Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1833-01-22


been imposed for the protection OF manufactures TINT
thereby repealed bat an others tuu ls r the purpo,c
OF revenue merely, aud upon Articles iu degree
pected c beng Ohjec~ oi protection. 1h" Whole
nue. system OF the United States in Sonta Co oina is oh
suucted aud oyetown; and thc Government Is absolute
prombucd from collecting on' la" "a i'c public rove
within tie limit, az h, St.t. N a, forth, not ony
the citizens OF Soptb CWohh .ud At ihc Uuitcl Stavs
hut the sui iect, 70, ,.i DO - u,S ipurt anN ,l.scto.
ton quantity ucich "a Use ntu the rors OF y Cao.
hpa without the pIymcu ,t duty what.o eNrr. That
State l. thus relieved irnw uc poymcn OF any pant the
public burlcuS aud duties and posts are not only rem.
Jered uuilon ,hrou2 bout the Uuiicd S;a bu, iii.
rect aud u'uouS preference j. given the ports of thai
State those 90 o ,l, other States of the Union i'm
manifest Violation OF he positive provisions Of the conSt
tuition.
la point OF duration, also, those oggr.ion upon the au-
thOrlty OF Congress- which, lN the Ordinance, made
part OF the fundamental las South Carolina are aLo-
lute indefinite aud without Limitation. They neither pre-
scribe the period when they shall cease indicate any
coudiiOuS upon which tho who have thus undertaken
10 arrest the operation OF the laws rctrace their
steps, and rescnd their measures They offer to tho II
States alternative but unconditional submission II the
scope OF the Ordinance is 10 be ed the scale of con-
cesson their demands can be satisfied ony by repeal of
the whole system OF revenue laws, and by absainn from
The collection oil any dulles and inposts whatsoever.
1t is true, that in the address the people of the Uni
ted States, by the Convention OF South Carolina after an
houclhS tue Ncd anu hnaI determination OF the State
lnIeauoh TO e protecting system, they say, that lit re-
mains for US TO submit plan OF taxation in which we
would be willing TO Ncquiesce in liberal spirit of conces-
sion, provided met in due time and in becoming
spirit by the States interested in manufacturers In the
opinion Of the Convention an eouiabc Man ,vouIi Lo
that 1.-the whole list O ected articles should be mpor
ed free OF all duty aud that the dery ed from inn
port duties should be raised exclusively from the urpro
tected articles that whenever duty imposed upon
Tue protected ARTICLES imported an excise duty Of the
rate shall DO imposed upon all similar articles manuactur
cdin The United States" The address proceeds state
however, that hey ARE willing to make large Offering
iopreserve the Union and with distinct declaration
as concession on our part will consent that the same
rate OF duty may be imposed upon the protected articles
that shall be imposed upon the Unprotected provided that
revenue be raised than necessary TO meet The
demands of Government for constitutional purpose. and
anfia 10 1ifp
upon all foreign imports"
Il is also rts, that in his Message 20 the Legislature
when urging The necessity providing ''means of srcur
ing their safety by ample rcpeng force by
force, the Governor at South Carolina observed that he
"cannot hu, think, that calm and dspassionate re-
We" by Congress and the dictionaries OF the General
Government, OF the true merits of this controversy the
arbitration by call OF Convention of all the ace
winch we sincerely and anXousy seek and DESIRE will be
dcd 10 US"
From the diversity OF The terms indicated in these two
important Documents taken in connexion With the pro.
gress OF recent events in that qurcr, there too much
TO appehend wit any manner doubling the
intentions OF those public nctonarrs that neither the
terms proposed in the address OF the Convention nor
those alluded TO in the Message Governor vould
appease the excitement which has to the pre- sent
cesses Ii is obvious, however that should the latter he
insisted on hey present an alternative WI ich the Gene
raj Government, Of ITSELF, by possibility grant:
since, by express DIVISION OF the on.'i,uiior on.
gfes can cali CouVenon for the purpose OF proposing
amen men's, only on The app cdiion OF the Legislature OF
two-hirds ct the States nd il i perceived fat tie
presented in the address are more ,ble o
those rrtrrrcd to in the s.agc.
II Will escape attention The conditions ON which
II is said in the Address o the Cnven iou they sword
be willing acqujesce no part Of he o. dinance
While this Ordinance bears all the sccmny of GInd,-
men'a law, is TO be auhoa i've upon all within the
limits of South Caroln' AMI il abs lue and uncondlion-
IN us terms re Adde'S conveys only the hts
OF the Convention ia binding p actica form One is
the act Of the Slate, the oher only the expression OF
The opinions OF the members OF he Conventions To
! init the effect OF that 'olrmn by any terms or con.
di,ions whatever they should have embodied in il
and made OF impor es authoritative than the act it,
% he tI,a
execution of he laws Of the Union absolutely probbi-
ted AM the Address offers no other pr spect nj cir hin
again restored in the modified form proposed Than
what depends upon the improbable contingency, that
amid changing events and increasing excitement, the
sentiments OF the present members Of the owen ior
and OF their successors, will rema II the came.
1t is TO he regretted, however, that these conditions
even if they had been offered in the binding form
are 80 uniehned, GrenI upon so many contingencies,
directly opposed the known opinions and inter
csts Of the great body Of the American people, as 10 be
almost hopeless OF attainment The majority of The Stes
and OF the people, viii certainly .cnt tia the pro-
ecng duties shall he wholly abronatcd, never 10 be re
enacted 1T any future time or i'm anv no-sibe conngcnc
As little practicable is it provide that the 'sane rate of
duty shall be imposed upon the projected articles that shall
be imposed upon the unprotectcd;' which, morrow er
would be severely oppressive TO the poor and in time OF
war, would add greatly to us rgors. And, though there
be objection TO the principle properly unherstook
that no more shall be raised than necessary Tor
me constitutional purposes oil The Government, which
principle has been already recommended by the Exccu.
tive as the true basis oil taxation, yet is very certain
that South Caona alone be permitted to decide
what tho G constitutional purposes are.
The Pcriol which constitutes the due time in which
the terms proposed IN the address be accepted
would 10 present scarcely less difficulty than the
terms themselves. Though the revenue laws are area-
dy declared TO be void in South Carolina well as the
bonds taken under the and the judicial proceedings for
carrying them INTO elect yet as the full action and ope.
ration OF the Ordinance be suspended until the of
February, e interval may be assumed as the time within
which it is expected that the complcae portion of
the national legislation system OF long standing and af-
Icctng great interests in the cOmmunty rescuded
and abolished If this be required it is clear that COM
plidnccis impossible.
In the uncertainty, then, which exists as to The dura-
ton oil the ordnance and Of the enacments for enforcing
IT, ubecomcs imperolsly the duty of the Executive of
the United States, acting with proper regard all the
great interests committed his care 10 treat those acts as
absolute and unlimited They so as far as his agency
is concerned He cannot either embrace or lead to the
performance Of the conditions. He has already discharp
ed the only part in his power by the recommendations in
his annual message The rest Is with Congress and The
people. And until they have acted his duty will require
him to look to the existing stale fittings and act under
them according to his high obligations
BY these various proceedings therefore, the State Of
South Carolina has i1ccd the General Government una
yoddby, 10 decide the and dangerous alternative Of
within its Limits, seeing n attempt to execute threat of
withdrawing from the Union. That portion Of the pco.
pie Al present exercising the authority of the ate So
cmnly assert their right TO do either and solemny an
nOunce their determination TO do the other.
In my opinion both purposes be regarded as re-
vouonry in their character add tendency and subver-
sive Of the supremacy OF the laws and OF Tie integrity of
the Union. The result OF each is the same; since State
in which, by usUrPaon Of power the constitutional a-
aside, wants only The form 10 be independent Of the Union
% of gIe Stat to ,L.