The Whig standard. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1843-1844, 1844-07-03
POLITICAL.
MR.. CLAYTON'S SPEECH AT WILMfNGTON.
GcoNcLuDED.1 XII. Z


MR.. CLAYToN's SPEECH AT WILMINGTON.
lcoNcLuDED. ..s,,4s !
| But have not yet done with Mr.. James X;
Polk of Tennessee, and his bitter hostility tothe
protective policy. Search the records Of Con-
gress. and you will find that in every instance
where the Americas spstam was attacked white
he was in Congress he was its assailant-its con.
slant and Incorporating foe. On the 23d of !
June, 1882, he voted for the motion of Mr. Nc q
Dufie, Of South Carolina, to reduce the duty on
cotton goods, coating not exceeding is cents the
square yard, to l2s per cent. ad vaorein. On the
same day he voted for Mr.. McDuffie's motion to
abolish the duty of $50 per ton on rolled iron.
On the previous day he voted to reduce the duty
on salt b cents per 56 pounds, and voted against
the duties on boots and booteee, on cabinet wares,
hats and caps. whips, brides, saddles, carriages
and parts of carriages, blank books, earthen and
stone wares, and manufactures Of marble, and also
against the duty on wool. With this exhibition
Of the friendship of James X. Polk for the labor
ing reemen of all classes In this country, might
leave him in their hands, have not referredto .
his published speeches on the tariff, which always
breathed the most settled hostility to the whole
policy. Politicians sometimes speak cone way,
and vote another. Mr.. Van Buren, always spoke 2
against the tariff, but generally voted for it--
There were several politicians Of this school in
Congress at the passage of the last tariff. But
James X Polk was never Of that school. He
was, in deed as we'll as in word, on all occasions
an enemy to protection for the laborer.i mean
to try him by his acts and his votes and, with
out going further, might leave those acts and
votes, which ] have thus exposed, to the indig-
nant commentaries of the laboring men Of all
classes--with their friends and employers: #
But purpose to do full justice to Mt. Polk on
this subject. The people shall not misunderstand
the extent Of his hostility to the domestic indus
~c *
airy, 1884, within one year after the passage Of
the Compromise, Mr.. Hall, of North Carolina, in {
the House of Representatives Of tho United
States, intrpducsd Tesolutony the object Of which
was Ia procnrs from the Committee Of Wayean
Means, f6r1st " n p1ans cc0mpxhied ab1ll.
to repeal the protection guaranteed By the Com-
promise, under the pretext Of inuyediateiy redue-s
| ing the revenue to the necessary expenses of :
thB Government; and James X. Polk, Of Tennes-
see, who was, at that time, the chairman of that
very Committee of Ways and Means, voted for
that resolution. There were SO yeas in favor of
that resolutions and Is Mays against it,. In voting
for this resolution, the deliberate design Of which
was to violate all the pledges given in the Com,
promise, Mr.. Polk was backed by the votes If six
Of the nine members of that same committee, and
by all the Nullifers and ultra anti-tarif meniin
the House. This movement shows the adissatis-a
faction with the Compromise cherished at an :
early period by the enemies of protection. They
were sensible that Mr.. Clay had triumphsd, by
the salvation Of his favorite policy and the
strength of the vote against the resolution shows
how great that triumph was But one year pre-
vious to the introduction Of MIR. Halls resolutonss
it would have passed the House by an overwhelm.
ing majority. The votes en- Mr.. Verplanck's bill,
at that time, proved that conelusiyely. But the
fact is that the evil spirit of the storm-he spirit
| of disunion--which had been raised by Naliifca-
ton, had been subdued by that, master spirit,
which, for thirty years, had exercised 60 great an
| influence in our public councils That same i
master spirit had queIled the same demon, at the
| great crisis of the Missouri Compromise. On
both occasions, Henry Clay saved the Union; I
and, in the Judgment of many, in each Of them,
he saved the Union at it's last gasp. aassqs apa
And here let me pause, for the purpose of en-
treating every friend of Home Labor, who has
ever thought of voting for James K. Polk, aso
President Of the United States. to take warning
Nv the example which have now set before him. 3
If there be such man, let him not lay the Hat 4
tering JUNCTION to his soul that he can save hts g
favorite policy, while the Executive of the United .
States with the officers of the customs appointed >
by him, is hostile to that policy. they have the 2
collection of the duties for protection and he d
who would commit the lamb to the custody of the
wolf will suffer justly for his own folly. $3.50 "a
Before have done with this subject, l ought
to mention, in this copnexion, what think 10 {
another strong evidence of the hOstility of James
K Polk and his political associates to the protec-
tive policy, and other true principles of the Com
promise Act Although they continued in pow z
er from the passage of that law until the year 9
1S4l, they neuer attempted in single instances Y
to provide, either by prospective Legislation or bY
an Executive regulation, for any mode 81 assess Y
mo duties on, the Home Valuation nor. did they
attempt to pass law raising the duties, prospec,
tyely. after the 3Oh of June, 1912, to the real y
wants Of the Government, although they knew
as we'll through the session of Congress Of l04O-l,
as we know now. one or both OF these measures
nught 70 be prospectively adopted, to save tho
1spyernment from the danger Of bankruptcy. The j
or;nciple of Home Valuation was a sine qua non, 1
At the time of the passage of the act, with many
Of those who like MYSELF voted for it, for the pur
pose, avowcd by me at the time, of saving the
Protective policy. We considered that "a vote
for the duties fixed by the act, to be assessed on
this principle, was essentially to all intentsa ana
and una