Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1838-01-04

statement in the House, said, "What | did
at the meeting was, that the petitions on the
subject Of a Bank had not been read in the
sommittee, and made suggestion as to the
origin Of the Resolution reported"
The printed report read as follows:
"A resolution was introduced into the
House from the Committee Of Ways and
Means, declaring that it is inexpedient to
charter national bank. You may feel some
interest to know how that resolution was got
up. will tell you. You will recollcct that
there were only two opposition members on
the committee. The majority ioould do no.
thing for the People, and the minority could
do nothing, except to report the doings of their
masters in the committee and The House to
their masters, the People and this, at least,
], for one, am resolved to do. Very many
petitions, from almost al. the States, were
sent into Congress for The establishment of a
national bank these petitions, Ms they were
presented, by a mutual understanding, were
referred to the committee of woys and means,
and suffered 10 lie on the table till the Uhoie
should come an, Dhen. as zoe supposed, they
tcere to be taken up and considered. SO the
matter stood t1hen, on the last day but one, ,
on which that committee sat, the chairman,
trifbout preface or explanation, Introduced
the above resolution IL toas opposed by one
opposition member ,the OF. er being absent and
the chdirnun uas ashed. ,Uhat had become Of
the petitions? They yet lay upon the table, bat
the majority rasst the resolution without U.
pcning OF reading one Of them. The resolu-
lion was sent in, and, by the help Of the pre-
yous question: W as forced through the House.
No doubt tan be eafert0ined that this resOiu-
fion came doWn from the Ereeuiire in the
precise Term IN whieh IL passed.-IIere was a
great and most manifest outrage on the liber-
ties Of the citizens. At least they have the
light to'pelition, if they have no other; and
yet. in II time of The greatest anxiety, when il
was Of tie most vital Importance that the
views of the people should be communicated
TO their representatives, here was a successful
attempt, on The part Of the Executive, to cut
off this intercourse; to prevent the Voice OF
the People from being heard; 10 erect bar
rier between the People and their consti,u-
cnis."
= Let any one examine the above sentence
and see ifit contains any material allegation.
except, that the resolution passed the cOmn,if-
tee rifhout the petitions bling real, and Gte
suggestion that the resolution its, If came from
the Executive.
think every body who has favored me SO
far as 10 fcud the foregoing remarks, must be
perfectly satisf' d that in what stated in the
House, intended to sustain and that ! did
sustain the whole substance, the entire spirit
Of the printed report. 1t is clear from thei
replies that the members Of the committee
must SO have understood me-. The chairman
of the committee, as reported in the Globe,
says i'll his reply, that she was entirely will
ling 10 submit the whole matter as it stood
that the members speech US published and t
denied, The statement Of the majority and the ex-
ia,
all go forth. and that The House and the coun-
try should decide upon the conduct If the
member from Massachusetts"
Mr.. Alherton, another member Of the COM
miltec, according to the report of his remarks
in the Intelligenccr, enquiries, "Wbat was my
surprise on seeing the report of speech de-
livcred by him, Il c Mr.. Fletchcr) and wiM
sahich Mr.. ..Sthtrton understood him 10 ackno,c-
ietge himself isfed ,denounring the mcnlbels
Of the committee in the scverest tcrms?"-
Any one who will read the report of Mr.. Ath-
erton's remarks, will see, that he proceeded
throughout OH the suppostioa tliat the print
ed report of my speech was maintained by
me to be substantially correct .
Mr. Atherton in his remarks in the House
MS well as the article Of the minority Of the
committee, accused me Of having said that
"the bills reported by the committee were re-
ported word for word, lcttef for letter, com
ma for comma, just rs they came from the
Secretary Of the Treasury" When Mr.Ail-
erton nude this assertion, exclaimed III
never said so." Nor did ] nor docs the
printed report say any such thing. 1t mere
ly says that "thc President and heads of de-
partnents, originate every thing, put every
thing into the precise shape they wish, word
for word, letter for letter, comma for comma"
That is, they draw out the bills in detail to
suit themselves.
am sorry to learn that this exclamation,
81 never said so" has been construed to mean
that never used those words IN any conncX-
IONA d. nial which ] had no intention TO
make. My denial extended only to the un-
founded application TO the committee Of what
| had asserted only of the executive.
Mr.. Jones, (called in the Intclligencer,Mr.
Craig) the only other person who responded
to my remarks, inquired if disavowed the
extracts from my speech contained in the
Globe? To which replied, "Yes; the report
of my speech was made without authority
from me-" BY this / intended, and could
have intended, nothing more than what have
already said, to wit, that inasmsch as the ox-
tracts referred to, were derived from report
which had not revised nor seen till it was
printed. ] did not choose 10 hold myself re-
sponsible, for the particular phraseology of
those extrscts, but preferred to place the
matter upon the statement had made to the
House. And it is sufficiently clear, that Mr..
Jones so understood me, for he says, as re-
ported in the Intelligencer, "Yet it now aP-
pears that while he e. the member from
Massachusetts) was holding out to his col
leagues the appearance of those feelings,
which gentleman should cherish towards
his companions on a committee, he was even
then hunting Nd materials for that personal