The Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1834-184?, 1844-07-18

proiracted and bloody contest, which if it did
not endanger the Union, as | firmly believe 1t
would have done, must have rendered the pro-
~tective system hateful 10 our country men as the
exciting cause OF a civil war, and incapable of
being maintained, except by the butchery OF
American citizens by American hands. | never
did. nor do not now, believe, that any such sys-
tenn can be- long maintained in a government
like ours, IT il cannot be upheld without a civil
war. The friends OF The Compromises, In the
firm belief that the protective policy was eDti-
tied to the confidence aud support OF the Amer
IIcan people, and would grow up and establish
itself In their affections, if violent civil strife
could be avoided, desired, OF all things. time
time Tor reason to resume her empire-lime for
the violent passions OF men, then inlamed to the
very verge OF insanity. to subside and they con-
scented 10 a gradual reduction of duties for a lim-
tied period, with a view 10 the ultimate safety
OF the protective principle itself. as well as to
avert the horrors of a civil conflict, and TO save
the excited and deluded men who were rushing
into these e~xtremities, from the consequences of
their own folly. In the midst OF all these con
slderatlons, then pressing upon the attention oil
the friends OF protection, there was another star
ing US in The face, which is too often forgotten
or overlooked. AT the commencement OF the
session OF that Congress which passed the act.
president Jackson, in his annual message, threw
of the cloak OF a "ludiciOus'' tariff, and openly
ariayed the whole pow er of the Executive against
the protective system. Then, tor the firsI time,
We heard from him the declaration, that sexpe-
Renee, our best guide on this, as on other SUBJ
jects, made il doubtful whether the advantages
Ot this system are not counterbalanced by many
evils and whetherit aid net tend TO beget, ia The
minds OF large portion of our counfrymen, a
sp'rii OF discomfort aHd jealousy, dangerous TO
the stability of the Union;n-"that a tariff de-
signed for perpetual protection had entered in-
| the minds of buttew OF our statesmen, and that
the most they had anticipated was a tendorary
projections - and s'llal those who took an entar-
ged. view of the condition OF our country, must
be satisfied that the policy Of protection must be
ultimately limited TO tliuse articles of domestic
manufacture which are Indispensable TO our saf-
ETY. in time of war;, ~
These and many other declarations against
the existing Tariff in the Presidents Annual
Message, almost inslautaneously arrayed the
mass OF his party against the protective policy
throughout the whole country. 1t required no
gifted seer TO predict its fate, if some conciliatory
, measure were not speedy adopted by its friends
10 a1lay the existing excitement%Th Presidents
! Message against the Tariff was communicates
10 Congress, at that session., on the 4lh OF Dec.
and with such expedition did his party In the
2 House OF representatives act on that occasion,
in pursuance of his suggestions, that on I'll 28th
, OF tn same month, the Committee o: Ways and
Means reported a bill to repeal the existing Tar
: if, and In leu thereof, TO collect a revenue of
n but Sl2, SOC, 900 by all imports on iofeign mer.
chandise, the average duty on which as propos-
J. III Wv IN - V ~ - SSAAb-4 Ato l4o " OG
/, assessed on the foreign valuation. This bill
n which was sometimes called Mr.. Verplanck's
: PUN RBIa he }Rs E Estsh We r @as Yae 3 mffiSs4f5 Sr en- ad as a
: on its passage in the House, at the time the
# Compromise was under consideration in the
e Senate; and its hual passage In the House, was
I. no longer problemet teal. Ii was a measure
n which, il successful, could not TAIL to prove an
i. immediate death blow to the whole protective
policy. LIS passage had been forced through
d the Committee Of the Whole on the Union, at
n ter an Intellectual effort by the friends of meri
can industry to impede lis progiess; when OIL
the ED OF Feb, 1888. the Trends OF Projections
L in the Senate made the last effort in their pow,
er TO arrest its downward tendency, and 10 STAY
n for so long a time as possible, the hand whict
was extended for its destruction. AT that crit.
cal moment, the question tor them to conside
was, Dot merely now much protection WAS ne
cessary Tor Home Labour, Dut how much OF i
could be saved. The bill in the House, backet
as II was by the power OF the Executive, and III,
public sentiment lii its favor daily Increasing
IN consequence OF the Presidents dennnci
h atoms oil the then existing tariff, mIghrbe ten
porarily arrested by the action OF a te " Senators
but those very Senators saw, that unless som,
compromise could be effected, while they re
!. tanned their slender aud very precariousmaJor
:, lty in The Senate, the. uitlm ate triumph OF the de
" structive syslem. aud that, too, at no dlstan
day, was inevitable.
1t Time can never efface my vivid remem
&c brance of the anxious responsibility felt b,
myself and those who acted with me at tina
moment. = = = = ANY attempt Il
withstand and repel the flood then rushing
upon us, would have been f~ruitless. 1t wa
d clear that we. should be swept away by tn,
torrent. We preferred 10 divide, TO divert
ri and to retard it. And | then thought, AM
still think. that the mighty effort of Mr.. Clay
! on that occasion 10 save his %iavorite measur,
from the danger which threatened it fron
d every quarter, was the most triumphant act o
his life.
'e After a most exciting debate on the merit
of the bill, a great part of which was never
published in consequence ofthe feeling int
d which friends had been betrayed, who hat
always, before that, acted together on thu
> subject, the question was taken on the en-
grossment of the bill, on the night of Satur
y day, the 23d of February, 1888, and it wa:
ordered TO a third reading in the Senate b,
an overwhelming majority. At this stage
sr we arrested further proceedings in the Sen
ate, in consequence of the constitutions
difficulty of originating a revenue bill in tina
body. But we had secured one object BY
:, thus indicating to the House the measure Il
n which we were disposed to accede. Oh
ii Monday, being the 25th of February, a sue
cessful motion was made in the House Il
~ strike out the whole of Mr.. Verplank's bill
le and substitute the Compromise in lieu of il
O. The bill thus amended was ordered to b
engrossed for a third reading on the sam
= day; and, shortly after, became the law O
is the land.
ed 1t is too late now, after the experience tn