Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1833-03-11

charge. The time alone, al whlch this C"a' 80
of disappointed ambition IS founded. VIII, OF u.
self. repei it in the eye of every unprecedented ana
honest man. The doc trne which lie now susiains.
under the present difficulties, he openly a'o3ea
and maintained immediately after the act Of S2o,
that bill of denominations" as it has been 80 Of.
ten and properly termed. Was he at that period
disappointed IN any views of ambition which he
might be supDused to entertain? He was wee
President of the United S. tes, elected by an
overwhelming majority He wa, candidate
for re election on the ticket with General Jack
son himself, with a certain prospect of triu'n-
Dhant success of that ticket, and with TAR
prospect Of the highest off e TO which an Ameri-
can CITIZEN could aspire. What was his course
under these prospec tsl Md he look to his own
advancement. or to an honest and faithiuI h's
charge OF his duty? Let facts speak tor them
selves.
When the bill to which he had referred came
from the other House To the Senate, the almost
universal impression was, that its fate would de-
pend upon his casting vote. 1t was known that,
as the bill then STOOD the Senate was nearly equal
y divided. and as it was combined measure,
originating with the politicians and manu'actur'
ers. AMI intended as much to bear upon the pre-
sidential election as to protect manufactures, u
was Oeileved that. as a stroke OF political poll
oy, its fate would be made TO depend on his vote.
in order to defeat General Jackson election. as
well as his The friends of General jack
son were alarmed, aud he. (Mr. c. was earnest,
ly entreatcd to leave the chair, III order to ayold
the responsibility, under the plausible argument
that If the Senate should be equally divided. the
bill would be lost without the aid OF his casting
vote. The reply TO this entreaty "as' thar no
consideration, personal TO himself, could induce
4 4. h, raI
| the measure as of the ,nost dangerous character,
calculated to produce the most fearful crisis; that
the payment Of the public debt was just at hand.
and that the great increase OF revenue which II
would pour iuto the Treasury would accelerate
the approach of that perud: and that the coun'
try would be placed in the most trying ct all ST.
tuatiuns; with an immense revenue. without the
means Of absorption, upon any legitimate or con-
| s,ltutnnal object of appropriation, and would be
compelled to submit 10 all the corruptng conse-
| Quences of large surplus, or TO make sudden
| reduction of the rates of duties, which would
! prove rulnous to the very interests which were
then forcin. the passage Of the bill Under these
| views. he determined 20 remain IN the char, and
if the bill came to him, 10 give his casting vote
against IT. and in doing So. Ia give his reasons at
| large ;>but at the same time, he informed his
friends that he would retire from the ticket, so
that the election of General Jackson might not
he embarrassed by any act Of his. Sir. (saId Mr..
CT was amazed at the folly and nfauaiion at
that period. So completely absorbed was Con-
gress in the game of ambition and dvarlce, from
the double impulse of the manufacturers and po-
luicans, that none but few appeared to antici-
pate the present crisis, at which now all are alarm
ed; but which is the inevitable result Of what
was then done. AS to himself, he clearly fore
saw what has since followed. The road OF am
biton lay open before him; he had but to follow
the corrupt tendency Of the tmes-but he chose
to tread the rugged path of duty.
! 1t was thus that the reasonable hope OF relief.
through the election of Gen Jackson. was blast
Ell; but still, one other hope renamed; that the
fiiaI discharge of the public debt. an event near
| at hand, YOU'D remove our burden. That event
would leave in tie Treasury large surplus;
surplus that could not BIZ expended under the
must extrayagant schemes Of appropriation, hav
Ing the least color OF decency or son,tiutionaliy
That event, at last, arrived Al the last session
Of Congress. It va, ayowpd On all sides. that the
public debt for all practical purposes. vas. IN
fact. pad: thr small surplus remaining being near.
" covered By the money N The treasury aud the
| bonds for duties which had already accrued; but
with the arrival of tins event, our last hope vas
doomed TO be- disappointed. After long session
| Of many months. aud the most earnest efirrt on
the part of South Carolina and the other south.
ern States, TO obIan relief, all that could be ef
fected was a small reduction in the amount OF
| the duties; but a reduction OF such character.
| that while il diminished the amount OF burden.
distributed that burden more uneQuaiy than
| even the obnoxious act of 1928: reversing the
principle adopted ny the blIrof 1916, OF LAYING
higher duties on The unprotected than The protect.
ed articles, BY repeating almost entirely the du-
ties laid upon the former, and imposing the bur-
den almost entirely on the latter. Ii was th1s,
that instead of reief-instead Of an equal dlstrl'
button of the burdens and benefits of the govern
men,. on the payment Of the debt as had been
fondly anticipated, the duties were so arranged
as to he in fact, bounties on one side, and taxa
ton on the other, and thus placing the two great
sections of the country in direct conflict IN re-
ference to its fiscal action. and thereby letting IN
that food of political corruption which threatens
to sweep away our Constitution and our liberty.
Il nj, uuiust " as ufn.