The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1845-04-28

he was STAYING at Browns hotel, presiding over
The Executive session OF the Senate, held To
confirm General Hanison's appointments to ms
Cabinet, for the purpose oil asceftalning wheth
er or not he would vote for bill chartering
Bank OF the United States, IN case that measure
should be proposed by Congress, and should be
brought TO tic in the Senate, and that Mr.. ~
Ter assured them he would not sustain the mea-
sure
"My Ds.R SR: Mr. Southall delivered me your
message requesting that should state the substance
of a conversation which passed between us IN your
rooms, at Browns hotel shortly alter the Inaugural
ton OF General Harrison. You VIII have already
received a letter from me on that subject, which
had felt IL my duty 10 address to you before ! re-
eeiysd YOUR Message. | should have done this be-
fore but for peculiar circumstances and oonsdera'
tons which will occur TO all. You very well know,
sir that whilst you seemed TO hesitate As To Offering
me this mission which had been rendered 10 me by
General Harrison on the third day alter his inaugu-
ration, that made no professions OF friendship 10
you and doubt not that, even now, my motives IN
doing this simple act OF justice TO you, will be misre-
presented During the various consultations 10 the
gentlemen who were To constitute the Cabinet OF
General Harrison the of the most intima friend
that have in the world, Colonel William C. Pres.
ton was presented to General Harrison. by moot VI
the Wings Of the South, for the Navy Department.
Very many of the most d,stiHg members of the
Wing party, knowing the close intimacy between
Colonel Preston and myself, came 10 me and SAID,
thai il Colonel Preston taken from the Senate, The
pots the Bank question could come 10 TIC, and ui"i
you wod certainly gtre your casting poe, as 1ns FIRE
sideni against such institution. therefore called
upon you, in company with Mr. Bolts, Of Virginia,
and introduced the subject of Bank, so as to draw
from you your opinions, and thus remove The only
objection which had been could be made 10 the
appointment Of Colonel p.
Whilst could not have voted for a Bank myself,
NAL. ba
the benehcent effects Of such an institution.
therefore, IN a what long conversation with you
presented many OF the arguments which were used
by the advocates Of the constitutionaiy OF such an
institution. Iennot repeat all thai you said but
knoo that very positive eOnrtction I'm upon my
mind that you pouId vOtt against Bank, and 80 sad TO
Mr.. Bots pAsn pe len your room.
| Immediately called upon Colonel Preston, and
communicated to him all that had passed between
you and myself, and said To him that he intended
to vote for Bank that thought he ought TO cous-
der very deliberately whether, in such a state OF
things, il would be proper for hnm 10 leave the Sc
nate. lie Immediately Gas was lniorned) author
lied friend to say to General Harrison that he beg
ged that place IN the Cabinet might not be offered
HIM.
On my return from Washington, and after the
death Of General Harrison, and when II was mat
ter Of general speculation what you would
take on the Bank question, in all my conversations
with my friends told them Of this inierpietc and
pressed The opinion that you could not sanction act
establishing Bank rithout important lod!feaio's,
,0hieh sincerely hoped soould be conceded by The Wig
party.
am, dear sir, with sincere respect and esteem,
Your friend and obedient servant,
w. THOMPSON.
To the PRESIDENT or THE UMrup STATES.
Felow-citzens, the evidence have furnish
ed you is Wig epidence, and is drawn from
the sources furnished by the oracles of the
Wing party. The fact is, then, that the sac-
cesslon of the Vice President did not alter the
position OF that party as to the Bank question,
and did not release them from their plighted
word that the establishment of such an nsritu-
iron was not contemplated, and not desired by
them, in the election of General Harrison.
How, then, can they be justified in raising the
question, like another Ph4nix, from the ashes
wherein ats doom lods irreuOcdbiy fired
and attempting to fill the country again with its
presidential exhalations2 Upon what princi-
plies OF faith, and honor, and consistency, as a
party, did they act2 These are questions
which they cannot answer. But these gen
tlemen have most happy faculty of relieving
themselves OF charges by making charges, and
OF answering questions by asking questions.
They desire to know .'why it was that Mr..
"Tyer sustained Henry Clay at Harrisburg, if
she was so entirely opposed to a Bank as the
"facts would seem 10 show?' l might reply
after their own manner to this inquiry, by ask
ing, in return, "why was it, if the party and
country desr' Bank in 1910, did they not
select Henry Clay at Harrisburg2" | have
no wish, however to meet the charge in this
manner. will meet it full in the face. hold
in my hand letter, in Mr.. CLAWS own hand
writing, dated October 10th, 1885, not long be-
fore the Harrisburg Convention assembled,
which shall furnish my response. The crcum-
H., IL 81.
der il peculiarly interesting. Those crcum-
stances are these Mr.. Tyler, feeling par,icu-
larry anxious TO know, before he went to Har-
rIsburg as delegate, The opinions and views of
MIR. Clay upon various questions addressed TO
him IN reference thereto a communication and
to this communication the letter | have is the
reply. Speaking of the various elements OF the
Wing party, and the points of disagreement
between them, MIR. Clay says: " We disagree
about obsolete questions Of policy, and make
that disagreement available to prevent our uni
ting in wrestling the Constitution from the
hands of men who have put them into its lv-
ing vitals." What questions OF policy, fellow
citizens, were absolute at that time, but Bank,
whose doom, to use their own language, was
Hrepocdbfy tred," and which they did not
desire to see ''repiped'-but Tariff, which
had been settled forever by the "Compromise
that blessed family compact which bad saved
the Union," as they declared in the address of
ls35-and Internal improvements, which had
been abandoned after the distribution of the
surplus revenue, and cleft entirely with the
States 2" What other questions than these
had agitated the country since the ware See
how exactly this declaration of Mr.. CLAY ac-
cords with the address of 1889. That address
says:
can idea of eharterng National Bank has been
relDqushed by its former most ardent advocates, as
tnerpeden and unnecessary in the present and future
monetary condition of the country
"The Tariff is settled by the terms eff the Com
promise act of 1885, unless it shall be suspended for
political purposes by those who affect 10 dread the re-
establishment of high protective duties These du-
ties are, indeed, no longer Decessary--the stability
of our manufacturing establishments enabling them
to maintain competition with foreign fabrics, Nth
out resort 10 this srfr1reons s,,pDo,t