Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1844-09-04

had ruined! Most of you had, pronounce,
TO be unconstitutional.
Had your opinions on this subject I'm
dergoue change in 1910. and did yol
contemplate that Gen. Harrison anc
myself-who during the whole contes
avowed our opinions 10 be unchanged il
that respect, in numerous addresses 10 :iht
publlc-would Be deserving Of deuuncia
lion If either of US should should refuse lt
purure ourselves by sanc,ioning asBanl
charter, which, believing it to be uncon
stituiional, our solemn oath of office re-
qared US to vote against OF veio2 Tell me
moreover. brother republicans of 1910
nad you then brought yourselves TO the
conclusion that, even admitting possible
buse of The veto power, ii was proper 10
rase from the constitution that great bar
Tler aud check To. an Unconstitutional and
ighly iuexpedient legislation. thereby
making the will Of Congresssupreine and
installing the majority of that body iu,he
iull possession of all powers ofgovernment?
Or did you, or Go you now still cling to the
opinion III which the qualified veto orig
mated, that a government without checks
and balances is the worst form Of Oligar-
chy-and that too many guards, in order
10 secure public liberty, cannol be thrown
over its different departments!
If, indeed, you are advocates Of change
so vital as thai proposed, then may not
only The Garrisons and Tappans Of our
own country rejoice but aSshout should
ascend from The Abolition Convention "of
the whole world" at the fact that our
Federal system had given way before The
power of a consolidated government.
whose will, uttered forth by sectional ma
Jor'les, was absolute, admitting Of no
check or resistance from auy quarter wha,
ever. II, indeed, these be your. opinions,
then have mosI previously disapipointed
the hopes in which you INDUCED in con-
neclion with my election and my admins.
tration. must, neIhertheless, most sol
emnly aver that had been aware tina,
such would have been expected aud re-
quired Of fne-ifI could have believed that
you, whose candidate | was peculiarly
considered, and 10 conciliate whom was
nominated for the Vice Presidency. would
have required of me the contingency which
unhaPpily occurred, thai should com
mence my administration with an act Of
perjury, aud sanctioned measures abhor
reul to every principle of my pas, life aud
al war with The prosperity Of The country
aud The continuance Of liberty, would not
have suffered my name, humble as it was,
TO have been brealhed in The canvass. No,
claim the proud privilege of an American
citizen 10 think for myself on all subjects.
and to acl in pursuance Of my own con
victions-and it would require total
change Of my nature in order to convert
me into mere Instrument Of party dicta-
tiOn.
I would appeal no. only to yourselves
but 20 all my countrymen 10 say whether,
in the matters apperlaining TO our foreign
affairs. they. anticipated, more success in
The adjustment Of difficulties aud in the
formation of highly important Treatise
Than it has been my province to cause to
he negotiated; Long standing difficulties
which threatened most seriously the
peace Of the country. ;. Nor has any op
portunty been lost for enIargins The com
merce of the country, and giving new mar
kets to our acriculur and manufacturing
producls. II the country has not reaped
full fruitiou or benefit from dill the treatise
thus negotiated, it surely has not been the.
fault Of tie Administration. The luss. of
two of flhose treatise through The action OF
the Senate. cannot but be depIored by ME
as great public calan,ilies. BY the treaty.
with the German States, we had opened
the way 10 more extended commerce
with 27,00O,O00 of people, in our cotton.
tobacco, rice aud lard, al dulles on, tobacco
rice and lard greatly reduced, aud with a
stipulation for the free admission Of cotton
while we had agreed to receive al some
what reduced duties articles from those
States which entered intolh mosl limited
competition, il at all. with "a few similar
articles of American product. -,
The treaty was particularly interesting
from The fact that, for the first time after
repeated struggles. on the part of my pre-
decessprs TO accomplish a reduction of
duty on Tobacco, the Government had
sueceeded.in doing so. 1t was negotiated
under resolutions originating with the the
tobacco States, aud with the presumed
sanctions of Congress. who had raised, as
il is believed, the mission TO Vienna from
a second 70 a first rate mission, with direcl
reference to the tobacco interesi, and had
rad also appropriated sum of money,
some.years ago, 10 enable the Executive 10
employ an agent in,Germany to acquire
information as to the tobacco trade, THE
services of which agent had only. ceased a
short time prior to the negotiation ofthe
treaty: My hope stilI, however, is thal!he
benefit of the treaty, and the treaty itself.
may mol be lost TO the country. Think
il proper 10 add, that there was no design
to deprive the House Of Representatives Of
any rightful and constitutional action over
the subject, which i, might properly OK
ercise. 1t was. on the contrary. my in
tenlion TO have submitted the treaty, and
all the papers calculated to elucidate it, to