Independent Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1842-1844, 1843-07-01

The Wing Congress anu The COmpro
mise Act--Among The many instances in
which the late Wing Congress grossly
transcribed the expressed viii Of their
constituency, and violated the pledges by
which they succeeded in deceiyng the
people in 1910, none is as fragrant and
damnabe MS their conduct in regard to the
Compromise Act. In The last Presiden-
tial canvass, both parties stood pledged 10
preserve and maintain that law. Gene
raj Harrison repeatedly and on all coca
sions asseverated in the strongest terms
the inviolable sancily of the Compromise +.
In his GAINESVILLE letter he declared: 81
am for supporting the Comp omise Act,
and never vii, agree to its being altered or
repealed;" and in his letter answering
the interrngatories of Mr.. BerrIen of GA,
he declared the same, and added: "Good
faith, and The peace and harmony of the
Union do, in my opinion, require that the
compromise of the tariff, known as Mr..
Clay's bill, should be carried out accord
ing to its spirit and intention"
Such were The opinions expressed, and
pledges given, by General Harrison; and
with such an understanding on the part Of
The people, that the tariff was to be pre-
served on the basis of the Compromise Act,
the Wing party came into power. Yet
the Compromise Act has been violated,
and that, too, when there was not the
shadow of a necessity for il in the eXigen.
cies of the Government, according to their
own showing. Mr. Ewing, Secretary of
The Treasury, in his report of June, 1911,
declared that The lowest rates OF duty, TO.
wit: copper cent. ad ra'ortm, as provided
by the Compromise Act, would yie,d 10
the Treasury annually $20,sO0,000,
which would be sufficient to defray all the
expenses of the Government, and leave 4
surplus. and This without including the
proceeds from the sales of the public lands,
amounting to about $3,OO0,000. Here,
then, by the acknowledgment Of their own
Secretary of the Treasury, when this
Wing Congress came into power, was an
annual revenue of upwards of $23, OOO,-
600, adequate by more than three millions
10 meet all the wants of Government, arl-
sing from the quiet and peaceful operation
of the Compromise Act What motive Tut
the most perverse hostility to the Interests
of the country could have prompted men 10
disturb this harmonious system, in the alb.
sence of every exigency as appears by
their own showings 1t betrays a madness
of party recklessness that is without pro-
cedent in political history. And what has
been the consequence A high protect
i've tariff has been passed, raising the du-
ties upon many of the indispensable ne
cessaries of life TO an enormous rate, so as
greatly to diminish, and in many cases to
prohibit their introduction into the coun-
try altogether. The result of this is, that
these high duties, instead of increasing
the revenue arising from the articles on
which they were imposed, cut it off entire
ly. proof of This, we have only to refer
to the Treasury estimates Of the year lS42.
By them it appears, that, IN the first quar-
ter of the fiscal year OF 1928, while The
Act was operating, the reye-
nue. arising from the customs amounted to
upwards of sir millions; and in the fourth
quarter, when the new tariff law is in
force, it is reduced to something upwards
Of four millions. Thus the revenue be-
comes insufficient TO meet the eXoendl-
lures fthe Governmental deficit occurs
in the Treasury-the Government has TO
resor: to the expedient of issuing Treasury
:otes, and a public debt is incurred by this
,xecrabe system of Legislation, when the
revenue which would have arisen from the
operation of the Compromise Act, was
more than amply sufficient to answer all
he necessities of the Government. This ,
$ the way the Wings manage matters ,
when they get into power .-Kentuchy
Yeomdn.