Southern telegraph., 1837-10-24
Col. Clark's Reply.
To The Editor Of The Soatiern Telegraph:

tho People" directed "to the clnliAatcs for
The Legislature for the county OF jefferson"
have not had leisure To reply to II sooner. |
1t is, in my opinion, not only The privilege |
of the people to cali upon those whoare pro-
posed MS candidates 10 represent them in |
their National or State Councils, for an ex-
preston Of their opiai ms upon subjects con
ncc'cd with the duies of those stations, but
it is also their dlty to know thai those to
whom they conf lie their honor AMI interests,
should entertain the same principles with
themselves.
am called upon for an expression Of my
"vlews" of the recent message of the PFC
sident of the u. States to Congress. will
give them as briefly and explicitly as pos
sible, simply stating my opinions; it not he
ing expected That should, in a comm mi
cation of this kind, en,er upon an argument
in their support | do, nevertheless, upon
all proper occasions, hold myself ready ''to
1--WE IA reason for the faith whereunto am
called"
First, then, must respectfully differ with
the author of the message as 10 ',hc real
cause" of "ihe Revision through which we
have just passed." or rather, through which
we are now passing, and the effects ofwhch |
sc shall not cease to feel for years. can
not attribute il entirely to ''oyeraction in all
the departments of business" nor TO the
effects of the "fre in orr commercial EN-
porium in December, 1885, nor even to
the burning of The cotton sheds in Rodney
last winter. No, sr-hut to what he calls
the first impulses" of that ovcraclion SIDE
rived from antocelont causes, the same
which 'stimnlated" the hanks TO "excessive
issues" These ''anecedcnt causes" to
which he 50 positively refers, are TO he
fond in the "orcraction'' of the Executive
department Of our National Government, in
It's aborlive experiments upon the currency t
OF the country, and its usurpation Of those
powers over the currency and the rcGnla-
ton Of the exchanges, which are given by f
The constitution TO Congress.
Upon the subject of National Bank, t
must be permitted to differ with the author {
II the message. do not believe that the $
popular will" has been tricc, or even once i
unlayorabIv to the creation of 5
nch an institution. lie refers as the sumo e
expression Of the popular will up =
n that subject, to his own election, first rs u
ice President, and thea as Presidcnf. As O
veil might he say, that those elections were il
neGulvoc7l expressions of the poplllr will 9
favor OF his conrsc on the Missouri qucs- r
on; or his vote in the New York Convcn- %
on against extending the right of suffrage $
} the poor. Ny own views as to the utll- il
: of a National Bunk are in accordance ci
nth those of President Madison, expressed al
his Message to Congress, December 3, ia
Sl6. He SAYS: III
"For The interest of the community at Z
large, as well as for the Treasury, it is it,
essential that the Nation should possess &c
a currency of equal value, credit and use, m
it may circulate The coHstitu- 1t
ton has entrusted Congress exclusively stI
NTH The po,rer Of creating and regulating of
a currency Of that description" sit
Even if the question of its constitutional us
had not been settled by frequent adludi. ev
ltlonS and many years acquicscence and bi
'actice, should deem such an institution pr
because esteem it neces- m
ry, in the strongest sense Of the term, to Vi
e establishment of that which Mr.. Madi- is
N said was essential to the nation to pos fo
'ss, TO wit; a sound currency. BY Ma irC
Dnal Bank, mean Bank similar in most Su
its features, 10 the lateUnted States Bank, tn
1t guarded Gas may he effectuaIIy done eff
ON the possibility of such abuses as were to
larged, whether Justly or unjlstIy, upon Jc
&c late National Bank. Ii
In regard TO the excessive issues Of Bank hi
1per spoken Of in the message, do not ca
eny that the deposite Banks acted very no
nprudently in listening to the advice, and ga
)eying the commands of the late Presi- is
ent, to extend "fiIrther accommodations in 1rt
scounts" to the people on the faith of the tn
eposltes, which he had placed in their
lnlfs tor that purpose; or that the other mt
tate Banks were un~ise in following their DO
sample. Oh the contrary, believe that wi
@ creation of hundreds of new Banks. and wa
elr "exccsslve issues" were some of the re:
"st unfortunate results of the removal Of the
e deposltes, and destruction of the United Re
ates Bank. ass
But If differ with the MESA ge in regard arr
the causes Of the caIamities, which have
'tallen us, we differ also as to the remedy. to
ne government has led us into these diff the
ultles, and now we are told to get out of ella
EN- the best way that we can, as the 90 goi
rnment has enough to do to take care of anC
own interests If such is the true doc int
ne, that the government hns interests by
'tinct from those of the people, and that the
II has to do is to take care of itself, then dig
useless leach, "monster," more guI
&c, horrld and deiormed, than ever the tina
nix appeared to the late President in his yea
st dlstempered dreams. Bat i'll rightly the
member, one of the first political lessons / sub
or learned, was taught, that the govern frie
Mt was made by tho people to advance add
ir interests, and all the sophis;ry of the fore
ssage cannot remove that impression was
N my mind. And as | believe that the tent
eminent can do much, think it ought the,
10 something to relieve the .Deople we emit