Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1840-03-05
Correspondence Of The ". Y. EEPrcss
w ~x,,,,.-oDr Feb 18TH.

WASHINGTON, Feb 18th.
A Scotionian fog has been hanging oSel
the city for four days past, and the we" sI's
has been as near the perfection OF tne cLuo
devil" order AZ any thing you can imagine.
The last raw of sunshine that shed its lusLre
unon the civ. came and departed with tne
81 hhath since when an almost Cimmerlah
darkness has curtained the horizon. MI
CLAW, in the commencement of his very aDle
speech today, which in spite OF the neavy
clouds and a threatened storm hliea evety
accessible nook and corner OF Tue Ienae
Chamber. alluded to the gloom WhIcn per-
HaJsd The heavens, and most eloquently re-
marked that it had it's correspondence IN the
dark, dreary and distressing Affections Whlch
pervaded all classes of society, and all Sec
lions of the country. Like the gloom 100
without, Mr.. Clay said that there was moi one
raw of light to illumine the darkness OoF
pranaries were full, our store houses occuPl-
ed, but in the midst of plenty we were reaay
TO perish. The entire circulation OF the
country had been reduced to the amount oI
specie in the country, and the entlre OuslheSS
now wns confined to some eighty or eighty
Eve millions of dollars. The country was
suffering, the Treasury is bankrupt-and
even hut now, in the other branch OF Con-
press. a bill has been reported for an addi-
tional issue of Government paper money 1
come not here, said Mr.. Clay, with unusual
feelings to indulge in recrlmlnatlons or COM
plants. / am weighed down with grle1 al
the extent of the calamity which PerVaoes
the land and am here to exhort, entreat'
and supplicate the friends OF the ADMINS
tration to pause. ask them not to apanoon
their measures, but do entreat them not 10
90 so far beyond their legitimate duties as to
,,pop tho COVereIpntl6S OF
the Union.
Such in brief was the introduction to MIR.
Claws speech, and saying thus much IN
manner more effective than you can we'll I'M
agine, he commenced his argument. he ex-
amined the report Of Mr.. Grundy, and ask
ed for what purpose it had been Introduced
Cui Bono? The resolutions of the Commit
tee were but so many abstract negative pro-
positions, and as we'll might he bring forth
one declaring that under the Constitution
that Congress should make no law OF primo
geniture or establish any order of nobility,
as the Committee the proposition now before
the Senate which declares that Congress has
no power to assume the debts of the Gov
eminent. No Senator, said Mr.. Clay, has
asked Congress 10 assume the debts OF the
States. No one will make proposition SO
silly-and how the Chairman of the Com
mittee could sit down and soberly argue
against q matter which had been soberly
presented, he was at a. loss to determine
But so it was. The Senate was engaged In
the discussion of topic which nobody car
ed for and nobody would ask, tor the reason
that no man ever seriously contemplated
that the Government should assume the debts
OF the States. 1t was measure never dream
ed Of Not only the Constitution forbid IT,
fNnh
supposed that the States out of debt would
be willing to be taxed to pay the debts OF the
States numbered with millions of dollars
Mr.. Clay enlarged upon all of these topics,
and appealed to the Administration Senators
to be honest in their dealings with the peo-
pie. The effect of the Report was to injure
the credit of the States abroad, deny it as
often as the movers of the Report might
And this denuncation, said Mr.. Clay, came
from whom! From Senators upon the floor
OF Congress-from men who had sworn to
be the guardians of the States. These men
called the States extravagant. Yes an Ad-
ministration which has increased the expen-
ditures of the Government from $13,OOO,OOO
TO $S4OO0O,OO0 were denouncing the States.
And how have the States expended their
money? For canals, for rail roads, for turn
pixies and other useful works. How had the
General Government expended its treasure?
1t had gone, like him who had paid the last
debt of nature, to that bourne from whence
no traveller returned. No man could tell
for what good purpose it had been expended.
Mr. Clay then entered upon an examina-
the Public Lands. The position that distri-
button was an assumption of State debts he
treated as ridiculous one; as most assuredly
it is. He reminded the Senate of the Land
Bill which had been passed in 80, and which
wasafterwards pocketed by General Jackson.
That measure went by the board, and who be-
lieved an assumption of State debts! In en-.
larging upon this topic, Mr.. Clay briefly allu-
ded to the Tariff. lie was tired of the cry of
Revenue" Revenue" raised wherever a
distribution was named. He was not to be
frightened by such cry, and be the revenue
as it might, he would distribute the nett pro-
ceeds arising from the sales of public lands.
The revenue of the country could be made
up in two ways--by a retrenchment of the
enormous expenditures of the Government
by reducing the number of officers and the
expenses of collection, and a portion of the
army. This could be done, and if done, the
deficit in the revenue would be supplied
The Florida war had cost the Government
more than the seven years war of Frederick
the Great and six times the sum paid for the
territory originally. Thirty millions and
more had been expended in this war-a war
begun without cause and prosecuted without
judgment, and closing in disgrace. These
expenditures could be Topped of, and if there
was more money wanting, he was free to say
that he would augment the tariff, lay duty
upon silks, upon tea and coffee, and other
articles of luxury imported into the country.
Such in brief is an imperfect outline of
some of the positions maintained by Mr..
Clay in speech of two hours and more
have not given even u sketch of it. 1t is an
ADLER speech than the one delivered by Mr.
Clay upon the Sub Treasury system. and
like that it gives striking and comprehen-