Litchfield enquirer., 1838-08-23
SKETCH OF THE SPEECH OF MR. PRENTlss
At the Meeting in Neac- York, on te 18Th inst.
at Masonic Hall,

AT the Meeting an Nesc- y 0rk, on ne LON ssst'
at Masonic Hail.
Fell0ip- Citizens Of The City and County q
NesD- York ALLOW me to return my most
heartfelt thanks for the kind expression OF
feeling, which through me you have exhibit
ted towards Mississippi, for carnot suppose,
nor am egotist enough TO think they are
due to myself as an individual, or to any
merit of my own but standing as ] do. !
cannot but appreciate your kindness, ana
am proud TO know that | am standing among
the Wings of New-York. come from TAR
distant country, / come to you from portion
of our own country, and address you on
behalf of part of your own fel;ow-citizens
4 am proud of my country, am proud Of
you, / am proud Of every thing American,
and more especially am proud of the name
of Wing, among you here. / feel that am
addressing myself not to strangers. but to my
own fellow-citizens. You are, in fact, por-
ton of my constituents. For as Repre-
sentative of Mississippi, on the floor of Con-
gress, am in part your representative. !
have been for months fighting the same bat
tie that you have so often fought. ] am
fighting the battle of the Wings, and am now
returning to my home to gain some repose
from my tolls I have been for months with
the harness on my back, and my foot in the
stirrup, but the battle is not yet ended. The
great battle is yet to be fought, and have
felt it my duty to interchange sentiments ev-
cry where with my fellow-citizens, so that
we may understand how the battle is to be
fought. Why should not the Wings Of Mis-
sissippi know what the Wings of New York
have done? That they know already, but
what they intend TO do. Iwish you to know
what are my opinions; wish to drink from
the publicstream, at the fountain head, where
the water is pure, not below, where it has
been riled by those above me. | know that
one of the evils OF politics is that the people
do not gather their information from public
sources. They learn and form their opinions
from the public papers, and from those whose
business 1t is to mislead them, that which is
not the truth, and under this influence they
act differently from what they would do, If
they were rightly informed. In Mississippi
the public men 60 among the people and ex-
press their opinions, and the people can then
learn what their opinions are, and If they
have the capacity to sustain them. There is
no backing out there. like this plan too.
1t is more republican, more natural, and by
far more interesting.
Island here, recently from great contest
II am Just from the battlefield. 1t was
war which is shaking the Union; il is a war
mot yet ended. 1t is war in which the peo.
pie must pause and inquire in what position
they stand, and how their troops are dispos-
ed of. 1t is great war, which involves vi.
tai principles, which affect every man, wo-
man and child. 1t is war between the two
great parties as to currency and credit. This
commenced not many years since. A great
Chief who had won one glorious victory, was
borne into the highest office in the gift of the
people, with the greatest and best principles
in his mouth that were ever professed by any
man. If he had performed the promises
then made this war would never have occur
red. But they were not fulfilled. One Of
his promises was, that the currency should
be regulated. We then had a currency with
which every one was contented. The peo-
pie were asked to consent, and after much
doubling and hesitation, they did consent
The first experiment was then made, and
that resulted in another experiment, and that
in another, and that-but will not pretend
TO enumerate them. When his term of ser
vice expired, we had not only not the best
currency, but we had the worst. When he
went out of Office, it was entirely changed
from what it was when he came in. When
Martin Van Buren, came into Office, he prom
Used to follow in the footsteps Of his illustri-
Gus predecessor, and upon the strength of
that promise, he claimed the support Of the
administration party, and his first step was
10 leave the track. Gen. Jackson's thoughts
by day and dreams by night were on the
currency, and how to regulate it. Mr.. Van
Buren, told the people in his message that
Government had no right to touch or inter-
fere with the currency. II was their duty to
receive the revenues in gold and silver, and
TO expend them. 1t has now come to war
of life or death, whether the credit system
shall prevail, or that hard money currency
of the most harbarous nations in the world.
In this country an attack upon the credit
system affects our whole commercial pros
perity and happiness. We have vast re-
sources, and we require something to devel-
ope them, either in the way of capital or
credit. In this country the greatest use is
made of the credit system, and there is no
portion of our land that has received more
benefit from il than Mississippi / come
thence, and can tell how it is so. 1t is more
favored than any land in the world. Our
soil scarcely requires tilling, but its produce
almost seems to force itself upon us. The
emigrants who come among us do not bring
large capitals with them, but by means of
the credit system. Mississippi is now advan-
ced more than one half in ten years, and if
that is to be destroyed, we will 60 back ma
ny 10 years at once. Here in this city, by
the use of credit, you obtain the use and adj
vantages of the capital of foreign counties
Look at the different governments, and in
those where the credit system is in use, you
will seesit extended in proportion to the lib
erty enjoyed and the freedom allowed. If
you 60 TO country where it is not known,
you 60 q despotic government Go to Tur-
key. There you viii see that while one
hand extends the goods for sale, the other is
held out for the gold or silver that is to pay
for them No man there trusts his fellow
man, and is this system for such a country
as ours This great outcry which has been
made against the banks, is founded in preju-
few corporations. Banking is nothing more
than the use of credit allowed by law. How