The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-08-21
PASSAGE AT ARMS I'M THE SENATE.

| THINGS CHARTY.-Augusttn. .,..'. ..
| PASSAGE AT ARMS IN THE SENATE.
The galleries and Hobbies OF the Senate, for
two or three days succeeding the Veto, had been
crowded with people, anxious to hear what was
to be said on taking up the Bank bill with the
Presidents objections After two successive
postponements of the subject, the eager curiosi-
ty Of the public was at length gratifed on Thurs
day, nearly the whole of which day, viz: from
IL o'clock until half past four, was occupied, by
the speeches of Mr. CLAY, of KY, and Mr..
RWEs, of Va.
The efforts of the two Senators were exceed
ingly eloquent and powerful and fairly tried their
respective abilities, and illustrated the strength
ofthe causes in which they respectively engaged.
The two speeches will soon be published, when
the public will Judge of the merits Of each In
our opinion the address of Mr.. CLAY, will fur
nish text book for the opponents of the Veto,
and that of Mr. RrvEs text for the friends and
supporters of the course of the Executive.
1t is due to Mr. CLAY to say that, the first part
of his speech was moderate and forbearing, and
couched in terms Of delicacy and respect towards
the President. He did. not, however, we are
constrained to remark, find, in the field over
which he travelled, the slightest apology for the
President in the measure he had adol ted. He
had been nominated by a convention, in which
he would not have received solitary VOTE nor
would he have received single electoral vote,
if this course had been anticipated. He had
promised in his Inaugural Address to resort to
the sage counsels of the fathers of the Republi-
can school, and yet, Mr.. CLAY, contended, all
the fathers of that school had directly or indirect
ly approved of Bank. And if it would have
= been to commit " crime" to sign such bill,
then had James Madison forfeited the respect
of all virtuous men by committing similar
"crime." Mr.. Clay regretted that the Presi-
dent could not have thought of the alternative
of permitting the bill to become a law by the
lapse of time, or, of resigning his place. He
stated that large majority (two-thirds y of the
people were crying out for National Bank, that
Congress, and, according to rumor, his own Ca
binet, were appealing to him to sign the bill,
and that the Veto had disappointed their hopes
and would perpetuate the mischiefs which the
necessary to vindicate the course of the Senate
in adopting the bill, and thought the President
employed language too harsh in relation to the
10th, or compromise section" He question
ed the assertion of the Message that "Con-
crosses have differed" on the subject of Bank,
and declared that five Congresses had declared
in favor Of it. He inferred from the Message
IL Al. al, ~lo,,
of the Secretary of the Treasury, and expressed
| a doubt whether any bill could be framed to meet
the Presidents views at the present session of
Congress Some of his friends were, however,
making an experiment, and he assured them
that, although he should take no part in it, yet
he would throw no distractions in their way
He hoped the failure of one measure would not
divide them, but that they would go on and dis
charge their duty to the country.
Immediately after Mr.. Clay concluded, a
message from the President was announced,
stating that he had that day signed the bill es-
tablishing uniform system of bankruptcy.
Mr.. RvEs promptly followed Mr. Clay, in an
elaborate and able, and, in our opinion, success
! full vndcation of the course of the President.
He thought the speech of the Kentucky Senator,
in several of its parts, implied that the Presi-
dent had committed an act Of per6dy to his
party. Both General Harrison and Mr.. Tyler
were known and avowed opponents of Ma
tional Bank, and always had been, and he (Mr.
r. was satisfied from the best authority, one of
General Harrison's friends and neighbors who
came here on the melancholy Grand of accom-
panying the hero's remains to their long home,
that he would have insisted on the principle of
requiring the assent of the States as a necessary
antecedent to the establishment of branches of
National Bank within their borders If the del
egates who composed the Harrisburg Conven-
tion had been willing 10 try the issue OF Ma
tional Bank before the people, they would have
selected for their candidate the very impersona-
ton of the cause of the Bank, Mr.. Clay him
SELF But they avoided the issue, and throughout
the country, the question Of National Bank
was not presented to the people, especially not
| in this particular form. AS early as February,
| 1910, Mr.. r. had addressed the people Of Vir-
| ginia, and declared to them his deliberate con-
viction, after thorough investigation, that Gen
eral Harrison was opposed to Bank. He adj