The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-10-13

there was moth ng either In the reports or messag,
Ia I any man condemned. On the contrary they re-
ceived almost unanimous commendation. l might
appeal to history; IL you investigate the public re-
cords, you will not find ADLER better, wiser or NOR,
patriotic state papers than that message and these
reports On these documents, which developed thu
projects and policy of John Tyler, 40 question wa,
made and none could be by any party. Did any make
UGH question: Gentlemen, appeal again 10 your re
collections, afterwards when questions Of the
modes Of supplying the National Treasury, on the
Loan Bill aud the Treasury Note Bill came up, nc
issue could be made with the administration
on the message or the reports.
How was the issue now made out against the Pre-.
sident There is here a remarkable and if accidental
marvellous parallel, between this issue at the frs
aud the second session. This Congress has passed q
Tariff Bill ahordng .dequate and satisfactory protcc
ton to the agricultural mining manufac, uring, and
TO all the great interests Of the country.
Whose bill was this' repeat it, Whose bill was
thus Gentlemen, at the beginning Of the session, q
long and tedious debate, continued through four OIL
hve weeks, arose, upon mere party question, re-
speeding the particular committee of the House. Il
whom the subject OF the tariff should be REFEREED
1t was given at last TO the Committee on Manuiac-
lures which took il UP and reported the bill com.
monty known as MIR. Saltonstall's bill 1t is known
to the whole world that this bill was never acted
upon; II remained untouched in the Committee of the
Whole to the close of the session. What bill then
did pass Gentlemen, with that bill before him
which ha been thus obtained by the majority from
the Committee on Manufactures, by party vote OF
that majority in its own way, the Chairman Of the
Committee OF Ways and Means introduced resolu-
ton calling John Tyler's administration for Ia
riff Bill; and John TyI RS administration gave them
one. The Treasury Department prepared and sent
to them bill which passed. and that bill is not the
bill II Wings or the Democrats, but Of John Tyler's
Secretary OF the Treasury. 1t was amended, il was
true in some particulars but in its frame work, its
structure It's arrangement and It's principal provisions
Iis hat III .L m e. a.. - II
parment. And the only highly important thing be-
side few changes with regard TO different articles,
which was done to it, to thrust into that bill as
political issue with John Ty Is not this an exact
analogy with the course at the extra session. And
what was that ssue'
Congress, at the extra session. had passed the dis
tribu'ion act There it stands upon the statutebook.
1t was framed and passed by the Wings the House;
1t then went to the Senate and was there amended
by the Wings, by the insertion Of provso that the
distribution should cease when the duties should lie
raised above twenty per cent, moved by a Clay
Wing, and passed by vote Of 10 to H. | thnk, ex-
elusive Of Democrats; that is, by majority Of
Wings, including MIR. Clay and when the amend
ment was sent to the House, II was adopted there
also by Wing votes. IL is said that the Wings were
pledged to distribution; if so, they have performed
their pledge If John Tyler was pledged to distri-
button, he executed that pledge when he put his
name to that bill. Here, then, should have been
end OF the whole matter. The act was complete in
all its parts 1t was not only complete for that time,
but the act contained provisos for future contingent
cies and il was passed with perfect knowledge IN
every mind, that tariff OF % per cent. would not
suffice, and that it would be necessary to augment
the duties on some articles above that amount at
the very next session / say this because that Con
gress had passed the temporary tariff bill, enarging
the rates of duties TO July, 1872 and thus cogni
zant OF the future wants OF the Treasury.
When, with this knowledge in their possession, the
act had been so consummaied by Wings, by W ing
movers, Wing voters. and Wing legislators, there
was reason, there was not only reason, but il
violation of good faith, to undertake to re, cal
that proyso 1t was their duty, then, to have left
that question at rest not only general principle,
but certainly if they wished to make new expert
ment to undo what they had done but year before,
the last thing they should have done to fasten
this question dread incubus the tariff act. 1t
was put there for issue with the President, and it
was such an issue. | will not dctain you by asking
it, in your opnion the tariff should have been sacrl-
feed order to repeal your distribution will
merely say that the Of tn Wings i'm this instance
was not according to my idea of good faith When
the President affixed his signature to the distribution
bill, that bill was in his opinion correct / do not
say it was correct; voted against the provso; but
it was his conscientious opinion, which he declared
public functonary, that he bill was right when
it passed. BY undertaking to repeal part of this
acI the Wings made new issue with the President.
The moving party in this quarrel not the Prcsi-
dent He did not provoke the quarrel; it was
forced upon him.
Now, in this new quarrel into which the President
was driven, would inquire what faults of his have
defended what wrong act has been defended by
me- 1t will not do to consider this question one
of mere newspaper obloquy, but must consider it
sobcrly, as moderate men. Newspaper obloquy avas
nothing, but cannot but mention the lamenable
fact, that never to my knowledge has there been
much ierocityr so much coarse and vulgar caumny,
as the press Of certain character heaped on the
President at this time. Ii was indeed lamentable 10
any portion Of the Wing press, which had AFRO
gated 10 itself remarkable purity, descend to such
gross and general abuse. But what specific faults
alleged against the esiden? | will not rely up
conjecture. have before me authentic evidence
in the resolutions of the late Wing Convention of the
State Of Massachusetts, one of which declares full
and final separation of the President from the Wing
party, and by way of inducement to this separation,
alleges the which form the basis Of the de-
cree
Gentlemen, ! beg you TO consider what are these
causes What are the questions for which the Uni
ted States to be excited for three years to come
What weighty reasons given to induce the people
of this country to abandon their usual business pur-
suits, to collect in mass meetings of hundred thou
sand, and give themselves up the turmoil and con-
fusion OF premature presidential canvass At this
turning point of the controversy when every man is
to decide for himself before he plunges headonl into
the strife of political warfare, it behooves us to con-
slider calmly what are the causes and objects, the
personal and political motives Of the contendng par
ties and their leaders. The causes Of the separation
are enumerated in this resolution as follows
FIRST. That, by his action, he has compelled the
Wings to repeal the land distribution bill" Is thi,
true'
Did the President compel the Wings to repeal that
act? They passed it in their own way in 1S4l. 1t
still stands the statute book. Was an attempt to
make them repeal it the issue or was it not their
own attempt TO repeal their own proviso' He
might, with more propriety, charge them with peril
dy on that point
The second count of this indictment imputes to the
President The exercise of the Veto power on two oc-
casions, from no constitutional scruples, but from
motives of mere expedency Well, suppose he did
tn s--what then we live under Constitution whic
the President particularly is sworn TO support and
tell you this as constitutional propositionl il
legislative TRUTH that the President of the United
States has just as broad discretion to approve OF