The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-02-21

pioniises. reply 10 such promises as
did old Quickely to Falstaff "aye, and you
said SO before Sir John. A man may be borne
down by torrent which he cannot resist.
de may be overcome by force, but il he bears
himself rightly, and preserves his mems sibi
eonc,a reeti, he may have joy in defeat
which even success cannot give. But for
myself, have no fancy for being cheated
that makes one think meanly of himself
How stands urpresent Chief Magistrate on
this question Of internal improvement Did
ne not vote for placing turnpike gates on the
Cumberland road power by far the greatest
that has ever been asserted or attempted
the power of destroying the right of travel
ling, of the citizen in his own State, without
the permission of, and paying tribute to, an
other Government.
but 10 come to matters of much more
recent occurrence Did he not, at the last
session, sign bill appropriating nearly two
millions for clearing out harborsl A species
OF internal Improvement which, whilst il is
as unconstitutional as any other, is infinitely
The most 70 be deprecated, as il is necessarily
local and partial: and must enure only to the
beneft OF the commercial sections, which are
always the most wealthy, to the exclusion of
the interior, the poorer sections, and those
most needing these aids. Nay, more, sir, the
benefit is not even local. it is individual and
Tor the benefit mainly, Of those owning the
lands where the harbors are made. Again:
did ne not sign bill making appropriation
for the Cumberland road, and will he not con-
tinue to sign them as often as they are pass
cd? No one doubts it, and yet he processes
to think these measures unconstitutional, and
fharp bo Ii oil nj
and rise in wrath whenever they are before
the House, recommend this Chief Magistrate
to their friends Of the South, as the special
guardian and conservator Of their pecu
liar principles. Why, sir, is all this Why
have not these professions been carried out?
Are those who make them insincere Then
they are not to be trusted. Are they sincere
Then they have shown themselves incompe-
tent, if for ten years, with dense, COM
pact, and drilled majority Of thirty or forty
votes, instead Of reform in these particulars,
they have been running on from bad to worse.
There is another point upon which the
South is urged to an embrace, which but late
ly was regarded as foul and leprous--the ia
riff. can hardly persuade myself that there
is any one, certainly norespectable number of
politicians in this country, who do not regard
that question as settled, and permanently set
tied. Some gentlemen speak Of the compro-
mise as ending in 1912. regard it as be-
ginning then, and that the intermediate time
has only been course Of preparation
Whence the danger Of renewed agitation
The South is satisfied with it, bad bargain as
It unquestlonably was--a very bad bargain.
But the point of honor was saved, and as
Francis the First said after the battle of Pavia,
it is all that was saved The manufactu-
rers are satisfied thay have ,,"nh ---~on |
to be, for they never were more prosperous.
Whence then the danger7 There is none,
sir, but from political agitators, who desire 10
use this topic as they have used it, and as they
would use the most sacred and delicate of
the institutions of public or of private life, as
counters in their cheating and profigate
games of personal ambition.
| understand the game, for game il is,
and here, in my place, denounce it as it de-
serves. There is one little corner, if no other,
where just denunciation will be needed
Those now in power are much indebted for
that power to this very tariff subject lit has
done them yeoman's service, and they desire
to have again in their hands so powerful an
instrument. They expect again to divide, as
they have done, the Northern and Southern
wings Of the opposition, and still more they
calculate to gain favor with each party, as
they have heretofore done, by protesting diff.
ferent opinions in every different line Of lati-
tude-opposed to the tariff in the South--sur-
prised in the North that any one could have
doubted their support Of that policy. Is it
forgotten, sir, that Mr.. Van Buren, voted for
the tariff Of 1928. The bill of denominations
one of those things, by which wise and in
scrutable Providence, works good out of evil.
/ do believe that the revolving enormity ofthat
bill, enabled the South at last, to assail the
whole policy as successfully as it did
yes, sir, for this revolving measure, unconsti-
tutional as his friends now admit it to be,
he not only voted, but was in favor Of the
Force Bill to execute, by the bayonet, law |
which he believed unconstitutional. Great
God, sir, to what have we come are we men,
bearded men, or children, that such language
should be addressed to us; such attempts to
cheat and laugh at US. For mercy's sake, if
you are determined to overcome us, do it in |
such way as will leave us some little Of
our own self-esteem. Do not make Of us,
willingly, conscious dupes.
But, sir, the support Of it was not all; he
was closetted, night after night, with the
Southern gentlemen, arraying and consulting
as TO the best means Of defeating the mea-
sure, and to their perfect astonishment voted
for it. Here we see him voting for this most
pernicious and unconstitutional measure and
thinking it so, and in violation of other very
high obligations What was the excuse
He did it under the CT ercion Of instructions
from his Legislature New York Legisla-
ture--an Albany Regency Legislature, in
structing him, who was confessedly their head,
to do that which his own inclinations and
sense of duty were opposed. Credat Judeus
apeHa non ego.
But this reason was only given at the