Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1826-08-22

had over
'si" VI 'ir. dunlap. But to Justify myself asa;ust
Tue iinpntation OF unnecessary severity will ouoe
passage IRON the speech of Mr. Dunbar upon which nv
Io,"heh,s were made "Mr. Speaker let us now
LOOK 10 The authorities of the advocates of the repeal of
'csury Laws Who are they, Jeremy Bentha,n, and
Ills anonymous buffers, tie hired writers i'm pay of ma.
nagers OF the Edinburgh and Quarterly Reviews whose
BUSINESS IL Is 10 oppose each other, the maintaining
Ue interests OF the opposition in all things right or
wrong and the other, the seivie unpriricipet support
er oil the court : 4 = jeremy IScn,,am the GREAT
ADVOCATE ami defender Of usury, the same gentleman
VINO kindly proposed TO the trouble of meeting
here 10 iegsate by masking laws on the other side of lie
wafer Tor us, sending regular supple, bv the spring
ana tai packets. The gentleman thinks that laws
against cbamparty and maintenance are like usury
iaws relics OF barbarous times and should all be abb.
iished X Yet the champion of TINS iui1,,iIv
ana Ansnrdity is the champion of the defence of usv
anu Is brought up as an authority Moses and all
TIE iaw-Src!s from his time To the prescnt-ycs this
same Jeremy Bcnha,n who have had his educ alton
and degrees in Swits Academy Of Laputa and is bet
Ter suited for iurist for the Inhabitants of Capt
oN'nme'S New w GRID, Than those VITO live On the
outside of the she'll aud have the light of the
'''' =" hen II is recullccted that among these
h!ied Writer'S" are numbered, Of the most
enlightened and distinguished men, that this world
IN any age has seen--when call 10 mind the aIcn,s
The learning and the generous philanthropy of Ben
a'i VIII IL De considered an instance of unneccssar,
severity TO call this tirfe of MIR. Dunlap happy
Illustration of that species of logic which consists i'm dc
'anation-of that consuRD,ate art hich conceals de-
ieat by abusing adversary" Is il a departure from
tr or unnecessarily severe, 10 call s argument
d6 inUi,fin deducfunon Where indeed coud Andrews
or Duncan, even Aristotle himself TO whose au,lo
ry Alr. Dunlap 10 bow with submissions as well
in logic in politics, have found more apt iusra
ton of this species of false rcasonnco
Having justified myself-bcing ,ecs,ts an c,,rn ~
proceed 10 notice the very U5eyal and n,elnneniotire
production OF your friend Massachusetts will not
dispute with your correspondent, about the beauty OF
the SarO'cd extracts, which he has though lat propcr TO
make from my late essay, aud in vein of ironv has
dcgned TO call clegaDt.n Ii is sufficient 10 remark
what every one must have observed, if this proluc
ton were stripped Of these "elcgant extractsn The an
thor would EXHIBIT the native poverty of his pumarc
and like the crcstallcn Jackdaw, lose much of the
mock aesty, with which he struts Off the stage
shall not deliver opinion this time as to the
moprety OF aboishng laws against thampuriy and
maintenance. These have connection with laws res.
training the rate oil interest But if chose TO enter
INTO a controversy concerning these should be sus-
tanned by authority" at least, obligatory in ques-
tons OF morals and politics, as that of [ ianceIIor
hent-i mean the "ircd writers for the Edinburgh
Rc'iew" But bow TO reason, rot to "auihorit, ~
and when wish TO form an opinion upon any question
OF abstract speculation, shall my facul
ties and shall not apply to the authority OF Chancellor
Kent, or of the Edinburgh Reviewers TO sustain INV
false doctrines For The talents lear ming and eminent
distinction at Chancellor Kent profess the profound.
est reneratIoD and To his judicial decisions, Weld
ready aud willing assent. But in philosophy there
are none. but self constituted Judges and Tie human
mind Is eit To roam at will, through the boundlcss re-
gions Of speculation. However eminent a jnrist,
Chancellor Kent is not known To tho world p,ilo-
scper; and with all due Difference his opinions re-
peat, that since the publication of MIR. Bcntams u
mnous treatise upon the subject, the enlightened and
unprcIudiced IN all countries have settled in the con
vctoD that laws restraining the rate of interest were
at least, IN their origHnh h'SfihiOn, npoliiic and
absurd" sustain this position If "authoiNn be nc
cessary by reference 10 the arguments which have in
variably been used when the usury laws have been at
tacked-by reference 20 the Arguments vi Mr. Dunlap
himself A'crsis' is alwa,s conlured up-a too,
which has been produced by the pr cvous existence of
the usury laws, and the operation of the repeal upon
eXistng contracts, with its supposed train of ruuous
consequences Is poutraycd i'll tfc boicst relief Tie
very suPpcstiun of this isis, an admission that
the laws were mpoc in their original institution
Bat, do not rely upon authority, take the bull by
c horns" and say plainly, that lie who contends for
The original policy Of tie usury laws at Leaf 1uO ud
hGr not enlightened and unpI JUDGED.
No great attention 10 chronology is necessary to as
Ger tam tie dale OF laws resraInIng the of inter
est and am not very socitous involve MIR. Dun=
lap INTO farther confusion" upon This subject than is
virtually admitted, by the zeal display cd endeavour
ing TO avoid the charge. 1t is admitted that laws lin
Ting the rate of interest existed in ancient Rome; but
the slightest attention to chronology will inform u.s. that
1t was not 5000 years ago. And the prccepts Of the
Mosaic law which shown in my last essay. 10 be
purely political, and confined entirely 10 TIC Jews,
P'cssy granted the prIvie of taking "usury from
Prarrcr." Nhc her have put the proper cOnstruC-
Fion upon the statute of Henry the VIII not, may
Ibc by reference the ITSELF Coke and
blackstone, and Christian, and all the English lawyers
tv lao have written upon the subject and 10 Smiths
There is ''conIusion" exhibited, in appealing TO the
Experience OF 5000 years, 10 establish the policy of
laws of much later origin
Bui it is brncss ccmtcml with an adversary, who
destitute OF pathological precision, the appca
ton Of terms, lie is deficient the knowledge of the
truc principles nf political economy. Nth what proprie
~ be sad that usry laws DC sanctioned all
10y "cxpercnce: What is experience? and that spc
cies OF moral evidence have the bearing upon
this subject "ExpeIicucc Says DR.. Campbell in his Phi
nsop'y Of Ehctoc) is contracted by example
only 1t results from uniform observation Of facts
succession of lie would have been rash
indeed vino should have Inferred doctrine grava-
ton, from the fall Of apple only Yet his conclusion
would have been equally philosophical, that of the
friends OF tho usuy laws, Wcu They rely, for the evidence
with great uniformity since their first institutions aud may
bc regarded experiment Only, from which light
mate conclusion nc drawn. There eau be expert
cnce wbou, experiments and the process Of
ing, from "cxprrcucr" which leads these gentlemen II
satisfactory conclusions induces me TO conclude that be-
portrait Of my old grandfather has hung ono
end OF ic long paour since cst renPmbra