Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1832-05-29


rive Than i'm th, process of reason hy which they |
travel, When Mundcvi.lrs by commentary upon
the Fable Of the Bees, undertook to prove that
private trees public benefits, he nude an ingc
NOUS book which has perhaps never been very sa
,i.fac,orilv answered, but To Tie conclusions OF
which no man Of correct, moral feeling assent.
When Gcri,cy, from the deepest rcccSscS Of PmIo-
sorlrv, ravcd MI argument To prove that
n,tnd has no conclusive evidence q, the en- !
istcncc of matter, ne was said TO have de |
nlorz;ratcd bcrond all possibility OF reply, that
which no man ia his senses can believe |
When we arc told that the Cotton Planter ot the !
south. aud the Manufacturer at fcnnSylvania
or of New England, have interests SO diamctrical
IL and irrccum"cablv opposite 10 each ether that
they cannot remain permanently associated as
Members of the scmc Community, VIC answer, IN
The lour,occ Of the Roman Moralist and Poet,
"Iuc-c,nlus obi" We disbclicve, and wc have a
doctrine which appears to ia 10 certain, i'll itself
tire upon human naturci or, AT least TO solve IT.
SELF into that melancholy and exploded theory ot
Hobbies that the state OF nature between man and
man is 4 state of war. For were ittruc, that the
interests of the PLANTER, and The manufactures,
were irrccoucilcable with each other as Members
of the same Community, what must be the ncc"s
sary and unavoidable consequence OF the dissolu
ton of the tic between them as fellow citizens,
represented i'll the same Legislative assemblies au-
/ thor ycd 10 enact laws binding upoD them both!
For suppose that COMMON tie TO be Dissolved, and
what would re The relations then subssting between
thcni They would remain in the same relative
p.oycd iii The occupations, and with the Same
irrcconcilcable and opposite Interests without th"t
link of union between them, which bad existed by
thsir representation in one common legislatures
with the impulse of mutual revt,lson aggravated
by hcir separation, and with all the principles OF
attraction dissolved and vanished into AIR. Could
ii be otherwise" than that tho irrcconciicahic and
opposite interest should speedily fret and kipdlc
into war, and then how would their relations
stand' Must not the weaker party, on which
side socvcr il might fall ily for assistance TO a TO-
reign Power Nay, are there not elements" in tho
very nature of the contest itself which must drive
the planter nation, severed from their prcscn. as
socnteS to Great Britain for alliance, and would
moi that alliance he but another name for project
ionl Must not REORGANIZATION prove the inevIta
bic doom of that nation so constr ntca ano so
ncghborcd! And what next! The irrcconciloa-
bic and opposite interests remain ia all their force,
and with redoubcd aggravation. War, lncIbn-
yuishable or extcrmnatmg war, between tho bro
theirs of this severed continent, and foreign am
prc to pcrpotuatc or to adjust their strife, not &C
cor,ng 10 the interests OF either oil the parties,
hut according q her To her own, ncccsSa-
rily and unavodaby hostile to both. The whole
experience of mankind has proved, that no nation
can maintain either independence or freedom
dependent upon the power of another. And III
this case there is element of weakness, of dis
cord and Of dcsolation, beyond those which have
heretofore operated iii the history of mankind i'll
the case Of nation defending itself against an
other, hy the assistance of Il third. To this the
I Committee VIII barely alluuc, without cNpali3lnT
upon its character or its consequences. They
woul, simply suggest to those who deny the power
of this cun!csicratcd Government to protect by the
energy and ,hc resources OF the whole nation, 4
great and comprehensive, but not universal inter-
est, that there is such interest most deeply their
own, protected by the Constitution and laws oil
the United States, and effectively protected by
them alone. Among the consequences from which
a statesman of either portion OF this Union can
not avert his eyes in contcm plating that which
/ tI.t fro IFS is hp
in which that great interest would be found immc.
dltcly after The separation should have been con-
srmmGtcd. The Committee viii refrain from
all further observation upon them. Representing,
they do, the manufacturing, interest of the
country they have been most auXi0uSly DESTROYS,
in the bill which they should present 10 the
sdcration OF the House, TO adapt its ,isions,
not only to the interests, but 10 tho feelings of tina:
portion Of the community which has considered
itself most agGricvcd by the existing Tariff, II
has nj the same time, however, been their equally
anxious desire to make all the concessions rcIuir-
ed Cor The accomplishment of this object, without
any essential sacrifice of the interest entrusted 10
them. For the attainment of thSc objects, their
attention III the first instance turned 10 tine
Executive Department of the Government; the
Department specially charged with the duty of la
king care that the laws should be faithfully cxccu-
tcJ the Department therefore liable to he most
deeply affected by the great change III the whole
system of revenues, and of their collection to
be effected upon the extinction of the nat, omal debt
In the multiplied conflicts of interests and of feel
! nCs affecting every purlioH of the community on
/ the approach of this event, it believed TO he
! impossible to compose them into any scInblaco of
I harmony, unless upon some general plan proceed
ing from sanctioned by the Executive Head of
| the nation.
Sharing i'll the dvcrsics of opinion prevailing
! in the community upon all these subjects, the Com
mittcc very carly came to the conclusion, that the
notifications suitable to the adjustment of the
Tariff, should be prepared and presented to the
! III ou>e first from the Department OF tho Treasury
Two resolutions to that effect adopted bv
the House in January last, and the report of the
Secretary was presented 10 the House, accompa-
MED by the prOlct of bill, which has formed the
basis of that presented 10 the House for their
consideration. A few remarks upon tine character
Of the BILL projected by the Secretary and upon
/ the notifications of some of ITS provisions by
which it may be rendered, the Committee bo-
cyc, acceptable TO tho House and TO tho csun.
! try. VIII close the present Report.
The draft of the bill presented by the Secretary
/ 81 the Treasury, prepared i'll u spirit OF CON-
promise between the two great and seemingly con.
ctin9 interests chiefly to be affected by the rcduct-
/ ion of the revenue. In this purpose il was TO be
expected that it could not he altogether satsfacto-
| ~ to either. Its provisions have, accordingly,
been considered as of questionable policy by differ
cnt members of the Committee, under the impress.
sion, tho part, that the reduction of the re-
venue contemplated by it too extensive and on
. the other, not extensive enough. 1t proposes to
reduce tile revenue 10 be raised from dut,os on i'm
ports, to twelve million Of dollars and, thereby to
remit Of the existing duties upwards of ten mil
iINna. This reduction, in the view Of tho mHnuiac
turing interest of the Country--In interest init
matcly and closely connected with it, internal i'm
rroycment, and the interest specially represented
in this House by this Committees duciued TO br
excessive 1t proposes dninution of revenue Of
than the sum liberated from its present appro-
prinion for the payment of the National Debt. A
majority OF this committee are of opinion, founded