Iowa territorial gazette and advertiser. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa Territory [Iowa]) 1840-1846, 1844-09-07

Pcuicnt legiSldtiOH, tnereOy making the VIII
Of Congress supreme and installing the MAJ
jority Of that body in the full possession Of
all the powers Of Governments Or did
you, or do you now still cling TO the opin-
ion in which the qualified Veto originated,
that Government without checksand bal
ances is the worst form Of Oligarchy,-
and that too many guards, in order to Sc
cure public liberty, cannot be thrown over
its different departments If, indeed, you
are advocates Of change 50 vital as that
proposed, then may not only the Garrisons
and Tappans Of our own country rejoice,
but shout should ascend from the Aboli-
ton Convention "of the whole world" at
the fact that our Federal system had given
way before the power Of consolidated
government, whose will, uttered forth BY
sectional majorities, was absolute, admit
ting Of no check or resistance from any
quarter whatever. If, indeed, these be
your opinions, then have I most grievous-
" disappointed the hopes in which you
INDUCED in connection with my election
and my administration. must, never
theless, most solemnly aver that had /
been aware that such would have been
expected and required Of me-if I could
have believed that you, whose candidate !
was peculiarly considered, and to concil-
late whom was nominated for the Vice
Presidency, would have required Of me in
the contingency which unhappily occurred,
that | should commence my Administration
with an act Of perjury, and sanctioned
measures abhorrent to every principle Of
my past life and at war with the prosper
ity Of the country and the continuance of
liberty, l would not have suffered my
name, humble as it was, to have been
breathed in the canvass. No, l eli i'm the
proud privilege of an American citizen to
think for myself on all subjects, and to
act in pursuance Of my own convictions
and it would require total change Of my
nature in order to convert me into mere
instrument Of party, or Of party dictation.
] would appeal not only to yourselves
but to all my countrymen to say, whether
in the matters appertaining to our foreign
affairs, they anticipated more success in the
adjustment of difficulties and in the forma-
ton Of highly important Treaties than it
has been my province to cause to be ne
gotiated. Long standing difficulties have
been adjusted difficulties which threaten
ed most seriously the peace Of the coun-
try. Nor has any opportunity been lost
for enlarging the commerce of the coun-
try, and giving new markets to our agri-
cultural and manufactured products. II
the country has not reaped full fruition of
benefit from all the Treaties thus negotia-
ted, il surely has not been the fault Of the
Administration. The loss Of two Of those
Treaties through the action Of the Senate,
cannot but be dcplored by me as great
public calamities. BY the Treaty with
the German States, we had opened the
way to more extended commerce with
100000 Of people. in our cotton, tobac-
co, rice and lard, at duties on tobacco, rice
and lard greatly reduced-and with stip-
ulation for the free admission Of cotton;
while we had agreed to receive at some-
what reduced duties, articles from those
States which entered into the most limited
competition, if at all, with few similar
articles Of American product. The
Treaty was particularly interesting from
the fact, that for the first time, after repeat
ed struggles on the part Of my predeces-
sors, to accomplish reduction Of duty on
tobacco, the Government had succeeded in
doing SO. 1t was negotiated Under resolu-
tons originating with the tobacco States,
and with the presumed sanction Of Con-
gress, who had raised, as it is believed,
the mission to Vienna from second to
first rate mission, with direct reference 10
the tobacco interest, and had also appro-
priated sum Of money, some years ago,
to enable the Executive to employ an agent
in Germany to acquire informal on as to
the tobacco trade, the services Of which
agent had only ceased a short time prior
to the negotiation Of the Treaty. My
hope still however is, that the benefits Of
the Treaty and the Treaty itself may not
be lost to the country. ! think it proper
to add that there was no design to deprive
the House Of Representatives Of any right
full and constitutional action over the SUBJ
ject, which it might properly exercise. 1t
was, on the contrary. my intention to have
submitted the Treaty, and all papers calcu-
lated to elucidate it, to the House of Rep
If it had been ratified BY the
Senate, for such action as they might have
deemed it proper to adcpt--a course pur-
sued in all cases in which the action Of the
House is required to vote supplies Of mon
cy, or fulfil any other object falling within
the scope Of their power.
In negotiating the Treaty for the annex
alton Of Texas, which YVES rejected by the
Senate. motives have been ascribed to the
Administration which had no place in its
mind or heart. One gentleman, occupy
ing prominent place in the Democratic
party, whether for good or evil it does not
become me to say, has assigned in an adj
dress recently delivered in Missouri, two
prominent motives for its negotiation:
LIST. Personal ambition, and, 2dly, pur-
pose to dissolve the Union. Mir. Clay al
so, in recent letter written to the editor
Of newspaper in Alabama, has called the
Treaty injamous, and ascribed to it, in its
origin, SINISTER objects. Irepel both their
upon the Treaty and its negotia-
tors.
What object Of personal ambition in
any way connected with Office could have
influenced the Administration in negoiia-
ting the Treaty? The public archives
furnished the strongest reasons TO believe