Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-08-04
.sThe Sheen Speech,

Tho course oftle "Richmond Wing and "the leonan
of this city, in relation 10 the speech which was delivered
BY Mr.. Van Buren, in Albany on the 10th July, l52'.-
II anpears, that h pamphlet copy ofthe speech was trans.
nn;t,eJ to this CITY, during the last session of the General
hssemblv--and that it has been shamcfully CARRIED oy
,be yvhir Press. The article in The r. Wing, thus woven
ont of fragments OF the speech, along with adequate
commentaries from the Editor OF the Wing, was eager
i, tronsplautcd into the ]congcnial soil Of the Icoman-
and thence distributed through the Commonwealth
II was rrecdilv seized upon by the Wing Siangwhang-
ors-ond BIZ none of them, pressed with more lmporti-
nate zeal, than by the Elector Candidate and orator OF
The Northern Neck. A friend of Mr.. Y. Buren,, whose
peculiar situation placed HIM IN possession OF tnesr
facts. and who strongly suspected that the original
speech had been garbled and perverted for the pur,
nose of raising political capital, sought the necessary
information; and the following criticism was the result
of his researches. 1t is from the pen of an intimate
friend of Mr.. Van Buren,, and has every stamp OF
authenticity which can be expected or desired. IL Is
placed in our possession, with a copy of the original
speech, and we lay il before the public eye, not doubt
inr that every cnnsidcratr and unimpasSioned reader
vii! view with just Indignation the gross mlsrcpresen'
tation which has been pcrpciratcd upon the people,
Ir il is BY such impOsitIonS and huinhuSs only t'ia'
Whiggery can succeed in lis desperate ooJccts' te
world will Judge whether II IS entitled 10 success:
(From he Richmond Yegn"a@ q arr Isl isin1 -,
extracts M~ from Mf. Van Buren,; Al'any Speech, referred to to b. BY
Mr.. Goode-tle eN:s'e enc OF, OF W. I hard;b ,p"ft {" d Luv' % w. =" ."
ren'' nd"ers M, H THN "r E.E 4 S::i sHEE /" s srIsi
ava have been favored with a pamphlet copy Of this
speech. published by Crosmel in 1897, md sent by Mr..
ian Buren himscft to a gentleman IN tins State, some
time during that year. The existence of this much
talked of speech has been doubted; and II We are not
misinrormcd, a letter written by Mr.. van Buren, 10
T,m.s Bouldin of Charlotte, III l-3b, I'VE beIIeve)
was exhibited, denying the contents "i the speech.
The letter affirmed, as we hear, that MIR. Van Buren,
no aver owned but the half of 500 sheep: which at the
HIGHEST valuation could notbc worth more than Si0DO :
awe subioin extracts from tins celebrated document,
which will serve to expose the hypocrisy OF the party
which supports Van Buren,, and denonnces General
Harrison as q Tariff man, and will convict Mr. Van Blu
rem, himself, if he wrote the letter alluded TO, OF 4
sliIrit departure from the truth.
.rrhc spppch was delivered 10Th July, lsG1, before a
meeting in Albany, held TO send Delegates to Tar'ii
Convention. The occasion "i The speech war llis, As
appears from its contents During the preceding Sos,
sion Of Conuress-that of '26.21, the celebrated HOOI.
lens Bin was introduced into the Senate, Of which
Mr.. Van Buren, was then a member. Near the close
Of The session The bill was laid upon tho table, while
Nr. Van Buren, was out Of his place. The friends OF
the bill charged HIM with h~"s;Gnedy d'dgf"" the
question. To clear himsclfof tins chaigc, he appeared
before the Albany meeting, delivered 4 strong iariii
speech, in favor OF prOicciion throughout, and appealed
to the fact, that he chad inr,Strd mar, than S2n,0O0 in
shsrp AMI farms dsrot'd and 'rhich hr meant 10 d'rote 10
TINT BUSINESS, as conclusive evidence oil his devotion
to the Tariff interest.
ain the following extract, he declares his advocacy
of protecting duties, and informs the meeting OF the part
he acted in the passage of the Thrift Of le24-the high
est Tariff, at the time ofthe speech, then enacted. lie
SAYS:
at viii not be necessary, tor 'hs lmIIp,s" Of the present discus
sion. Ia 90 further back than TN Tariff oi s2L In that Year, ny
on the often repeated solicitations Of thr nl,n"' .ri"Fins interest ~
several part- Of the Union, The wi"I" SUBJECT 81 profr-'iHg 'nii"'
was IaaonousIy revised, and ihr mI"> "f tdt"s upon the saTIon'
productions Of the country, including n7 materials a. we'll a
manufactured articles, carefully and y, "l> supposed, Judicrou>iy
raw maieriai-w"ol, COTTON, iron, hrml, had, ei'S', ard all lind
Of gram, provisions, book, paper, 81. -. IN mat nm h" Lai ~
Inn. At , .rt "a hi Senate NJ a, IJr,I SIft. n IN uJT,U Ia
7ariF II INT gcfr a drchttd support. Tie Srnalr VA, :" "qnallI
divided, that although on the hnal p1,sigc oi thr hlI, on "tt"'
gentlemen yieIdri their opposition, YET through the pfnclpal part
Of lis progress IT had but a majority Of nm' ~ two ~ that body
thai. the subject would hr AT resi- Tor i ln= iin,. The amount o
capital invested IN nanniaet"rls. greatly increased, ana t me 5r,tn%
that was necessary had then been done. These expectations wcn
not realized. Applications {" Congress we're renewed At III" last
s@ r;.,S, BY , The, w ,"SilE, ma m1n@ u an" " "' was ''por''" 'p
.Mr. Van Buren SAID that upon the hest reflection h" had beer
able 10 give 10 the subject, h. though, thrir application fuunde'
in justice, and he was ready I" sustain all proper measures 10
"In the following extract, page 9, he SUM up what he
had been urging:
MI. Van Buren, said that having now stated, n fully a. Ih
lime would admit. his general view. upon the sIljrcr, H., opinion
or the <aicd policy Of lhr STATE as To The lrroprir;y aud rNpriicuc!
Of aIHrdins t~rgiAat'cc protection I" the nanGfaC,ArIns interests .
aud Ms readiness 10 AID in The passage Of all ,Uo Laws, he w"ul,
irrsisiss for a few moments, &C.
ssThe speech teens throughout with high Tariff no
-PrOfsctiOR-but We have not leisure
now to give further extracts, and must pass on to the
gist Of the matter, page l6, where the ever memorable
and characteristic passage occurs. TITS in these words
"IIe owed many thanks 10 the meeting for the very kind alien
ton with which he had been listened TO by gentlemen, between
many OF whom and himself there had, upon public matters, bee
differences Of opinion Of long standing. hs situation !" rJtr'ae
o., yr,scn, inrtsied more than s2O, 100 ia SHEEP, and farms dcrotcj
and ~hoh he mfant 70 derotf, :" that business. Mtaf al proper con
Germ for h< orn interest, and ToULd, IF course chregaRy H"ae IA a
suitable measures Jar rs GirGHtage.'
STRUCTURES on The ADORE, for tie ESQUIEER.
The extracts from the speech of Mr.. Van Buren, de
livercd at the Capitol IN the city of Albany, in July
lc27, which are contained in the Woman of the lst o
April, $50, are studioUsly designed 10 pcrvert the
meaning of the speaker, and taken BY themselves &C
complisIi that object in u manner the most d%Isingenu
Gus and fraudulent.
The first is taken from page 4, which is marked il
the pamphlet copy of the speech MOL and the scconl
from page >, and IS there marked No.
BY connecting these two extracts, and leaving on
what in the original speech comes between them anc
also what Immediately follows the last, MIR. Van Bnrer
is made to express his approval of the WoOllens Bill o
1887, not only against his express declaration in a pre-
vious part of the speech, but against also the explIc'
language OF the part of the speech thus mutIla,ed, as II
stands in the original.
First. At page }, immediotcty preceding, he thus cx
presses himself, sIf from the account he had given o.
the fate of the Bill in question, it was inferred that il:
provisions were such as he thought they ought TO have
been, the inference would do injustice to his sentiments
He had no; regarded it in that light; he did not believe
that il had been so considered by any one. AS far as
his knowledge extended, IL was matter OF universal con
cession, that the Dill was liable 10 many oblections.-
With some sincere friends Of the Tariff system, these
objections were insurmountable, and they voted against
it; others thought the bill, Notwithstanding its imper.
lections, would be useful, and they supported it
Secondly Betmcen the two extracts contained in the
Woman, are the following expressions: 'lhc first
question winch naturally presented itself was, why
woollens alone were selected from tho mass Of more than
ninety different articles upon which the Tariff Of 1c24
operated: Why was Congress asked to pass over all
those articles, and derange the adjustment of lc2i3-
The applicants were intelligent men, and Of course
sensible of the necessity OF presenting adequate consi.
derations for the desired interference. The grounds
upon which it was asked, were, that as it respected the
woollcn manufactures, the duty OF thirty-three and one.
third per centum, had been rendered inopcra,iVe:-
lst, by the frauds which had been practised upon the
revenue, and by which the protecting duty had been
evaded; and 2dly, by the act of the British Parliament
reducing the duty OH raw wool imported into England
All they asked was to have the benefit promised by the
Tariff of lc24, fully and fairly secured 10 them. They
insisted, that having invested their money, and con-
tinued their business upon the faith Of the protection
promised by that act, the Government was bound to
secure them, as well against the consequences arising
from the frauds which were prac,ised upon the reve-
nue., as against the cOunteractIng effect of rival lerisla.