Litchfield enquirer., 1830-03-11

person now occupying '"O
 Senate. has changed his oPlnIonS on Ine snbiect of Internal Improvements! From nothing ever said to me, sir, have ! had reason to know of any change in the oPln- ;ops of the person filling the Chair of the Senate. If such change has taken place. ! regret it I speak generally of the State of South Carolina. Individuals we know there arc, who hold opinions favorable to the power. An application for its exer- else, in behalf of public work in South Carolina itself, is now pending. believe, in the other House, presented by members from that State.
 Ihave thus, sir, perhaps not without some tediOusness of detail, shown, that II am m error, on the subject of internal improve ments, how, and in what company fell into that error. IfI am wrong, 1t Is apparent who misled me.
 20 to other remarks of the hon. member and have to complain of an entire mlsap- prehension fwhat said. on the subject Of the national deht-'thoush can hardly per ceive how any one could misunderstood me. What I said was, not that l wished to put off the paysnent of the debt, but. on the con trary, that ! had always voted for every measure for it's reduction, as uniformly as the gentleman himself. He seems to claim the exclusive merit ofa disposition to reduce the public charge do not allow it to him. Az a debt, I was, am.for paying il because it iS charge on our finances, and on the industry of the country. But, observed, that thought Iperceivetl morbid feryor on that subject; an excessive anxiety to pay offthe debt; not 30 much because it is debt simply, as be- cause, while it lasts, it furnishes one Objec- tiOn to disunion. It is tie of common in- ,IS IAalfn p,ph motive to the hon. member himself; but that there is such feeling in existence, have not a particle of doubt. The most l said was, that if one effect of the debt was to strength en our Union, that effect, itself, was not re- gretted by me, however much others might regret it. The gentleman has not seen how to reply to this, otherwise than by supposing me to have advanced the doctrine, that na- tional debt is a national blessing. Others, must hope, will fiud less difficulty in under standing me. l distinctly aud pointedIy cautioned the hon. member not to under stand me as expressing an opinion favorable to the continuance of the debt. Irepeated this caution, and repeated 1t moro than once but ii was thrown away.
 On yet another point, was still more un- accountaby misunderstood. The gentleman had haranSued against consolidation" told him. in reply, that there was one kind of consolidation to which l Was attached and that was, the CONSOLIDATION OF OUR UNION; and that this was precisely that con- sOlidation tO which feared others were not attached. That such consolidation was the very end of the constitutioR-the leading ob- ject. as they had informed ns themselves, which its framers had kePtin view. turned to their communication, and read their very worlds" the consolidation Ot the UniOn = and expressed my drvo votion to this sort ol consolidation. said, in terms, that wish ed not. in the slightest degree, to augment the powers of this Government; that my object was to preserve. not t0 enlarge; and that by consolidating the Union understood no more than the strengthening of the Union. and perpetuating it.. Having been thus ex- plicit; having thus read from ihe printed book, the precise words which adopted, as expressing my own sentiments, It passes comprehension. how any man could under stand me as contending for an extension of the powers of the Government, or f"r con so!idation. in that odious sense. in which 1t means an accommodation ID the Federal Gov crnment. of the powers property belonging to the States.
 1 repeat. sir. that, in adopting the sentl- mcut of the framers of the Constitution, l read their language audibly, and word for word and pointed out the distnctlon' Just as fully as have now done. between the con solidaiion of the Union and that other obnox- ious consolidation, which disclaimed. And vet the hon. member misunderstood me. The gentleman had said that he wished for no fix ed revenue-nOt shilling. If, by word, he could convert the Capitol into gold. he would not do il. Why all this fear of rsve- nue /! Why, sir, because. as the gentleman told us, it tends to consolidation. Now this can mean neither moro nor less than that d common revenue is common interest, and that all common interests tend to hold the union of the States together. confess l like that tendency; if the gentleman dislikes it, he is right in deprecating shllllng's fixed revenue. So much. sir. for consolidation.
 As well as ! recoIlect the course of his re marks. the hon. member next recurred to the subject of the Tariff He did not doubt the word must bs ofunpleasant sound to me, and proceeded. with an effort neither new nor attended with new success, 10 involve me acd my votes n inconsistency aud con tradicti"n. am happy the non. gentleman has furnished me an opportunity of timely l remark or two on that subject. l was glad he approached it, for 1t is question l enter upon without fear from any body.- The strenuous toll ofthe gentleman has been to raise an inconsistency 'Letween my dissent to the Tariff in 1924 and my vote in 1928. It is labor lost. He pays undes"r.ed compli-