Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-03-23
COMMUNICATIONS.
FpE TIE F.TG UIRkR
TO THE PEOPLE or vlRGIyla-No. ~
Tie Bnnkrntt in,r

iac BaRkrvpt Lar.
viii not expata.e on another measure of the Whio
party vii not discuss the policy and unconsrtuon.
atty OF the bankrupt LaH-one of those measures 70.
which, We are Indebted 10 The wisdom of the Wings The
nas'e win when some OF lis authors evnce their
desire TO repudtate IT'S responsibility, aud the appalling
disclosures of its effects and operation made by ths
Judges n no called upon administer IT, render tbs
discussion unnecessary To these disclosures to be
found in the late correspondence of the Secretary of
State with those judges, the serious conside-
ration OF the country. We cannot do more in this ad.
dresss. than ernbooy short
Extract from the ans,cer If the District Judoe Of Ms
souri,.
u am deeply and solemnly Impressed, saws JUDGE
wells, with The opinion that the BANKRUPT actor al
least thar part which provides for cases Of voluntary
b1nkruptcy-s clearly unconstitutional is unjust in
the highest possible degree TO creditors is ischevcus
IN its tenderness aud effects and shocknpIy democrat.
izing 1t has produced, almost every neiGhborhood
the most 'mpacabe hatred, and destroyed al confidence
cannot, therefore, suggest or recommend any amend
mcnt 10 be engrafted such II system, which in nv
opinion, would materially better H."
II was this law which Mr. Clay sustained as Senator.
against the positive instructions of the Legislature OF
Kentucky, and thus, at the same time, gave us a
sample OF has Repubicanism and wisdom as legsla.
Tor. i:is measure was the price paid for the Dsri5a
tion Law-upon the passage Of which its fate depend
ed-and IS far eyempfcatcn of the success w,th
winch Congress Interleres with The domestic pursuits
of the people Ii TIE repeal of this measure
that the New York Courier, the journal OF the redoubt.
able James Watson Webo-tie we're nan Ia whose cum
n'ng ngenr; HE sc!f ycleped Wi.s are indebted fo-
t!ie ctitious name which they arrcyate % them
selses-bui the other day pronounced is funeral Eulo
gum. He spoke OF il Wig measure-as one Of
that batch OF measures for which the country vas in
debied TO the struggles OF the Whies-and as tha, very
measure which had been once so intimately blended
with the fortunes of dstrIbution--that without il,
without the votes which it receved-that measure
could never have been passed And, now, he, Of the
New York Courier, lamens that all. all is gone,
leaving scarcely wreck behind it And, vel the late
Wing Convention of Richmond are, On their part at.
tempting 10 clear their skirts of the responsibility of
passing the Bankrupt Law, and telling the Republicans
Ihou can ST not say that 1--WE eione) did ~ In
fact, il is the story Ct The Travellers who found
purse cggin. As long the Bankrupt Law had ls
first bloom upon IT. 1t was The Wings who had bestowed
this blessing upon The conntry-bu does tho
sense OF the nation rePudIae it, and compel the VII IS
to assist in its immola,on, han they cry out it was
",cs' who did not--and not T.
/ Such, then, Fellow Citizens are the questions on
which have addressed you They are, rnE CCRRrxcY,
THE TARIFF, THE Assn MpTIoN and the BASKRUpr Law.
We say Assumption, for whether direct assumption, by
the issue OF national stock To the States, Land
Distribution Law be the means, assumpton the end
These are The great questions which divide from
cpponcnt5-no 10 speak OF the great principles in the
construction Of the Constitutions aud in the manage
ment OF the whole frame Of the Government, which
separate the Republican irom the Federal party
|
called upon 10 decide in the coming elections Here
to!oe, any Of them has tecn sufficient to agtate
the country 10 It's cenre and now, they all crowded
before once, Heretofore our political warfare with
cur Opponents spread through many campaigns, end
was waged many fields; now, IL centred
In this point of y!ew what incentive dces every pa
trot fad 10 zeal AMI toll, and TO regard himself and
friends as nohng-and our glorious Republican princ.
Piles as every thing.
These are precisely the measures in principle, which
1 10 RsD md Feds ratn rite
and whenever The latter have succeeded in obtaining
the temporary possession of power they have attempt.
ea TO palm them upon the country.
| To thei. success heretofore, there have been two
o5sacp5-he right OF State iDierpusiiion and the Ex
ecnIiva veto. STATE interpos.,ion arrested the Alien
and Sedit;on Laws and the Tariff. fh- Bank, later
nal Improvements, and Assumption have fallen before
The veto. These therefore hated by the Wings,
with that sort Of hatred, with which man views every
thing that ,hwars him in his cherished purposes. To
get clear of the rsi they attempt 10y rd;cule to bring
into dsrepu;e and TO destroy the last they propose
disturb the checks and balances of the Constitution
itself. and mar The beauty and proportions of our bar
monious system. The first cxpedient has not even
the merit of novelty 10 redeem ~ for, IL was freely
rssorted 10 in a3 and 80 But the second is entirely
new for, it reserved Tor the desperatiou conse.
qpent upon repeated defeats 10 propose destroy this
conservative feature Of The Constitution But it is
not surprising thai that party, WHICH never gets into
poser except IN the midst OF panics and excements
and which has chance of .iSlng lis upon
the country but while they prevail should object 10
feature system which arrests them, mill calm re-
Election returns, and resumes her sway. 1t
never do more than this. 1t never can he made
the instrument 10 thwart, Tor any length of time, tho
deliberate and fixed wishes OF the country The Pre-
sdent is dependent for support upon the People, and
he will nerpose the veto 10 where he has
not every reason TO expect their approving smiles
This is the philosophy Of our system, mud the exPe-
renee Of more than halfa century confirms H. The veto
has been ntepo-ed by The Presldenl that lie has
not been sustained by The people.
After these remarks il - hardly necessary for
add, that look upon The proposition to abolish the
Veto, Us alarming and revolutionary.
As 10 the right oil our Legislature to instruct Sc.
majors in Congress, we TO no, mean 10 advance soil
,ary argument Whatever may be their practice,
party in this State wii ever meet the people with an
open denial Of the rght of Tic legislature instruct,
! and the duty Of the Senator to obey resign The
right being admitted, ought not 10 have been exer-
sed during The presea, session: If there or
ever could be an occasion for IFS exercise, IL is now.
There never was a time s hen there were SO many i'm
por,ant questions unsettled and Virginia usrepre-
srnted in the Senate, reference 10 nearly every
of them.
tir. fvss elected to the Senate under pledge,
given BY his former course and repeated by bis friends
al the ;iiJa Of his election, OF uncompomsing hostility
TO National Bank, on constitutional grounds. And
although he voted against the Fscc! Bank in the dis
cusson, he yielded s assent TO principles inconsistent
with the Virginia doctrine, Of want uf constitutional
I
OF The address OF last WU;sr:
"The ether Senator from Virginia, lr. Archer (sho
had denounced his colleague, Mr. Rves advocacy cf
Bank located IN the Disr,c: Of Columbia, with the
power TO establish branches in The States with their
sen nevertheless spoke and voted for this Fiscal Cor
pora,ion BILL And thus he too Ohough elected
anti Bank man, and because he antBank MANI
has yielded the constitutional question, and departed
from the principles Of Virginia"
Both of our Senators voted 70. the Distribution law
And although Mr. R'ves by his subsequent course, has
a;oned for that vote, yet Mr.. Archer
has aggravated his offence by voting repeal the
ton susfend'ng IT'S operation when the duties were
raised above 81 per cent, And he did this, notwh-
standing he had before his election to the Senate de.
nounced the policy IN language peculiarly his own
In h- speech ag4ns, The New Orleans and Buffalo road
bill delivered III The House of Representatives, the
9Th April ls30 he said
" But this whole policy of Internal Improvements
was itself part and instrument of further and
1 I'D L. ls4=.l .i:a