Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1844-05-16
w HlG POLICY.

The following remarks cf Mr.. Hamlin
Of the House Of Representatives, were
made in reply to Mr.. Morse, Of the same
body, on the 18th ult:--
lie would not enumerate in detail all
The acts of that Congress; he would mere
ly alluded to few of them. And fiji st
the Bankrupt lava law contain ing not
single principle Of safeguard which had
entered into every system of bankruptcy
which had ever been tolerated iE any
country. 1t was neither more nor less
than sponge to wi pc out indeb tedness;
or, as the gentleman from Virginia had
we'll said, new way of paying old debts
| without means; and the same Congress.
before its time had expired, so odious
was the measure in the view of ali
honest men, were forced to repeal the
act. There was no man in the part of
the country where he resided, who would
stand up in its favor; if any one should
attempt it, he would net long be suffered
to stand up.
Mr.. MORSE interposing. said that
he made speech in favor of that law.
and yet be was returned to this Con
gress.
Mr.. HAMLlN said he has. never
he; I'd Of that speech before, nor did he
believe it would bear at all upon the
question now, whatever might have been
his course at former time. What The
gentleman's course was formerly was
me matter; what it is now was another.
Many of The party to which the gentle
men belonged, spoke and voted for that
measure at one time, and afterwards
spoke and voted against it; and the gen
tleman himself would probably be plac-
ed in the same dilemma. He would like
to know from the gentleman how he
would vote if now called upon to vote in
reference to that act.
Mr.. MORSE said the act had been re-
Peaed, 1t was true, but it had done 5
! Office.
Mr.. HAMLlN continued: 1t had
done its office truly and wiped out many
an honest debt. This was one of the
eading measures of the federal party. -
And others equally flasi,ious followed
III It's train. The distribution act, the
tariff, the black tarift-ay, black as mid
nlsht-the national bank, and the as.
sumption of State debts.
One of the professions of the party
was, that they would protect the Iaborer;
and how had they done this? BY taxing
him.
The wing party claimed to be, par ex-
ctllence, the friends Of the laborer, while
they taxed him for the leather he treads
beneath his feet and the hat he wears on
his head; and they would tax him for
the very air they breathed if they had
they power to do SO. Their object was
to degrade labor, and to fitch from it for
the benefit Of the capitalist; and this he
would proceed to show. They propos
ed to distribute the proceeds Of the sales
Of the public lauds among the States;and
whatever that amount might be, it an
swered for them double purpose. In
the fist place, the deficiency thus crea-
ated must be supplied by taxation on the
| head-taxatlon on those necessary arti-
eles Of living that catered into the con-
|sumpton OF the laboring man. What
next? The States were to be relieved
from their indebtedness, and the conse-
quent necessity of taxing property. =
Now he would ask, if this WAS not sys.
tenn TO relieve property from taxation,
and to throw the harden on individuals
1t took away from the government the
fund ceded to pay the revolutionary
debt and to provide for the support Of
the governments, and in doing so had i'm
posed the necessity Of additional taxation
on the necessaries of life, while at the
same time it relieved property from tax
alton. Was not this calculated to de-
grade labor? II it was not indebted, to
pay her proportion Of the Indebtedness
to other States. lie regretted as much
as any man that so many Of the States
bad been so improvident as TO involve
themselves in debt; but as matter Of jus.
tice, he would ask if it would be right to
impose taxes on the citizens of the non
indebted States 10 nav dptts that the I