Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-10-07
POLITICS..
LETTER FROM HON. HENRY A. WiSE-l Coneladed.I


The wisdom and patriotism of the real friends of III
People could easily rectfy this subject, it It could on
be left undsturbed by political legerdeman ana ch'cane
~. The il is touched IN Congress, PdTle5 pc
pelt it to death The delays and dongs OF the lat'
session proved this too sadly. BY the mere man@u
wiring OF political faction, action on the whoie SUD
ject Of the Tariff was, in the first place unnecessarily
delayed nearly to the 3Uth Of June, with no other we"
than to constrain the Executive by the pressure
time. to depar; both from The wellscitled compromise
the Tariff act of 1898, and from the byiousy wise po
Icy OF the provso to the 9th section OF the land
S41 to distribute the income from the real estate
OF the nation, whilst heavier duties for revenue aEe
heavier burdens of taxation be imposed upon the
people than the maximum standard of20 per cent. &C
valorem Under the pretcxt OF posponing the opera.
ton of existing laws for few MONTHS the real design
was to make the President committed TO the principle
of act of distribution at least, whilst the dptie
were retained nbUve twenty per cent. de defeated
this attempt by bold and manly exercise of the con
s,itu:onal negative Instantly the hue and cry wa:
raised that there lao for after the 3Ol
of June and every sort was held forth
to merchants and importers moi to pay the duties under
the act Of 1888 except under protest and with litigation
This conduct regarded as unparior, whilst the Trea
sury was grooming under debt, whilst the public credit
urs were suffering and whilst the national credit was
already dsIlonored. The President took the advice of
his Cabinet, ali Of whom are sound and distinguished
lawyers, and the opinion of the Attorney General
which counseled that there lao, and the means
too of executing it. have yet heard of hut two
suits; but the opportunity hope, will be afforded to
the political bur 10 test its legal dica before the Sn
preme Court Of the U. S., and to measure lis arms
before that tribunal with the present Attorney General
IN argument upon question which nothing, am sure,
hut reckless fiction would ever have started This bill
was dubbed the "L;Me Tariff. A iiate measure il
was in every sense 1t intended only to prepare
the way for what was with equal significance led
| the 81 Biz Tariff" The MAJOR Ursa, as it was frs;
dubbed, truly more deyouring wild beast.
The Big Bill after proposing the most enormous rate
Of duties in its 9th repealed the proviso 10 the
9th section Of the land bill of September, lS4l, which
declared that distribution should be suspended when
duties should be imposed Of higher rate than 90 per
cent I'D vaorem This too, was inserted, after due
tice given by the President in his veto message on the
Little Bill that he would not consent 10 sign any bill
for which proposed to give away also the pub
| lie money. The complaint on former occasion was
that Congress had every TO expect that the Pre-
sident would sign a bank bill. On this question Of
the Tariff there could be pretcnce for any such
pectation Had he been induced by the cry of No LsD
and the bugbear of public exgency TO sign the first,
the Little Bill, lie would again, in OF veto, have
been reproached with raising expectation that he
would sign the last, The Big Bill to tax with one
hand and to distribute deficiency with the other. IL
he vetoed the hrst they were TO cry out there no a'r
and for collecting revenue for suffering country they
were arragn him for the usurpallon Of laying and
collecting taxes Of his will and if he sign.
ed the Little Bill he to be held bound by that act,
against his known and expressed opinions, to sign The
Big Bill also, be charged with vacllation and incon.
sstency. One effect Of the Of the first to give
fair notice. least that he would veto the last and to
throw The responsibility of wasting the public time in
passing bill certain 10 fall upon the shoulders where
It belonged
That time was wasted and the hopes of thousands
for relief were deferred until another bill could be pre-
pared TO extract another veto. The 9th section, not
yths.anding every effort to strike il oul by the friends
the very land law which the Wing majority mao oul
the preceding session passed; and they accused the
Cxar pN lr nj
thoy themselves had already passed, and which they,
with surprising fckieness, were endeaVorng 10 repeal
And this repeal of land law provision to scatter Ieve
nue. was to be inserted in tax bill TO raise revenue
They complained that the President would not consent
tia, they should destroy their own work, ana that
he would not give his sanction act to raise money
from tha People, indirectly; to give It away to tic
states directly: that he would not consent to ill an
emo,y Treasury, in order TO empty 1t again without
nayinp the debts OF the Federal Government whose
credit was daily dslonored by distressed puohc creoi
,rs that he would consent to be generous IN as
suminp State debts, hout the constitutional power,
before he was just in paying the national debts without
the means 10 pay them
A course so absurd, thrifess, and ruincus, not
aprruved, sincerely believe, By large majority OF
The Wings themselves. A few ultras lad down the
"ron rule Of party TO the majority, anu made urn
or duties to DE- pcnd uron the distribution of lie pro
ceeds Of the public lands They who exclaimed, Oh NIL
against the dicaton Of the PRECEDENT, we're
themselves dictated 10 by another. One .hnn, and
themselves dictated to the majority OF their fellows IN
caucus A few of their mare moderate men, Know
were dc cidedy for separating the subject of revenue
from thai Of Distribution and for d;sembarrass The
oncsons cf relief and protection from the ,ramcr!s "'
a noltcai hobby They went for 6Isjoning subjects
cf necessary legislation, OF The President apPro'
val from suhjrc, OF party contason, sure oil dea'h
by the conservative veto Prudence, pa'rotsin' WIS
DOM and moderation, overrued and overw helmed
bv the dictu,on desperation, and ultrnsm OF n FAC.
lion and the Tariff first passed with The dis;rbu'
button clause inserted which was sufficient TO FAY
nothing Of is other provisions, to cause me 10 oppose
il, as did, though, by accident, was absent from the
House and lost my vote on it's passage. II was mega
lived by the President, as Congress knew it would he
before they sent him fer his veto-not tor his rp-
proyul, as the Constitution requires
The objections Of the President to The bill were re.
urncd 10 The House of Representatives. in which 1t
.ririnated, and the most extraordinary and nnprcce-
dcnted action taken upon them 1hey we're
s,,e,d mon the Journal and the House, instead oil
nrocecdnc to reconsider HE b referred tie Message
"a sire; committee Of thirteen, which, on lie ION
of August, made report ct censnrc and cnroemna'
ton both upon The President and upon The Cohs''n'
,;on ne The IT, S. The House. 10 DO II justice, &c
united the Constitution by refusing TO edopt the SEN
.ence upon its enormes and defects, but stiemnly,
Nv The vote Of large majority approved and conhrmfd
the sentence of harsh and violent censure upon Inc
President, whom il did not hear IN his defence, ana
whom it he'd no ohthoIi.y 70 ny ef," "' ,r.
Ii directly condemned the President for "dtfeat-
inc and notifying the whole action of The Legislative
authority Of the Union; for assumng the title of the
Office of President of he U. S., though the very mem
be.s voting this had at The called session OF
ls4l, alter solemn debate, voted that he was 'Il'e
President" aud that they would as a House of Re
representatives., address him as srch; for failing TO
redeem pledge to bill in advance of his up,
proval, occurred By compliance with his oplnlons and
10y an informal intercourse and communicative De
tween member Of the House, charged WITH the
duty Of preparing the BILL 10y whom: oy me ny!
and the President Of the United States h.msrii
for "prostra,ng, defeating, nnnullng, by The weak
and wavrring obstin.cy of one man, accidentally,
and no, bv The will Of the People, invested with Thai
terrible po wer the right to deprive the People Of ef
government, the measure dt'' among those oeen'o
s3rv for the salvation Of highest interests, and Tor
the restoration of its credit, its honor, its prosperity
e., ..crownno q system of continued and unre!entine