, 1842-07-02
To the Voters of Pike County.

fELLOW name being
before you as one of the candidates "a
represent you in the next General As
sembly, | deem it an act of justice to you
as we'll as to myself, to lay before you
my views on some of the most important
subjects that now seem to agitate the
public mind. In the first place, | am de.
cidedly in favor of United States Bank
well guarded and restricted, for the pur-
pose of furnishing a circulating medium;
for ! consider such an institution indis-
pensable to the commercial transactions
ofthe people ofthe United States, to the
financial and monied operations of the
general government, and the convenience
ofthe farmer and mechanic. In fine, | be-
lieve its advantages in a greater or less
degree, reach every citizen in the com
munity, however obscure his condition
or limited his means.
. find many persons who profess to OPP
pose a National Bank, and with the next
breath acknowledge that it is both useful
and convenient to the people. But how
such persons can oppose an institution
that has received the sanction ofthe wis
est statesmen and the purest patriots that
have ever lived, l ON at a loss to know.
When Washington, the Father of his
country, and Madison, the father of the
constitution, and Marshall, the father of
the Judiciary, and five of the most intel
ligent Congresses that have ever assem-
bled in America, have all decided in its
favor. Every department of Govern
ment, under the sway of all political par
ties, has decided that Congress has
power, under the constitution, TO establish
a Bank,-and, last, though not least of
all, Gen. Jackson, the father ofthe latter
day Democracy, through his whole poll
tical course, has acknowledged its consti-
tutionality, and admitted its utility.
With such a mass of evidence in its ia
yor, l say, with due respect to those
who may differ with me on the subject
of a Bank, that l should be perfectly
ashamed TO declare it unconstitutional;
for in doing so, | should not only impugn
the acts of our forefathers, but it would
directly accuse them with perjury, which
some do not hesitate to do. 1t seems to
me that forty years acquaintance by
the people, uniformity every where in
the value of the currency, facility and
economy in domestic exchange, and I'M
exampled prosperity in the general bu-
siness of the country, with a Bank of the
United States, and without it, wild dis
order in the currency, ruinous irregu-
larity in domestic exchange, and general
prostration in the commerce Of the ma
ton, ought now to put at rest those pitt
full objections that have heretofore been
urged against it.
an in favor Of a protective tariff by
the General Government. think a ia
riff ought to be imposed OF all European
goods imported into our country, for the
purpose of raising a revenue sufficient
to defray all the expenses of our govern
ment, and at the same time to protect our
W manufactures. If our government
will pursue this policy, it will, in my
opinion, have a great tendency TO keep
our gold and silver among us, and pre-
vent it from being shipped abroad, TO pay
the debts of our importing merchants.
We have the materials out of which all
the goods that we need could be manu-
featured in our own country, which
would afford labour for thousands of
hands that are now idle in various parts
Of the country, for want of employment;
and all these hands would have TO be fed,
which would create a market at home for
the farmer, for all his beef, pork and
flour, and all the other articles he might
have to dispose of. Many other reasons
might be assigned in favor Of a tariff
which the length of a circular will not
admit of my giving.
Fellow citizens, l know there are ma
ny among you who are opposed to candi-
dates for the legislature dabbling so much
in national politics, and no individual
would be more willing to abandon the
practice than myself if our legislature
would let national politics alone when
they assemble. But l know that it has
been the practice for years past, for that
body to NEEDLE more or less with the af-
fairs Of the national government, by pass
ing resolutions condemning all the wing
measures and a~pplauding those of the
democratic party, and as we have no rea-
son to believe that they will quit the
practice for the future, l see no reason
why national politics should not be made
one of the turning points in the election
of members to that body; for honestly
believe that if every man in the state
would make a bank the turning point in
his vote at the August election, our next
legislature would be of quite a different
stripe to what it has been for years past;
for | do know many men in this county,
who have voted the democratic ticket for
years past, who are now, and always
have been, in favor of a National Bank;
,vhen ai the same time thew have invari-