The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-07-12

OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.
From the Salem Advertiser and Argus
DISTRIBUTION AND TARIFF.

When the Distribution scheme was brought for
ward and discussed a, the Extra Session, II was ex
pressly understood between both Clay and lyle
men, IN Congress, that the Compromise act should II
no event be iniTlnged by any Distribution law ina
might bepassed The Madisonlan has recently pub
hshed extracts from the speeches of Messss Berren
Mangum, an The other leading Clay men, conclusive
ly proving that they maintained this ground at tina
time. IL was well understood at the time that
an nvIolatle preservation of the Compromise primer
pie wa the sine qua non with President lyier ahe
that no law for tue distribution OF revenue roud re-
ceive his sanction which did not explicitly recognise
this obj CATION
Now before we go further let say, that howso-
ever much our Federal Wing mad-caps may now raj
against the present operations of Tue Compromise act
Ma CLAY is TIE FATHER or 1T. Ii they will turn 10
their Federal newspapers of 1888, they will hnl the
most exlravagant praises bestowed upon HENRY CLAY
for e6eciing this Compromise system.
DEPRESSION aside, them With the mutual under
: standing above referred 10, the Distribution law OF
September last was constructed by Congress as t.
render itself nuility in the very contingency which
is all hands now acknowledged TO exist. As Mi
Tyler very clearly states in his Message 1.-The aci
which provides for the distribution, couples 1t lnsepa
rabiy with the condition that 1t shall cease-lst, III
case of war; I'd soon, aud SO long, as the rate oil
duties shall for any whatever, be raised above
20 per per cent" The President is tight in asserting
that nothing can be more clear, express OF imPe-
rStive than this language" 1t amounted To an ex-
ties concerned The President shows himself DIS
posed, like honest man. to alb de by the covenant
and act in good faith, touching this measure
But how has it been with tactlous majority IN Con-
gress2
For seven long monlhs-to say nothing of their
Extra Session--they have been wanton!y throwing
away the time and consuming the resources OF pa
iient peopIe-studously and wlfuly practicing the
HoLRBAcK POLICY in regard 10 the Tarii-a question,
the prompt and permanent set cement OF which most
vitality all classes OF citZenS-unu WnlCn
iourfiths of The people, including the whole Demo-
cratic parry hav been anxious to have settled IN such
way would mos, rebound TO the interests OF the
Govern nenl and the equal benefit of the industrious
classes.
But an actual adjustment of the Tariff has not been
what the Federal leaders in Congress desired-other-
wise they would have settled the matter long ago,
with their ample maority in both br nches Of Con-
gress. Governed entirely by factious and election
eering designs, they have conceived that perma-
nent settlement of the Tariff, upon just principles,
while John Tyler sat in the chair of the White
House, would tend to thwar their caucus plans for
making Henry Clay President some three years
hence. To this end their duty sworn and we'll
paid Legislators of the people has been wckedly me-
elected, and the people left to suffer.
The mountebank trick they attempted upon the
President and the country, in what is called " the
little tariff BILL" is such but the most aban-
doned demagogues and knaves would stoop to per-
form.
After playing hoid-back for seven months, these
perfdous abusers of their trusts pretend they an
imperous necessity for passing some provisional
law, IN default of which the Government would be
unable to collect any revenue at ALL after the 3Oth
Of June.
So these magnificent reforners go to work and
frame bill for continuing the rates of duties they
existed on the 30th of June, for month Had
they stopped here-had they been content to make it
rerenue measure, disconnected with base plot to
violate in double pre-exstng obligations and
contracts, no veto would have followed, and it
would have become law. But their sole object was
to get rid of the restriction in the Distribution la,o al
luded to in preceding parts of this article. The
whole affair was gotten up merely rider for re-
peal OF that restrictive section. They had no right
to expect the cooperation Of the Executive and the
President deserves the thanks of the country for the
firm and honest stand he has taken in this case.
Whatever we may think of some of Mr. Tyler's
acts, let Us rot withhold from him all due praise for
deeds Of ,ghteousness Democracy tolerates no
such course as opposition for mere opposition sake,
but leaves us free to discriminate between the just
and unjust acts of any Administration, and to award
praise or censure accordingly.