Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1824-04-06

PrihCiPieS,J FORA pace 10 SIT IN. ana now tiiey
had room, 1t was more like dungeon than any
thing else. Ithad a single window looking to-
wards some interior part of the building, into
which the sun never darted ray. This might
be called a triflc-and tri1e it certainly was
but feathers shew how the wind blows. This
was not all. majority of the committee were
III favor OF the protecting duty system, no doubt
honestly, conscientiously. But, whilst the manu-
facturers were provided with a committee, to
prepare, organize, and concentrate The means OF
attack, the agriculturists had committee 10
prepare, organize, and concentrate the means
OF defence. lie owed II to Justice to say, that
he had the best reason To believe, that the COM
position of the committee was purely the result
OF accident or inadyertence--and inadv ertence
To the concerns OF agriculture no, one had a
right to IInpute, as fault, to another, for all
were equally culpable. But, if it were adyan-
tage at all to have committee, it was one
which the agriculturists to change tllci, conduct,
if they did not wish to be driven to choose be-
tween the alternatives of ruin and resistance.
But the Speaker had told us, that he had known
several tariffs to pass through the House. accom-
panied In every instance, with the predictions of
ruin or resistance.
| But the predictions wore not verified : no re-
sistancc had taken place. He asked the honor
able Speaker. whether il was doing justice to
his own liberality, to his own philanthropy, to
| use this language? Was it not cruel, was it not
to taunt us, thus to extract from our patience
forbcaranCc, and long-sulfermg, an argument
for putting them to still severer trial? What
because the mechanical pressure has not yet de-
pressed the spring TO the point of reaction, shall
1t be increased Because the degree of ten
sion has not been sufficient TO snap the cord, are
| further experiments to be made, in order to as
certain its strength Political writers had ire
quently predicted, that the national debt of
| Great Britain would ruin the nation. Their
predictions had not proved true-not that they
were mistaken lii supposing the national debt
i to be an evil but they had miscalcuated the
4 prodigious productive powers of the country
and its capacity to resist the evil. So the agri-
cuituraiists OF the south, in predicting that the
UNJUST and oppressive system pursued towards
them, would produce resistance, were not mis-
taken as to the ruinous effect ofthe system; but
they had mscalculated their capacity of endu-
rance, in comparison with their sense of suffer.
ling-they had moderated their attachment to
the Union, compared with their ability TO endure
oppression. The Speaker would not undertake
to deny, that the Southern States were in ruin
GUS condition. What the cause? Vain
and visionary philosophers had speculated ON
these causes. Some had ascnbed them to sla-
very, some to climate, ardent spirits, tobacco 6
to other fantastic causcs-but VIC had ALWAYS
had these things, and had somtimes enjoyed We
~ great prosperity; these, therefore, were not
the causes. 1t was nothing more nor less than
this the taxation of the General Government
did not leave us income enough to appropriate
to the Improvement of the soil. Our laws had
made the profits of capital greater than the pro-
fits land and labor. 1T was this that had dri-
ves<-oIr population into distant lands reduced
them to bcggary, and spread desolation over the
country. He admitted the influence of state le-
gisation, and the refusal of foreigners TO receive
our agricultural products. But what was the
instrument by which the state legislatures, IN
the South, had produced the greatest mischief,
1t was banks. And what gave rise to them ?
/ The General Government had created mo-
! neyed interest in the Northern States. Banks
were established for the benefit of the capitalist
and, when the southern States adopted them,
! the argument was-at least nc knew this to be
/ the case as respected ViTginia-that they were
necessary, to avoid being tributaries to the
| Northern banks. Asregnrls orr exclusion from
foreign markets, he conceded that ii was.in some
degree owing to the general pacihcation in Eu-
rope, which had liberated great deal of labor
that had been then applied to agriculture but
1T was also, in some measure, owing to our own
policy. BY our heavy duties, we augmented
| the price OF foreign manufactures diminished
| our consumption of them; thus compelled the
| manufacturers to turn agrcutursts and they
complained that they would not receive our
bread stufIs Why, the true remedy for this
! was 10 reverse our system, to retrace our steps,
i sumption, and thus to tempt agricultural labor
10 find more profitable employment. He had
no sort of doubt, that if, bya dininution of price
or by increased means of purchasing, we could
consume double the quantity of foreign manu-
features, we should give stimulus to manufac-
turing industry, which would attract agricultu-
raj labor from the poor lands to which it had
been obliged to resort, for want of better en-
ployment and thus, by diminishing the quantity
of bread stulfs, which were produced at very
great cost, below the domestic consumption,
compel foreign nations again to open their ports
to US. After all, the General Government was
the great cn,sSa causanS of our distrcsses.
But the Speaker had said, that while the
South declared that it would be ruined ,citt the
tariff, other portions Of the country asserted,
with equal confidence, that they would be rtl-
ined ,oithod it, and that this was government
IN which the majority must govern. Surprising
the latter assertion to be true, he asked whether
one portion of the country had right 10 save it.
self from ruin by running another If the small
lest members oftbe confederacy would be ru-
iued by system of taxation, the federal govern
ment would have right TO adopt it ; for, in
order to preserve tue political relation Of the
states, the constitutions in granting the power OF
4 taxation, even for the great purposes of the
common defence and general welfare, had pre-
scribed equality as the indispensable condition
of its exercise. That this system tcouM ruin
the Southern states, he was prepared TO show
whenever the general question came TO be dis
cussed.--The Southern states, said Mr.. c.. have
been the victims ofthe policy Of this government
ever since its commencement. They have
borne nearly the whole burthen Of taxation.
Tic funding, banking, protecting duty, and
r Al.