Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-12-14

No. 64.--VOLUME XXAfIlI.
the vexed question of a Fiscal Agent. The Secretary of
the Treasury, Mr.. Ewing himself, proposed a plan which
ne recommended to Congress as one which would con-
cnct our finances and commerce, equalize exchanges, re-
galate currency, and avoid all constitutional difficulties.
This was the very desideratum, if il was what he de-
ssnbed 1t TO be; and this was cmPhatically n Wing ad.
uinistration recommendation, from the proper depart
iIent, said TO be acquiesced in by the President, and il
VAS coled for by both Houses OF Congress. II was
Jtsly regarded as the Wing measure OF the first mo.
unnt, and would, as such, have been met and treat.
"a, doubtless, by the Opposition or Van Buren, par
y. II was called Mr.. Ewing's bill. 1t came from
Under his heavy hand; but il no sooner came than
II was met at the threshold Of the Senate with
q 'cowl and n snerr, and was denounced as "a
'tGeAy concern! BY whom Benton No. Blu
%chnnan' No. Calhoun; No. 10 Opposition Sena.
Tor was given time 10 dcnounce il, or even to study his
reason for 50 doing. Every man Of them was saved the
invidous task by another and far different order of poll
tician. IT was literally secuted By one who had won
:" scroriquet of the Great Paciicator by acting well
IN ilines past the part of Cancellation and compromise
by one who, though nj late, since the election OF Harri.
son and his derease, mas seemed u i..so, HE orcupation
and the foundation olhis fame-who has lost his temper
in council and his tone in debate; by one who has showna
new and opposite character in a majority TO any he ever
before exhibited in 4 minorty-magnificent in the latter,
and, in the former. dangerous by one who has caused
some Of his friends to change their opinion OF him By his
being in a position to show the world what he would do
had he the poWer-by one, oil whom " is severe enough
to add, that TO make him admired, and his great quail
Ties shine, he must be ever kept down in a minority,
for the moment the weights are taken off the springs
+ his vaulting ambition, his head flies into the clouds.
- view of him in a majority may, for what | care,
: eorrasted with what ! said OF HIM in my Taylors-
~ e's when he was in n minority; and if any Of
~ I'enus. . disposed 10 discuss my consistency, !
:. : ~ change since IN my opinion OF The
man, ~ Aa1' with them the reason whether il has
been caused cy any 'icklencss in me or by any newly
.GlSCOSCEeu III I'm That LATTER has hean ,ro
ded by his parasites, anu .bav had ho,,e- NO, = rp"s . :,
gate whose fault j, is that ey,;r l. lard md and mos,a, 5.s
lost u more sincere friend tha. - naav Sc ,ha hoI,
low hypocries who fawn upon Il, favor and live he
his smile. lie, the leader of the VS. n the Ssn,te
it was, who struck with his own han. he frs, ra,,i
blow and uttered with his own tongue Tiers, w;iber.
inr denunciation against the leading measL ~ IN.
first moment Of his own party las lie b, \ re.
buked No. Gently chided No. Has there ,nn
n murmur Of disapprobation By press or part'zan? NJ
a whisper. Why Wha, good and sufficient reason
had he, thus licenced for dissenting from and de
nouncing with impunity q party measure which none
other dared to differ from much less 10 assaI: III:
reason Of tie assent Of The states! Mark that. Why,
then, dad his own very compromise, IN the very bill
which lie himself next proposed, contain or pretend 10
contain this rcry prtRcplt 81 State aSScai| Ay: but y
did not, say his friends, those who are ready to defend
him do What he will. Then, ii that be SO, it was a
fraud as a compromise! The Dictatorship may take
either horn of the dilemma it chooses. II shall not,
however, in the same breath dcnounce 'Onc man
v u boiAS 49,
they urge he concuTred with in Ewing 5 bill and
then, in the next instant, TO defend Mr.. Clay -
Consistency, deny that his compromise contained
4 feature which he had just r~epudlated as " rick
etty concern If Il did contain il, why, on lis &C
count, did he denounce Ewing's bill; If It did not,
how can it be defended as a compromise? Was he de-
termined 10 be the author OF the measure, or mat
there should be no measure and ttat me question
should BIZ left an open question: II asked 7cho de.
feated the Wing measure OF Z fiscal agent, l should
/ ca--no veto Int one who welded more power
and power more dangerous Tar than that OF a veto
Yet sfsh has been made OF one man, and mesh oil the
other and the real truth is that neither fiscal Bank
nor Fiscal Corporation, Ewingis assent nor Clay dis
sent was either 'iisl, flesh or good red herring The
| Veto was wisely provided tor ust ouch nondescrIpt Jug
glery of political aspirants; and therefore 1t is that the
Constitution itself, in It's term, comes IN for lts share OF
hot shot III this war, for containing any such 4 thing as
a Veto at all. Instead Of ] Constitutional Government
the Dictatorship seems TO desire n mere Congressional
majority Government, and when that vital change Of
our system is consummated, where will be the protec-
ton Of the minority: The majority is always strong
enough TO protect itself. The Constitution was
mainly made to protect 4 minority Of the governed
Oahs were made 10 preserve the Constitution. And
conscience, enlightened BY reason and Christianity, -
the only guard Of oaths. The freedom of conscience
and the sanctity OF oaths destroyed, all the defences oil
the Constitution broken down, It's restraints upon a
majority swept away BY q majority, where will the mi.
nority of the governed and their sacred and unahena-
BILE rights and privileges find peace from invasion or
protection from power; This is a grave and solemn
moral and political question raised by the issue which
is now openly presented for the first ~time.-Shall
we be governed by 4 fixed fundamental law, call
ed a Constitution, framed 10 prescribe limits 10 a ma.
jority, with a power. of self.proiectlon in ITS own moral
bu!warks; or, By the volatile will OF 4 mere MAJORITY,
unsteady and unrcstraiaed: Shall we continue 10 have
a Constitution: That is tie Abstraction which tie
Dictatorship, without any change III the permanent
Law, would make q practical theorem BY this war upon
leo. Their war upon the President is a fight only Tor
the succession; but their more dangerous design is,
without n resort to The modes pointed out IN the Con.
stitution, to change that instrument, at will by this ma
ioritu doctrine. How soon this tendency would reach
anarchy, and finally a central dcspo,ism, TO sway both
majority and minority by ''the concentration OF all
power in the hands OF one man, y let the examples Of
all history tench. Oar Constitutional system - ionnd,
ed upon Christian morality; and he who lightly treats
the obligations of conscience and OF oaths upon our
public officers, strikes directly at public virtue, the pal
ladlum Of our liberties. Therefore il was that some
Of US, throwing aside orr views OF the eSpediency OF
cons,itutionality of a measure, sustained the President
IN regarding his moral, religious, and conscientious OBJ
legations as paramount to all party ties, and Tar trans
cending all personal conseGueDces-But 'the Corpo-
rails guard, the friends par %clcctLeaec ofthe President
were upbraided for not supporting any OF the Wing
measures proposed at the Extra Session. What mea.
sures do they mean: The Abolition movement 10 keep
the House Of representatives disorganized until the
DIST rule was suspended or abolished: Tine organiza
ton OF the House SO as 10 throw one third Of the heada
of committees To one section Of the country where only
one eighth belonged The Constitution Of commiltees
so that if the question OF recognition Of the Black Re-
public Of Haytl was referred, it went 10 a majority Of
Mons layeholders So that il the question OF amend.
ing the laws Of the United States as 10 fugitive
slaves, 10 prevent any more New York and Virgin
ia or Maine and Georgia controversies. was referred
il went TO a majority Of non Shareholders: So that if
a question as 10 compensation for n negro killed in
the Florida war, or any other var, was REFERRED II went
to Mr.. Giddings Of Ohio, and 4 majority of non-slaye-
holders: Do they mean the hue and cry to exagSerate
The public debt in order TO raise the tariff, and make an
excuse for distributing the proceeds Of the public lands,
Do they mean The Distribution OF those proceeds with
one hand, whilst We were borrowing money, in the
midst of National Bankruptcy and distress, with the
other. The measure 10 e,ee acay the proceeds of the
sale OF the public property r what is worse the pay
ment of STATE DdtS with them-or the making OF inter
nal improvements, or the education OF free negroes, or
wha, else the States please with them, when the Con.
stitution points out specifically what shall be done with
public money and for what alone ii shall be raised:-