Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1842-01-04

The National Iutegencer has the following
sketch of the remarks of Mr.. Benton on the mes
sage:
Mr.. Benton said that he could not vote for the
extra number of copies which had been moved
without expressing his opinion briefly upon the
message, and particularly in reference to that fea-
ture of it which relates to the 'Fiscal Agent."
Looking over the message, as 1t was read, he saw
the outline of the plan of the President and learnt
enough to know what We're the details of the plan
to be furnished by the Secretary of the Treasury
| apprehend, said Mr. Benton, that no details of
such a plan can meet with any part of my appro-
baton. | regard it as hagrantly unconstitutional
and emlnently dangerous to the country The
Federal government was called upon 10 issue pa
per money; and the constitution was draughted
congress had power to issue bills Oh credit, or
paper money. The attempt or proposition to give
such power failed TO be established. The propo-
sluOn III the message was to do not only what was
not granted, but positively denied
The proposition to issue bills of exchange for
commerce was new invention, utterly unknown
to Gen. Hamilton when he proposed Bank of
the United States. The plan not only utterly
unknown to him, but it was invented by Mr.. Bid
die for the purpose of making this government
turnlsher OF bills OF exchange. Mr. Bldde brought
1t forward tot the purpose of changing the govern
ment from hard money to paper money govern
ment. | entirely object, Continued Mr. Benton, J
to allowing this government to become a turnlsher
of exchange. The power to furnish bills of ex-
change is not to be found in the Constitution nor
any power equivalent to it. While we are called
upon to furnish bills of exchange for commerce.
why should not be called upon to furnish drafts
tor farmers Such power utterly unknown
to the Constitution and wholly pernicious in its
practice. 1t was nothing more than the British
Exchequer system revived. 1t began with the first
George, and had been handed down to the pres
mi t1tna tbn y. x,bicb he Oh
government had lost nine millions sterling The
one system was borrowed from Sir Robert Walpole
and the other from Mr.. Bddle, who was in the city
few days since, and, without doubt, furnished it
for the government.
But this CONTINUED Mr.. Benton) is not the time
to discuss this question. Formerly, the mcssag e
gone into regularly, and contributed to regu-
arlty OF debate aerward but the occasion for dis
cussion did not now present itself, would it be
treating the President of the United States With
proper respect to do so; but could not sit still and
permit the message to pass through this chamber
without expressing my utter rcpugnance to the
system'proposed, regardingit, as do, as eminenty
unconstitutional, calculated to change the curren-
cy OF the constitution to paper money currency
to abandon the hard money Government of our
ancestors, and borrowing, instead of it, a system
borrowed from Sir Horace Wal pole and the high
tory times of Queen Anne. We propose to 90 far
beyond what Gen. Hamilton advocated. He ut
tery repudlated the idea of exchange, which was
now proposed in addition to the plan to issue paper
money by the Government. The two plans have
my utter adherence, and | shall avail myself of
the earliest opportunity to sustain what have said
by arguments and by references against what ] re-
gard formal proposition to change the hard
money system of our Government into that of the
paper money system of Great Britain, and which
had increased the debt of that Government, from
the reign of George, from the sum of twenty one
millions sterling to the enormous amount of three
hundred millions.