPoseu ~ tuI III.
Mr. Hunter replied the same claus % sro,o Viz
thorzed Congress 10 accept OF !hG cesS'on ~ n.
ginia. Mr.. Il. briefly recapllulaIeu Sy ,ta cnns,
points he had made in his speech on ."e eoA'"
tulional question. cnon,
Mr.. Tibbarls remarked that The Government.
did no, hold The territory in this Dslrlcl as J. uh
territory in the Indian country 1t held the riSh
Of Jurisdiction but moi the right OF soil;
The question being put on Mr.. Jones's amend
ment, il was agreed 10. ar, ,bs
What became of Mr.. Morris's amendment, 'he
Reporter could not discover. ~
Mr.. Payue moved 10 amend the bill, by sill
king oul. in the second line Of The fourth secuon
0lhs county and town Of Alexandria," and insert
ing, "ihe District OF Columbia, SO as 10 require
The assent OF all The people OF the District 10 inc
retrocession, instead ofthose only oil me Town ano
county of Alexandra. MIR. Z. stated ms as Inc
object of his amendment. lie said he was mol
nrcpared to debate the subject, but he would moi
diguisc his true feeling in submitting Inc amend
ment. He was opposed 10 The passage oil The bill
for reasons which satisfied himself, however they
might appear 10 The committee.
In reply to the eloquent argument oil Inc gentle
man from Virginia. he would say that ne was IN
cined 10 attach more importance than that gen.
lleman seemed 10 do 10 the position that the power
of Congress 10 accept OF the District had been ex.
ercised and exhausted when il accepted u, and
there its whole power stopped. Suppose Con
gress should transfer the entire District to VIZ:
einia and Maryland, (and il il could retrocede
part, il could relrocede the whole,) ard should
then be left without any place 10 hold is sessions
whence would il get any power 10 purchase a
new spol7 Must il go back 10 the old power &c
accept a disrict1 Surprising it did, and every
Stale in The Union should refuse 10 cete 10 III,
Government any part of lis territory, was II tC
take seat for itself against the will of The Stale
If not, what was il 10 DO Was il 10 ask the as
sen, Of the State2 And suppose the State gave
It's assent would the gentleman from Virginia
say thai the assent of one State conferred oil
Congress The power 10 transfer The seat oi govern
ment Nh 2. held that il would moi; and tina
in such case Congress could gel no seat OF govern
mcnt. He put this case by way oil illustration
in order 10 show that the power of The Con
slulion had, by lis frs. exercise been exhausted
The objection had greater weigh than the gentle
man from Virginia seemed TO have attributed
TO il.
Mi. Boyd here in'erposed 10 inquire Of Mr.
PAYNE what woc!d become of his doctrine sup
posing an earthquake should swallow up lht
District IA taught
Mr.. Payne replied that if the hand OF Proyi
dence should bring upon US stale OF things al
together beyond the power OF Government 10 re
ssl or control then he would say, sufficient unit
The day is the evil thereof; but il Congress, by
It's own voluntary acts, should cede away The sea
of government, it had no right To call upon hin
10 exlricalc i; from a difficulty thus brought on
The whole error OF the argument arose from he
fact that genilesnen seemed 10 consider Congress:
a, omnipoicnt within this District. They argued
ed Congress into a despolsm. Thcy seemed tc
take il for granted tina, if their power was exclu
sive, il must ofcourse be without limitation; bu
thai did not follow. Might Congress- bceause il
had exclusive jurisdiction in The District take
private properly Tor public public use without
Compensation Could ii abolish the habeas
corpus or trial by Jury? Could it do any acl
prohibited BY The Constitution? No. II could
iegisla,e exclusively Tor the District, but ii mus
egislate within the limits of the Constitution.
Mr.. P. went on 10 argue against the power OF
Congress 10 separate portion OF The people OF
the Dstric from the rest without the consen, OF
majority Of The whole. They were politically
ono people, one association, under one authority
their destinies were united; they were all embark
cd in one common bottom; and if Congress un-
dertook 10 ALLEVIATE part, they must &c; the as.
sent Of The whole. No Government had any pow
or 10 ALLEVIATE portion Of lis territory without The
assent of majority of il inhabitants. Suppose
portion ofihe Union should become dissatisfied,
aud one or two States should ask 10 be cut of
and separated from The rest, must not The will OF
the whole people OF the United States be consult
ed a Certainly. Indeed, Mr.. P. might deny any
power in Government 10 transfer lis own terrific
~ at all and the books would bear him out in
this position. No Government could ALLEVIATE a
portion OF lis territory unless The act was indis-
pensablv necessary for The preservation OF the
whole; but here no such necessity could be plead
ed. Il was the will 81 a few people in one por-
ton OF the DsiIicl; if The majority OF the people
of The whole District should express their assen,
10 il, Mr.. 2. had no objection; but il Congress
consulted the popular will at all in the matter it
should ac, on nothing less than the assent Of The
majority Of the whole people.
There was another objection which Mr.. P.
wonld state. Congress had paid large sums OF
money for The benefit of that portion Of the Dis
lrct; if il were relroceded 10 Virginia, the Le-
sisaure OF Virginia would be bound 10 refund
that amount 10 the General Government Mr..
p. understood lha; il was not less than million
Of dollars. Here came the Stale OF Virginia,
and yery modestlr asked of Congress 10 give her
The city Of Alexandria, and The soil OF one-hlrd
OF the District, which, by the by, Government
never had and Inc people, with The land, and 10
let her pocket million OF dollars besides. MI
P'held that, in all justice, that money ought 10 be
paid back
If nroyiso should be inserted against paying
The deb, OF the corporation Of Alexandria, there
would be found tremendous majority OF the
pcorle OF Alexandria opposed 10 the transfer
lie believed The very object OF the bill was 10 sad
die The General Government with the payment OF
that debt. The Government was 10 give up all
the money II had already paid, and then pay an
additional claim OF million OF dollars.
MIR. p. had another objection, which, 10 be sure,
did moi so Immediately come before the House,
bul as il was not slriclya party consideration he
would state it here. Every body was aware that
in the State Of Virginia struggle had existed be.
tween Two parties OF the Stale on hesubject OF the
extent Of suffrage The eastern portion OF the
Stale held the controlling power in the Common
wealth, and she insisted that only those with a
property qualification should be allowed TO vote
The whole western region Of The State went fol
an extension Of Inc right Of suffrage. The effect
OF this bill wond be 10 strengthen The power OF
Eastern Virginia by throwing into that rar OF The
State about 1000 voters, oil Of them against the
power OF Western Virginia, who was struggling
for The extension OF suffrage Having himself
been born and brought up in the Commonwealth
be felt deep interest in This question and hoped 10
see the day come when an enlightened majority in
that State would be found .tanding side by side
with hose who were struggling for The rights Of
freemen against the influence OF mere property.
Mr. Seldom reminded Mr.. Payne that the Vir-
ginia Legislature, by unanimous vote, had
given its assent 10 the reiroccssion contemplated
in this bill so that the west was as much in its IA