The spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1840-1844, 1842-10-21
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REMARKS OF
MR.. WRIGHT.
On the final passage of the Revenue Bill, in the
Senate, Saturday, Aug. "a.

pe"u'eS o"fuiuoy, nuS. E|
Mn WRIGHT, said he rose no, to make n
speech, but TO declare that he was abou, to record
his vote IN favor of this bl-a declaration which,
ii panied him to know, would carry dsappoint-
ment and sorrow 10 the minds Of many Of his most
respected and esteemed friends, both in and out OF
this hail. 1t had been his habit, as it had been his
pleasure and pride; to act with his political friends,
and he could not describe the reluctance under
which he now found himself compelled to separate
from them, Yet. after The most mature and anx-
Gus reflection, he had come to The conclusion that
il was mis- duty to vote for This measure, because
he assumed that this bill must pass in the form it
now bears, or that no revenue law can pass at the
present session. II he was correct in this assump-
lion, then he could not avoid the conclusion he had
announced; and he did not suppose there was
single member of either house of Congress who
supposed for moment that, if This bill be reject.
ed upon this vote, any further attempt Is TO he
made, at this session, 10 pass revenue bill. The
alternative presented, then, is this bill, or none
and the deep and deliberate conviction of his mind
was, that this bill should pass, bad and loaded with
defects as he believed it 10 be, rather than that
none should pass.
A collateral consideration had greatly troubled
him in asserting to this conclusion. His first SER
vice in Congress was as "A member Of the Commit
tee on Manufactures of the House Of Representa-
tyes during the session of 1927 and 1928, when
he assisted TO form, and voted for the tariff bl Of
1928, which has been extensively denonna,ed
"lhe bill of nominations He was then wholly
without experience in legislation Of this class and
character; but his experience from that action had
laugh, the truth of the adage, that "Gens evil
deeds follow them" lie became very soon con-
WINGED that he had committed very great error
| a., ,,,,l :, 4
about 10 commit another as great now. II grievcd
him TO know and feel that many friends were with
in the reach of his voice, whose judgment he most
highly respected, and whose good opinions were
mos, valuable to him, would so look upon his pres
ent vote lie could not, The occasion appeared
to him to be wholly dssimilaI. The tariff Of 1928
was ayowcdly passed for protection; aud if consd-
eralions of revenue had any connection with it,
they were only incidental 10 the main object of
protection. There was no complaint at the treas
ury no alIcdged necessity for increased revenues
and no bcmish upon the public credit, so far as
his recollection served him, Not so now, but pre-
csely the reverse, in all these respects. The
treasury is empty; and almost every day the pub
lie creditors are turned away from it without pay
mcnt This very Congress has increased and is
daily increasing the public expenditures, and thus
creating the necessity for increased revenues. Ard
the public credit is not sinking, but sunker; that
loans, ofhigh interest and long time, cannot he ne
golaled at home or abroad, upon the declared rea-
son that we have not revenues 10 meet the pay
ment Of the public liabilities.
These changes Of circumstances constituted in
his mind, the highest necessity for n revenue law,
aud forced upon him, under the most solemn sense
Of public duty. the course of actin which he pro-
poses to pursue. AL he could ask Of the friends
| ln ii, mud al, L.
still in error, was that they would believe him to
be governed by pure motives; and if in TO he
honestly. He owed i, to those friends, as well rs
10 HIMSELF TO make another remark; which was,
tina, the consequences Of his action. if evil. should
be visited upon himself, and upon himself alone I;
rs no friends here or elsewhere, had inerlered TO
bring him 10 the conclusion he had pronounccd.-
MANY very dear friends whose judgments, upon al
most every occasion, were TO he valued more high
" than his own, had kindly attempted to con-
vince him he was in error-not one to urge him to
give the vote
After what had heen said and so well said, by
the honorable Senator from Pennsylvania (Nr Bu-
chanan) upon the subjec, of distribution, and the
condition of the iieasury, and Of the public credit
as connected with the passage Of this bill he should
be required but briefly to allude 10 those topics al
though upon them rested his action. 1t was known
TO the Senate that he had entertained deep feeling
against The policy Of distribution in any form, or
for any other purpose and it certainly was pow
erful and leading indictment with him 10 vote for
this bill, that lis effect would be TO arrest
and he hoped, also TO eradicate forever, that
policy He begged to be believed in the assertion
that, in speaking Of distribution wi h the rianknesS
and plalness which this occasion required, he did
not design to utter one word which should wound
the feelings ola single individual on any side ofihc
House. lie knew there were many as honestl,
and rs strongly friendly to the policy us he was
honestly and strongly opposed 10 1t. 1t was his
intention, upon all occasions, to award 10 others
that credit for sincerity and purity of purpose
which he now asked from them; and he now GER
tninly felt The heavy responsibility resting on him
too sensiby to entertain unknd feelings, or to give
u,erance to unkind words towards any one.
The honorable Senator from Massachusetts. (NIr
| Choa,e, in the course Of his eloquent Rnpenl in
favor of this BILL had beanliicd and cnb,!rhed
the policy Of distribution well us protection, in
a manner to which he could not, il he would,
suitably reply to that fervd and imaginative speech.
| He must, however. cntrcat his friends who did
not reside in the sections of the country where the
policy of protection j. advocated, aud who are to
vote against this bill because it embodies that
principle, TO consider for one moment, one Of the
|
ton as distinct as it was significant Ii was, that
the friends Of protection were, 10y natural conse
quence, as matter Of necessity, also friends of
distribution. Could any sentiment be more plain
and natural, or more clearly evincye of the eSpe-
dency Of roofing out, upon the first possible occa-
oa,ion, the germ ef this distribution policy The
passage of this bill will do that, while yet the pol
lev ilselfs hot settled and established. Reject tins
| bill, and distribution continues as the whole land
revenue, notwithstanding the treasury will remain
empty, our appropriations for the public service
will he unanswered, the public credit will receive
n further and more fatal wound. And still the Sem
n,pr tells us the friends Of protection are the nat.
ural and necessary friends Of distribution: that is
to say they wish to make and perpeiuaie neces.
siy for high taxes and high tariff; and wha, pol
ICY can prc.en. necessity so certainly. and make
so surely perpetual, that Of distribution f..
t,blish iha, policy, and our short experience has