Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1844-05-16

Ell That mere WAS 10 responsibility res
ting on the citizens Of Maine to contrib
ute towards the debts Of the States, tn
creation ol vhich they had no voice in
The injustice of such measure stoot
gu so palpably that an individual coulo
scarcely be found who would excuse it
Vet ,hey found the whis party on thai
foo. enacting the same thing in sub
stance, and thas degrading the States tn
the condition of humble recipients Of
government favor.
He knew that one argument used In
favor of the measure was, that the lands
belonged to the people OF the States;and
that they had right to their proceeds to
relieve themselves from debts. 1t was
tue that they did; bat they were pledg-
ed fer distinct purpose, from which
Congress had no right TO divert them
So did this splendid temple in which
Congress sat belong TO the people Of the
United States; and by the same argu-
meot, it might be sold, and the proceeds
dlstslbuted among the States. Again:
what was the next measure which re-
ceived the sanction of the whis Con
gressP 1t was the passage OF tic bill
chariering national bank. Had they
forgotten so soon the Influences which
originated in that monster lnstiutionf-
All the industry of the country, ITS COM
merce, agriculture, and manufactures.
had heen Frustrated by it; and yet the
wing party, i'll defiance CT the lesson thus
taught them, were for chartering anoth-
er With power do mischief. Had tley
so soon forgotten that this institution
undertook to control the Gestnies Of the
country that it undertook to control its
legislation! that il undertook to control
the ballot-boxes? aud that il undertook
20 control the pressp who did not re-
collect the cry that went from these
walls and echoed throughout the country
when the government deposites were re-
moved? Who did not reculiect that it
was panic, panic here and through all
parts Of the Union? Who did net recolleot
the expanions and cOnttac!ions Of its cir
culation. and all for political effect, and
how many unfortunate men were made to
feel its powetT When it cont acted how
many merchants were Frustrated and
driven into bankruptcy and when it
fell, how mary widows and orphans
we've robbed of their all? Yet in dispite
of this sad experience, and in violatin Of
al the pledges they made to the country
the wings of the 27th Congress came here
and urged the passage of bill through
this and the other House creating an in
stitutIon which would inflict the same E.
wills on the country.
Yet his colleague, after all this. talk
ell of political consistency. Again: who
did not know that this same party des-
canted long and loudly on the control
which, they said the independent treasu-
ry act cave the executive over the pub
lie funds, how they talked of the union
of the purse and the sword? Yes, the
act giving the government the power to
take care of its own funds, and which
prevented corporations from specializing
on them, they stisnlatized az the union
of the purse and sword; and repealed j.,
leaving the treasury without any legal
enactments for its afe-keep ping. and thus
emphatically putting the purse and the
sword III the hands of one Individual
Again; they passed tariff bill which on
a previous occasion. he had denounced
as the black tariff;' for it was designed,
from the beginning. by those who framed
it, TO fitch money from the pockets of
certain capitalists. He repeated, that
the object of that bill was to legislate
money into the pockets of Il certain class
out of the pockets of the people.
In the little time allotted to him, he
could not resort to detail; but let any
man examine that act carefully and he
would see the distinction that was made in
favor of the capitalist and against the az
riculturist. lie would see that while
the products of agriculture are protected
bv duty OF from to IS per cent.
the manufactured articles were protec
ted BY dutyof from 80 to 600 per cent.
Was that protecting labor: Why was
this gross injustice pelpetratedf It was
because the agricultural and laboring
classes were the last to come here and
beg for special tayors; while the capital
lists, more active aud more clamorous.
were constantly on the alert, at the doors
OF Congress in search of additional boun-
ties. They sought to enrich themselves
at the expense of the community, and to
degrade labor by shifting the burden of
taxation on it. 1t was remarkable that, "a
mong all the writer's of political econo-
my'there never yet had been one willing
to write an elementary work, demonstra-
ting that by adding to the prices of i'm
portatlons at the custom houses, these
prices would be reduced to the consumer
1t was remarkable that no elementary
writer had yet advanced the doctrine
that high taxes conduced to the prosper
'ty OF the people at large; vet the whis
party had made this grand discovery. =
Here the chairman's malet fell, announ-
chg that Mr.. Hamlin's hour was out.