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JYb. 4.
HALIFAX, JV. C. FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 1824.
FOL J.
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.4
y
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AT THIS OITICB.
DOMESTIC.
SPEECH OP
MR. BRANCH, OF N. C.
In the Senate of the U. S. on a mo
tion to postpone indefinitely, the
consideration of the Resolutions
proposing amendments to the
Constitution of the U. 5- in rela
tion to the election of President
and Vice-President.
Mr. Branch asked the indul-!
gence of the Senate for the pur
pose of submitting, for their
consideration, a few thoughts in
relation to the important subject
matter under discussion, fie
said it was due to the state he
had the honor in part to repre
sent, for him to support the a
mendments to the Constitution,
which propose to establish an
uniform mode for the appoint
ment of Electors of President
and Vice-President, and to him
self, to oppose the indefinite
postponement of the various
propositions now pending.
With the sentiment of the Le
gislature of the state, he most
heartily concurred.
In entering on the subject, he
said that he should endeavor to
conform to the decision of the
Chair, and that he would not inr
tcntionally bring into discussion
matter foreign from the true
question, before the Senate; for
he firmly believed that the de
cision of the presiding officer
was correct, and ought to be en
forced. It would become necessary
for him, however, to animadvert
on the Constitution, as it is at
present,, and to call the attention
oi the Senate to the pernicious
practices which had obtained,
and grown up under it, which
threatened, ultimately, to sub
vert the liberties of the people.
It was the duty of an able sur
geon to probe the wound to the
bottom, that he might be the
better enabled to. devise and ap
ply an effective remedy.
It would not be denied he
said, that it was the intention
of the Convention which framed
the Constitution, to give to the
J people the election of their Chief
.Magistrate. But what have
we been told by my highly es
teemed friend and colleague,
(Mr. Macon,) who is certainly
high authority?. Why, that the
President had, since the days of J
ucn. Washington, been always1
elected by Congress.
This, said Mr. B. is the most
alarming declaration, and surely
it becomes necessary that some
thing should be done to prevent
that from taking place in future.
The Constitution provides, that
the President shall be elected
by the people, through their e
lcctors; but we find that a plan
has been found out, setting
aside this provision the Presi
dent is to be chosenand the
people are called upon, only,
to conform to the will of their
rulers. Now, if these unconsti
tutional proceedings are to be
continued, and the President
hereafter is to be chosen by
Cong7css acting in Caucus, it
is manifest that the Constitution
will not only be practically al
tered, but that a door will be ri
pened to the greatest abuses and
corruption. We will soon find
that the President will be cho
sen only by means of intrigue
and management with the mem
bers of Congress.
; Is not the mischief, therefore,
abundantly evident? Either
make some alteration, so as to
give efficacy to the vote of the
people, or let them no longer be
deluded with the fallacious idea
that they exercise the power
themselves. It is not worth
while to disguise the fact from
ourselves. We all see it. In
deed, it must be manifest to the
most superficial observer, that
the different departments of the
government, instead of acting
as checks on each other, are na
turally drawn to play into each
other's hands; particularly the
Executive and Congress. The
gentleman from New-Jersey,
(Mr. Dickerson,) to whom I
have listened with much plea
sure, has tailed to
assijm any
reason why it is unsafe to return
the election to the electors. I
must therefore presume, said
Mr. B. that none exists.
Let us then, said Mr. B.
throw off this usurped authori
ty, and return to the people the
ii i
rights of which they have been!
A. ii ,.i "n i
wrongfully shorn. From whence
do the members of Congress de
rive the power to elect the Pre
sident of the United States? I
hazard nothing, said Mr. B. in
saying that the power is not to
be found . in the Constitution,
and that it is, consequently, an
encroachment upon the sove
reignty of the people: the more
alarming, inasmuch as it is ex
ercised in the corrupt atmos-
phere of. Executive patronage! opinions would have great ef
and influence. Make me Pre-lfect. Mr. M. said he waswill
sident, and I will make you a'ing to alter the constitution
Minister, a Secretary, or, at air but Congress, said he, will elect
events, I will provide you with a' the President, be the Constitu
good birth, suited to your wants; tion what it may.
A
or capacity. And thus we shall
barter away the rights and pri- From thc mtm Q
vilegcs ot thc people, at the ex
pense of the best interests of the Spontaneous combustion.
country, and the charter of ourlA curious iact ot spontaneous
liberties. The mischief is a-' combustion occurred in this
i . . ' i i .i i r 1 r. .
bunpantly manifest. Let us not,
then, turn a deaf ear to the adr
monitions of duty, and the voice
of an enlightened community,
but rather. let us have the mag-
nanimity to return to leave the1
things which bRlontrtn tbp Cnn.llamily. it excited considera
stitution, even though in doing
so, we part with some of our in
fluence. The President and
Congress were intended, by the
wise framcrs of our Constitution,
to act as checks, each upon thc
other; but, by thc system at
present practised, they lose the
benefit of this salutary provision.
For, as has been observed by
my honorable colleague, the
Congress have always made
the President, a?id will conti
nue to do it. Yes, sir, the
voice of that orthodox and ex
perienced statesman has said so,
and I have no reason to doubt
the correctness of his assertion.
It ought not to be said, ob
served Mr. B. that we are inca
pable of acting on this important
subject calmly and dispassion
ately Our present session is
comparatively unlimited it is,
in truth, the long session our
table is not burdened with im
portant business; we sit but twro
or three hours in the day, and
but five days out of the week;
this objection, therefore, cannot
be sustained. And as to the Se
nate of the United States, com
posed of gentlemen advanced in
years, possessing a character
and justly, too for their dis
cretion and intelligence, being
hurried away by passion or ex-
o o
citement, I cannot, said Mr. B.
believe it for a moment. We
are all convinced that no'altera
tion can be made in time to af
fect the approaching Presiden
tial election. Hence, whatever
excitement may be felt, it will
not be of a pernicious character,
but will rather tend to elicit the
best and most effectual remedy.
If we suffer the present, propi
tious moment to pass by,, what
may we expect? Why, sir,
that the nation will again fall
into a state of apathy, and that
nothing will be done until the
people are again called on to e
lect another Chief Magistrate,
when wTe shall have to depre
cate the recurrence of all the
mischief at present complained
of, and which threatens such .a
larming consequences to the
peace and security of society.
Mr. MACON in explanation
of the allusion made by. his ho
norable colleague to his remark,
that the President had always
heen, with the exception of
j 1
Gen. Washington, elected by
r -t . i i
Congress. He repeated the ob
servation, with a firm conviction
of its correctness, that this had
been the case, and in his opinion
it always would be the case. . If
the members ol Lonsrcss did
not act in Caucus, they would
influence the people in some
other way. The people were
always writing to the members
to get their opinion upon the
i different candidates, and their
neighborhood a few day's since.
The wife of Mr. W. B. disco
vered about lb o'clock in the
morning, an unusual and very
pungent smell, which was like-
Wlsc inhaled by several of the
i t
; blc uneasiness, as it seemed to
increase, and a general search
took place to find out the cause.
The unusual and certainly pe
culiar smell scon directed them
to the spot it was found
quantity of Hops, that had been
gathered ot the last crop, and
after being well dried, and put
into a striped homespun cotton
gown, moderately pressed in.
and laid on the top of a pile oi
cotton seed, was discovered to
be on fire, and by a gradual heat
had almost mouldered into ashes
on raising it aud admit!
the air it was soon in a blaze.
The cotton seed were likewise
partly consumed.
Cotton has been known to
take fire from being damp and
coniined in a close and heated
atmosphere; and in this case I
find upon inquiry the seed and
the hops were immediately un
der the roof of the house which
was not ceiled overhead; and
from the recent heavy and con
stant rains, a small quantity of
water may have found its way
through the roof and gradually
dropt on the seed and hops,
producing the requisite mois
ture, combined with atmospheric
Our Cotton Gins, in proportion
to the order they are in, leave more
or less cot ton on the seed.
causes, produced the fire. But,
if it is admitted that cotton, or
cotton seed, thus situntprl
produce heat and from heat to
flame, what assistance, if any,
oum nops lend to it, or per
haps the fact itself may have
originated in the hops. I do
"vil jay this down as . an hypo
thesis of my owny nor do i bc
Iieve that the conclusion should
always be drawn from the pre-
. x imusopners and Che
mists perhaps might discover
the true cause, or combination
of causes, and as it is an unusual
circumstance, Tat least in
it may deserve their considera
tion.
From the Hamburg, S.C. Gazette.
Duel. We sacrifice
feeling in relating the circum
stance of a duel," fought on
Thursday last,: (25th ult.) at the
u. a. Arsenal in Georgia, be
tween two-very young men by
the names of Cogdell and Wi
fall, the former of Charleston,
the latter of this district. The
ground work of this affair is said
to have originated, at Yale Col
lege, the particulars of which,
perhaps, it would not be pru
dent to publish, but suffice it to
say the combatants met on the
field with rifles, at thirty paces
at the word fire, young Wig
fall received his antagonist's
ball below the breast bone,
which came out on the right
side between the second and
third ribs, having touched the
liver in its course, of which he
died on the following day.
Singular notion. We h.i'n.
seen, a letter, says the New
York Gazette, from Saco, of the
Sth March, announcing the
death of Thomas G. Thornton,
United States' Marshal for the
District of Maine, who died on
the 4th. This letter states, that
Mr. Thornton had requested his
friends to keep him aslong as
they couldthen to put his bo
dy in a lead coffin, well solder
ed; over this a coffin made of
inch boards; then one of two
inches; one.of four inches; and
another, for the outside, of eight
inches thick, all well bolted to
gether; and to, bury him at
night, between the hours of 10
and 12 o'clock.
Ji happy , Winding up. We
understand that the Marine In
surance Society of this city,
(Richmond, Va.) whose stocks
were sold at auction on Mon
day, will divide at least 51000
more than its capital. Comp.
Education Is strangely ne
glected in some parts of our
country. If thc, sparseness of
the population prevents the es
tablishment of Schools, surelv
parents might, without losing
any valuable time, teach their
children to read and write. We
have just seen, in a North-Carolina
paper, a copy of the pre
sentment of a Grand Jurv of
Edgecomb county, concerning a
public nuisance, to which six
out of the eighteen iurors sisrn-
ed their marks, instead of their
proper names! The Foreman
of this Jury was a gentleman,
formerly a Representative in
Congress, ot uncommon literary
acquirements. The advantages
of education are at least une
qually distributed there.
A
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