The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-04-08
SPEECH OF MR.. PROFIT,
OF INDIANA,
Delpersd in the House Of Representatives o" we
March, on the Loan Bill

him. lie was n' ehough ne stood as one to eight,
anu n.ct 10 be held solely Responsible Jus'
IL few friends upon this hoor are ueeiheu ""'"
he for the action of the whole House W.. and
VI, Ye ~ chairman of the Committee OF ways anu
.aaIIv believes that all those VINO oppose
.'s amendment he offers are actuated oy iac'iou'
seng how comes il that he does not notice tne oPPo
sItion made by his own political irenasf wn, M
he not take the gentleman from kentucky l"i
II.nsawoopl 10 task Why does he spare the gen
,sman form Vermonti (Mr. EvERErT.) why Is
another gentleman (Mr. MARsHALL) enurey over
InoLed IN his denunciations' That gentleman spoke
fully and earne tly against the propositon He e.n
yentured to give his political friends il.e ~r s.,,
some advice, which would INFORM my ille : ,ao nr
Kentucky was much too sound for the Chairman, VI
the Committee Of Ways and Means to follow eev-
eral other political friends of the gentleman nave eA
messed sentiments adverse to the amehumeh', anu
vet he unblushngy charges all the opposlio 70 we
friends of the Administration, and cans upon W.
country to witness that u tins PHI iais' ~ ,nns rss'
the pecuiar friends" of the President are aioho
ponsible. ~. .horoe
shall now, Mr. Chairman, answer the charge
made by the gentleman, that the "pecuii irienus
of the President have arrested the business Oh 'ne
House during the present session a SI% ,1a,
necessary that il should be answered Tor hom tha'
whoever has done it, is justly liable to the severe
censure of the People. 40
And first will ask, who was 1t that occupied all ,he
first part of the session in attempting to after .he
rules Of the House, by repeating the us. ruie .nI'
wishing to open wide door to intermnane dicui
ties and exciting DISCUSSIONS on te aooo - ~ @
hllcal f friends Si'-'''" ~
Who when they found themselves thwarted in
their designs occupied day after day in presenting
abolition petitions, drawn up by concert with mem
beers OF Congress- and having for their object excite
ment and agitation The gentleman and majority
of his political friends.
Who presented petitions to dissolve the Union, and
thus occupied for days the time which ought to have
been devoted to the good of the naon rather than to
the destruction of its institutions
Who when the general appropriation bill was I'M
der considerations contrary to all precedent, and for
party purposes, introduced an amendment on the
subject of printing the laws and wasted days in UNI
profitable discussion The gentleman himself and
in this he was supported by his peculiar friends"
Who moved to strike out all the contingent ex-
penses of the Departments &c., and occupied days
in decaiming about the most triAing expenditures
and have at last resolved that there shall be two APP
preparation bills instead of one The gentleman and
his friends And predict, sir, that twice as much
time will be wasted on the contingent BILL }" as it
should require to pass upon dozen OF the most I'M
portant measures of the session.
Who, when the Presidents Message was under
consideration, came into this House with long Sc
ries of resolutions-concocted suppose in caucus
and insisted that the subject of the Tariff should be
referred to the Committee Manufactures, instead
Of the Committee of Ways and Means, protesting at
the same time that a tariff for revenue was all he
wished, and not only occupied days. but weeks, in
discussing abstract questions, and in making tariff
speeches, which properly should have been withheld
until the subject legitmatey before the House?
Sir, the Chairman of the Committee of Ways and
Means is responsible for that waste of time.
Who moved to strike out from the Appropriation
bills the salaries Of officers still in the discharge of
duties assigned them by law and then in making
party speeches occupied days in useless debate J
But will cease to torture the gentleman with
recapitulaton of the acts and doings of himself and
friends. hope he may, from this slight reference
to the record learn in future how dangerous it is to
make charges utterly groundless as those he has
preferred
The People from this can learn why it is that the
Loan bill has been smothered until this late day
the Committee Of Ways and Means, and why it is
that nothing substantially beneficial to the country
has been passed upon
could, sir, if time permitted, or if were actu-
rsa.,e%an;s oansnos = eo1sss sum sShioFe.
tering veil with which he would conceal his partisan
deformities. He may spare us his doleful lamen-
tations for the condition of the Treasury. He may
to exclam that he is sorry, very sorry for the
Administration His sorrow is understood. 1t is the
sorrow of the crooked Richard, with the mangled
corpse of Henry at his feet who the purple drops
down his murderous blade, smilngy exclaims,
=" See how my sword weeps for the good Kings
deathn' II
l will now appeal to the Committee to bear me
WltneSs as 10 tne manner IN Wnlcn OF
Administration have discharged their duty during
this session.
The gentleman from Virginia, (Mr Wise,) as
Chairman Of the Committee on Naval Affairs has
been laboriousy engaged in the important duties of
his station and will deny but that they arduous
ready for the action Of the House. His colleague
MIR. Mallory has presented able report coast
defences, &c., and with Messrs. Wise and Cushing
stand three out of five on the Committee for nvesti
eating into the coast survey.
My friend from Virginia, (Mr. Gilmer,) almost
unaded and alone, has, uader instructions of the
House, submitted report of herculean labor on the
subject OF reforms in every depart ent OF the Gov
ernment and this too without any ostentatious dis
play or absence from his Congressional duties.
The interchangeable and talented Chairman of the
Finance Committee (Mr Cushing) and four other
friends of the Administration, have performed the
duties imposed upon them by the House, and have
submitted report and bill providing for the estab-
lishment of Fiscal Agent of the Government. The
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Cushng) has
also reported several bills from the Committee on
Foreign Relations
But why should pursue this matter further =
Scarcely day will elapse before shall again be
charged with arresting the public business and with
factous opposition 1t Is necessary for the party in
power on this floor to abuse person, and to
coin some excuse for their want of action and doubt
less they find it convenient and agreeable to exhaust
their spleen the friends of the Administration
And cannot 1atter myself that they will be induced
by any exposition advice of mine to abandon their
petty policy or puerile pastme.
l will inform them, however, that |, for one, un-
derstand full well one leading object OF their daily
1t is not much directed against all
The friends of the Administration as against one of
lhem--the honorable gentleman from Virginia, (Mr
WIsE) They feel the moral effect of his unimpeach
able private life. They know that his virtues a
man gives unassailabe strength to his public charac-
ter. The unwavering devotion to principle; the un
ceasing opposition to party tyranny and legislative
legerdemain; the ready and impressive eloquence
the manly independence; the uniform denunciation
of corrupton; the pure American eeling-which have
marked his public career, all tend to give influence
to his opinions and strength to his position He
stands in the way of those who if unchecked would
rush headIong justice and principle and even the