The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1837-11-10

And the disich Of another poet is to its letter veri
fed gRg-
.The doctrine to-day that's loyalty sound,
May btlng us halter lo,morrow."
What honest, what consistent man among my
constituents who breaihes the air or cherishes the
principles Of manly freedom, when he turns his
thoughts back upon the past history Of this identical
Sub Treasury scheme, and recalls the relation in
which his State, and its rh0le delegation In Con-
gress including myself and his own favorite admi-
nisiraon in Washington also have stood TO IT, will
BE- disposed 10 condemn for having maintained
firmly and fahfuly-but one set of views and one
Of principles and for having given but set of
votes upon the subject Oft from the earliest birth Of
IT, TO the present hour let who might wheel and veer
10 accommodate themselves to the political trade
winds OF the dayl Ifthere be any such man, let me
in frankness say to him, separate, If you desire H.
the political band that has heretofore bound US To-
| gether-try your experiments upon the commerce,
enterprise and labor of the country, while 1t Is yet
possible they may tolerate them, at the expense OF
your consistency, and of all political sapiiity ana
the worst wish OF mine THAI VIII attend you y, ,hal
may have Ii In my power to extend 70 you helping
hand ii you shall be in mood and in need 70 re-
ceive IT, when the consequences OF your poliilcai
| instability, and Of your rash an runous poncy VIII
be written in letters that he who runs may read IN
the wide spread disruption and total overthrow OF
our common party-in the utter prosration OF indus
irwin the universal suspension OF enterprise and
commerce-in the annihilaiion OF all credit ana
/ mutual confdence--in the nakedness OF your mar
/ bors and the tenantless dwellings, shops and count
ing rooms of your citiesin your lieless and aban-
j doned corporations of every denominaiion--in the
deprecated value of every species OF properly ana
labor-and in the general debasement OF your popu-
i laton in both city and country, under the pressure
and aggravaiions of ncnrable poverty and Of hearts
i made sick by hope too long deferred.
| will not say, that all my constituents may not
honestly wheel about in their opinions upon this
/ subject, bidding defiance TO consequences, and dar-
| ing the worst that once condemned experiment
i may bring upon them Should they do so, and in an
| appropriate method instruct me to wheel my votes
about TO accord with their new opinions--as their
| Representative, l will obey their behes But my
| judgment and convictions as man, and as politi-
cian will remain unchanged, and as expressed alike
by my in 1885 and 1887 and neither the charge,
or the Consequences, of such garing inconsistency,
and political instability will rest upon myself, In any
event But have yet to be persuaded, that the de-
mocracy of Cumberland have, upon due deliberaton,
exhibited such political somerset on this subject let
| who will have recommended such performance to
their consideration, and let who may advocate II NJ
this day To wheel about in like short order upon
the subject Of a National Bank, and to become the
supporters OF such an institution as they and have
for years opposed, shoulder 70 shoulder as we have
| opposed this Sub Treasury divorce scheme, would
appear to me, and to the world, only parallel feat,
| and one as readily TO be anticipated of them. And
vet had at the late session of Congress- without
! other notice from them of such change of their
opinion the subject of national bank, since 1895,
than have had of their change of opinion since the
same period, on the subject OF Sub Treasury agen-
cies, voted in favor of such institution instead OF
continuing to vote against it. in 1885, what would
have equalled the magnitude Of inconsistency, and
eaehery to constituents that would have been charg-
| ed upon me Why should il be expected, that
| would sooner change my opinion--tha opinion
which was also urged by the Secretary Of the Trea-
sury himself upon Congress and the country relative
to the irresponsbity, unsaiety Inconvenience, and
great expense of the proposed Sub Treasury expe-
riment, than would change my opinion in relation
to a national bank Or that my constituents would
sooner change their acknowledged opinion on the
one, than on the other scheme The vote against
| the Sub Treasury scheme in 1885 was l6l, TO only
80 in its favor-immensely more decisive and over
whelming than any vote ever obtained against ma
tional bank. II, then, popular opinion would seem
to have been more firmly settled against either one
measure than against the other, II was obviously
most settled and decisive against the former Is it to
be retored that forsooth the President has neverthe
less recommended that scheme which has heretofore
found the least favor of all schemes with the repre-
sentatives of the people, and has not recommended
that which found more favor, Ga national bank, and
therein is sufficient consideration for change Of
| fronts on the one subject and not on the other
/ compassionate the man who has so much as this
of blind sycophancy in his nature. am not that
| man; have never prolessed to be that man 10 any
party; and trust in God that l can have but few
4 constituents who would be pleased, either from party
| or any other considerations TO see such for
their Representative In the Congress of The United
States, or elsewhere. ! am proud Of as have been
i generously nonored Dy, the people 1 represent,
trust am in all respects devoted 10 their welfare
/ and Interests as il becomes me to be- But could
neither feel pride in, devotion to- any people, who
are capable of becoming the abject slaves and fol-
lowers of any party leader regardless of principles
and consistency, or of seeing with appreciation their
official representative become creature ofthat order
But il was not solely for the reasons set out in the
report ofthe Secretary of The Treasury, as quoted in
! Mr. Folks argument, to which have adverted, in
conjunction with the other reasoning embodied in
the remarks of Messrs. Polk and Patton, already
copied, that felt constrained TO vote against the
| ub-Treasury BILL recommended recently by the
President nor was it solely for the additional rea-
son that had heretofore, to wit, in 1885, thrice
corded my vote against the same scheme, in conjunc-
ton with all the friends of the administration in the
House of Representatives including those from this
State, as well as other States. But, superadded to
these considerations, other views presented them
selves to my mind which no argument that could
reach from any source seemed TO refute and con-
| spired with the warning voice of the past to inAu-
ence my judgment and decide my vote against the
bill. These | will proceed to enunerate with as
| much brevily is consistent with correct under
standing Of the subject, and my own relation TO it.
But Tor the convenience of your columns, and of
your readers, will place them in distinct commu-
! nication.
Most respec fully, your obi serv't,
| FRANCIS O. J. SMITH.