Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1843-07-21
RICHMOND DAILY WHIG.
FRIDAY MORNING. July N. isla.
THE MAN OF CONSISTENCY AND PRINCl

n Man OF CONSISTENCY AND PRINCL.
PIE!
The National Intelligcnccr continues TO publish
the suppressed Speeches of Mr.. Calhoun. Its last
number contains his great speech in 1917, in favor
of pledging the bank bonus for a permanent system
of Internal Improvements. In that speech he de.
clarcs: l. ms bind The Republic together rth a
perfect system Of Roads and Canals. Let as con.
" qner space" As 10 the objections to his splen.
did scheme, he says:
at was mainly urged that Congress can only ap.
ply the public money in execution of the cnmne-
" rated powers. lie ndS no advocate for rchned ar.
"gumentS on The Constitution. The instrument nraS
mot intended for The ~iogicidR 10 exercise his ingc.
"n"ty on. IL ought 10 be construed rih plain good
"ScnSe and 'rhdf can be more cypress than ME Com
"Sftud'on on his rory poiD'i THAT is, the power
"io make Roads and Canals The tirst power de-
"legated To Congress is comprised in these words
ITO lay and collect taxes, duties, impoSts and cN-
"cises, to pay the debts and provide for the common
defence and general welfare ofthe United States;
" but all duties, imposts and excuses shall be uniform
throughout the United States First, the power
is given To lay taxes next. the objects are emu
" meratcd To which the money accruing from the
exercise oithis power may Ice applied-to pay the
"debts, provide for the defence, and promote the
general welfare and last, the rule for LAYING the
"taNes is prescribed, that all duties, impos,s and
"eNcises shall be uniform. II the trainers had
" intended 10 limit The use Of The money 10 porers
"Gtfertrard enumerated and defined, nothing could
"be more easy than 10 hare expressed il piaini,.
Mr.. {. expected it would he said that our ConSti.
e tuition was founded on positive and written prin-
=. ,iulpS anI M, ,, pr,,,l.n,- n, al n,, l.n,
the position but he introduced these instances
= 10 prOre The uniform sense of Congress and the
" country (for they had not been objected TOY as 10
our poTers; and surely, said he, they (he acts
"of Congress) furnish better evidence of the true
" interpretation of the Constitution than The most
"rcfned and subtle arguments.
This is the strait laced State Rights Champion
the immaculate, %SupcrhWnan Democratic Leader.
whose days and nights are rendered wrctched by
the contemplation OF the supcrabundanCc OF Fede-
ralism and atitudinarianiSm in the land Two or
more acts of Congress furnish better evidence of
the true Interpretation of the Constitution than The
most refined and saJHe arguments - That is the
very essence of Strict Construction and patent De.
mocracy
But the best of the joke is Yet to come This il
lustrious specimen of modern Democracy-this
pulling Purist, who taints or vomits at the bare idea
of the slightest alteration from the most rigid State
Rights, was actually taken to task 10y Old Timothy
Pickering, and sternly rebuked for his Ldtitudina-
riGRiSm ! The Honest Nulliiier-and ne plus ul-
ira Democrat-the political mirror in which we
are all required To dress ourselves. under the sever
est pains and penalties, was too latitudinous for the
Chief of the old Federalists! We col from the
lntelligencer a precious morceaul
If the reader desire to know how those doctrines (of
Mr.. CALHouN) were at that day received and relished by the
old Federal party, we have it in our power To crafty his Gu
riOsity ON the instant. In the debate in which the above
speech was delivered, Mr.. CALHOUN was followed by Mr..
Timothy PlcKERING, at that time venerable in years aud ex.
Perience, the Nestor of the Federal camp, whose speech is
reported IN the National lnteliigencer of FEBRUARY ~, 1917;
from which we learn that, as soon as Mr.. CALHOUN sat
down, Mr.. PICKERING rose, and spoke to the following ef-
feet:
Pickering said he did not admit THE LATITUDE OF
CONSTRUCTION gireH b. the gentleman from South Carolina,
Mr.. Calhoun,D who introduced the bill, to the terms OF the
Constitution which he had quoted. Congress had power
'to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and eNcises' Fo-
what purPosel In order 'to pay the debts and provide for
the common defence and general welfare OF the United
States Hence, the gentleman inferred that, as public roads
and canals would promote the general welfare, therefore
Congress had power 10 make roads and canals. II this in. !
terpretaion OF the Constitution be correct, then the subse.
quent enumeration Of powers TO be exercised by Congress
was supeTtiuOus; for the terms TO provide for the general
welfare would embrace all the following enumerated pow
es, and every other Imaginable power, the exercise Of which
would promote the general welfare The object for which
the Constitution was ordained Is explicitly declared to be
TO promote the general welfare and the like words al the
head Of the specified powers appeared TO Mr.. Pickering as
intended 10 mark the line within which the powers expires.
sed or fairly implied should be exercised; they must all have
for their object the general welfare Then follows the en-
umcrauon OF the powers granted TO Congress; all VI which
are manifesily calculated 'to promote the general welfare
From the specific power granted TO Congress 'o estiJhsh
post offices and post roads, the genteman from South Car
olna had inferred that Congress had power to make roads on
which the post riders might travel. This construction Mr.
Pickering beleued 10 BE- ALTOGETHER ERRONEOUS" &c.