Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1838-05-10
THE SPECIE CIRCULAR

In The debate which took place in the Sen
ate, on The 24th OF March Gust published )
on the motion of Mr.. Upton, OF Indiana. r.
insert in the Sub Treasury bill positiye
requisition shat the Government should re
ceive, in all public dues, the notes of species
payIn Banks, several Administration mem
bers of iha, body expressed condemnatory
opinions OF the celebrated Specie Circular.
winch, in defiance of the complaints o. the
people. and OF its solemn repeal by large ma
Jorities OF both Houses of Congress, in con,
tempt OF legislative action, and solely in O..
bedience TO Executive dictaiion. is sill the
law OF The land! To these opinions we ask
The attention of the public
Mr. Aing, OF Alabama, said, che believed
theSpecie Circular was unequal in its operas
ton, and that it had done mischief"
In reply 10 Mr.. Benton, Who avails him
self OF every occasion to lug in compliment,
10 The 'everglorious Specie Circular" Mr..
Upton, Of Indiana, remarked: 1.-The Gen,
tieman had represented the Treasury Order
as blessing Ii might be So 10 Missouri
but II Was blighiing curse to Indiana. But
Tor ibat, the suspension of specie payments by
The Banks OF Indiana would moi have taken
place"
Mr.. Sewer OF Arkansas, opposed Mr..
iipton's amendment, "because he ibeup hi
IL necessary, though he should vote for il if
he thought discrimination would be made
between the lands and The customs in tho
public reCeipis-that was, if he thought the
Specie Circular would continue to be eufor-
eed. But he believed The Secretary of the
Treasury would no longer enforce the Spe.
Gle Circular, and he would therefore vote A.
gaInst the amendment" "Ifthe customs
were not required 10 be paid in specie. il
| ought 10 be so with the public lards and he
believed if specie were required for The pub.
lie lands only" (Which The Specie Circular
requires "it was burden which would moi
be borne
Mr.. Rives Of Va. did not have quite so
much confidence in the willingness of the
Executive to repeal the Circular, though so
loudly called for both by Congress and the
people, and he therefore insisted upon the
proposed amendment. He said "The Spe
Gle Circular was injurious in it's operations.
aud degrading 10 the East and to the West :
ana If il continue in force (said Mr.. Ri
think II will be impossible for the Ranks TO
resume. The hope is perfectly idle"
When II IS recol'ected that the provisions
OF ibis Specie Circular, embodied in bill
offered by MI Benton, were rejected by the
Senate, unanimously, with the exception Of
his vote, which stood, "soliiary and alone :"
in it's favor, only a few weeks before il was
issued by Gen. Jackson, in opposition 70 the
construction uniformly given 10 the Jojn,
Resolution OF I8l6,-aod when j, is rccoI.
lected that The suhsegueD! repeal Of the Cir
cular sanctioned by both Houses of Congress.
was contempIuously thrust into the breeches
pocket Of its author, and has been ever since
obstinsie!y adhered to by his successor. in
defiance OF The wishes Of friends az well AZ
foes, we leave ii Ter every qnpreiudiced
man 90 say whether we live undess Soyero.
ment where the Public VIII. operating
through she representatives Of the peo,de. or
The fiat OF an OmRipoten, Exec utiye is The
law Of the land whether, in one word we
live under free or despoiic government.
D1rg.