Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856, Vol. 3 (of 16)United States. Congress
History
Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856, Vol. 3 (of 16)
United States. Congress
Law -- United States; United States -- Politics and government
Mr. TAYLOR.--The opposition to this discriminating amendment to the
constitution is condensed into a single stratagem, namely: an effort to
excite the passion of jealousy in various forms. Endeavors have been made
to excite geographical jealousies--a jealousy of the smaller against the
larger States--a jealousy in the people against the idea of amending
the constitution; and even a jealousy against individual members of
this House. Sir, is this passion a good medium through which to discern
truth, or is it a mirror calculated to reflect error? Will it enlighten
or deceive? Is it planted in good or in evil--in moral or in vicious
principles? Wherefore, then, do gentlemen endeavor to blow it up? Is it
because they distrust the strength of their arguments, that they resort
to this furious and erring passion? Is it because they know that
----“Trifles light as air,
Are, to the jealous, confirmations strong
As proofs of holy writ!”
So far as these efforts have been directed towards a geographical
demarcation of the interests of the Union into North and South, in order
to excite a jealousy of one division against another; and, so far as they
have been used to create suspicions of individuals, they have been either
so feeble, inapplicable, or frivolous, as to bear but lightly upon the
question, and to merit but little attention. But the attempts to array
States against States because they differ in size, and to prejudice the
people against the idea of amending their constitution, bear a more
formidable aspect, and ought to be repelled, because they are founded on
principles the most mischievous and inimical to the constitution, and,
could they be successful, are replete with great mischiefs.
Towards exciting this jealousy of smaller States against larger States,
the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. TRACY) had labored to prove that the
federal principle of the constitution of the United States was founded in
the idea of minority invested with operative power. That, in pursuance
of this principle, it was contemplated and intended that the election of
a President should frequently come into the House of Representatives,
and to divert it from thence by this amendment would trench upon the
federal principle of our constitution, and diminish the rights of the
smaller States, bestowed by this principle upon them. This was the scope
of his argument to excite their jealousy, and is the amount also of
several other arguments delivered by gentlemen on the same side of the
question. He did not question the words, but the ideas of gentlemen.
Words, selected from their comrades, are easily asserted to misrepresent
opinions, as he had himself experienced during the discussion on the
subject.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account