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Black spirits and white,
Red spirits and gray;
Mingle, mingle, mingle,
You that mingle may.
This, sir, is the unfortunate condition of things
in this Hall. When doctors diner, who shall de-
cide ? These endless differences of opinion as to
the time and appropriate remedies, ought to be
accomodated in a spirit of mutual conciliation.
I would beg gentle men to remember that "pru-
dence dictates that governments long established
should not be changed for light and transient
causes" This is the language of the Declara-
tion of Independence, and the words and senti-
ment are those of wisdom. They admonish us
that it is unwise in any people 10 unsettle fixed
principles of government, unless it be for reasons
obvious and urgent, such as to resist oppression.
to dethrone a tyrant, or to subserve the purposes
of liberty. It will scarcely be contended that
such necessity exists under our present form of
government.
Sir, when a people are free, prosperous and
happy, when they are, in the language of the
distinguished gentleman from Frederick, (Mr
Johnson, ) speaking of his constituents — the most
intelligent, learned and patriotic, the most thriv-
ing, the most independent, the most every thine
that could adorn the human character — having
around them every thing the human heart
could desire — then, sir, it would be suicidal to
overthrow that Constitution, which has made
them what they are, and which dispensed to
them such blessings And when the gentleman
from Frederick made these eulogistic remarks, I
instinctively raised my hand and said, "for mercy
sake, what more do you want — you have all that
human heart can desire, and more than the
ordinary share of blessings which fall to the lot of
men, and yet it seems, you are not satisfied. "
How can you satisfy men, then ? Go to Frede-
rick, where it is said the nature of their land will
yield you forty bushels of wheat to the acre, and
where they have railroads and turnpikes, and
every thing to add to their prosperity, and with a
representation in the Legislature and here, equal
to their population, and yet forsooth they are not
satisfied. And what is the reason ? Why they
have got everything, but one little, small crumb
from the small counties. They have a represen-
tation too, and among the number is old St. Ma-
ry's, the mother of them all. Now, sir, I know
your heart, (addressing Mr. Buchanan, ) you.
heart is in the right place. I don't know, but I
hope your parents are living. I don't believe if
your mother or father be living, and who had nur-
tured you in your infancy, and who had spent
their means to educate you and make you the
man that your are, that you would be ingrate
enough to refuse to do all in your power to make
there condition in life as comfortable to them as
possible. If you would, then you are not the man
I take you to be.
Mr. B. said the gentleman from Frederick,
(Mr. Thomas, ) in some remarks which he made,
which did equal credit to his head and heart, and
in a strain of eloquence that he would not at-
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tempt to imitate, had stated that if his father had
been living, he perhaps never would have been
in the ranks of the democratic party, for he
would have followed in the footsteps of his pa-
rent. He would commend gentleman to a po-
litical application of this sentiment.
There was still another set o! reformers which
he was inclined to believe was becoming the
1 most numerous. He referred to those reformers
1 who happened 10 hold offices, and of course he
was not alluding to any member of that body.
But if there should be any member of that body,
who happened to have an office and who by the
action of the Convention should be turned out —
if there should be a thorough-going Lowe demo-
crat, who believed he would not be retained in
office by the formation of a new Constitution, he
was inclined to think that such an one would be
mighty anti-reform in his notions of appointment
to office.
If also there should be a good Clarke whig
who was in office, and who expected to be turned
out by the present incumbent of the executive of-
fice as no doubt he would, he would be in favor
of reform in regard to the election of officers by
the people. If there should be a good democrat
out 'of office who thought his chance of success
better before the people than with the executive,
for reasons best known to himself, he, too, would
most likely be a reformer. If there should be a
good whig out of office, and who had an eye to
the loaves and fishes, ("rara avis in terris, ")
whose only hope was in popular elections, he,
too, most surely, would be an out and out reform-
er, so far as his desire for office prompted him.
All these enumerated classes are no doubt most
purely patriotic in their opinions, being uncon-.
scious of any, even the slightest taint of selfish-
ness, that forms their judgment and controls their
action. Who dares deny that such are ingeni-
ous and patriotic? None A man would almost
as soon deny his own identity, his own patriotism,
both of which might be involved in such denial.
But he was about to release them from any fur-
ther detention by remarks from him. [Cries of
" go on, go on. "] But, before he took his seat,
he would lay down this position, that there was
no established principle of government by which
all mankind were to be governed. No such
principle was any where to be found in any trea-
tise upon the science of government. He chal-
lenged the combined intelligence of the Conven-
tion to produce an authority in which such a
principle was recognised. And surely, if in such
an august body as this, distinguished for its wis-
dom, learning deep research and general intelli-
gence, no such authority can be produced, he
would be justified in saying none such did exist.
It was the prerogative of each and every people to
make their: own system and form of government.
An admission of this right. (the denial of which, in
these United States, would be nothing short of
political heresy. ) negatives the existence of such
a principle. The right then is admitted to exist.
The right and the principle can rot both exist
together, therefore, the principle does not exist.
He invited gentlemen to give their attention to
the argument. He would now advert to the doc-
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