Lincoln telegraph., 1838-05-03
A SCENE IN THE SENATE.

"I heard that distinguished debaier Mr.
Webster some time ago in the Senate OF the
u. S. IN reply to Mr.. Calhoun who had
made formal long speech upon him of
two or three hours length. 1t was on that
celebrated occasion, when Webster in con-
Guiding his reply introduced and read the
law Of the State Of Franklin, (now Tennes-
/, see) which provided that as specie was
scarce, and not to be obtained by the peo-
pie to pay their taxes, the officers of Gov
crnment should be paid in different kinds of
skins, viz: deer skins, racoon skins, otter
skins-beavcr muskrat and mink skins
''Although republican. cannot per-
nit my party feelings to deprive me Of the
pleasure ofrelisAing good joke, or of ac-
knowledging the force of truth and a good
argument although they may come from
political adversary Neither shall they de-
privo me of the great pleasure ] have al
ways derived from the just admiration of
splendid intellect What is that beautiful
sentiment of Junius - Grateful as | am
to the good Being whose bounty has itopart-
ed to me this reasoning intellect, whatever
it is, feel myself proportonably Indebted
to him from whose enlightened understand
ing another ray of light communicates to
mine. Blu, neither should think the mos,
exalted faculties of the human mind gift
worthy of the divinity, nor any assistance
in the improvement of them subject of
gratitude to my fellow creatures, if were
not satisfied, that really to inform the un-
derstanding, corrects and enlarges the
heart
s.On this occasion agreed with Mr..
Webster, however much may differ with
him on other subjects. | cannot go the
sub-Treasury. have no idea that the Of
fcers of the Federal Government should
be paid in specie, whilst the people are to
be put off with deprecated paper eurren-
cy. 1t is all in vain to talk to me about
specie being the constitutional currency
That is all stuff The constitutional au-
thorities have fixed upon the people this pa
per currency. 1t is the only circulating
medium they have or can have, until the
State Governments are blown up and de-
prved OF their sovereign right to charter a
bank. And deny that thepeople ever can
obtain specie to pay their taxes to the Fed
eral and State Governments, when the
Banks stop specie payments. 1t cannot be
done. All the Sub Treasury schemes in
the world cannot enable the people to do it.
Do not all the State Governments at this
time collect their taxes in bank paper
And ,chq sh0utdh0t the Federal Government?
Is it any better than the State Govern
ments?
81 enclose you that par. of Mr.. Webs
ter's speech in which he touched upon this
subject with such inimtable wit and good
humor. But you can form no idea of the
effect from reading it.
"The galleries were crowded to over
flowing, with brilliant cluster of beauty;
the Senators all in their places, and half
the House of Representatives were present
His dramatic face-the smile of ridicue
and humor with which his countenance was
wrapt when he introduced the law of the
State Of Franklin, produced profound si-
lence and excited the most intense curosi-
ty. No one knew what was coming as the
substitute for specie, as there was no such
thing as bank notes at that time in that
country. He kept up this. curiosity, most
admirably for some time whist reading and
commenting upon the preamble to the law
which recited that the collection of taxes
in specie had been very oppressive to the
good people ot 4, ss::s-,inmonwealth for the
wGnt of good circulating medium, sc.
Sc, until he came to the enactment; His
ErceIlencytse Governor, per annu'n, 1000
deer skins You never heard in a thea
tre a lolder burst Of laughter He paused
until silence was restored and proceeded