The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-07-22

| 40 remote and improbable NJ" TO be cnntenpia'e'
| Indeed If such thing should ever occur, "'u"
gye evidence of a siate of feeling 10 the county
| which oftself would destroy the Uni1n. And way
should the President Wish tn oppose MAJORITY
| lnd act with a minority ? II only be when he
believes that minority TO be right, r. else when DC
thinks that mai,rity OF he people believe them 10 De
| 81, CoDoress and tie Executive hold mutual enecks
| upon each other; and This designed to force
| each to compromise something TO the views OF the
o her There can be no prosperous legislation mere
without some of this spirit OF eoncllaion'
| But Mr. Speaker, if there must be war, and moth
| inc less than war can satisfy the maj inly IN thls
| House let them wage upon the Presidents tthem
wage IL upon the minority, they viii upon thoseo
us who sustain the Executive IN tins particular ac'
But spare the Constitution; spare That sacred s'r"o
| ure with whose alars we are n wv ianiliar, anu uh
| der whose shelter we have reposed IN peace ana
| grown IN strength, for more than half century
| mas been said even of England that It's nrahes c''
taae was defended from the invasion OF sovereignty
| itself by "the mighty but Invisible barriers oil '1he
| law Sir, how much that il noble IN freedom, ana
useful in art and ornamental IN CIVILIZATION, nave we
not already secured behind the moral fences ana IN
visible bulwarks OF great syste oi Organic Ia"
| | have somewhere commended the zeal VIA
| which a Dutch burgomlster hunts a rat III dise'
| because as was said, that rat might flood province
] With how much more zeal ought ~e to chase away
/ this mad spiilt OF change, which would throw uo"h
deences, and let IN the wild waves OF human pas
sion without limitation restraint, To desolate-ahui
II may be- To deslroy-every vestige o cultivated NE,
OF OF social freedom, whose blessings have auof"eu
our wonderful progress under what believe oe'oIe
| God il he bes and reest form OF government winch
| anv people ever enjoyed. And has IL not peeh WEI
SAID that it indulge this Wild splut oi the MAJOR
| ~ IN this House, which impatient OF all restraints
upon ts W H. cannu stop snor al the iifS' sep
which it proposes The same spirit which siur"s
and DESTROYS the Executive veto will also overwh lp
the Senate It Wi, free itself of every cheek imposed
| ny the Constitution lis " II. Onr 10y one the 'im
| tations of thl. precious lnstrun ot wa oo We .
sr1yed until the IN my OF TINS House Nn''
| reign supreme absolute, and uc ntr"ll'h -
! Give any Government unlimed powers, and care
not Nv II may be elected, or by whom chosen, tha'
Government will exercise absolute MYSTERY over .'c
people. Ii it be the despolism oil one man, lh't uc
polism will be at least mlti gated ol those iee5s VI
ownership which temper the relations between niis
| ter and slave. But for legislative despousih, we
have never yet seen either the remedy or palatio'
until it has cJnsummated It's own destruction OF 'a
of the people whom it cursed. The world has seen
one instance of this absolute and irresponsible power
in legislative ma Jrity, too awful ever TO be forgot
en-I mean the assemblies OF revolutionary France
| If its measures had conceived by hends, ana
/ iuries had been summoned to administer them, the
curse of hat awe-strcken nation could scarcely
have been greater.
But, MIR. Speaker, pass away from subject
which can have no pleasure in contemplating, ellh
er as American or man. we all admit tnat Inc
President is responsible to the nation for the dcious
use of this great conservative power vested IN him
by the Constitution. Was he justified IN refusing his
assent TO the bill before US This Is the only
question which have left to consider II seems to
me- Mr.. Speaker that the President owed 1t to pubic
credit and to the country to all the means with
in his power to recall the proceeds OF The puplic
lands to the Federal treasury regret that he ever
signed the ili-starred distribution bill But, having
done so he is bound to do all that in him lies to re-
trieve that error The land is already rife with the
camors of the public creditors. The wheels OF gov
| eminent nearly stopped, 10 meet these pressing
demands, we have authorized loan upon terms
which deprecated the stock, and dsgraced our ere
dit This stock has been hawked about tn markets,
and as yet no terms have been offered which il was
reputable to accept. Does any man doubt but that
| this loan might be obtained at par, II we would
pledge the lands for ITS redemption And yet this
fause obstnately refuses TO take that necessary step
for the restoration OF public credit. But, Mr. Speak
err how is il possible that conduct tins Gov
ernment upon the scale of expenditure proposed,
without resor to the land revenue' Indeed,
might ask how is it possible to satisfy the estimates
either of the departments, or of the authorized lead
ers of the ma TO- ty in Congress- even with the aid
of this money, without resort to direct taxation or
internal duties? For one, sir, cannot be brought
to vote for the estimates OF either, In the present
condition of the country. The chairman OF ways
and Means estimates the amount of uutiabe imports
at $40 900 900; and he proposes to raise upon this
amount S27 900, $40 of revenue; besides, presume,
the expense of collection, which Will probably be
81 500 900 more. Does any man suppose that 1t can
be done by either of the bills now before this House
believe lhazaid nothing in predicting that neither
If these bills in the present state of the currency,
would produce twenty mil ions, exclusive OF the eX-
pense of collection Twenty per cent Will more
than pay all the expenses of smuggling Insurance
4 included) upon the vast line of our Northwestern
frontier The facilities for smuggling along that line
are known be great and there Is reason to believe
that it is already practsed there to very great
tent Indeed the scale of duties now proposed
would soon lessen the revenue, if they could be col
cted by des roying to great extent, the subjects
of taxation. Is il possible that can collect, as
revenue nearly halt the amount of the dutiabie i'm
ports of this country, the chairman proposes; 1t
!. absurd to expect it, The effect would be to throw
the vast commerce of the Northwest into English
hands The exports and imports would be made in
English bottoms; and the trade would be free from
all charges, except those which the smuggler would
impose upon them. And is It supposed that those
who live upon the Atlantic border will agree to seal
it hermeticay, whilst free trade pours its richest gifts
into the lap of the great Northwest Never, SIR
never The bill of the gentleman from New York
is no revenue bill 1t NAV be very good bill for
Buffalo but what will New York say to it Nay,
what will Boston, or Baltimore, or Philadelphia, or
! Charleston, say to measure of this sorti How,
then are we to meet the proposed expenditure with
out, or even WITH the land revenue except by a re-
sort to direct taxes and internal duties
Mr. Speaker, it is indispensable not only to restore
this fund to the Federal treasury, but TO cut down
the expenses aso unless we mean TO resort to the
system of direct internal taxes. And upon whom,
sir will these taxes weigh most heavily They viii
fall sir, with sort of relributive justlce-as fall
they must, if the present mad policy is persisted IN
upon the heads of those who will be the real authors
of the national calamity. They will fall SIR, most
heavily upon that section of whose wealth and power
the gentleman from New York Nr. Granger boat
ed 50 proudly the other day. They~wlll fall, sir,
where most wealth has accumulaed and the
houses, the urnitare, the plate, the carriages, and
the luxures of these who have gathered wealth, m
part from the taxation imposed on others, will bear
the burdens which once they placed on tho who
have been nearly beggared by their exacons. If
gentlemen choose to persist IN alternating the pubic
lands and in swelling the public expenditures, let
them take the inevitable consequences of property