Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1842-07-07
From the National IaisI seaeer.
CONGRESSIONAL ANALYSIS.
IN ruE srNArg rRtpAr.

| Mr. Woodbury. afterwards. in conforrpitv IN M.
nonee Of Yesterday moved for leave to Introduce
Two bills, both Of which might, by the suspeious
he regarded as the beginning of n nav ,s,ie, oc
measures brought, iorw ard by the Democratic marty
| IN conformity TO the views at the Executive
| The first OF these hills proposes sinnIv 10 eon.
tnuc IN heing Tor time tho revenue laws which nv
their Limitation, expired on the 3Oth June lire.
STREETS the rate OF duty TO that provided by the com.
promise Hct-ihaI is. 20 per cent that il leaves
the land distribution net untouched
The object of the second bill was 20 provide .
system OF home valuation such rs was intended by
the compromise oct.
Mo HUNTINGTON regarded tho purpose which
the gentleman had In view n such MS no va 3 bound
TO concur in rs far MS il was pn.sible to do 'rh,t
purpose, lie had no doubt to give effect to tho
existing revenue laws.
An objection, however, Of the most insuperable
sort seemed 10 him 10 present itse against such &C.
ton IN this body. The intended bill was one IN
RAISE revenue IL was not competent for the Senate
u originate such m one. The Constitution direct
~ forbade It. lit was contend,d that the bin was
meant only TO enable money, revenue. to DO rsised
u"der laws already In being but not CO of be-
ing concd into effect. he should answer that il wa,
sun the same ihlns m substance. IL is law 10 nut
money INTO the ruasuty-n law TO collect a reye-
nue. winch you cannot now collect. What The esk.
c1l were the precodenlsl The clmpromi,e nc, of
80, housh framed IN this House, was held be-
sonu pvt competency To originate. and therefore
brought first into the other. That WINS a bill moi 10
increase but TO lessen the revenue a Ike eon,se
had been observed as To bills authorizing the ;ssnc
OF Treasury noes. They were held to lie revenue
bills. and 50 committed. in the fist instance IN The
action of the other Housc. In like manner Of nro
posnl 10y one Of the Missouri Senators 10 Law ain.
on bank paper 1t was held to be beyond the SEN
uts's power.
But the ground already taken by many member,
OF W's oody, rs TO our present situation is that We
have no longer any revenue law in force. He him
set had not been bind to the approaching condition
OF The country and had urged upon the Senate tho
necessity OF providing for the state of things th,t nae
Ilnneued. Ne ponu
nc olfhcuIiy has, after all, ovoraken us whose is
the iau' Can il be imputed TO Congress? Ger
fanny not with the lens, regard to farts.
The President is 1t seems, "advisedn that the
collection of lhcrevsnuc can 90 forward. Bv whom
Is lie so advised Surely not by his Secretary of
the Treasury the officer having the especial choreo
and responsibility Of these matters. He has held
TO us very different nay, directly opposite Ian
guage. There will and there can b., but one Judi.
cal opinion on the matter, and that will be- that
| there " an entire and an Intended defect of ali law
prescribing and regulating the mode of laying this
nome valuation, which is an essential, an indspen-
sable part Of the act, the provisions Of which can
alone 20 into force present
MIR H. proceeded 10 show, historically, that at
tho passage of the compromise act il was agreed on
all hands that subsequent legislation would be ne
cessary TO carry into effect the provision for home
valuation. MIR CLAY said that it was emb lded in
me oct only asa principles its form was to be set
ted nj their leisure. IL would be for future less
a'ion TO see wha, shape could be given to that prin.
epe. He opposed all amendments, urging that TO
NIX the details was yet impraotcabe. MIR II. cited
IKE declarations hy the other leading Senators who
! look part IN the mntier-Messrs. Poindexter,
Moore, Clayton, and others. MIR Calhoun said, dis.
tncty, that he should acluiesce in the provision
as matter TO he settled. by after legislation 10 n
form that should harmonic with the spri! OF the
bill,
He proceeded to show the misconcep,ion inn
which the President had fal!en as to the powers
conferred on him hy the compromise act This act
made the valuation thing "to be resul,,eJ h.
| ~ before in Of
PRESIDENT and Secretary Of the Treasury are en-.
powered to prepare rules for the appraisers under
the o!den mode of valuation. But the terms and
the powers are totally different; and il is strange
NAL Interpretation thus to substitute one of ,bess
EXPRESSIONS Tor the other.
Finally, MIR II. showed that Mr. DICKINSON. Of
Sew jersey; had actually proposed to give the
President ard Secretary the very mower noyy c,i,,
cd. Ii was resisted by various Ieadne members
on the ground that II ought TO be left for future
division
MIR WOODBURY. reoined, very briefly. He con.
s'dered this no revenue bill, but one to maintain
the duties. and 10 preserve the old regulations He
| interded he aw a declnratory one
MIR EVANS considered the bills such rs the Sc
nate could not originate. II we have revenue laws
this measure is unnecessary; and # we have NOT
THIS tiou il incompetent to originate them Mc
| WooDBuRr considers them a mere machinery; but
the President assumes that he needs such ma
| chineTy.
Mo ALLEN followed in a long, loud, fierce party
speech, m which he treated this as a WING catas-
irophe the inevitable consequence al Wing incom-
potency: His friends had tears to shed over the
/ tail OF The dItrhution act or bank. The Govern
ment was certainly in deplora bic condition. Loans
could no longer he got Treasury notes were falling
lower and lower there was not merely nsuffi-
cent revenue, but nome In short, the Government
was Hsrou"d--n sheer hulk THIS was the result
/ oi fifteen months nj Wing power.
Mr. CRIrrESDES followed IN a short but verv
striking speeclone of those fine bursts, strong in
II fgFN in F.ag l.aasL -.
beautifully when he is excited.
Alter touching upon the anomalous condition of
| things, and commanding the spirit in which the
member from New Hampshire was endeavoring TO
fashion on, something that might extrcate the coun-
' Wy rom ls sexual endorsements, he said that no
oeeVed nc nut Expressed the feelings which pressed
upon al around him, when he confessed that the en-
TIRE aspect OF public affirs affected ham with decn
sadness. lie had some time past been s,rnoSIins
with deep and a growing feeling, Thai. undsT ,bs
actual Administration, this Government vns in a
course of dissolution, and every fresh event se.naod
/ but 20 hasten MS on TO that catastrophe.
| Amidst 50 much private m ,fortunc and the gloom
OF public affairs so disastrous, surely the country its
snherinss and us danger might CLAIM the Surrender
OF every meancr feeling, and party might be for
gotten. Yet the gentleman from Ohio was ready
TO call up nothing else but the rutess bitterness Of
party reproaches. What avail5, let me ask him
tbs explanatory patriotism and statcsmanshp7
\ What, but 70 dssipato TO divide. To fruer down
every high and useful purposel But is il no.; be-
| sides, nm lnloleribe egolism in the gentleman TO
speak ms II all ability, all patriotism, all poaer and
all will to serve and to guide the country, woro his
only and his uendsl Had the gentleman such
divinity OF eeni1s that, from his celestial height,
he looks down with pity and contempt upon the
puny struggles Of all such mere nortals as his nd-
vefsarosi Is this the patriotic spirit in which no
LOOKS upon public events, so unhappy and so llarm-
lnei II there be no capacity bat on his side why
has Il not been oXertei2 Surely to such on ascea-
dency OF talent some responsibility must attach.
But why look so lhr-why look to thoss more
helpless than he, when the and the fault are
directly md vsbly before him. Whit need he to
LOOK beyond the VETO Of two days since2 Why
t'k OF the extrcmtos, when disease is at the very
vitols Of your Government Sir. il is n political
affection Of The heart. Your President is the direct
and immediate cause of this malady that rink
IN the very central seat ot the system. Your Pre-
sident is the milady himself Yet gentlemen nsk
why we did no, lccslatel We did. Not as bsftt-
cd an independent Legislature, consulting only their
own prudence and ofpublic duty, but in bill
nbated Of our opinions, unncfvcd of our own pur-
poses, TO avert the Presidential disploasure. Con
gtess reduced to collect from the voice OF rumor
the motives and the causes that were to shane ito
Performance Of it's high functions. And yet after
oil this degrading submission, what have wei A
flesh vctoi
Gentlemen dcclaim about the land bill. md find
IN II topics for pitrioiic donunciaon. Yet is there
not here question Of infinitely higher consequence
question whether not this Legislature is to DO
a mere shadow Of imperial villa register of i'm.
perial edictsl | appeal to honorable gentlemen
whether We have not, under these unhappy circum
Il - NHv N.HwU Al.