V
JVb. 5.
HALIFAX, JV. C. FRIDAY, APRIL S3, 1834.
VOL I.
PROPOSALS,
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lifaxy aweefcly newspaper,
CALLED THE
FREE PRESS.
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DOMESTIC.
SPEECH OF
MR. MACON, 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. S. in rela
tion to the election of President
and Vice-President
Mr. Macon said, that these
resolutions had been referred to
a select committee; they had
been maturely considered and
reported upon by that commit
tee; and now, because a certain
other subject, not connected
with them, had been introduced,
no vote was. to be taken upon
them. What is the question
before the Senate? It is upon
the indefinite postponement of
the resolutions; and not upon
their subject matter, Why
should not a fair vote be taken
on them? Gentlemen, who are
j . 1 1 1 1 1
not entirely ueciueu. on business
before the Senate, generally vote
for a postponement He tho't
no proposition to amend the
constitution, that had ever been
before the Senate, had so. much
in favor of it, as the one that
had been reported by this com
mittee. It had, first or last,
been recommended by almost
every one of the states. And
now, after all the time that has
been spent about it, after one of
the propositions had been dis
cussed at full length, they are
all to be thrown by. He well
knew, that men would do, in re
lation to these things, as they
thought right. He considered
it an extremely unfortunate cir
cumstance, that a subject which
had nothing to do with the real
question before the Senate, had
been introduced, and was about
to destroy all chance of consi
dering the amendments to the
Constitution. .
Mr. M. said, he knew that
no amendment could now be
made to affect the next election.
There must be a concession of
opinion somewhere every bo
dy feels the embarrassments we
are laboring under; and yet we
are not permitted to go on, and
discuss the amendments by
which these evils might be re
medied. This amendment, he
thought, would ensure an elec
tion, without going to the House
of Representatives; and he ho
ped it would not be postponed.
It is time enough to postpone
them, when we find that we
cannot make one that is fit to be
adopted. We shall, then, have
done our duty to our constitu
ents, as faithful men. Rut, now,
we are about to postpoue them
at the very threshold. If there
ever was a time when the sub
ject could be met gravely, it is
the present. What was the
condition of the country, at the
time of the difficulty in the elec
tion of Jefferson and Burr?
Great anxiety was spread from
one end of the country to the
other. The House of Represen
tatives was voting thirty times,
without coming to a decision
the most serious alarm pervaded
the country. And yet, with
this knowledge before us, we
are not willing to make provi
sion against similar occurrences.
There was a charge of foreign
partiality, on each side of the
great parties existing at that
time. . One was accused of fond
ness for the British; the other,
for the French. There is.no
disposition of that kind -now.'
We have peace, and we have
plenty to eat; and, thank heaven,
the tarifF bill has not yet passed.
Some think that the amendment
will produce a consolidation of
the government, and that the
state lines will be lost. But al
most all the states have agreed
to it almost all of them have
called for the districting system.
Mr. M. said, he did not believe
that it would destroy the Con
stitution. : He had heard so
much, and so often, of the de
struction of the Constitution,
that he had almost become an
infidel in respect.to.it. .We
have stood a sedition law, and
an alien law, and there .is not
much danger but we may get
along with any thing else..- We
have had these amendments re
gularly brought before us; and
now, all at once, because allu
sions have been made to another
subject, we cannot look at the
amendments we have got into
a passion, and we must give
them up. Nearly all the states
have approved the districting
system and how is it to de
stroy the Constitution? The
liberty of this nation does not,
nor does that of any other,, de
pend upon paper. It must have
a foundation in the hearts of the
people. Let a man depend up
on himself, and he is free. If
he is dependent on another,
black or white, he will, not be
free. Freedom rests upon our
dependence or independence.
The people had, at first, a erea'
dread of the President and Se
nate; but that fear has passed
away.
WTe have, now, mbre candi
dates for the Presidency than
we ever nau neiore. now are
my people, said Mr. M. to know
. 1 - tlTI 1
inese menr vvny, wnen l go
home, they will ask me whom I
think to be the best man; or ra
ther, who will tax them the
least, which is the same thing.
And, I presume, the same ques
tions arc put to other members.
I am glad my colleague called
for the yeas and nays on 'this
question, for I hope the subject
will not be postponed. In re
gard to Caucuses, I have no
confessions to make. I have
gone into Caucus, as honestly as
I go to church. I don't care
how.many Caucuses, or how few
there arc. I care nothing about
them. Once, however, I was,
about twenty years pas , taken
in, by a Caucus, and said I
would not attend another. I
had intended id have given a
history of some, on different
sides, but it is decided not to
be order.
How the choice of electors by
districts, could possibly prevent
an election of .President, as has
been said by the gentleman from
South Carolina, I cannot possi
bly perceive. The number of
votes given by the districts,
would be equal to that now gi
ven. I do not understand how
it can prevent an election.
Every generation has its own
notion in politics, as well as in
religion. Religious and politi
cal ideas are constantly chan
ging. The Book' of Judges
gives a description of these
changes, where it speaks of the
departure of the people, after
the death of Joshua Sn
forgot the principles which pro-
we
uuceu uie nevoiution. My
state, happily, is neither a lar-e
nor a small one. It enjoys akniti
an equal population, and pes
not increase much. What' be
nefit can the present provision of
the constitution be, if we get no
President by it? I hope the
Senate will return to the consi
deration of the proposed amend
ments. ,
Hard times. The Nantucket
Enquirer gives the annexed
gloomy picture of the stagnation
ol business in that place: "No
place in the United States feels
perhaps more severely the. want
of markets for its peculiar pro
ducts than the Island of Nan-j
tucket. Dependent on the o
cean, and on the prospect of a
mart for its gifts, we find our
selves, from the wealthiest mer
chant down to the very printer,
almost reduced to the predica
ment of the Birmingham buckle
makers, at the moment when
shoe strings came into' vogue.
Our ship owners, justified by
experience, have adventured
their whole capital in the whale
fishery; our hardy mariners re
turn, laden with the spoils of the
great deep; hut the expectations
of both are baffled by the depre
ciated value of our staple, com
modities. Our merchants are,
therefore, fast abandoning the
pursuit, and emigrating from the
land of their fathers; and our
seamen are forced to seek less
grateful employment in other
ports. Universal discourage
ment and hopeless depression
seem to predominate, business is
frightened from our stores;
want dares to invade the shop
of mechanical industry ; our
wharves exhibit no siens of
commercial life, save what are
indicated by the bustling of a
few skippers of small craft, soli
citing sales of onions and pota
toes? and our streets, during the
live long day, are as silent and
bare, as those of Boston before
10 o'clock on a rainy Sunday
morning, wind E. N. E."
"IVitherfordthe Prophet"
This celebrated savage warrior
is at length vanquished; the de
stroyer is conquered; the hand
which so profusely dealt death
and dissatisfaction among "the
whites", is now motionless. He
ft M 1 ' 1 . -1
uieu at nis late residence near
Montpelier, in Alabama, on the
flth ult. His deeds of war are
well known to the earlv settlers
in South Alabama, and will be
remembered by them while they
live, and be talked of with hor
ror by generations yet unborn
but his dauntless spirit has taken
its flight "he has gone to the
land of his fathers."
"Billy Witherford," denomi
nated "the prophet," was about
one fourth Indian, (some say
'half a breed7) his ancestry on
the white side having been Scot
tish. It has been said that he
boasted of having "no yankee
(meaning American) blood in
his veins."
This ferocious chief lead the
hostile attack upon Fort Mims,
(at Tensa,) on the 30th August,
1812, which resulted in the in
discriminate and shocking mas
sacre of men, women and chil
dren, to the number of near four
hundred. He was also a leader,
(associated with the Prophets
Francis and Sinquister) at the
battle fought on the 23d Dec.
following, at Ecchenachaca, or
the 'Holy Ground,' . which had
been considered by them inac
cessible to their enemies, and
the "srave of the white men:"
but it proved a fatal delusion.
His party sufTercd great loss of
warriors, and all the provisions,
munitions of war, &c. deposited
at this place of imaginary safety,
being as they supposed, render
ed secure by the influence of
some supernatural agency.
It is stated, that after bein
"saturated with the blood of the
Americans, and witnessing the
almost total extinction of his
own tribe, he voluntarily and
dauntlessly flung himself into
the hands of General Jackson,
and demanded his protection."
Combination of Indians.
The Missouri Intelligencer, of
March 5th, printed at Frank
lin contains the following in
formation: "We are indebted to
the politeness of a friend at Fort
Osage, for the following infor
mation, direct from Arkansas,
which is from an authentic
source: Major Cummings, the
commandant at Fort Smith, has
demanded of the Osage Chiefs
those who committed the late
murder in that quarter. The
chiefs are willing to surrender
them, but cannot force obedi
ence, as the murderers refuse to
be given up, and are protected
by a majority of the nation.
The commandant has given
them until the 15th of January
to consider of it; at the expira
tion of which time, unless they
should be given up, an attempt
will be made to take them bv
force. They threaten st
ance, and say that if suchrtafat
tempt should be made they will
compel the Mission families to
supply them with provisions,
and the traders to furnish them
all their guns and ammunition.
The Osages are divided into se
veral bands, one of which, the
Chienios, did the mischief.
The others did not hold them
selves in any manner accounta
ble for the depredations of that
band, and will, in all probabili
ty, in case of necessity, assist
the traders in their vicinity.
"A letter of late date from a
respectable source on the Ar
kansas, states that the Osage5,
Cherokees, Kickpoos and Dela-
wares met at Chouteau's trading
house, and joined in a
crrnat
dinrp. TTi An.criistus ChoU-
Augustus
teau stated that this savored
very much of a combination of
those nations against the whites.
Such a thing would be danger
ous to the frontier settlements
of Arkansas and Missouri, and
require a considerable force to
quell it. The Union Mission
family are much alarmed, and
the Harmony family do not con
sider themselves free of danger.
"The settlers upon the Ar
kansas are raising volunteers,
and have already organized one
company. If it should be ne
cessary, we have no doubt that
Boon's Lick could furnish a few
riflemen of bold hearts and cor
rect aim."
Money. Three new Banks and
eight or ten Insurance Companies
have lately been incorporated in
New-York, with an aggregate ca
pital Qlfivt million of dollars.