Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1845-04-16
MISCELLANEOUS.
From the Charleston Mercury.
THE LAST SESSION OF CONGRESS-
THE TWENTY-FIRST RULE.

THE TWENTY-FlRST RULE.
We pursue our review Of the course Of
the Democratic party. And here it is pro-
per 10 notice an article in the Globe OF
Friday night, in which it notices at length
the matters we have assigned as anoug
the causes of Mr.. Van Buren's defeat-cs-
pecialy the action Of The party on the
Tariff and the 2lsl Rule. That paper re,
wives its old and absurd charge against the
free trade men OF tho South that they
were the cause of the defeat Of Mckay's
Tariff bill. If The Globe believes that,
nobody else does. l, was knOsc1 that a
much larger majority would have voted
against The passage OF that bill than voted
10 Law it ON the table. There was no
manner of doubt about the matter at the
time, aud if there had been. The subsequent
course Of The party in New York. Pennsyl-
vania and other manufacturing States
would have set i, at rest. they refused to
20 into the Presidential election or the
issue-a revenue tariff, or protection, and
maintained that Mr.. Polk was better
protective tariff man Than Mr. Clay.
The other charge of the Globe is, that
We have assigned as one of the causes OF
the distrust of Mr.. Van Buren, and his par
ty, the repeal of the 2lst Rule, which did
not take ill last winter. six months after
the nomination Of Mr.. Polk This is the
Globes winding up, and with the priv
lege Of making the facts, anybody may
close an argument iriumphantly. Noho.
DIV knows better than the Globe ought TO
know, that the Rule was repealed at the
prece ling Session on direct vore,-and
that the certainly of "A rupture i'll the party
and The utter destruction Of The hopes OF
the Northern candidates in consequence of
such action going before the Southern pen
pie, were the real and sole cause OF the
reiraction of that vote and the laying on
the table the whole subject Of revisal of
the Rules of the House John q. Adams
Chairman of the Committee on Rules By
appointment Of a sterling" Democratic
Speaker!Y This left the old Rules in
force, and as The hostile vote had not been
carried into effect, the people we're never
thoroughly alivelo lis deep Significance.
1t was slurred even as the Globe now slurs
it. lfit was mentioned at all, it TOO, like
the vote Oh The Tariff was treated az a
harmless maneuyre 10 eutwit the Wings
and prevent Mr.. Clay from absorbing the
vote of the Abei'ionists. We were re-
minded that the repeal of the Rule had
not been carried ouI-which was proof
that the party was all right. Let Them
gel over the Presidential election. and we
should still see that they were still faithful
10 right principles and to their pledges
So men reasoned, and the mass believed.
Those who saw deeper, knew that such
were baseless. They heldil as settled that
on the first opportunity The Northern Dem.
ocra,s. uniting with the Wings, would
abolish the Rule aud open the doors of the
House wide 10 Abolition agitation. The
sings were many aud iadubiable. to those
who saw the whole. They took This
grousd before the people in several of the
great States, ard even or Texas they sus-
tanned the position of The Baltimore Con-
veution on Abolition grounds, where Abo
lition did moi tempt them 10 go against
Texas entirely. They maintained 'ha,
Annexation would aid aud accelerate the
extinction Of slavery,-by draining Mary
ryland, Virginia, Kentucky and Missouri.
oftheir black population. dlhen, Texas
coming in as Territory, under The con
troll of Congress, (lhe only form in which
Annexation had then been presented) The
Northern majority might modify and limit
it, and by giving one or TWO States TO The
South, might appropriate all the rest to
themselves.
Texas was thus myslifed, whilst The
certain repeal of the 2l,t Rule by The
Democratic party, made Il great division
in Their favor among The Aboilionlsls, and
led thousands of them either TO vote an i'll.
dependent ticket or 10 support The Demo-
cratic candidates.
The effect Of such proceedings in the
Presidential canvass, soon Showed Itseli
on the meeting of Congress, with little
Difference to the Baltimore Resolution
On The third day of the Session, The 2lst
Rule was repealed, but four votes North
Of The Potomac being given TO retain it.
Whatever the People of The South ex-
pecled 10 The contrary, and whatever was
said during the Presidential Election, To
foster such expectatiops,-il is PLAN the
polhiclans al Washington knew The repeal
Of the. Rule was settled as matter Of
course. If they had any assurance al all
of The Democratic party, it was the assur-
ance of lis DETECTION from The South,-of
IFS hostility. Toreasun against fanaticism,
or 10 talk against time, they fell to be
equally useless, and The 2lsI Rule was re-
pealed without word or an effort 10 ar
rest its fate.
The Northern politicians had certainly
been al no pains to deceive anybody on
this poinL-unless indeed The Baltimore
Resolution could be supposed to mean
something; aud SO il might, standing by
itself, bul The practical commentary on il
a, the preceding Session. for it was uerba
tim line Baltimore Resolution of lS4O,) is
an answer 10 that, aud plainly she~s hat
they meant nothing. If We vote confidence
in them after such an Interpretation Of their
pledge, SO much the worse for US. A will
ing dupe is no at all.