Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1840-03-16
To Capt. r. A. Holcombe.
CALHOUNISM.

oALt1oONlon.
Mr. Mason OF Ohio, in his speech on the Cum
btrand Road bill, quoted an cxt,aci from a speech
delivered in 1916 by Mr.. Calhoun, which shows
that notwithstanding his absurd pieieh sions 10 con-
sistency, man has ever changed so often, or oc-
cupied such wide extremes. as he. For example, in
1876, Mr.. Calhoun. who nov fii,ms The unconsii-
iuoualIy of all appropriations for works Of internal
improvement, said
1.-THE Constitution gives to Congress the power
10 establish post offices aud posi- roads. He knew
the Interpretation which was usually given 10 tlIese
words onhn,d our power TO that OF DIES eating
y the post roads but seemed 10 him thai the
ward establish comprt beDded something more
But suppose The Constitution 10 he silent. srhy
should zoe be confined in The application of noney
10 The enumerated po,cers There is nothing IN the
reason OF The thing, that lie could perceive, why il
should be so restricted and he hdbituai and he
unitorm practice ofMe Government conceded pih his
opinion. Onr laws are fill oi IL s:anees ot nancy
appropriated without any ref renee 10 The euum,ra-
ted powers. We granted. by unanimous vote,
neatly SO, $50 900 10 the distressed inhal irans oil
Caracas, and a very large sum, al two different
times, 10 the Saint Domingo refugees. II We are
restricted in the use of our money 10 The epumefa-
ted powers, on What principle can the purchase Of
Louis lana le justified To pass many other
instances. the identical power whit Is row the sub
ect OF dist usson has in several been exer
csed To look no further back. al The last session
considerable sun was granted 10 Co pleie the Cun-
heriand road In reply TO this uniform course OF
legislation, Mr. c. expected IL would be said that
our Construction WAS founded positive aud WIT:
ten principles, and NOT on preeedenis. He did not
deny the position ; bun lie introduced these insai-
ces 10 prore The UNIFORM sense of Congress and The
country lior they bad b, en- objected ton as our
PtuerS and surely they fur Ish better eyidrsce Of
The nue. interpretation Of the Constitution than The
most refined and subtle atguments.'
Mr.. Calhoun seemed, even in 1916. TO have sons
general know ledge OF the ut fined and subtle argu-
msns' by winch The pohiicinus Of The State
Rights school def nded their princlue Of a literal
construction of the constitution, dough it seems.
by subsequent coDfcssLu Of The gentleman that
II was not until some ten years afterwards thai he
met with, or read Nj dison's famous '99 Report, in
which these ined aud subtle arguments" are
asserted in Il most powerful as well as most lucid
manner. 1hen. all at once, new lights burst ir
upon hun. statesman, who, for nearly twenty
Yeas had occupied a leading position in our ma
iional councils, and ho had risrn, ly successive
gradaiions, to the second flee in the county, with
fair promise ofsncceeding 10 the first for the first
time became acquainted With the true theory OF
constitutional construction, and discarded his old
befes'es Nov, all tins may be true; but if il is
II IS Wy wonderful In the first ,ace il is st,anre
that Mr. Calhoun knew that the principles Of strict
construction adopted by the State Rights pa,,y
were sustained by "iefned and subtle arguments"
if he had never asceraiped what these arguments
were; and II is not less remarkable, in the second
place, that these 're6ned and subtle arguments"
which lie so long combaIed AT last like lie blaze Of
the meridian SUM- suddenly bursting from 4 dark
cloud. dispeed the msis Of sophis,ry by which he
had ST long dcluded himself as well as others. But
perhaps the riddle can be incl preed with very llte
difficulty. In 1922, when he and his hiend tie
author OF those celebrated papers The Trio. were
eDdeavorlne to elevate him 10 tie Presidency, as
the advocate OF the most enlarged aud liberal con-
struclion Of the CO asiitulion,-when he was II, e
CT ampon OF The Tariff. Internal Improye ments and
National INK .-Mr. Crawford, who, al,hous h
Bank man, was supported by those who claimed to
b. the Simon Pures ofihe State Rights school, ,ras
IN has Gay, 10 the South particularly: Tie Geo,
gan Ae Mor'rca'' the Jew, sat in The Kings gate
II was MI Calhouns policy, therefore, TO be la,i-
tnd'narlan iederalis. of the Hamilton school aud
had he been elected. we should never have heard OF
nulhhcaton, nor would he now have been by poc,t.
lcal precnder TO doctrines. which at mature fpe
his judgment repudia,ed and as his speeches and
votes sow he deiested aud abhoued But. al,er
his elevation 10 the Vice Pres dency. new lights
burst upon him. For the fins, time, he studied
Maulson's Ke ori,-so lie tells us, though we CON.
less we have not charity enough to credit his asser
"on'-a"d Then he became pharisee of the sris,es,
sect. Nay, he no, only became a convert TO Mr..
Madsons doctrines, bur, like most renerates. IN.
pupil went farther than h,s pr.cep,o,. and found.
IN Mr M"d's"n's writings. doclr,ne WHICH Mr..
MAIDS IN declared he ,ver taught nor approved.-
!" oo''' cases. Mr.. C"lhoun's ambition law At the
bottom Of his opinions. He was Ia,;rud,nari,n or
'"e Po'des' character, as long he believed tba,
Tue profession OF that creed would "..nuye n his
oentp. lie changed his creed aud became a
N"''yrr. when he fund his path 10 n,.f.,m..
o'oched mp IN that direction. When Mr.. Van Bn.
&c" superseded him in the confidence and afrecious
u "en' Jackson and received ,he Presidential nam
"'''on as "heir apparent 10 The crown. Calboup
j''"ed The Wigs for the purpose of prosra,no hi.
!tsa.:- JUST Us lie Was Drositute Go.,..