Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-03-07

|
| United States Senator being before the House,
! Mr.. BAfLY and said
MIR: SrEAREn-l seize upon this as the last opportu-
nity which shall have of addressing the House iii
iation to this election. Both of the great parties have
despaired OF success; and it is perfectly well under
Stood that, after two votes this subject is to be
indefinitely postponed. BY whom it will be moved
By what patty carried, do not know. | do not doubt
but that each party will attempt TO throw the response
bi'ty OF the posiponcmcnt upon the other. But be
this as it may, know, that very decided majority Of
both parties are anxious for the postponemen!
] have right, said Mr.. B., to claim the attention OF
the House |, and the two gentlemen who act with
af tsaas w i'll. be s9s!s55ss pS 's
make the vain attempt to shift that rcspon-
sbility Sir, it would be vain. Ninety nine pollci
ans hundred Of the Wing party, will be interested
in fixing that responsibility upon US: and TO do the
history of this transaction, the record and every fact
connected with it, will be distorted and misreprcscnted
But Sir we have defence 10 make and it must he
made here, or where. We have press to defend
us.
| confess continued Mr.. B. that have another
tive for addressing the House: and is which has
mainly operated in determining TO make this speech
mean, Sir, to attack, elsewhere, the party with which
| have heretofore acted without any sort of reserve =
have much TO say which prefer to say here, i'll the
presence of the valiant Rights of the party mean Ia
assall. do not choose, when return To my cOnstltu
ents, and when unmask 10 them the GnIngs of this
winter TO he told "why did you rot say these things
which are telling the floor Of the House OF
Delegates where those whom you attack could defend
themselves As the fearless representative OF fear
less people, you ought TO have spoken out there.
mean 10 speak out here ] to speak freely and
in manner not TO be misunderstood. Sir, shall
"Nothing cxtenuate nor SET down aught in malice.
Mr.. Speaker: Allow NE TO trace briefly the history
of Mr.. Rves' relation to the Wing party. Bu very
short time since .r considered hy this party, til"
most obnoxious politician in the State. We told
! NJ
was :. umjrcrSrt and THERMAL, that the long cata-
| loguc OF crime, which stands memcnt0 of human de-
pravr might fade from the page Of history and van
ish from the memory of man but his offence, un-
touched by the finger Of time, would rcain 10 shame
our natures TO the latest ages We were told, that N
voting for the Expuaging Resolutions, h had commit
ted not only act of moral turpitudr but OF base ser
vilily which should receive rongh all tmc, the exccra-
tnn of every patriotic hrurt' Why was 1t that Mr.
Rives was considered this obnoxious politician: Was
it not because he supported actively and zcalously all
all OF those of Gen Jackson $ administration,
which gave origin and name to the Wing party :
| Which one Of those acts did he not support All,
all were cordially concurrcd in by him except
| the Specie Circular and that condemned By
a majority of the party itself Mr.. Rvcs never
suspected of dsaffecton to the Administration party,
m the recommendation by Mr.. Van Buren, Of the
Sub Treasury, after the disastrous explosion OF the Pet
1 Bank system. And it time after That even,
before his detection admitted on all hands But 1t
was perfectly vel! known, and by all candid persons
admitted at the time the Senatorial election came on
last winter. How stood matters then: minority, as
showed al the time, of the Wing party in favor
OF sustaining Mr.. Rvcs choice, from notions Of
golicu-hoping to gam an to ranks by
-!rscing with the Conservatives. Anohrr division
were ndsnosed if as eoeS b nj
tive, by the hy produced b. themselves; bu, 1T that
pass) Sill another division, of which, Mr., Speaker,
you were a very active member, were unwilling to sup
port him in amy possible ercnt. We boldly took the
ground that the support Of MIR. Rlves, by the Wing
party involved utter reckless and shameless abnn-
donment of principle Thus stood matters at the time
of the postponement last winter. We went before
the people The lmpracicables, lad every dIsadvan-
tage to contend wh-Wc were under the dcnrncia-
ton of the party with which we had heretofore acted
We had no press to defend US. nevertheless, tri-
umph at the polls conn lctc Not one Single In
practicable was defeated While disaster and victory
checkercd the fortunes of the other parties our banner
waved in triumph wherever it was reared. Cur tri-
umph did not consist in the number of impTact;catcs
elected last SPRING. but in the fact, that not one-So,
suT ONE of us was defeated. In some places, the
Wings proper fell. In others, the Administration party
were vangushcd. The Conservatives, were cut 10
pieces almost every where-yet nothing but victory
crowned our efforts Thus sustained, and cinboldcncd
bv our constituents, met here, this Winter. Up 10
the very night, before the electICn the lmpraccnhcs
were thought to stand firm. We came into this House
on the day before yesterday, and, at the very first re
we sec them, as if in panic, disbanGed, and every
man Of them with the exception Of three of us,
ting right off for w. c. Rives Although deserted by
our former comrades, who did not depart from US one
b. one, but By Simultaneous movement and ~ DO.
dy though deserted by them, We have stood firm. BY
what strange aud ncomprchcnsIbc process thus won
drous change has been effected, will not undertake
TO determine Perhaps time may disclose il all. Dat
desire that it shall be rccoeccd, that have in my
place taken the ground that the support of MIR. Rvcs
this session By the Wings, is CT questionable proprie
ty as it was the last, that the aspect Of The question
is not cilangcd-Nay, have taken higher gronnd-l
have asserted that the support of HIM by the wings
of more questionable, aye, of infinitely more question:
able proprety this winter than last even Tor the Iea
sons then assigned by them in justification of thel'
course had hoped, that some champion would meet
me on this point have dcfcd them all But, Sir, even
up 10 this time we have heard nothing but the bare
naked unsupported declaration, that the question was
r.ru march changed 7fuw changcd-in what changed
for The better; VIII no answer me? No Sir, no
cannot, will not be answered. We ask tor reasons
and we are answered with assertions! But do moi
mean to be satisfied with this, as satisfied | surely
might be. will do what am not called upon to do
!, I will establish a negative. | viii take them upcr
their own ground, and slow that the question Is moi
altered for the better for these gentlemen What were
the reasons assigned by the Wings last winter ioT tht
! support of Mr.. Rves: will examine them all ano
show that their force is impaired, not strengthened b.
any thing which has occurred IN the last twelve
months
By some we were told, that the subject of the currcn
CIV was the great question, and as Mr. Rvcs was an &C
tve able, efficient opponent OF the Independent iea
sury, that that would justify his support by the Wings
In answer to this it said, admitting it TO be tru
that the currency question is the great one, yet ha
Mr. Rives not with the Wings even upon that sub
cct unless they had been inconsistent than any
great party had been Admitting it 10 be trie tina
the Wings and ar Rives agreed in condcmning th'
divorce Of the Government from the Banks yet yol
could not 90 step farther before you came to The poin
of divergence between them. Although they agreed
in condemn;ng the divorce, they agreed in nothing
else. This position established by referring 10 thu
admitted fact, that Mr. Rives cherished plan of ADM
nisterng the finances, is by organization of State
banks and TO the history Of the relation Of the Wing
party to the currency question 1t shown that il
1884, when Gen. jackson first recommended the us'
of State banks the fiscal agents Of the Genera
Government, the entire HRgp party, acihout an indirdu
al exception erca denounced the not ONLY
! fraughl with incaculable evils, but the wors
possible system that could be proposed Some of TIT