Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1842-01-17
q 4 IL ON 4. HS Il =, ~
SECOND SESSION.
WEDNESDAY,. December ). 1872
IN SENATE.
PROPOSED BOARD OF ENCnEQEER.

The motion Of reference of the cpor. of the Secretary
OF the Treasury coming up the unfinished business Of
the Senate
Mr. MoREllE.AD said he did not rise with any pur.
pose OF presenting his views at length upon the question
now under consideration. The points had been
ably discussed by other gentlemen and 50 fully too that
he should not stop II debate them. He would. howey
er offer somu few upon the report and project Of
the Secretary o the Treasury, they had been submit,
ted Tor the confederation of the Senate He differed IN
his views inn SOME gentlemen the proprety OF this
debate Gentemen had SAID that we must wait until
committee had reported until they had revised the
subject. and acted oponlt in all its bearings On the
contrary. II seemed 10 HIM cmlneuy proper. especially
II the bill Was 10 undergo any material change that
should be NOW discussed The subject was of hiph
Importance, involving great questions, and those Of
tcros 10 all sections ieounty and all classes Of people
II demanded, therefore, respectful and deliberate
| sldcration n your hands.
Whatever might be the diversity of opinion in the
land as 10 the causes Of our cmbarssments there werr
no differences as 10 the fact of existing evils A con
don oil things 30 unfortunate So cycrucatng calls al
the hands o the legislators Tor action lie knew
that at the extra session OF Congress the question wheh
ct the late President OF the United States would or would
not give his sanction such institution the People
required was matter u debate. The People. however
II was clcar required some institution when they conlr
| buted 10 a change oil ADMINISTRATION.
Whatever might be the opnions Of other sections of
the country, he could speak AT least for the West For
years they had been abJrng under the scvcest omhar
easements. under adsorercd currency s under deanged
exchanges, aoi which operated an cnurnonsax upon
The People The commercial Intercourse of the West was
manly carried on with the Eastern 4 Northern States
lhepoope Of the csldcal at Baltimore AT Philadelphia
and al New ofk, when they had purchases 10 make
The South was market for hemp, tobacco and other
conmodltles produced al the West After the defeat of
the Bank u the niled States the People had resaried
to State banks. They had contracted lhen under Il
system, large debts loo large perhaps, Tor who
should be cautious OF their means They had expended
vast sums ii money IN works OF internal improvement
But, whatever might be the fate Of those works, he
trusted that all the States Of the Union would remain
faithful to their engagements
Such being the relation OF the trade with the West
and the Eastern Banks paying specie operated upon
the people ior evil. and on both sides The West was
| indeed surrounded by two edged sword-a eur
roncy at the SOUTH and better currency the East
10 the south the West was the producer, and 10 the
Fast the purchaser; and such was the inequality
arising from these Two circumstances that the West
suffered from the existing state Of things IN both
Mr.. NJ sad he had been Informed thai the annual
mount oi money paid by the people Of Kentucky alone
was hall million of dollars IN exchanges Ii this were
true OF kentucky Alone estimate might be formed
Of the tax paid by the West IN the other sections oil the
country. There WERE eight States known as the West
crn Siaos--ohie Indiana Kentucky. Illinois, A1kan-
sas, Missouri. aud Mississippi. If Kentucky paid half
a million, the other States averaged about the same a
mount, and paid sum equal to four millions of dollars
~ the relative trade with the East about the sano
he presumed the estimate WAS n proper one In addition
TO this, these States had 10 pay Tor internal improve
mcnis. Thou Indebtedness tj0UD0,u O1 They
had To pay S5,3Oo.0O nncrcst money! at siA per cent
winch per cent al least was the rate of exchange, aud Of
ten the rate was higher than this, and differed even two
and two anda hall per cent the river, The great
West, now filled upas it with a hardy. vigorous
and industrious population had 10 pay tins enormous tax
drawn from them ior the exchanges, and all as he
tended, attributable 10 dcranged currency The PEG
pie believed that national currency to be had ky
national bank; such institution they thought would
remedy all these evils. Can you wonder then. (said
Mr. VI that they felt kccny at the extra session of
Congress, when this subject was agifaled here with
| much feeling and with great sacrificed The peo
pie Of The West had contributed 10 their utmost in sup
port OF that distinguished individual now nj the head of
the Government They had rushed like the mountain
flood to his support. Kentucky had gwen him and his
ustrons associate greater than ever before and
that too III opposition 10 the prclsions Of one of her own
respected and iavone They had confidence in
the President OF the United States. They knew thai
he was Wig, the nominee ola Wing National Con
ventlon, and, above all, that he Nirginan Ken
tuchy had no doubt OF him, and if she ever had these
doubts Were dspeled by the inaugural letter of the Pres
dent u the United Satss 10 the American Proplc But
(sad MI NJ will not stop here comment upon this
disappolnimons AT the extra session. which, however
great did not 50 dlshoarten the Wings as 10 prevent
them from looking 10 another of Congress the
hope that some measure Of relief would be proposed
But they had been disappointed; and sad spccia
cIe alter twelve years struggle that party sud
denly overcome and Frustrated, II was Ii WIS not
thcreoie by any means surprising, that the fall elections
gave our good Democratic friends temporary triumph.
WITH what heart could their opponents the
test under the appalling prospects around hon2 They
did, nevertheless look 10 the present of Congress
Tor ellri but they were moi prepared 10 leap any
measure winch might be proposed They ready
to unite IN accomplish whatever measure could be ac-
complshed consistent with their former principles II
tn had done could do this, they would have been
justly liable 10 the mpuatlon of the or ncolss-
tcucy, and would have deserved loss of confidence
But we had the promised scheme of the President
before us; and there objections in his humble judp
men, at the very outset, without looking the details
OF the measure. II manifest upon its face that
II had proceeded from the Executive and II obvl
ously the tendency Of the be controlled by
the Executive. The Of $40 break down
all barriers which might intervene between the Govern
mcn and the People, but the Secretary Of the Treasury,
though properly the officer Of Congress and the People.
was here obviously the officer Of the President Object
to this report, hen (sad Mr. NJ because IL from
the Executive, and comes from him instead OF the agent
Of the People and the Government.
lie could not form any other opinion than that this
great Government institution Call il what name YOU
will. it the child oihe Government distinguish
ed President Of the United States had Swallowed forth
upon occasions such scheme this the Congress
of the nited States and it referred the two Ilou-
of Congress to appropriate Committees. At the head
Of the committee in the Senate was General Samuel
Smith Of Maryland and the head Of the committee of
the other House, Mr.. McDulic, of South Carolna.-
These gentlemen regarded the proposed plan then
great Government institution. The report If Mr. Me
Duie particularly distinguished for the views OF