The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1847-01-21
THE UNION.
annual salary of the mayor of the city, which Office he
now hlled-held the ollowin language:

now hlled-held the following language:
1T would appear as if some gentlemen in Congress are
so imbued with the principles of democracy suppose
that the win Of the governed hns nothing 10 do with the
laws enacted for Their government and therefore consider
themselves AT liberty 10 propose measures Vty affecting
the feelings and interests Of communities without the least
regard to the wishes o-whout, indeed condescendlng
even consult-ihe people ON whom The
operate. Thus the Hon Mr.. Payne, of Alabama, yester
day, his own mere motior--vitiout exhibiting al
leging amy petition from the inhaban,siJhoul having
The matter first inquired into by the appropriate commit
teeand as lar appeared without the knowledge OF any
OF the people OF Washington introduced bill altering
senuly the charter enacted twenysix years for thei
government and this BILL without amy time being allowed
or the people express shear Wishes without being
read, and without, word being permitted, was hurried
through all the forms of Introduction; inst, second, aud
rd readings; and, by Ihe gag Of the previous question
passed, lar tha House is Concerned into law bind
ing on the dearest interests OF community OF mlIy-
three thousand citizens, entitled much consideration
and any other equal number of the American
people beautiful comment this on the notions OF re-
pubeanisn OF gentlemen who claim par ercsf"ce 10 be
The democracy OF the country"
What the 'sentimens and feelings" To which The
gentleman there alluded In the existing charter OF the
city OF Washington, there was a property qualification
required for Individual before he could vote for any Of
the officers of the corporation By the bill which passed
the House Yesterday II was proposed to abrogate the
necessity Of the property qualification II was IN these
words BE i ENACTED rh &c Mr. here read the sec
To take the place OF that existing. And in present
ing that law the consideration OF the House for It's
action, the junior editor of the ntelgencer charged
him (Alr P) with having acted without consulting the
feelings and interests OF the community vitality affected
BY the measure Ii just then occurred to him Mr.. P)
|
per should benay good deal OF sensiveness on this
subject II might very possibly happen that If the prop
erty qualification abolished, and every free white
citizen residing within the city OF Washington were al
lowed vote that the of the editor Mayor of
the city would be dispensed with, and some other indi
vidua be selected to fill that office 1t would be SEEM
therefore, that the consideration might have had some
thing do with the production OF the editorial article 10
which he had thought proper to call the attention OF the
House. in order to yndcae himself against the erroneous
charges which it contained. But the editor earnest
in saying that he Alr P had acted without consulting
the citizens of Washington Was it true that no petit
tons had been offered praying the interference OF Con-
gress in the proposed by the bill Why, he beg
ged leave to exhibit that petition unroling an immense
scroll containing some hundreds OF nanesl He sup
posed that petition about four yards long "A laugh
| There another some six yards longand another
and another-belng altogether a thousand sigma
lures de would read OF these petitions. The hon
orabie member here read of the petitions Ii prayed
for the passage OF the bill various grounds OF justice
and eXpedency These were the grounds on which the
petitioners had besought the mterposon OF Congress
Yet view of all these facts, the junior editor OF the In
tegencer thought proper charge him with having act
ed on this subject without consulting the wishes OF the
citizens OF Washington But the junior editor said that
the bill was forced the House without having been
read He (Mr P.) appealed TO every gentleman present
whether that the truth-no he would not use that
term, he would appeal TO all whether II was so He did
not wish to use any harsh language The reading of the
bill called for, and the bill was distinctly read In
deed, the concluding paragraph OF the article, the ju
Nor editor himself admitted that the bill was read three
times The editor said that the bill was forced on the
House under the operation OF the previous question and
that il no! referred 10 the appropriate committee
Now, it was well known, as he (Mr 70 stated yester-
day that this was precisely the bill which
ieed the committee at the last session OF Congress,
was acted upon by that committee, and he (Nlr p was
authorized BY that committee to report It to the House
He accordingly reported it, and II was passed But II
was further alleged ''no previous notice was gwen"
Why, did not gentlemen ecollect that he r. P) rose in
his place, weeks ago. and notice that at the ear
LEST opportunity he should introduce bill for the very
purpose for which that bull was introduced yesterday! In
view of all these factsnotorlous iactsacs known to
the House and 10 the counry-he (br PO had come TO
the conclusion that the junior editor OF the lnteigencer
considered himself the people OF tine District OF Co
lunba" 1t quite true that that Individual had not been
consued and for the very satisfactory reason that he
(Nlr P.) did not regard HIM exactly the most compe
person in the world TO be consulted on such sub
jec That parsonage was not at all the best quahed
Individual to inform gentlemen OF the sentiments Of the
citizens Washington with regard to the objects OF that
bill. He (dr P) did not pretend TO alnde IN this con-
nexion to the particular poc@a tenes OF the gentleman
But he might that theSe tenets not OF such
character as would lead hm to favor anything like an
attempt to extend the principles OF freedom to the citizen
was TO the Pecunary interest OF the gentleman IN keep
P.) alluded That circumstance disqualified the gentle
man from giving sound advice on the subject. Was IT
in any sense ue however that the people OF Washing
ton had not been consulted Not at all The citizens
had been consulted. great number OF them had con-
veyed Congress their views and wishes on the subject
and these views and wishes had been duly considered
Yet he (r P did believe, that subject like this,
involving simply the great principle CT democratic free
domhe cardinal principle OF the right OF the governed
them and make the laws-there any necessity OF
consulting anybody His views of that principle
his own views of true republlcansn, told HIM that the
principle was right, and in endsavorlng TO establish that
principle he did not feel called on to consult any ndvld
als whether they desired lis application or not In add
ton what he had now sad he would only further re-
mark that if the bill had received the final action OF Con-
gress the vote had been taken on 1t In another branch
of the legsature-in other words, II it had become law
Yesterday he would have asked leave word
in eiutaton of the gratuous charges of the junior editor
of the paper in question But that article intended
TO defeat the an the Senate, and he (Nr ID was
not willing that the Senate should be led into error BY the
interested representations of the junior editor OF the
National Tntegencer He desired that that body should
know the facts of the Last year the bill had been
repored by the committee, and passed the House of Rep
resenatives but through other il was lost
in the Senate 1t under these circumstances that he
had sought that opportunity OF explaining the state OF the
case in order that the Senate might no, be mised de-
ceved either with regard to the objects OF the bill or It's
accordance with the wishes OF the people OF Washington
repeatedly and earnestly expressed to Congress lie trust
ed in conclusion, that clanor OF individuals Interested
in preserving the present cose borough system woud be
permitted 10 leopardze at the other end of the Capitol
measure so entirely in unison with the republican instiu
tons Of the land and essentially requisite IN order to
give to The freemen of this city the right of participating
in the making of the laws by which they TO be gov
erned.
| Mr. ASIIMUN then rose and asked leave also to
make personal explanations and the House having
orable member from Alabama had alluded to the fact
that the reading of the bill had been called for yester
dav That reading had been called by him, (Nlr. A.
and having been thus alluded TO- he begged TO be heard
one moment He had nothing to say with reference TO
the controversy between the gentleman from Alabama
and the editor Of the National lnelgence the abuse
as il might be called at least the reflections which the
honorable gentleman had sought TO throw upon the lat