The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-05-16


Presidential chair. But | need not detain you
upon this subject The compromise acts Of
1882 and 1888 upon this vital question is tbs
ground upon which MIR Van Buren, and his
friends plant themselves and this is the ground
upon which General Harrison plants himself, as
viii be seen by the following letter, written in
reply 10 letter addressed TO him by several Of
his political friends: M 1&
rafes ZASEsviLLE, November 2, 1886
'GESrLEMgN ~ had the honor, this moment, "a
receive your communication Of yesterday. rcgre,
that my remarks Of yesterday were misunder n
rrlat'on TO the tariff system What meant to con
vey was that had been warm advocate ios that sys-
tenn upon Ms first adoption that still believed ia the
benefits il had conferred upon the country But
certainly never had nor would have, any idea
OF reviving II. What said was that would moi
agree TO the repeal as il stands. In other words
am for supporting the compromise act and never will
agree to its being altered repealed.
In relation TO the internal improvement system,
refer YOU for my sentiments TO my letter to the homo
rable Sherrod Williams.
eWILLIAM HENRY HARRISON
'Messrs Doster, Taylor, and others
twill be seen by the date Of this letter that
when wrote the address to the people Of Mel
sou, which has recently been recurrcd to by my
opponents, as involving me in gross inconsis-
tency, il had not been published, and was ig-
hofdut VI tnt Alct tldt OtneIdi IldrfiSUn nau ue-
termined to abide the compromise act.
The third objection to General Harrison is,
that he is the advocate of the constitutional
power Of Congress TO construct roads and canals
in the States This is true; General Harrison S
speeches and votes as a member OF Congress
prove the fact and freely admit that General
Harrison voted more freely for appropriations Of
this sort than Mr.. Van Buren, did, who also is,
to some extent, involved in this charge. But
upon this question, also, Mr.. Van Buren, and
General Harrison have quadrated their opinions
70 the same standard, as will be seen by refe-
renee to both Of their letters TO Sherrod Will
liams. Both think the Constitution should be
amended, SO as to impart the power to the Fee
deral Government, with such restrictions as will
produce equality in its administration. Both
think these appropriations should be confined to
works Of a strict national character. But, fel-
low-citizens, many OF the most prominent friends
Of Mr.. Van Buren's Administration advocated
the same doctrines and gave the same votes up
on this subject that General Harrison did The
Vice President, Mr.. Benton, Mr.. Buchanan, and
many others-not to say Henry ST. George
Tucker, the president of the new hedged "De-
mocratic Republican State rights partyn central
committee Of Virginia Mr.. Benton voted for
the bill appropriating money for the cOnstruc-
ton Of the Maysville road, over General jack
sons celebrated veto. Upon this question, them
Mr.. Van Buren, and his friends are as obnoxious
as General Harrison.
The fourth objection to General Harrison is,
that he is friendly to the institution of nation
al bank. This is one Of the charges which
made against General Harrison in 1886, but il
seems without any just foundation. In 1882,
in letter to the "Cincinnat Inquisitor,n he
pronounced the late Bank of the United States
unconstitutional In his letter to Sherrod VIII
liams he repeated this declaration, and nowhere
and upon no occasion has he declared himself
favorable TO one. Being Intercepted by Mr.
Williams, whether, if elected President, he
would approve bill chartering national bank,
he answers
rouid If IL arers ciearlv asceyfained that the nub
he interest," in relation 10 the collection and dsburse
ment of the would materially suffer without
one, and there were uneqnivocal manifestations Of
public opinion i'll its favor think, however the ex-
pertinent should be fairly tried ascertain whether
the financial operations cannot be well carried
without the aid of national bank If it is not ne
cessary for that purpose il does not appear to that
one be consitutionally chartered. There is no
construction which can give the constitution which
would authorize it, the ground OF aording facili-
ties to commerce.
From this extract, it is entirely manifest that
General Harrison is, upon constitutional grounds,
opposed to national bank; and that If, as Pre-
sident of the United States, he should yield his
own scruples, and approve an act TO charter one,
il would be from the actual necessities of the
Treasury, in relation TO the receipt and dis
bursement of the public revenue, and the une-
quirocdi manifestations of public opinion in its
favor. Thus occupying precisely Mr.. Madison $
ground when he signed the charter Of the late
bank. MIR. Van Buren, IS, professedly, uncom-
promising in his opposition to a national bank,
but he favors executive machinery which is
nothing more nor less than a bank, and infinite
ly more to be dreaded than a joint-stock bank
chartered by Congress, and any that General
Harrison could be brought to approve. Misled
by the public prints of the day, / certainly did
General Harrison great injustice in charging
him, in as round terms as | did in 1886, with
being favorable to national bank, and cheer
fully retract it. In yielding his appreciation I'M
der any circumstances to an act incorporating a
national bank, General Harrison would do more
than would, yet his opinions are opposed to
the system.
Fellow-citiZens, find the recorded votes OF
many who stand high in the confidence of all
republicans, who not only asserted the constitu-
tiona power of Congress to charter national
bank, but voted for the bill chartering the late
bank. Among the number are Mr.. FORSYTH, the
Secretary Of State, Mr.. Cuthbert, and Mr.
Lumpkin, now Senators from Georgia. Mr.
Crawford was its decided advocate General
Harrison never was. This objection, then,
cannot avail
The fifth objection is that General Harrison
is an ABoLITIoNIsT, in the modern sense of this
term.
Within the last five years, the subject of wha,
is called "modern abolition" has caused, very
justly, an anxious inquiry into the powers of the
Federal Government over the slave property
held in the Southern section of the confederacy
OF all the topics that have been made the sub
jects of approval or condemnation of the Pre-
sdential candidates, by the friends and oppo
nents of either. there is no one in which the
party opposed to General Harrison have more
grossly msrepresented his principles than or
this. Feeling, in common with every Other
citizen OF the South, desire TO know the OPT
mons OF the two candidates now before the PEG
pie on thus subject, | have endeavored 10 trac,