The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-02-16
DEBATE IN THE
HOUSE OF, REPRESENTATIVES,.

/ The House having under consideration the motion to
recommit the report Of tho Committee of Ways and
Means on the state Of the finances
| Mr. BRIGGS said no should not have at this
time nsen but for remarks which had fallen from
the honorable gentleman from South Carolina (Air
khetD to-day, well from another gentleman from
South Carolina yesterday (Mr Pickens) which were,
indeed, but continuation Of observations Of the same
kind from the same quarter. The gentleman (dr. RI
had harped upon the tariff and the compromise b and
had declared. with much solemnity that he should not
violate it. Why, who talked, who had talked Of vi
olatng III Who asked for any revision of the
tariff Why were these gentlemen so continually
harpng that string Was that portion OF the Union
so deeply interested 10 violating the compromised He
had supposed II was the People Of different portion OF
the country that had the deepest interest in such
sure; yet they asked for such thing The gentle
man spoke Of the great reluctance with which he should
violate the compromise yet he threw remarks which
very plainly showed that would DO very glad il IL
were violated. The gentleman had said there were
two ways IN which this might be done the one was by
direct legislation increasing the rate Of duties the
other by such extravagani expenditure would create
public debt
The first Of the two gentlemen from South Carolina
(Mr r. had commenced his speech by warmly compi-
menting the frank and open of the gentleman
from Pennsylvania the way, (Mr. Biddle) He
had expressed the lveles satisfaction al il had cons-
dered the question Of vital importance. and had
called on the country to witness that gentemans
IN regard to It, Any just entering the House would
suppose that some great and leading had been
moved by one OF the parties here but what did the
mighty affair turn out to be Why sir the Committee
Of Ways and Means had made report on the finances
and finding they had fallen into an error Of fact the
Chairman made motion TO correct that error. The
gentleman from Pennsylvania, supposng he had detect
ed other errers moved 10 recomm the report that they
might correct any il contained Yet the gentle
man declared, in his emphatic manner that here
was an issue OF the most Intense interest and he called
upon tho party with whom he has recently united HIM
SELL TO rally, and TO vote against this terrible motion to
recommit. 1t had often been said that converts
usually the jealous Of their sect and this might
possibly account for the burning zeal Of the gentleman
from South Carolina in forming this issue, to which
| he attached such vas. Importance II was certainly
most singular. Was here any great principle TO
tend about! Mr.. b. could perceive none But the is
sue was, at all events, to be made. The gentleman
looked beyond the question before the House, and IN
sisted that the true question was, whether the cx-
lstng extravaganza was to continue, or wholesome
reform to take its place. The gentleman placed
his hopes OF reform upon his friends But, had he
forgotten that the party on whom he now relied
had voted enormous for purposes from which It
proposed TO withhold even the ordinary appro
priatons Had they not called the Departments from
day day to whether they could not conveniently
spend few thousands this object, and few
thousands more on that Had they not in some cases
made double appropriations Had the gentleman for
gotten the determined resistance they had made 10 the
distribution OF the surplus revenue and, when all the
Departments were absolutely gorged until they in
danger Of bursting from Plethora had they not held on
to the money 10 the very last, with the grasp Of dying
miser! The gentleman ought not to pass these
things He gave notice tosthe country and repeated the
oft-repeated note of alarm and warned the House and
the nation that, II II should be attempted TO reinforce
protecting tariff the attempt would surely result in the
dissolution Of the Union What occasion was there
for all this! Why should the gentleman, on this occa-
son repeat that note OF terror and alarm and in
tave higher than at former rehearsals Nobody propos
ed to disturb the compromise here although elsewhere
such thing had been suggested; but by Of the
party with whom Mr.. b. was in the habit Of acting by
of those who most interested that such mea.
sures should succeed. .
Mr.. B, said he had been particularly impressed by
the remarks OF the gentleman from South Carolina,
when protesting against revision of the tariff as
unconstitutional. And he had been led to contrast
the views now expressed by that gentleman with
those avowed and maintained by other leading gentle
men from his own state at another time The gentle
mans colleague, who had addressedthe House, Mr..
Rhett had made the extraordinary assertion that the
first law avowedly passed with view to protection
had been enacted in 1920 and that the system
had not been consummated till 1924. The re-
mark was surprising. In 1916 Mr.. B. found on
record speech delivered by very distinguished
gentleman from the State of South Carolina, an au-
thority TO which the gentleman in particular would
not object, he meant John G. Calhoun which was
perfectly clear and decided in maintaining the propri-
ETY. of enacng duties expressly with view to pro-
lection. That gentleman had then been member of
this House, and had delivered most lucid and con-
vncing speech in favor of duties for protection and
| internal improvement by the General Government,
and had maintained that both measures were calcu-
| lated to bind the Union together in the strongest
bonds Nay, SO far did he go as to advocate prin
ciple now denounced SO odious and abominable-the
expediency of the minimum it was commended for
both by John c. Calhoun and William Lowndes,
both of them the bold and fearless advocates of
protecting tariff, Had there ever been single
| President of the United States, from the days OF
Washington to this hour, who had not declared in
! favor Of the principles Of protection Never one.
| There was no exception, from President Washing
ton to President Jackson. In one of Gen. Jackson's
state-papers there was to be found most explicit
and labored defence of a protecting tariff And,
| further the man who, above all others, had ever
been the idol of the South Carolina party he meant
| Mr. Jefferson, had used language the strongest
of all in favor OF the protective policy That
statesman spoke not merely of duties for protection,
but duties of protection In 1876 when the State OF
South Carolina had been the warm advocate of
protective tariff, and the State Of Massachusetts had
been opposed TO tit was in that year that Mr. JET.
ferson, in his famous letter to Benjamin Austin, of
Boston, advocated protective tariff and said that
the opposition to it came from "the Federal aristo-
Gratis of the East" Then il was that Mr. Jefferson
had maintained that the manufacturer ought TO be
placed by the side OF the merchant and the farmer,
! and had predicted that the country never would
flourish and develop all its energies till that was
| done. Gentlemen we're mistaken If they thought to
make the people believe that the tariff was odious
| Northern measure. Not only The tariff, but internal
improvements, now so totally denounced, were of
Southern origin, "'
Mr. RHETT here interposed. He was perfectly
| aware Of all that. But the gentleman might save
himself the trouble of referring To what gentlemen
from South Carolina had said on those subjects. Mr..
R. did not care one farthing what they had said, or
whether they had advocated a tariff or no. He had
his own opinions and these he should continue to
hold and to avow, though MIR. Jefferson and Mi
Lowndes, and Mr.. Calhoun, and all the South Car
DINA delegation ay and Andrew Jackson TO boot,
had held opinions Numerically opposite.
/ [At this point Of the debate the morning hour ex-
L,ir.l II MN In. IL