Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-07-28

,hrnsclycs Gen. Harrison s "Confdcntial Committee. !"
Then they said 10 cnqurcTs:-
oIr The policr observed BY the committee should not
meet your appreciation, yen Isiit attribute he error rah~
N as and lis immediate adojSeTS, Than 10 General
Harrison. That p,licy is, 10 make ~ further dcclara-
ton Of his principles for the public eye, whilst occupy
NJ his present po s,tjon.
This was most ;Inpudently barefaced; and it is truly
strange TIA, men of common sel,sc should not have
seen and fel, the effect il was sure TO produce on a Re-
publican people. They say plainly md without eva
son: The policy Of our party IS, mat our Candidate
shall not, during this canvass, cypress htS political sen
amcnis 10 his fnlots-cii-cnS. II you do not like thus
po!icy-if you think it Improper or unrcpublican-blane
us who gave the advice, and not General Harrison, Who
took It,"
Without going over to nonarchical England, where
the rule is, S7hc ling can do no 'nrOag; his ministers
Ioaly are 20 blame, il would be difficult to match such
a sentiment as that. Who can seriously believe, that
the American People will select for their President a
man, who muU first rereire from a foolish Commiucc
bad adrice, and then aliow them 10 take all the blame on
Themselves rhcn he oLoacs III
But rs if even that was not plain enough, this blum
dcriug Committee show their hands more imprudently
still. TheT say:
18Th COMMITTEE are strengthened in regard TO the
propriety of this policy, that no new issue he made 10
the public, from the consideration that the National
Convention deemed Il i~nrottic at the then crisis 10 pub.
iih any general drc'aration Of The cicrs 81 Me Great
Opposition Pcrty: and certainly the policy at Tic present
time remains Haa'tcrcd."
This onFy was war,ing 10 expose TO us the whole plan
o:ba,lle. The Harrisburg Convention $50 the Commit
tee reminds usl thought ii impolitic to tell the people
villa, the views of the Wing party we're. Gen. Hnrr'-
son was TO follow up the same policy, and 70 say nothing
about the views OF his party either. HIS committee ad-
yisea him 10 ;his course, and he agreed 10 II,
In all seriousness, in all candor, ask the honest por-
ton Of the Wing party 10 say, what oihcr Interpretation
but the above, they CAN put upon The express words Of
the Confidential Committee.
Ofroutsc, some sort of excuse must be made for say
;ng nothing. The excuse is:
'The Generals views in regard TO ali the ImPor-
tlnt and exciting questions OF the day h"cr h~erGtctorc
hsca ricca 10 Me yaGic fully and explicitly: and those
views, whether connected with constitutional or other
questions Of very general interest, have undergone no
i change"
Let us see whether this is a coed reason for silence
or a mere excuse. The chief questions asked OF Gene
raj Harrison were his opinions in regard TO a Us.
Bank and in regard 10 the receipt and reference OF Abo-
iiL,pa petitions.
! What has General Harrison ever told Us IN regard 10
these subjects
FIRST as regards a U. S. Bank, his letters to Sherrod
Williams, dated May |, 1886, 10 which We are always
referred, says:
"Ihe question, then, for me to answer Is, whether,
under the circumstances YOU state, ii elected 10 the OF
, fce Of President, would sign an act TO charter another
bank. | answer would, if It were clearly asccr;ai"cd
that the public interest IN relation 10 thr collection
} and disbursement OF the revenue would materially SUI.
fer without one, and there were unequIvocal nIan;irsla-
tons OF public opinion in lis favor. think, however,
The experiment SFoUjd he .fairiy tricd, 10 ascertain whe-
Their The financial affairs otthe Government cannot he as
we'll carried on without the aid Of a National Bank.
Ii 1t is not necessary for that purpose, a docs NJ; 0n-
pcar TO me that oHc cam BE- coastit"tSA"Hy chartered
There is no construction Which ! can give the Constltu-
ton which would authorize ii, on Tie ground of afford
ing facilities for commerce. The measure, i adopted,
{ must Lave for lis object he carryin9 into ,frct ttaci!i-
Eating At least the exercise OH same o"e n ne poccrS
p0Sitire'y GRANTED Ia Mc GcnSrdi GCrsrHncat.
This is what General Harrison has "!Icrcioiore given
to the public in regard 10 a United States Bank. He
go H., I'D -,.A. Pal. ,,nt.y eft I,,',, 80 IN
il be necessary to carry on the !isca! affairs Of the Co
y~ernmen,. Very good. He says. further, that tie or
pertinent Of dDjn. tjth0ut orc %hoo'" 6c .t"trig trtcd.
Very proper and very true. This General Harrison
said n 1896. What does he say II i-i0: Nothing.
\ This leaves US entirely in the dark.
For observe, IN lo:G, the L, 5. Bank charter expired.
Gen. Harrison wished the experiment fairly tried Of do
ing w!thouton one. Has II been fairly tried yet: lfs", has
il succeeded or failed: Gen. Harrison leaves us 10 guess
out that. Or, is he wiling the Independent Tr a.
sUry Bill should pasS, so that the experiment might
really be fairly tried: We cannot tell. He will not III.
form Us. lie leaves MS 10 grnpc ABOUT IL absolute IA
certainty. We may 5mGgac almost any thinr we please
anon, his opinions. We may Imagine, ;hat Gen. IInr-
rison now, in Lilo, thinks that tic Experiment has been
tried, and has fu.cd. Or w may imagine, that hr IS
candid enough to admit, tia, unit! The Independent
Treasury I'll, with is various c!}"cEsand guards FIR he
satc.keeptngo Of the public money, Las been passed and
has been II operation for 4 year or two, TIE experiment
of dong without 4 L. S. Bank has net been fairly tried.
But this Is all imagination. We know nothing about il.
w can hI'" lbtillHS you IL. is ,plliLtnilll
COMMITTEE has declared: 'The policy is, that Gen.
HARRISON make no further declaration Of his principles
for the public eve.
t And the result ofthis polcy is, that, at this moment,
the Wing Candidate for The Presidency has dccintd
10 crprcSS an 0gjHon on he rCry tiryi and grt0te$t ART
mast tmpnrhant n,GSarc which. now divides the con.
tending parties. There is no other political question Oh
which the People OF these Unitcd States feel so deep
an interest as tins ri The United States Bank; and yet
one Of their candidates Tor the Office Of Chief Maris.
1 iraip lpt IA, had oivt.4rs rctuspc u commit jir,c.lI,,
thcr or one SIDE or the other. And these bad advisers,
after thus stepping IN between The People and a Pres;-
. dental Candidate, and inducing that candidate to re-
, main silent when respectfully asked his political OPT
Mons, turn round TO the people and tell them, that
though'thc Wing Candidate, conforming TO Tie policy
of his party, Will not answer one Of their questions, yet
. they hope ''their friends everywhere viii receive the
nomination Of General Harrison with S~On,ethiug dhiR
10 GGEcT0HE c0nfGcnrs''
/ 1t General HARRISON were an angel Of l;ght. and vet
: put himself INTO TIE hands Of such advisers as that,
they would blast his prospects forever TO The chair Of
. Chief Magistrate ofa free and independent People.
The ;A"st singular part Of the whole affair is, how
0 the COMMITTEE could ever have expected, h. So shallow
a rretcnce, tr misical II" People. They say General
Harrison cannot rcrly 10 the ''almost inlumerab.r
calls for has opinions. Very we'll. But could moi he
D rep.: to oNE, and causr that one TO BE- published: Has
il" not csu:r for that; Yes, he has, cf course. ~l!utthcm,
. ne poEcy IS, 10 make no further declaration .! his prin.
. c'i'ies ior IN" iIh!ccyc.' Then why make The excuse
about The innuinc-ab," calls, when they had rcsol:cd
from the Grst, n"t 10 safer General Harrison 20 reply
even to ore o! them:
They vii no'"vcn allow him to PIT forth his present
opinions on 1hojton. Tic question Of the receipt aud
reference Ct a6ritjrn petitions j. a new question within
| these four yca1s: General Harrison ncccr frhjcd tn IL
and his Confidential Committee say lie Shall not now.
Is II wonderful that various surL3iscS IN regard 10 Gen.
Harrison s rra! sentiments ON abolition should have
got aloat: Who IS 90 blame for but the Confidential
COMMITTEE: Ono word from his pen would have settled
the question At once; but liza. one word tie Committee
forbade to be written.
Whatmusl VIC conclude from al this, 1t is possible,
/, indeed, that General Harrison is not al heart an Aboli.
tionst. But do believe, and every man may clearly
see, trat General Harrison, or rather his friends, have
/, rcsolSed, BY silence and a non.coiunittal policy, Ia gam
The entire abolition vote Of tho United States, II they
, can. This IS one portion Of the Wing campaign plan,
concocted at lIarrisbur Q.
In alllhis | intend, and have expressed, nothing per
! sonal or offensive towards General Harrison He * /