The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1844-07-22

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tho Government: and James X Polk, of Tennessee,
who way AT that time, the chairman o' tiat very Com
mittee of ways and Means, voted Tor thnt res"'uoh'
There were sixy-nine yeas IN favor OF tat resoihto
and Is nuys against it, In voting for the resolution
The deliberate design which to violate all the
pledges given in the Compromise, Mr. Polk was back
cd by six Of the nine nullifers and ultra anti tatll
men in the House. This movement shows the dis
satisfaction which the Compromise cherished ut az
enrly period by the enernies.oC protection. They
were sensible that Mr Clay had riumphed by the sa
walton OF his (avorte policy; and the strength oil INC
vote against the resolution showed how great hht III
umph was. But one year previous to the n'roduc
ton Of Mr. Halls resolution, il WORLD have Phsseh
the House by an overwhelming majority. Inc vote
on Mr. VerpancL's BILL at that time, proved that con-
clusvely. But the fact is, that the EVIL spft OF 'o
MoruT-the spirit Of disunon-which had been raised
by Notification had been subdued by hat same mas
ter spirit which, for Thirty yenrs, had exercised so
great an influence in their public councils That s"inH
master spirit had queled the snme demon, at the
great Missouri Compromise. On both occasions, len
~ Clay snved the Union; und in the judgment OF
many, in ench Of them, he saved the Union at It's last
gasp. 49,
war on Domestic Industry, was not the first exhibit
ton Of their spleen and hostility 10 the Compromise
Within six weeks after the passage Of the act, the
Executive OF the United States began TO violate lis
true spirit and its legitimate construction for the pur
nose ofbreaking down our American policy. On the
20th Of April, 1888, the Secretary Of the Treasury
under President Jackson issued his famous treasury
Circular to all the officers of the Customs in the Uni
ted States That circular contained an Executive de
cree abrogating all the specific duties and the whole
system Of D1inimums in the existing tariff laws. I'm
der prelex as foreign fom the views of all the men
with whom acted in the passage of that law, as any
thing the remote, this arbitrary edct declared,
without syllable in the act to support t,that II was
our Intention in passing Ito repeal these specific du-
ties and minimums. II is scarcely possible that any
human being could have been ignorant not to
know that a specific duty could, at any time, be as
well ascertained an al rdlOrem duty, and that
these duties convertible. BY tho Compromise,
we simply provided that all existing duties (wheher
specific or al ralorem) should be reduced 10 a fixed
ratio. This outrage the law, which, because the
Executive whose province il was TO collect the duties,
had perpeirated it, was utterly without remedy prov
cd Of great injury all those manufactures which de-
pended for protection upon mnimums and specific
duties
The injury inflicted on the manufacturing interest
did not admit Of legnl redress Cor the friends Of pro-
lection could not by any possibility bring the question
before any judicial tribunal, while the executive Off
GERS refused 10 for collect the duties in pu
suance of their instructions. Nothing remained for us
to do but submit in silence, until the returning
Of justice to the country should induce the peo
pie to drive the enemies of Domestic Industry from
The high places of the Republic.
And here let pause for tho purpose Of entreat-
ing every friend of Home Labor, who has ever
thought Of voting for James K. Polk, rs President of
the United States, to take warning by the example
which have now set before him. If there be sucha
man. la him not lay the ntterng JUNCTION to his soul
that he can his iavoritc policy, while the Execu-
tive Of the u. Stntes with the officers OF the customs
appointed by him, is hostile TO that policy They
have the collection OF the duties for protection and c
who would commit the lamb to the custody Of the
WOLF will Justly suffer for his own folly.
Before have done with this subject | ought to
mention in this connexion what think is another
strong evidence of the hostility Of James X Polk and
his political associates to the protective policy, and
other true principles OF the Compromise Act. Al
though they continued in power from the passage of
that law until the year 1911, they attempted in
a single instance, to provide either by prospective
Legislation or by any Executive regulation, for any
mode Of assessing duties on the Home Valuation;
nor did they attempt to pass law raising the duties,
prospectivey, after the 30th Of June 1912, to the
al wants of the government; although they knew,
well through the whole session Of Congress Of
ls40-I, as we know now, one or both of these
measures ought to be prospectvey adopted, to save
the government from the da niger of bankruptcy. The
principle of the Home Valuation was sine qua non,
n, the time Of the passage Of the act with many Of
those who, like myself voted for it for the purpose
avowed by me at the time, of saving the Protective
policy We considered that vote for the duties
fixed by the act to be assessed this principle, was
essential to all intents purposes vote for Protec-
tion; and we determined therefore TO compel Mr. Cal
houn and his peculiar friends in the Senate record
their votes in the most unequvocal 9oruon the Jour
nal IN favor oil that prlncine ana mere cannot help
complaining of the conduct of Mr. Calhoun, after the
passage of this law, and especially after the period
when most of us friendly to the Protective policy who
had voted with him For its passage had left the Senate
of the u. S. How well his conduct conporied with
that feeling which became man who had received
hands shelter from the which threaten
ed to annihilate HIM, leave for him and others who
are in the same category 10 determine. To explain
his conduct must refer to a few facts.
While the motion was pending to amend the bill
by directing the assessment of the duties on the home
value, debate sprung up, in the Of which Mr.
Calhoun repeatedly argued that the amendment was
and declared that it was impossible
or him 10 vote for it, number of Tariff Senators |
rcndy TO the Compromise Act, with whom | was
lctng in concert, including, among Others Samuel
Bell OF Hew Hampshire, a. Naudan of Delaware,
Samuel Foote Of Connecticut, and John Holmes Of
Maine had resolved to compel all the anti protection
sts in the Senate for that amendment in every
stage OF its passage, to defeat the bill by laying
IN the table, We foresaw all the objections which
been since made to the adoption of that mode of
evasions of the law and frauds the rev.
nue. and we knew that the amendment necessarily
arried with it protection 10 American industry. 1t
vas unpleasant prescription for MIR Calhoun; but
was not III adapted to the peculiar disease under
which he labored. After he had frequently announc-
d his unalterabe determination TO vote against the
amendment, which he has often said it would be a
olntion OF the constitution and against his conscience