Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1844-07-12

from the consequences of their own folly He ex.
pressed the highest qualification at the prospect oil
the passage OF the Compromise rs the only means
LETT oi preserving the principle, TO the maintenance
OF winch ne had devoted great part OF his own use
iul life. His judgment the subject confirmed my
own opinions; and owed him While he lived debt
o gratitude for his assistance on that occasion, which,
although never had ii in my power to repay, yet
have never failed, either before or 81 ice his lameni-
ed DEATH to acknowledge. Thus urcd my feeble
aid was freely given TO that great measure: which,
while saved the manufacturing interest from sud-
den and utter destruction, soohed and conclIated the
angry passions of men, then ready TO rush upon rev.
oouton and bloodshcd; and gave ample time TO the
lends o. the protective policy TO rally in its support
before The dearest interest of the country could lie IA
tally affected Any attempt TO Withstand and repel
the Hood then rushing upon us, would have been |
lrutless. 1t was clear that we should be swept away
by the torrent. We preferred TO Divide TO divert and
TO read it, And then thought and still think, that
the mighty effort Of Mr., Clay, that OCCASION TO
save his favorite measure from the danger which
threatened IL from every quarter, was the most tri.
umphant act of his life.
After most exciting debate on the merits of the
bill great part of which was never published in con-
sequence of the feeling into which friends had been
betrayed who had always, before that, acted together
on this subject, the question taken the engross-
men OF the h, on the night of Saturday, the 23d of
February, 1888 and it ordered n third reading
in the Senate by an overwhelming majority At this
stage, we arrested further proceedings in the Senate
in consequence of the constitutional difficulty of orig
mating a revenue bill in that body. But we had Sc
cured one object, by this indicating TO the House the
measure to which we were disposed to accede. On
Monday being the 18th of February. successful mo-
ton was made in the House TO strike out the whole
of Mr. Verplanck's bill, and substitute the Compro.
mise in lieu If it, The bill thus amended was ordered
to be engros ed for third reading on the same day;
and, shortly after, became the law of the land.
1t is TOO late now after the experience the nation has
had Of General Iackson's influence while President,
TO pretend that was not in his power in 1888 TO have
| T. DOliry.
zenith Of its power 1t had abandoned every principle
! formerly proessed by il, TO which he had become
hostile. 1t had sacrificed every institution and every
measure which 1t had formerly advocated as soon rs
he declared against it, 1t is too late to say, that
he had sonlc friends among the Tariff men, who could
nave influenced his own course. He had friends
among the bank n,eo ; he had friends among the in
4 crnal Improvement men; and It was manly by their
aid that he was made prominent candidate in 1924.
and actually elected in 1923. Had the friends Of the
Bank, the internal improvement system, and the tariff
forescer his policy in 1924 he could not possibly have
obtained votes enough in the United States TO have
carried him into the House of representatives a
candidate for election. His intentions on all these
subjects were studousy concealed, pending his cleo.
ton; and when they were finally disclosed, they ex.
hlbted that generaship in politics for which he was
dcscrvedy distinguished. He killed off the insliti-
tons of the country in detail, always selecting the
weakest first, destroying that with the aid of the
friends of the others, before he ventured to announce
" hostility to the latter; and never attacking the
strongest until the friends of weaker measures which
had been yictimlznd became powerless His first at
tack was on the internal Improvement SYSTEM and
although was quite iavore with most of his north
ern and western supporters, on the day his veto on
the Mavsvllle road ! i'll sent TO Congress; vel
three weeks afterwards it had scarcely friend in hi:
party. The lutte remnant who dared to demonstrate
against the veto were Immediately prescribed, and
turne ont ofhs political church. Lcdiegon prori
mus 1rdet" The Banks turn came His de-
'ermined hostility 10 that was disclosed Immediately
ter he found himself success ul in the destruction o
Tho ant nd pnh f.pp
eral," said his friend, Felix Grundy, day to me
Elsa sportsman who must always have his cock II
the pit" lie had tried his apprentice hand tn,
Internal Improvements; and although, while he wal
member of the Senate Of the United States he had
by all his votes, carried that system the most ex
travagnna"x'ent and won golden opinions by the lat
udc of hls constitutional construction, among hi
dupCs III the west; yet he crushed the whole OF it 81
etioc,uav sngl blow, after he became President
that It's friends lost all influence with his gigantic par
~. Embodened by this success by the eclat which
the enemies of internal improvements bestowed upor
hn from all qlnrters, he sought new laurels OF tn
same kind IN new field and although, at no peroc
before his election had he even ventured 10 whispe
his hostility the Bank although during the who'll
period of his service in the Senate of the United States
when If he had harbored any hostility to the Bank OF
the ground OF its unconstuonaitv or dangerous ten
dency to our liberties his oath Of fidelity n Sana'o
ought TO have compelled him 10 disclose it, he neve
hronthod n word "Sninrt l,o i'od 3
rid of the internal improvements, he declared wa
against the Bank, and eflectuay crushed that too.
THE is, that the Pennsylvania Legislature, by
unanimous vote had shortly before declared for tn
Bank. Did not his party friends in that body, imme
dilcly after hearing the news Of the Neto wheel int
. the party line and unite IN all his denuncations o
: that institution! True ii is that George NJ. Dallas
the present Democratic candidate for the Vice Presl
r dency. was the FATHER OF THE BANK BILL was IN
! man entrusted with the memorial Of the bank itsel
/ the chairman of the committee 10 which that me
IN, rial was referred; was the very man who repore
the bill voted for it, and spoke for II through all il
, siagcs.-Did he not vote with his brother Senate
= from PcnnsyIyania who voted in the same way tur
about within few days after the Veto and denounc
, the Bank? Who does not remember the prediction.
=. at the time of that Veto, tina, there would be gref
4 dcseriiou from the Presidents party, in consequent
of that act, and who has fort often that nearly all
those who talked oudest n his party in favor of III
9 Bank were whipped in and became clamorous again,
. IT, as soon as his Veto appeared? lie vetoed the Ban
bill in july 1892 and as have already seen, witt
+ in six months after that he made on the tariff.
- Can any reasonable man doubt what would ha,
i been lis fate Henry Clay, with all the affection of
paren, for The protective policy, had not rescued it frol
a destruction by the compromise act Of the I'd of Marcl
y 1883! But for the nerposlton Of Mr.. Clay the pass
Il age Of the bill reported by the Committee of Way
n and Means in the House, would, nj no very distar
r. day, have been inevitable. What might have bee
n the fate Of the Union, leave others 10 conjecture
l., My business now is with the TART! alone, and l cor
:. fine myself to that.
II Henry Clay at the head Of the committee whic
d reported The compromise act. James K. Polk
If Tennessee The present rival for the Presidency w
i al the tail in the Committee Of Ways and Means
d the House which reported the bill TO which ! ha'
h referred, To understand Mr. Polk, il is now neces>
l. ry to understand that bill. Although he was the Ia
% named nem er on that Committee and in the
the column which attacked the tariff there was
4, more thorough gong, more denunclatory enemy
,e the protective policy than James X. Polk But let
= try him by the bill which he and his colleagues
- that committee reported, and by his votes as the
10 stand recorded on the journals OF Congress again
u the protective policy. This bill which will be four