New-York daily tribune., 1844-03-14

great and beneficial Reform, which had visited
Washington at my own expense TO promote
asked of the Committee no personal favor, had
no private end to gain; and, although your
Chairman undertook ct the outset to overwhelm
me with the magnitude Of the Committees con-
descension in my behalf. bidding me inform my
co workers in the Postage Reform cause that none
Of them would again be INDUCED in this wa, !
beg leave to assure him and you that l regard
this matter in an entirely different light,
and am not specially grateful for the favor. Why
should | be 1t is your Committees business,
for which you are well paid, to collect arrange
and give due weight TO such facts as l appeared
to lay before vou reporting thereon to the Hous
for its action. Ofwhat use is your Committee II
it be not to receive and take cognizance of such
facts 1t is the current and justitiable presump
ton that the Committees hold frequent sessions
for this very purpose. Thank Heaven it is not
vet settled that all memorials and representations
from the People are to be received by Congress
only as a matter Of special grace and favor, and
kicked out of doors whenever they prove unpala-
table And to my mind it is clear that, if a me-
moral from large body Of the People is entitled
to consideration from the appropriate Com.
mite of Congress, representative Of the
signers of that memorial, who asks per
mission to explain, illustrate and enforce the
views Of the petitioners, is likewise entitled to a
hearing. 1t was entirely within the power of
your Committee to deny me hearing, on the
assumption OF unhtness on my part to appear be-
fore them, or inability to shed any light on the
subject; but they decided to hear me-of course,
in the belief that such courtesy was due to the
most respectable body Of citizens in whose behalf
| appeared, or that / might shed some light on
the subject Of Postage Reform. In any case my
appearance before you was not "a personal favor
to me- | was not in the way of Members,
nor in any sense a suppant or an intruder, I
was as truly dlscharging duty to the public as
though had been paid eight dollars day for it.
a Member Of such Committee, who understood
his duty and was anxious to discharge it intelli-
gently and faithfully, would be glad to receive any
information on the chief subject before that Com
mittee, even of an individual so humble as news
paper Editor and would never dream that he was
conferring a favor in devotng twenty minutes
time to hearing him.
But you talk Of private conversation of Mem
Jers' g. e still harping on my daughter.') and
of rebuking me for want Of good manners In
deed Your remark in the Committee room that
"a Protective Tariff increases the price of every
thing the West has to buy, and reduces that of
all it has to sell, was in no sense pripate one.
How should it be 1t vas more specially ad.
dressed, | think, to Mr. Belser, but was enuncia-
ted in a loud and positive tone, and in a manner
which marked it as plainly intended for general
edifcation. 1t was in spirit challenge to any
man Of opposite views to controvert it. If had
made so general and broad statement, in COM
pany of diverse politics, should have surely ex-
pected any one who dssented to make it mani
fest even though the ceremony of an introduc-
ton had not passed between us. OF course, l
cannot pretend that the drawing rooms of New
York are as fastidious as those of Blackford and
Mishawakee, but am sure the entirely courte-
Gus and deferential inquiries | made of you, i'm
PEELED by your statement, would in no company
of gentlemen here have been deemed impertinent
or breach of good manners.
But you proceed:
Now this has the mpadence to pSbsh-c9ncs1uins
he Ien59ed RI to and 3 dd
feent points the State asking them the prices of certain
tices before and the the last Tariff IN order
10 least
lower prices since Than they were before the passage OF thai
Yes, sir, correcting your mlsstatements, had
the mpudence' to do all this You stated un-
quali6edly, in my presence, that the Tariff had
increased the price Of every thing your section
had to buy. AS knew this was not true, re.
specially asked you to name some of the articles
on which this advance had been realized. You
shortly answered, 'Erery thing l deferentially y
suggested that had previously labored under a
great mistake if such were the fact, and asked
you to oblige me by naming some articles on
which the advance had been most decisive You
hesitated moment, and then answered, Salt has
adoanced one hundred per cent.'-Ths was an an.
swer to my inquiry, and had no wish to press il
farther. Coming home next day, immediately
wrote to most intelligent friend in Indianapolis,
recting the substance OF our conversation, and
asking him to ascertain and transmit me the
facts But | reqaestedhim to procure the prices
at the chief commercial points throughout the
State, not of certain articles, except that one
article of Salt which you had instanced az the
one on which a hundred per cent. rise had taken
place, but OF all articles on which higher duty
had been imposed by our present Tariff with 8
view to the Protection of Home Industry. |
wrote no circular letter. asked my friend to
procure information, through the Members of the