Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1842-01-01


Mr. CHRISTOPHER III. WILLIAMS mex
addressed the House in speech but imperiectl
heard a. the Reporters seat. lie was understood
observe, IN the introduction, that he hau mins'e
but little in the debates of the House. having bee
lori SIX years past mere locker on III vienna; n
had listened sometimes with pleasure out oite'
I, with N uch pain, TO what was passing AS 10 IN
animated debate which had for some days oecn car
~ ricd on in relation to n Tariff was perfect hum
bug-nn imposition on the public MIND. Th'
no question treated IL any body IN that doust
c. was at this day advocating hiSn protective tarih
such as had becu enacted IN ISIS and lSS2 wherea'
re every one well knew that that doctrine had long
n since been abandoned by all who had supported IT.
is and it universally agreed that very moderate
protection all contendcd ior True, II was
p. TO be expected tina, in so widely extended coun-
$: try much diversity OF opinion would prevail rs to
the quantum Of protection needed TO sustain the IN
N dus,ry Of our own ctizens against the injurious
" competition of foreigners, but he protested against
the idea that the Wing party as such, were making
efforts the high protective policy which
J. once prevailed in this country. AnG the proof OF
IS this he found in the fact, notorious to every
e body here, that the moment this question OF the
tariff was stirred all party lines gave way. Strong,
indeed, must The pressure be under which those ad
amantnc chains OF party discipline were sundercd:
but, before so gigantic question as this even those
u almost ndcstrucube letters sundcred like fax
: before the fame The tariff the only subject
which could exert that power in the House.
la adverting To the speech delivered a few days
since by MIR Rhett, of South Carolina, in epposi.
ton 10 the doctrine Of protection in every degree,
Mr. w. said he had listened to 1t with pleasure and
with pride. Notwithstanding the gentleman had
been rocked in the cradle ot notification and had
deeply imbbed its pestent doctrines, he put forth
his political heresies with such manly bo.dness
and utter earlessncss of consequences contradc-
| ton that it was really gratifying to listen to him.
| Yet, ultra as that gentleman was, even he had nd
mted that the exercise of discrimination in the
imposition OF duties for revenue alone tight and
proper. lie presumed it would never be pretended
that that gentleman was an advocate for high pro-
i toe ~. ha aAn tod fk.
the rational advocates Of protection ccntenied for:
that, after oil the dust and noise Of this debate
gentlemen on nll sides came TO the same concus
Now he presumed that TO all quarters Of the Union
it was matter of indifference by what process of
reasoning gentlemen reached their conclusion, pro-
vded that, at last, they could all agree. Why,
then, prolong fierce debate on mere abstruc-
tions2 ard why the bold and impudent charge
which appeared in n the Democratic prints that
the Wings were pushing the old high protective po
Icy OF 1928 The ialsy of the charge seen in
the fact that when the tariff partially arranged
at the extra session, when there was so irresistible
n Wing majority, the articles OF prime necessity
were left wholly untouched. At that time the charge
was urged with equal holiness that the distribution
1iIl was introduced mainly, If not merely, afford
prcteXt for high protective tariff. But the ia-
sty OF that charge had been equally demonstrated
| IN the fact that an amendment introduced and
| passed by Wing Senate, which provided that as
soon as protective duty of over 30 per should
be imposed, the effect Of the distribution bill should
! be Immediately suspended. Yet still the same old
basoless charge was reiterated, and the exciting sub
Ject OF the compromise act was raised like spectre
TO excite the fears OF certain portion OF the House.
| MIR w. was Southern man and no advocate OF
high tariff principles but he had rather never enjoy
| the honor of seat in that House il the doctrine
should once come to be established that it had no
power, in laying necessary duties for revenue, to
make such determinations as the honor, the interest
| and independence OF his country demanded. IHerc
| MIR w. referred TO loud professions Of attachment
to the dear People, under which policy YVES ad.
voc'ted which went to destroy and PROSTATE
Their true interests.l He deprecated with warmth
the constant effort TO draw lines Of geogrn phica
paration between different portions of this co..
federacy. All the States were nked together Ike
the cars of railroad train; and whoever SQUAT TO
destroy their friendly and brothcry a;tachreni TO
each other, struck blow that aimee at the
dearest interests and safety of the whole.
What MIR w. had mainly sought in addressing
the House at this time was TO place siStinctly be-
fore the people the fact, that in the nidSt of SIREN
uoGs and useless debate here, the different parties
arrayed oglins, each other were, -ier all, agreed in
coming To one and the same fusion, though 10y
different roads.
But the question OF comparative expenditures be-
tween the present and the last Administrations had
been logged into the controversy, with which 1t had
no natural or necessary conneSion. True that 10
pic had been held up in a prominent manner in the
late Presidential Canvass; but what had so excited
: the indign lion Of the merican People, and had
hurled with so great an overthrow the late Admins
tration from power hao not SO much been the large
amount OF thirty nine forty millions of dollars
annual expenditure. the manner in which this
large had been los; and wasted by defa cations
and corrupt application OF the public treasure for
| purposes OF party ambition. MIR w, however had
IN these rema6 Ks design TO shift off any Just re
| sponsibiliy from the party at present in power.
He admitted that, although the Wing party had not
! a Wing President still having n ma orty in Con-
gress, it responsible for the acts of Congress.
But gentlemen who complained SO loudly Of Wing
expenditures IN the general, when 1t came to voting
on particular items were found TO change their tune.
1 a., l.1l
tina, House which gave him much amusement.
Whenever proposition made TO reduce the
salary of some clerk or subordinate officer OF the
! Government, gentlemen went at it in n perfect rush;
forty fifty gentlemen would spring to their feet
at cnce to get the floor, and they contended who
! should below the loudest for ''retrenchmenp and
! reform" To hear them, n bystander would sup
pose that whenever an opportunity was afforded to
reduce the actual expenditures OF the Government,
! it would be seized with painting eagerness, and
that in the matter OF retrenchment, these gentlemen
would out Herod Herod himself: but let the regu-
lar annual fertilization bill make its appearance IN
the House, what became OF the cry for reform2 The
contest then the other way; the strife was, who
l should propose the most increase Of expenditure
| Mr. w. had from his seat wntehed and taken n mi
| mute Of the various amendments proposed by diff
fereni gentlemen TO that bill last year, and he had
| ascerained that every amendment moved by them
had been adopted, the appropriation in the bill
/ would have been augmented TO the tune Of three
and half millions OF dollars beyond the estimates.
This a fair touchstone Of the sincerity of this
deaienng cry for retrenchment.
| II gentleman were so very anxious TO reduce the
public expenses, and so indignant at the Wing party
| for its extravaganza, why did they make no efforts
at reduction Ifthey asked, in return, why did not
the majority make propositions the subject Mr.
WIS reply was, for the best in the world: to
do so they must mike leap the dark: none Of
them knew, could be expected 10 know, whether
there not too many officers Tor instance
in the custom house q. New York, or at Baltimore,
or Phadel phin; whether clerks could without iniu-
ry be spared IN the Departments; or whether two
millions three were needed to keep our fortified
/ tons in repair On all these subjects the House
must receive light from the Executive; and unless
It's efforts sustained by the President, they
must prove vain and Of 70 practical effect If the
President should issue circular calling on all the
vast army Of Executive officers throughout the cOun.
try to make faithful reports to him Of all expend-
lures which might be reduced dispensed vi n II
he should be in earnest in the thing, and let that he
well understood by all beneath him, something eff
fectunl might he done: but without some step like
this, the economy speeches of gentlemen on that
floor were all humbug, and calculated Tor the pur.
pose Of quilting the People. True, the President
and his Secretaries recommended economy in eio.
quen,, but still in general terms; all such generaties
and commonplace were sounding brass and tink-
ling cymbal.
, MIR w. here referred to tho largo increase in the
estimates at the present session for the Navy Do.
, partmenL They had risen OF once, from five mil.
. lions to over eight millions The pretext was the
. "shado Of a probability" that we might by remote