The Whig standard. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1843-1844, 1844-04-08

1t would seem, from late number of the
Petersburg Intelgencer, that the venerable edi-
tor of the Richmond Enquirer has much yet to per-
form in his great work Of healing the divisions Of
his party. The Intelligencer contains copious
extracts from speech or letter Of Mr.. Goode, o.
Mecklenburg, who is known to be distinguished
member of the Democratic party, in which he
urges numerous objections to Mr.. Van Buren,
with much point, such as the party have been
wont to evade or deny. We have not seen any
where more emphatic iteration of the charge
that Mr.. Van Buren, opposed the war, and the
election of Mr.. Madison, or better reasons in sup
port of it; and he avows that Mr.. Van Burel
only came over to the support of Mr.. Madison
and his measures when he could no longer with.
stand the current Of public sentiment in thei
favor.
lie arraigns him with equal directness in re.
ference to his equivocatons upon the subject
the tariff According to Mr. Goode, Mr.. Var
Buren's excuse for voting for the tariff Of 1923 Ii
mere pretext, and discoses what is to us, as il
will be perhaps TO the general reader, new
and interesting fact in reference to the matter. !
seems that the famous resolution of Instructions
to which he felt bound to defer his own Judgment
only amounts to an expression of opinion that the
then existing tariff was too low to afford neces-
sary protection to the manufacturing interests.
This resolution of the N.w York Legislature was
made without reference to the tariff bill of 1928
His constituents demanded "judicous tariff
upon which Mr.. Van Buren, felt bound to vote
them "b of denominations" His conduc,
wears the appearance of rather too literal fulfil
ment of the injunction, +" if man compel thee Il
60 with him mile, go with him twain"
Perhaps the friends of Mr.. Van Buren, may be
disposed to consider this as evidence of his
contentious adherence to princpe-as an evil
dence of his ready acquiescence in the will of the
people, without stopping to bubble at the form,
or want of form, in which their instructions are
embraced. In this point of view his conduct has
been broadly contrasted by that of his friends in
another quarter. Some five or six years ago the
Legislature Of North Carolina, by decided ma
jority of the two houses, requested the then Sen
ators, Messrs. Brown and Strange, to vote for and
against certain measures then pending in the
Senate, but those worthy gentlemen excused
themselves from complying with the wishes of
their constituents upon the special plea that the
word instruct was not to be found in the resolu-
tons. 1t is enough that felons are permitted to
escape punishment by flaw in the Indictment
but that grave and honorable Senators should at
tempt to take advantage of such plea, is rather
small business. In reference to the tariff bill
of 1928, every circumstance, as well as his avow-
ed opinions, go to prove that, in obeying the in
structions of his Legislature, if they may be call
ed instructions, he acted in accordance with the
dictates Of his own judgment, and would have
thus acted without them
Com. w. c. Bolton has been appointed Port
Captain at Norfolk he therefore retires from the