Weekly national intelligencer., 1850-02-23


4 : II he sacrifices It to your opinion.
, Ii government were matter of aciH, upon any
side, yours, without question, ought to be supe.
rior. BIT government and Legislation are mat
ters Of reason and judgment, and not Of inclina-
non. And what sort ofreason is that, in which the
, determination precedes the discussion; in which
one set of men deliberate, and another decide ;
! and where those who form the conclusion are
perhaps three hundred or thousand miles dis
tant from those who hear the arguments
:" To deliver an opinion is the right of all men.
That of Constituents is a weighty and respectable
opinion, which Representative ought always 10
rejoice to hear, and which he ought always mos.
} seriously to consider. But authoritative instruc-
tons, mandates issued, which the member is
bound blindly and implicitly to obey, TO vote, and
TO argue for though contrary to the clearest con-
viclion Of his judgment and conscience-these
are things utterly tnakno,on TO the lars of The
land, and which arise from a fundamental mis-
take ofhhe whoie order and tenor Of oar Coasfi-
II tuition"
\ More applicable still is this reasoning to repre-
\ sentaton in this Government Of the United States
than in that of Great Britain for our Constitution
has that which the Constitution of Great Britain
hath not-for the instruction, government and re-
slraint Of the Senator or Representative in the dis
charge Of his duties-a code of written rules. The
Senator is elected for certain period, to perform
certain duties prescribed in the Constitution ITSELF
for the discharge OF which he responsible only to
God and his constituents, except that moral re-
sponsibty which every human agent owes 10 So
ciety to act honestly in all things. The term Of
service of the Senators Of the United States was
fixed at six years instead of shorter term, for the
purpose of enabling them to resist the influence of
popular panics, or momentary or transient infiu-
ences, whether within their own particular States
or in others. To this effect the following reason
ing of the illustrious MADISON OH the character of
the Senatorial body, is absolutely conclusive:
Z" TO people as little blinded by prejudice, or
" corrupted by aattery, those whom address,
" shall not seruple to add, tha. such an institution
I" as the Senate may be sometimes necessary
" defence TO the people against their own tenn
" porary errors and delusions. AS the cool and
" deliberate sense OF the community ought, in all
" Governments, and actually WILL in all free Gov
" ernments, ultimately prevail over the views Of.
" rulers, so there are particular moments in public
" affairs when the people, stimulated by some ir-
" regular passion, illicit advantage, mis-
"ed by the artul misrepresentation Of interested
" men, may call for measures which they them
" and condemn. In these critical moments, how
" sauary will be the interference Of some temper
ate and respectable body of citizens, in order to
" check the misguided career, and to suspend the .
" blow meditated by the people against themselves,
:. until reason, justice, and truth regain their
:. authority over the public mind? What bitter
!" anguish would not the people of ATHENS have
s. often escaped if their Government had contained
" so provdent safeguard against the tyranny
" Of their own passions Popular liberty might
:. then have escaped the iadeibie reproaeh Of DE-
" cREEING TO THE SAME CITIZENS HEMLocK or
:. ONE DAY, AND STATUES ON TIE NEXT"
If Senator of the United States be no more
than live automaton, bound to vote this way or
that way, or to speak that way or this way, as he
may from day to day receive instructions by the
mail from his State Legislature, he is in the quaint
but expressive language Of old author, which
we lately lit upon, " no better than tube, an
organ-pipe, kind Of wind instrument, which sends
forth sound mechanically"
/, With regard to this pretended right and practice
OF instruction. we had not long ago the fancy to
search for the source of it in this Government.
The earliest instance Of it that able 10
find was case, from that nursery of distractions,
the Legislature Of Virginia, in the year 1907.
There may have been earlier instances, but this is
The frs, which we fiud upon record. How
the State with which (as we believe) the custom
of i,struciiag Senator'S began, has succeeded in
illustrating, by its own practice; the beauty Of
this doctrine, i, is lawful for us, desiring to inspire
our readers with some share of orr own aversion
to it, to show by historical evidence, of such
ture as 10 reduce the doctrine and the practice 10
The same level of absurdity.
A, the first session of the Legislature Of the State
OF Virginia alter the removal by President Jackson
of the public money from The Bank of the United
States, the following Rescript was issued TO the
Senators in Congress from that State
WHgutAs the General Assembly Of VIRGINIA deem Of the
Importance that the 10 control the public revenue
should I've made 10 abide in practice where has been vested
the constituonin the immediate Representatives OF The
peence the practical operation Governments has proved
that arbitrary assumptions of power by them, any officer of
thrp il silently scquesced in, become peceden 10. further
and -tll greater acts Of usurI patton Therefore
t. Resoircd bY HE General isSembfY, That the recent
the President OF The United States exchng a control
the public dcpoie Ivy causing he to be withheld and
Withdrawn, his responsibility, from the United States
Bank which they bad ordered be placed h the
of Congress charteripg the said bank, he jdn,ek
NJ tic Geaernf AsSenfbfy n,S.Naous ASp ,LAHN>s
SUMPTION oSricLa, ,chch on,,n0t BE- to
sirpngiY condemned. S..
>. Rosoircd That while the General assembly will