Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-11-17

m;,,oo az Nj ,SryAcTcREs, IN the House oil Neptesen
tattves and the grea, master sp''t oy ""on ' Una
~ ration was directed and controlled In .hat s''ua
~ - mao eyemp,ed from the operation oil the yea
| md ,,y. and OF course, we have no tecn,u :"
| n,. nc vote 10 fix any direct responsibility uPoi
| ,, enac,inrnt Of that great "b oil ao"hi-
,al,nns The Tariff of l527. But N the absence .
10, -. h,oorv of the times replete with evihehc'
e., 10 satisfy every candid man. that his infuenc
w,s ;Jrectiv at work bring about the very lesu'
yhcb he now affects TO condemn anc ne IS, .he'eio'
as mpcb responsible for the enactment OF lha' ou'u
ceons l,c as any who voted IN the aHIma,''e' "
~ ",;,, of its oasssge. Independent OF the evl
denca which hi, own speeches, subsequently oehVeeu
furnish of his having thus indirectly co-opefaeu WIZ
the partv BY whom that measure was carried, "r S'e
has nut u non record in The columns OF nus ial" i'e
g,s,, very important fact, which, IN our oPninn
al least, very concusively settles the question: WINS
,ha re II 1925 was under discussion IN the House
Of Representatives. such was the anxiety et III ceiia
quarters for lis fate, that large numbers oil wool gro"
era md other friends of the Protective principle mac
conoao,,ed in the Federal city from as many as Ten
So, s the Union to overlook if not 10 ocera'ce oui
nntionoI Representatives in their deliberations upon
that delicate and deeply interesting question. WI
Niles states tina, he himself was IN daily communion
with this corps of lobby members, and that more IN
tehgent body of men he never had Inc pieasuie -
meet During their visit, the oath day OF ia
nnarv 1928 nearly the whole of that large POSSE OF
pRorrcr,oSIsrs paid their respects TO MI Clay "as
mo rbompion of tie american System, and Its ehtg ana
,nost noreyfut adrocae Let ii be remembered, .neh
that this ialerng cvil,ty was extended 10 Mr. oiay
in tho wear 1928 when the great bill OF denominations
was undergoing discussion in the House o, hepfeseh
tatves. and furthermore that II proceeded from DO
div nj men, whose business at Washington was 10
watch over, if not TO CONTROL the tale oil tha aooi
nable measure Did THEY go there to learn rom ''f
CLAW that the true policy of the United STATES IN re-
snec, 10 Tariff does not consist laying high duties
To exclude foreign lmportations from our MARKET 50
thot the field may be left free 10 the domestic manu-
facturer 10 pluck the community Us he peases-tha
such duties only should be imposed as wouio y'eio
re venue adequate 10 an honest and economica aunn
straop of the General Government, and that IN the au
usment of such Tariff, such discrimination ought 10
be made as would only incidentally afford reasonable
TO our national interests? Dad they wait upon
Mr. Clay learn from his lips, that he was the oppohe"'
of high Protective Tariff and that the very oi aoou'
whose fate they felt much uneasiness ana Anxiety
was specimen Of The most dscreditable leg'sia'on,
and which, for the honor ot The country, ne hoPeu
would never be repealed Did they wait upon ni "
learn that he had received ms qattuS III ne
then approaching election for the Presidency, ne wou
seek situation in Congress again. and that when thefe,
he ended TO put forth all the energy OF his giant IN
teect in an effort TO modify and reduce the enormous
exactlons of the very bull, which they were tue"
nursing with 80 much fatherly tenderness and care
Who will believe such stuff that, and IS 1t not idle,
therefore, to assert that there any coincidence be-
tween the opinions of Mr.. Clay, Prime Minister Of
Johnny G., in 1928, and II Clay, candidate for the
Presidency in lS43
But let us pass on to the next epoch referred to in
this celebrated epstle In 1885, alter having SUFFERED
most nplorious defeat, the election above ALLUDED
to- he returned to Congress, and, we learn from his
Georgia letter assduously went 10 work TO modify aud
reduce the rates OF duties contained IN the iafiH OIL
ISIS And what did he do, The first effort was TO
introduce resolution the bect OF which was TO aoo-
sh the duties upon all articles imported from foreign
countries which did not come in competition with 81
mlar articles made or produced in the United States,
except upon wines and silks, and those, II proposed 10
reduce. This all that he did, IN the way OF re-
duction, and what suppose ye dd 1t amount TO: be
fore we examine into that matter however, lei IL De
borne in mind that the Tariff Of IS chiefly OBJ
noxious on account of protecre features and that
II was resisted by the South because IN operating 10
restrict people to the American market Alone Tor
the supply of every article they required for the sup
ri of their families II destroyed the curb which To-
reign competition had imposed upon the rapacity Of
the American manufacturers, and turned them over,
bound hand and foot To the tender nerces OF that ia
ror,d horde Of greedy cnrmaran,s That was the great
objection Ia The Tariff al IS and nobody complained
about The tax Which 1t Impased upon articles not manu-
featured 10 the u 5 These latter embraced IN a
class which, # consum at all, were purchased by the
weal,hy and the well born, and OF course, IN CONFORM
ty with The true principle OF taxation, 1t tell upon those
who best able to bear 1t That part OF The larin
was we'll enough, and needed not the pruning knife OF
Mr. CLAW But what dad his resolution propose: Sim
py to exempt this very class OF articles from the impos
and TO concentrate the whole taxation of the country
upon those foreign articles winch came INTO competition
with those manufactured here. Aye, s'rs-to throw
the whole burtien of taxation upon the poorer portion
community, by suhecung to an 'mpost every ar
,icle they need for food rament and by releasing
from every thing in the shape OF luxury which
NAV be INDUCED IN by The rich. The nabobs OF the
land under THIS resoluiloD permitted TO wear hne
nen and fare sump,uousy every day free of cost, but
the poor man would have 10 pay through the nose fol
all the comforts, and even many Of the necessares OF
life With what proprety, then, can this effort OF Mr.
Clay preserve and perpetuae this obnoxious feature
in the Tariff OF 2S be called effort his part &c
modify and reduce the rates of duty which that ac
coutalned Mr. C. next states, that the act OF lo31
preaily reduced and modified these duties but as he
we'll Knew tina, he had delivered speech in the Sc
nate during consideration of tia, bill in which he
commended mos, strenuously for PROTECTION IN lis
Objectionable FORM he has not had the bodness
tell the people Of Georgia what aid he contributed u
the modification Of them There is no doubt, that a!
his efforts, up 10 1885, directed (us the first move
above adver,ed proves) 10 fas'en the high Tariff sys
TEN upon Us; and nothing forced HIM 10 play the part
the great paccator 1888, bu, the certainty that fur
Their perseverance would lead TO its utter overthrow