The Whig standard. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1843-1844, 1844-07-02

ments and although while he was member Of
the Senate of the United States, he had, by all
his votes, carried that system TO the most ex-
travagant extent, and won golden opinions, by
the latitude of his constitutional construction,
among his dupes in the West, yet he crushed
| the whole of it ehectually at single blow,
after he became President, that its friends lost all
| influence with bis gigantic party. Embodened
| by this success, by the eclat which the enemies
of internal improvements bestowed upon him
| from all quarters, he sought new laurels OF the
same kind in a new field and although, at no
| period before his election, had he even ventured
| to whisper his hostility to the Bank; although,
during the whole period of his service in the Sen
| ate of the United States, when if he had harbored
any hostility to the Bark on the ground OF It's
| unconsttutlonay or dangerous tendencies to
| our liberties, his oath of fidelity as Senator
| ought to have compelled him to disclose It, he
| never breahed word against it.; yet as soon as
| he had got rid of the internal improvements, he
| declared war against the Bank, aud efectually
crushed thai too. re
True it il, that the Pennsylvania Legislature,
| by a unanimous vote, had shortly before declared
! fur the Bank. Did not his party friends III thai
| body, Immediately after hearing the news of the
Veto. wheel into party line. and unite in all his
denunciaiions of that institution True it Is that
George M. Dallas, the present Democratic candi-
THE BANK BILL; was the man entrusted with the
memorial OF The bank itself; was the chairman of
the committee TO which that memorial was refer
red; was the very man who reported the bill,
voted for il, and spoke for it through all it's
stages. Did he not, with his brother Senator from
Pennsylvania who voted in the same way, turn
about within few DAYS after the veto, and de-
nounce the Bank! Who does nor remember the
predictions, at the time of that veto, that there
would be great desertion from the Presidents
party, in consequence Of that act, and who has
forgotten that nearly all those v no talked loudest
in his party in favor of he Bank were whipped
in and became clamurous against it, as soon as
his veto appeared He vetoed The Bank bill in
July 1882, and as we have already seen, within
six months after that, he made war on the tariff
Can any reasonable man doubt what would have
been its fate if Henry Clay. with all the affection
OF parent for The protective policy, had not res
| cued it from destruction by the compromise act
of the ID of March, 1888! But for the interpo-
stlnn OF Mr.. Clay, the passage Of the bill report
| ed by The Committee Of Ways AID Means in tile
House, would a. no very distant day, have been
inevitable. What might have been The fate OF
the Union, leave others to conjecture. My bu-
| sness now is with the tariff alone, aud confne
myself to that
Henry Clay was at the head of the committee
which reported The Compromise Act. James K
Polk, of Tennessee, The present rival for he Pre-
sldency. was at the tail of the Committee Of Ways
and Means in the House which reported the bill
to which have referred. To understand Mr..
Polk, IT Is now necessary TO understand the bIIl
Although he was the last named member on that
coIlImIttee, and in the rear of the column which
attacked the Tariff there was 10 more thorough
going-no more denunciatofy enemy Of the prs
,ecti.e policy than James K. Polk But let us
ty him by the bill which he and his colleagues
on that committee reported, and by his votes as
they stand recorded on the journals of Congress
against the protective policy. This bill, which
will be found to be the 18th document in the VOL
ume OF reports OF committees at the I'd session of
the 22d Congress, reduces the duties ON the 81
March, 1862 as follows, all assessable, be it re-
nembered, on The foreign raluation: On aoool-
lens, to ID per cent; on all not exceeding 35
cents the square yard, 5 per cent; on worsted
stuff goods OF all kinds, 10 per cent. on worsted
and woolen hosiery, gloves, nets, bindings, and
stockinets, 10 per cent; on all other cloths, me-
| rlno shaWs, f1annels, bazes, and cassmeres, car
FetIngs, and rugs of all kinds, 20 per cent; on
clothing ready made, all descriptions, 20 per cent.
on all cotton goods, 70 per cent, except nankins
from India, on which Mr.. Folks duty was Is per
cent and cotton iluslery, gloves, mlts and stock-
nets, on which his duty was 10 per cent, as well
as upon cotton twist, yarn, and thread on all
manufactures Of fac and hemp, or sail duck and
cotton bagglng, ID per cent. on all manufactures
OF TN, japanning, gilt plated, brass, copper, and
pewter, and on saddlery, plated, brass, and pol
lshed steel, 20 per cent; on common saddery,
III per cent; on earthen and stoneware, 20 per
cent; on all side and firearms, rifles, and mus.
kets, ~ per cent; on bridle-blts and glassware,
~ FER cent; on manufactures of iron and steel
generally, duty of 70 per cent on salt and coal
D per cent. On every thing produced by the far
mer in the middle and Northern States, Mr. Polk,
VINO is cottongrower, recommended in this bill
one unvarylns standard of only Is per ceni-l5
per cent on potatoes, ID per cent. on oats Is per
cent. on wheat aud wheat -four, butter, bacon,
beef, and pork.
Such was the character of that bill from the
passage OF which Henry Clay saved the country
by the adoption of the Compromise. Had a tor
nado passed over all the manufacturing establish
ments OF the country at that time, it would
scarcely have proved greater curse than that
measure, which had the earnest support of Mr..
James X. Polk, of Tennessee. BY reducing the
duty OF wool to 10 per cent, it put the knife to
the throat OF every sheep In the country. BY a
ppuf nm oI,y, do ptr ~;