The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1843-02-08
INCONSISTENCY.

change oil opinion III puohe man 90 l'N
Inconsistency or regeneration. The wiSes'
must grow sllll wiser as they grow older anu
an honest man win rather gain than lose In pun
lie estimation by promptly and frankly acAu'"
lodging an error of judgment. We cannon J"sF
4, taunr man with Inconsistency un'ii we na''
examined and weighed the reasons assigned ny
him for change OF opinion.
There is kind OF inconsistency "owe,.,'
which. on the face OF IT, is fair suoJec. OIL iio,-
c.,e and censure, and OF strong suspicioh'
IA that display ed by map, who, having peen
IN the highest degree intolerant and dogma'ic
on one side of question, suddenly changes
sides, and viruenty assails al who s''ll adhere
10 the ooinions which he once 50 obstlna'e'y
maintained himself-impugnins even lhe'r mo-
tives. as well as deridng their CONVICTIONS
OF this we do not know more hagranl eA-
annie Than Mr. Clay in his course on The BANK
oues,ion. One of his most eloquent and argu-
mentative speeches is that in which he opposed
the renewal of the charter OF the hrsi BANK Vi
m. United States He denounced the insii'u-
ton in the strongest terms, and IN every polh' o
view, as both unconstitutional and inexPedien''
and no, combining himself 10 argument merely,
INDUCED in unsparing reproach and rid'cu'e Oh
the friends Of the Bank.
"This vagrant power to erect BANK, saiu
he. safer wandering throughout The who'e
Constitution in quest Of some congen'ai spot 10
fasten upon, has been at length located by 'he
gentleman from Georgia on that provision
which authorizes Congress to lay and coiee'
taxes. &c. In 1891, the power IS referred 10
one mart of the instrument in 1911, to ano-
,her. Sometimes it is alleged TO be deduc'oe
from the powers to regulate commerce HARD
messed there, il disappears, and shows iseli I'M
der the grant 10 coin money"
He was particularly severe upon the doc
trine of precedents," which had been Appeared
10 as settling the question OF constllu'onal''y'
and which he considered "fraught with the most
mischevous consequences
He con,ended that the Bank was not only I'M
cons,i u,ional, but wholly unnecessary; and
proceeded to ssshow, by fact, actual experience,
no, theoretic reasoning, but by the records them
selves of the Treasury, that the operations oil
that Department may be as well conducted with
out as with this Bank"
He denounced il as dangerous and tending
to corruption and declared that there was sat's-
factory proof of its having nterfered in politics.
In a few years, Nh. Clay's opinions on the
.ubiect of the Bank were wholly reversed; and
in an address to his constituents, defending HIM
self from a charge Of inconsistency, he tells
them in confidence, where he had al last cor
sha a. erect a
Bank" which had be, lodging about SO ac-
tvely among the limbs and branches OF the
Con, titution:
The constructive powers being auxiliary. to the
specifically granted powers, and depending Tor their
sanction and existence upon necessity to give effect
TO the latter which to be sought for and ascertain
ed by a sound and honest discretion, II is manifest
that this necessity may not be perceived, at one
time under one state Of things when il is perceived
at another time under different state Of things
The Constitution it is true, changes it is al
ways the same but the force of circumstances and
the lighs Of experience, may evolve to The iaiioe
persons, charged with Its administration the htness
and necessity Of particular exercise OF consTuc-
tive power to-day which they did not see al former
period"
Both the language and logic Of this argument
must have appeared exceedingly fine to MIR.
Claws constituencies To such of thu IN as I'M
der,,ood i,-for to the major portion i, was pro
badly as unmeaning as the old jingle OF " three
blue beans in a blue bladder, rattle beans and
rattle bladder But surely a man who had
been put TO such shifts to exculpaie him
self from a charge Of inconsistency, and
who had been compelled 10 cat up Sc
much of his own tough argument agains
the Bank, might have learned, and committed
deeply to memory, lesson of moderation ant
of charity for the opinions OF others.
Yet. when The question of the Bank cam'
again before Congress and the People to be ar
gued de noro-when the whole subject was fairl,
and leeitimarely open, and "Ibe force of cIrcum
stances and the lights Of experience" ha'
"cooledn great deal Of very curious addihoDa
ma,t.r-he was even more dogmatical and die
tatorial than he had been at first. lie disdaIne
e,her to make or listen TO an Argument; an
the doctrine of precedent, which he had s.
secuted and derided, was sufficient, in his eyes
TO establish both The consti,utonality and tn
expedlepcy Oh the D"nA' '' "o''' "o' PENN
an argument, even against the expediency, I
be drawn from a state of things wholly unpre
ceden,ed. The Bank as 10 be established b
right of war, and in sfafu quo ante beliun', not
feature unchanged. And failing in the auemp
to effect his object either by main force, or b
the arti6ce of making concession Of plincipl
in order to extort one, his intolerant rage cause
him to forget both what is due to himself an
due 10 the country he gives the signal fc
"auorher party warfare of unexampl,d aspcr
~ y and vents his spleen upon the President i
language never before used by Senator