The spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1840-1844, 1842-11-04


the American flag, for the purpose of executing
their laws and treaties in relation 10 The Slave trade.
Against this claim the President demonstrated in
firm and decided language, and declared That It
must be resisted. This claim in effect is Withdrawn
by the British government and her Envoy has pre-
cuded her from renewing it, by the stipulation in
the published treaty for the employment of vessels
on the coast of Africa by The two countries scpa-
rately and Independently, TO &C. under the instruc
tons of their representative governments for tho
enforcement of their respective municipal laws on
ly. The very omission OF any recognition oil an an
thority 10 visit the vessels of the one country by
the officers of the other, is in itself an exclusion Of
all such authority, and leaves the matter precisely
where the President had placed it-a total, abso-
Lutte and unqualified denial of any such claim The
insertion of such denial in the Treaty would have
been abused. Treaties contain The affirmative
sipualons of parties, not the negations or pro-
tests of either By refusing any alIusion to the
claim, we deny on our part that it can become n
subject Of compact, deserving to ourselves the vim
dlcaion Of our rights (of which fair and explicit
notice has been gven) whenever they shall be as
smiled. Thus has pretenliOn which lhreatenJ
the renewal of Il practice that had brought on one
war, been abandoned, and the sanclty Of our ma
touul flag secured-at the same time the most eff.
fectua means have been provided for the utter de-
struclion Of an accused trade.
4ih. Upon that most difficult and perpIexing
topic, tariff of duties on imports, the language Of
the message defines with such accuracy, clcarness
and precision, the the principles of protection con-
sistent with revenue After speaking ofthe rcpug-
nance of the people TO The imposition of burdens
not really necessary to The support of Government,
the President says: SIN imposing duties however
for the purpose Of revenue; right TO discriminate
ma N hp lplp IN rh hn hall 10 La;
as well us the amount necessarily and most prop
erly exists" After showing that the Imposition
of duties indiscrnnaiely on all articles would de-
feat The very purpose of obtaining a revenue, he
remarks; $50 also The Government may be ius,l-
fled in so discriminating by reference TO other con-
slderalons oil domestic policy connected with our
manufactures. So long as the duties shall be laid
with distinct reference TO The wants Of the Treas
ury. no well founded objection can exist against
them"-and he concludes the remarks on thai sub
jeci, by urging the importance of certainty and
pcrnlanence in the system which should be adopt
ed. 1t is believed tina, no just man who regards
the various interests of the whole country; who
would not compel that portion of our fellow cl,i-
zens who have no manufactures, 10 pay taxes for
The support OF those VINO have them, without any
equivalent, and who yet would protect Amer lcaIr
industry from foreign cheap labor in those articles
which are essential to us in peace and in war. and
for which we ought not 10 be dependent on anv
other nation; it is believed that no Just man who
will take such an enlarged and patriotic view of
the subject, will hesitate to approve the principles
promulgated in the message. While they are ad-
verse To prohlbory duties on the one hand, they
provide for abundant incidental protection on the
Other. They are those, and those only that will
secure harmony as well as Justice in the adjust
mcnt OF matter involving so many and such va
rows conflicting interests, and produce that per.
mnnencc which in this county can be attained
only by the general acquiescence of The people in
the equity nnd honesty OF any system. And if
the libenlily unusual, thus c,inccd by States
man coming from that portion or,he Union, which
has no manufactures, be ieciproca,ed and met in
the same spirit by those who are most anxious TO
promote those interests, n unity of feeling will cx-
lst Throughout the con!edcracy, which will afford
more stable, and therefore more real and substan-
tial protection 10 our own industry than any laws
that may be passed under occasional and spasmod.
&c cxcilemcn's which will he sure to intcrmil with
The ccssalons oil The stlmulanls that produced
them.
Should the Tariff Law that has been passed and
recei, ed the signature of the President, be found
in practice to differ in imporan, particulars from
the Jus, and liberal principles advanced BY him, he
will doubtless be found ready TO sanction such
necessary amendments as may be proposed by that
body, in which the Constitution has exclusively
vested The authority 10 originate and pass revenue
bills.
5Ih. The recommendations of the annual mess.
ace on the subject of Currency aud Exchanges
noX, claim onr attention After pointing out line
necessity Ola medium Of Exchanges, approyima-
ting TO uniformity OF value in the different parts of
the country, the President proceeds to redeem the
pledge he had given at the previous session of
Congress, by submitting the outlines of n plan for
the sale keeping and disbursement Of the public
revenue, which shall a the same tine furnish n
currency, and thus indirectly regulate exchanges.
The limits which have assigned to this con,nu-
nicaion forbid repetition Of the details of the
Exchequer plan as dc> cIopcd in the message and
more fully exhibited ia the bill submit
ted 10 Congress by the Secretary of the Treasury.
This is the more regretted, because am confident
1t has moi been sufficiently considered BY my fellow
citizens generally, 10 be thoroughly understand. I,
is enpmlalrally the plan of the President. orrinn-
ted and maluIed by him, with single modification
introduced ON the advice of his cabinet 1t pro.
poses to attain its objects by the application Of
powers acknowledged in practice to exist in tho
Government from its Foundation The Treasury
Department was instituted for the collection or,hs
public revenue its safe keeping, and lis dsburse-
men' according to acts of appropriation by Con-
eress. TO u board Of control under the supe,in-
iendence OF that Department, therefore was given
the immediate charge Of this business, with au-
lberily to establish agencies,o employ State Banks
in its transactions. To these was added the pow
or of issuing Treasury notes to the amour, of if
teen millions selling drafts receiving deposits and
purchasing bills of certain description These were
the general features, and the President invited
discussion of its meris,whic he expressed readi-
ness to concur in any modification and did not VIC
late It's essential principles, particularly such as
,honld by any constitutional means relieve the
Thief Executive Magistrate from any controlling
power over the public Treasury. You perceive
ow entirely this plan avoided all constitutional Oh
eciions, by providing that the functions of purcb.
lsing and selling drafts other than for the purposes