Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1847-05-06

Bsa-Chs tl& C1lsik1f121 AWPE ho1 01k<
enough to accomplish these ends with the o.
servsnce Of just ecosomy. | know Of 40
true economy but the just proportion q ex-
penditrre 70 object Absolute saving Is nsere
meanness. 10 country ofsuch extent as this,
the objects of government should be TO give
variety to labour, 70 bring out the active ener-
gees OF the people. and develope its peculiar
abundance.
SOIL My learned friend here (Dr Hitchcoek)
knows the whole il. Ii is haru, sterile granite.
II has no Virginia beds Of coal, no subs,ratum
Of iron. no sal, springs. II is without all these
sources Of may so speak) Of subterranean
wealth. Nowhere are these advantages more
bcunteously conferred than upon the happy
inhabitants Of Virginia. Within fourtren
miles Of your city Gas my learned friend tells
me) there IS geological phenomenon, bed
OF coal thirty feet thick, resting granite rock.
Our New England granite knows no such
company. Now il always appeared 10 me
that labour and enterprise needed just, not ex
cessive, protection from the government, in
order TO draw these sources of mineral wealth
from the earth. ! have too, always been q
man for canals and railroads TO Just extent
When Louis XIV. established his grandson
on the throne Of Spain, he said There are no
longer Pyrennees." But trust we may soon
use the phrase in more useful and proper
sense, and that we shall proceed with our ca
nals and railroads until we can say, There
are no longer AIeghanies."
Under these general impressions Of the con-
sttutlon. believe that our ancestors set US
an example Of great things. We have had
no battles Of liberty 10 engage 10 (whaRver
other battles il may have been the policy of
our rulers to undertake, [laughler,l nor were
We born TO the work Of making constitution
The maintenance Of justice and tight, the OBJ
servance Of the precepts Of law, religion and
morali,y--these are the objects TO whichiAe
are to look. Our government is designed less
Tor achievement than perseverance in the main
tenance OF public order, the public good, the
conservation OF the public institutions.
We may lock with pride and exultation
abroad TO see where this constitution has plac-
ed US ia the eyes Of the world. |, is no, ee otis
teal TO say, while we take no pre- eminence,
that though We may conquer and subjugaie
nowhere, this great republic is the observed of
all observers. We cannot say that il is our
work or even the work Of our great forefathers
The great result has followed, because sentl-
menls and principles, inherent in the people
Of the old thirteen States, fitted them to be
} free; sentiments and principles acquired BY
! long practice under the colonial governments.
We should not deny our ancestry or repudiate
the principles Of liberty we derived from them.
We should rather hold TO those principles as
J an inheritance. When think OF Hampton,
and Sidney. and Vane, and Burke and Chat
: ham, often imagine ii would be grateful to
them, ii from Heaven above, they could lo,k
down, ana see their principles illustrated in
no nil tod ~ Il IL
PRODUCTION OF these principles, from the infu
sion oil liberty into the English constitution.
} the sentiments o! liberty, independence. and
: personal right. transmitted here, and the prac-
, tlce and deep inbIbing Of those sentiments BY
2 the colonisfs, which fitted them 10 establish
; and carry on free government. The ha5eas
! corpus, the RICH, of trial by jury, the petition
= OF right, these contain the great elements OF
I liberty. and were acknowledged here twas
g this previous preparation, which fitted the
people Tor those great achievements, the Dec
. laration Of Independence and the establish.
1 insnt 0! the constitution.
Let us contrast with this result the intro
duciIon Of liberty elsewhere. II we axamine
$ the source and origin Of our liberty, we will
a lind thath came lIom England. e have the
Q dominion OF law over the win Of Individuals.
But how is il with others who have made the
same experiment. Look at the neighboring
: governmental OF Mexico; mere military anar-
chy; with no security Of life, person or proper.
i ~. The man who happens TO be the leader
of the army is head Of the State. and the ar
Z my rules the roast. To the disgrace of iibe,
~, Mexico il infinitely worse governed than
IT was under the viceroys Of old Spain. Has
: her public peace been secured? Her roads
!, improved The government Of Mexico mas
! collected three hundred millions of dollars
1 from imposts. What has been done with il?
{ u has been used TO pay armies to make and
unmSke pronuDclamentos, TO put up this
man and put Town that Mexico has con-
sianly sustained larger army TO keep, or
break the peace, man this crest republic has
raised 10 invade her SOIL
Does not all this reflect light on the House
OF Durgesses OF Viginia and the General Cour'
OF Massachusetts,, who understood ire prlnci-
, pies OF liberty and Were therefore prepared 10
institute ftee government The success Of
cur government brings US out in honorable
contrast with Mexico and all other republics.
: Who cares for these Spanish governments2
: Some OF them may be respectable enough,
may have the sense 10 keep the peace; but
they differ widely from the American nation
, II is in our character, ingrained, inwrought,
tok know and understand liberty.
: We ought therefore TO unite in sustaining
the constitution. We shall thus 90 far 10 show
that 1t is practical for nations to govern them
selves, that popular government possesses
enough Of wisdom, prudence. forbearance. to
get on wi,houtany power not conferred by ITSELF
], has been my habit to give my time, which
was not occupied in professional buness, to
public duties under the general government
never held any State office. except for fort
night, when was member Of the Legsla-
,uTe Of Massachusetts. (and believe the only
law. which in that capacity, aided in pussing
was for the benefit Of fshermen.) (Much
laughter.) MY studies have ever been con-
nected with the constitution. as the great and
extraordinary produc. ofthe age. Aliera pub
lie life of thirty years. can say with sincerity,
that, though sometimes my course has excited
Glamour Tieelconscious Of having always. wish
ed il well; and if nothing remain Of me. fit 10 he
remembered but general Acknowledgment.
recorded on my tombstone, which all my
coun,rymen will admit TO be true, that "HERr
LIES ONE WHO WISHED WELL TO THE CoNsrI-
TUITION or HIS CoUKrRy"--ihe great object Of
my life will have been accomplished.
The ARMY--Several officers Of the army
lately arrived at New Orleans from Vera Cruz