Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1843-02-16
WIG MEETING IN GREENE.

AlhntiisN lIf, Nl lhf \ @ln gay III liiial l0ih, W. WV
purpose of appointing Delegates IL attend the Wing
Convention. tobo held IN the City Of Richmond, on the
I'D day eft February nest: On motion oi W ilham i,
Early, .Nt,rtoa Hume, Esq was called To the Char. aud
0tirer ffnhs appointed Secretary.
The Chairman, upon taking his seat, delivered a short
hui very pertinent address, explanatory oi the object
of the meeting, followed by MIR. Oliver finks, Jemes
i. iinls, and William I. early. Whereupon, the fol
lowing preamble aud resolutions were read and unanl-
nously adopted;
Whilst our fellow citizens, throughout the country, are
meeting IN primary assemblies aud ~ pressing then sen
ments on public men aud measures, we deem It proper,
aud n duty we owe 10 ourselves. our party, and our coun-
Try, 10 'doiinc our position, > by a%eandld, clear, and do
eldrd expression Of our opinions.
We hold the following doctrines 10 be fundamentally
true. 10 wit:
That the people Of the United Sta,es, in their social,
constitutional compact, are sovereign, so lar. ana 81 lar
only. ms powers have been granted expressly 10y the
Constitution, or may be necessarily inierablo by express
grants.
That the people of the several States, under the State
Constitutions, are sovereign in all things not granted oX-
preesly, III theoretically, ~ the Government OF the Uni
ted States, by the Constitution.
That IN constituting tho powers granted 10 the General
Government, a rational, and not a l1eed or abstract con
siructlon Is To 90 gwen Ia them.
That in all legislation by the General Government, all
sections of the country, all the interests Of the people,
should 90 duly considered and the laws 30 framed, AS
10 bear as equally as possible upon all.
That legislation ON the part Of tho General Gov
efnnent, Is exclusively vested III Tie Congress Ui the l..
States.
That the President is not. and ought not to be-, a CO
ordinate branch oi the legislative department.
That the Veto Power artns the President with great
or authority than the welfare Of The people requires
should be vested IN him-and that tie use Of il Of
late, has been perverted 10 arbitrary and selfish purposes.
That Congress has the power 10 establish n system
thai shnll secure uniform rates Of exchange between the
different sections of the c~ouniiy-and that the public good
requires II should exercise that power.
That III raising revenue for the support Of the Guv-
ornment, Congress has the right 10 discriminate, with a
view 10 protect Commerce, Agriculture, Manufactures,
or any Of The great interests OF the people, so that bcne-
fits and burdens be equally distributed in all parts Of tIe
community.
That a system of horizontal duties on imports. would
be against the practice Of civilized nations, against the
most ohvlons principles Of pollliealeeonomy, aud the plain
est dictates of common Sense.
That the power to raise revenue by direct taxation,
was intended. by the frame rs oi the Constitution. To be n
dernier resoyt, when war Iud made ii impracticahIc 10
raise enough reveauc lron imports. and when other sour
ctso revenue mad failed.
That Congress has the power to distribute the pro
cpeds Of the public Lands among the several States, IN
Just aud equitable proporiions-and that the distribution
should take place whenever sufficient revenue Tor tho
wants OF the Government, economically administered,
can be gained without the imposition OF too high a rate oi
duties on lmports-as it would cheek The lide of repudia
lion, re-cstablish the crodl Of The Staios, aud, by neces-
safy consequence, Of the States al large.
l pom these principles, thus laid down, we desire 10 of
fer no argument ut present, except upon the Tariff
which Is the enarosslng topic of the day, and upon which
50 much clainor, cXecrati0n aud misrepresentation have
been lavisI'cd, that it has become a 'chimsra dire" to
~trighten men from their propriety. We are in favor of
such imposition of duties as shall foster domestic manu-
features To the fullest extent, consistent with such an a.
mount of revenue as the fair and honest demands Of the
Treasury may require. We profess, nevertheless, to be
thorough believers in the doctrines of free irade.-Wo
are convinced that # all the nations Of the earth would
be governed by them in their commercial relations. they
would couiei upon all the greatest possible amount of at
talnable prosperity. But we should regard 1t as the
height OF folly TO throw open our ports to other nations
without restriction, SO long as theirs are shut in our faces,
and they continue 10 act upon a wholly opposite policy.
The practical Statesman, under such circumstances,
must Try his abstract philosophy upon the shelf, and work
ont his problems upon the actual theatre of human ai-
fairs. lie must view things as they are, determine what
is wiscsi aud best in the actual circur stances of the
case, and not waste his time and harass The country, in
futile attempts To bring measures, involving the fate of
millions, TO the ProcrustIan bed Of his own abstract prin-
cipes. To buy IN the cheapest markets is a very plan
sible doctrine, but, to HIM who is forced to sell IN the
cheapest market, the delusion is at once made manifest.
The great problem to solve is, what constitutes, under
all circumstances Of selling as well as Of buying, in time
10 come, Is well as time present, the most advantageous
market to the consumers. In connection with this sub
ject, we have felt too sorely the bear ing of excessive i'm
portations upon our currency, and the consequences oil
lis dcrangenent, not to wish to see them checked here
after. We know ofno other means to effect this desira-
BILE object. but TO expand and diversity our own labor, ia
F., the utmost extent compatible with a sound currency.
3 With the views, expressed above, we went into the
< Presidential canvass Of 1910, aud glor,susly triumphed
, After that signal victory, wo had every reason to believ.
e that the country would have been spared a similar con
tlict, for years to come, and that the political principles
= which Were aycwed, and the prominent measures whic!
We're then promised by the victors would, al least, have
e been allowed a fair trial. We, however, have beef
most painfully deceived.
# The affective dispensa,ion of Providence which 70
moved from the head OF the Government tho venerable