Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1849-12-12

and to become champions in their defence
when any attempt should be made from any
quarter to invade them. Whenever that
time should come, Mr. B. said he had no
doubt he should be found quite as far in
the advance, defending those rights, as tn ose
gentlemen, who in debate here, had dis
coursed SO loudly and so eloquenty in
their behalf He commended gentlemen to
keep themselves always ready He trusted
they would not permit their ardor 10 abate.
! The time mig Oh, come when the people
would want their services instead of their
rords.
| The question now before US, said Mr..
g.. has no relation whatever to The abstract,
inherent rights Of the people. We are not
now drIIberalIng here in state Of nature
that only Stale in which mhereu, rights are
! known-but we are sitting here as legis-
laiure-a component part of the govern
meni. We are here, sir, in state OF gov
eminent. and under form Of government.
! Aud the simple question is, VIVA, are the du-
Ties, and what are the powers, of This gene
raj assembly over The subject mailer of a
mending the constitution. Mr.. B. under
stood some of his political opponents to
maintain that The people, as mass, had
| the right to altar and amend the cons,ilu-
! ton at ciU-wilhout respect TO the reslric-
tons and limitations of that instruments
But he bad not so understood the gentleman
from Baltimore city (Mr. McLane.) lie adj
mits that il must be done, and can only be
done sin constitutional legal way" He
speaks of the unconstitutional legal right -
but insists that the call Of convention by
the people, to amend the constitution, is a
Unconstitutional legal right" The inherent
or revolutionary right is now out Of the
question. With ii we have nothing at pre-
sent to do. 1t is the constitutional legal
right" with which we have now TO deal
Mr. B. here read an extract from The speech
OF Mr.. McLane. reported in the Argus, in
which he says che does no, deem i, neces-
sarv TO open the question Of the natural
righ, Of man to alter his system Of govern
ment The true issue is, the right Of the
people to change their fundamental law in
constitutional legal way-not their revo-
lulInnarv right"
Mr.B was glad the gentleman had chosen
that ground. And if he could shew tina,
the people bad no constitutional legal
fIght" to call conrentiOn to alter or change
the constitution, he would expect the gen
tleman from Baltimore city, who was known
to possess, not only great intelligence but
large share of candnr, to admit that the
h'ii under Confederation nhghl no, 10 pass
Nlr. B, did not JeIiv The r;,h, Of the peuple
10 change Their Fundamental law In a ICON
>liluiona legal wav," That was The very
way IN which he (Mr. B. desired them To
make the change, II ANY change was wanted.
But he denied that a convention Of HE peo-
| pie, under The provision of the constitution.
as ii now stands, was unconstitutional legal
way" He would enquire OF Tie gentleman
from Baltimore civ (Mr McL,ne) if this
was not she real question u, issue, and
whether hF NJ. b. had no. correctly stated
liz. Mr.. M,Lane nssenied.( Now, sir.
by unconstitutional right" mean. and think
every other person :" means, right, serur-
ed and provided for by the constitution il
self By illegal right" mean righ. pro-
vided for and secured by law. Perhaps The
gentleman can give us some other definition
Of those terms. If he can, should be hap
py to hear 1t. Then, sir. ask the gentle
man to point me to tina, part of the consli-
tuition, or TO show me any law which secures
The right to call a convention to alter the
constitution, either to the people or the legis-
lalure. Until the gentleman can do this,
shall have right 10 claim that he shall aban-
don his position. The gentleman, sir, as it
seems to me, nigh, have been content with
the unconstitutional right" | see no reason for
his claiming also the illegal right" The
unconstitutional right" if he could have
shewn 1t, would have been strong enough
for him to have stood upon. But he lays
claim also to the illegal right" This sure
~, sir. was an unnecessary expletive.
fear the gentleman did no. intend those
words for this intelligent assembly. They
were used, perhaps, for another, and diff
ferent tribunal. Legal right! Will the
gentleman shew me The law, IN pursuance
of which, he claims the right to call this
convention There is no such law and
the gentleman knows it. Then cut out
those words, sir, for they are at Ieas. paren-
the,ic. They were intended but 10 round
off a sentence-to sound upon the ear
and mayhap to deceive the people. The
idea, sir, that reform by convention of the
people, is unconstitutional legal r"ht," is,
however, not entirely original with the gem
,leman from Baltimore city. ! think 1t owes
much of lis paternity to the gentleman from
Frederick, (Mr. Lowe.) He told Us in his
Introductory speech upon this subject,
that when he approached the great question
of reform, he would prove conventional re-
form TO be constitutional right" ] do
not think he venured 10 claim the "legal
right" We are indebted, at least for this
discovery, 10 the gentleman from Baltimore
city. ! listened 10 the speech of the gentle
man from Frederick (Mr. Lowe) with great
attention, and must say to him that do
not think he has redeemed his promise. He