The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-08-06

THE TARIFF.

The Philadelphia Ledger, of the 18th inst, con.
tains sensible article on the subject of the tariff.
Ii says:
''Whoeyer will carefully watch the debates in
Congress upon the tariff, can hardly doubt that the
majority are DESTROYS of preventing any adjustment
OF the subject, for the purpose of keeping it for
theme on the stump in the next Presidential election.
All admit that the treasury is bankr pit, and that
revenue must be raised by duties The majority in
slst that duty OF 20 per cent, imposed by the
promise, is not sufficient and contend further that
law exists for the collection Of this rate. This ma
lority, admitting the insutcency of this rate, affirm
ing that no law exists for the collection of any thing
will pass law without the distribution of the pub
lie lands. They know that the President will sign
no bill with this provision, and that constitutional
majority against the President cannot be obtained.
Yet sooner than yield this single point they will leave
the treasury bankrupt, all the public officers excepting
themselves, unpaid, and the country in disgrace.
All this wears very much the appearance of an at
tempt to force the people, by Distress into the sup
port of some particular candidate for the Presidency"
1t contends that all that is said about the principle
of protection by its advocates under present circum
stances, is frivolous; and proceeds thus:
''If the law be silent upon the subject they will
yield nothing upon the principle; and if the duties
be high enough, they gain all that they want in practice
Equally frivolous all the wide distinctions made
by the ant-protectionsts between horizontal and a
discriminating tariff for upon this question, precedent
can settle nothing, and law is binding only till re-
pealed. Let us suppose horizontal tariff of 20 per
cent, upon every thing, either silent declarao,y
about protection. Is this law beyond the power of
another Congress Not at all The neat, the
may destroy its horizontal character by raising
duties and repeating Others and it then becomes
discriminating tariff And will any lawyer pretend
to choo5e syllable in the constitution to prohibit
such alterations The whole dispute is too ridiculous
because the subject is too PLAIN to leave any other
opinion than that the sole object Of the dispute Presi
dent making.
We here have the truth from neutral paper-but
which is friendly to the manufacturing interest
1t says truly that "the sole object of the dispute is
President making'-and all know that it is the ultra
Federalists in Congress who forcing this dispute
on the President
If it were probable that the revenue from duties
would be fully equal to the necessary expenditures
of the Government the course of the ma jority in
Congress would be less Objectionable, or might be
justified by those who advocate distribution; but,
when it is known to every intelligent man, that suf-
fcent revenue can scarcely be expected from both
duties and the public lands, the vicousness of the
proposition to deprive the Treasury of the land fund
must be obvious to all. The game however, is, as
the Ledger says, president making"
The majority in Congress have persuaded them
selves that they not to be held responsible for the
condition of the Treasury. They to think they
have separated themselves from their President and
that the nation will hold him. and not the law-makng
power, responsible for all that may be done under
the present Administration. If the Treasury should
be left empty, it is foolishly supposed Congress will
be held gultless. If the officers of Government,
cept Congressman go unpaid and the creditors of the
nation suffer in consequence Of the bankruptcy of the
Treasury, it is imagined the majority who brought
MIR. Tyler into power, will not be censured In
word, the Federasts still presumng on the gull
liby of the peope-still relying on the effect which
may be produced by another senseess hurra, and on
Impressions to be made by new promises, to be as
shamefully violated those made in 1910 have been.
Instead of overreaching the people, the gentlemen
are overreaching themselves. Their policy is under
stood Even the honest portion of the Wing press
have denounced it as mere game Of President ma
king, in which it is admitted that the credit and hon.
or of the Government and the interests of merchants,
and farmers, to be jeoparded, if
not certainly Frustrated
We take this occasion to repeat the opinion we
have heretofore expressed that it is by means pro-
babe revenue enough be obtained from duties
and the public lands, and that, with this prospect be-
fore u.s. distribution cannot be justified and the Presi
dent will be sustained in the act, should he fmly OPP
pose it.