The spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1840-1844, 1843-02-17
GOV. ROMANS MESSAGE, LOUISIANA,

The first paragraph of this message Is gloomy
enough. lis complaint OF a paTnlyzed agriculture
commerce, and industry, contrasts most strongly
with those better times which the wings so CON
f enlly promised were 10 enSue upon lhrr cleo
ton TO power, The next paragraph gives the
cause Of all this depression; OF course II Il The old
wing saw--ihc deslruc ion of the national bank
But this, with ninc-tenlhs of the American people,
j. now all gammon. The governor himself seems
10 emerge somewhat from the paper log, LILLE
way on in the message. lie hos hocn speaking OF
the solvent banks-nmc banks ",till standing erect
after the Storm" aud tho nsolvcnt banks, seven
having hecn prosnacd shy the commercial tor
nudo, and after communicating upon the wretch
ed circulating medjGm that has prevailed, he goes
on
:'rhe crisis which Ind been approaching for
some wears, and which in the ordinary course OF
events, WAS 10 !row that spirit ol wlld and dcn-
siyo speculation to which the whole country had
given itself up, was then felt in all us intensity
Gold aud silver Disappeared, expelled by drpre-
cilcd naper money. The neral distress reacted
upau the banks, hy diminishing the means Of their
debtors and increasing The amoUH OF protested pa
pr. The nunhcrless din 'u'lieS aud obstacles
with which we had 10 Struggle, have nevertheless
been surmuuned by the immense resources Of our
agriculture and Of our commercial position. The
rccciou5 metals have returned, To measure The va
rious agricultural products, Of which New Orleans
j. the emporium. Nine Of oar banks are now
paving specie. aud prove, by this single ilct, the
ease with which they might hive always sustained
the value Of their paper without the impudcnl re-
sumption or the monlhof May last"
This spirit Of "wiid and de'u-iyr speculation
commenced in John @, Adams udmmISraon,Nnd
il WA warmed into life in this Administrations -
And the succeeding crises are bat the natural re-
suits of the internal Improvement fever that began
then lf Sin the ordinary course Of events, v
spnrula,ion, iii diiiruh 10 perceive how naanal
bank, ns deep in the mud us the state banks were
in The nirc, could have stepped 1t,
This message is brief and chiefly confined 10
mites Of local interest. 1t contends That mini.
man dn,y is required to protect the great sugar IN
lrre,t Of ionisann: TINT duty Ola, least one cent
pnr pound on molsscs is necessary 10 protect II
from the competition of foreign liquid sugar that
comes in under that name. II urges economy In
legislation, aud The dnly Of the general assembly
10 provide for the deb, Of the state. We like the
conclusion Of this message, which is ne ioj'ow';-
"My true consolation is in the certainty tint dis.
tres, ia a country SO endowed with every element
Of PRO. 1ari,y and wealth, cannot he duahc, The
greatness Of our resources has Tor some wears past,
tended to lead us Hsiray, We thought them with
ou, limit, and ahrndpnel ourselves to undertake
ings and spccun,ions Ear above orr real strength
The errors of the p,s, viii 10, be without them
hrncl, if they serve us n bcHcnn TO warm ~ from
similar mistakes in future. The country has moi
chln-cd; ,he wide career offered to cura-r!ruur,
and commercial Industry is mot closed; no conyul'
sn1 ofnaturc has destroyed the fertility Of oui
sol, or turned away from our clpinl the stream
Of The Mississippi. We ore now aware oroar rca
situation; we culny The advantages Of self govern
manr, and our dcsilnins ARE in our own hands,
Louisiana must ye, be prosperous and happy. i
the mems which we still retain are administers,
with That prudence and economy which shoulC
have been always observed. '-N0Ioa Post