Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1846-07-18
THE EXECUTIVE AGAINST THE PEOPLE,

flow from the existence Of War between the United
States and even fourth-rate foreign Power, two
may be mentioned which are inevitable first the
abridgement of the civil rights guaranteed to the
People by the Constitution, and among them the
freedom of speech and of the press and, secondly,
the emulation ofpatronage and power in the hands
Of the Executive, the effects of which upon the
public interests are, we are sorry to say, becoming
daily more percepdble.
We had never imagined, however even in state
of war; such stretch of Executive pretension as we
have sample Of in the last number of the organ OF
the Administration in which the right of citizens OF
the United States to petition Congress agains
Executive measures which threaten them with OPP
preston and run-nay, even the right OF Senators
to present such memorials to Congress-is not only
questioned, but treated with ridicule and contempt.
The occasion which has called forth this mani
festation of disrespect to the rights OF both the
People and their Representatives, manifestation
which bears the stamp of Executive authority if
not of official origin-was the presentation in the
Senate, by Mr. Senator WEBSTER, of Memorial
from the Importers of dry goods in the city of
Boston against the scheme, by which, after plunging
the country into war which will require heavy
additional taxation, the Administration proposes to
apply the axe to the main stems of our existing
revenue, by way Of finishing the destruction of what
yet remains to the country of its internal prosperity,
created and lostered by the wise Legislation of their
predecessors. This petition, signed by forty-eght
firms, including every importer of dry goods in the
city of Boston, has been already published among
the proceedings of the Senate; but we have sought
it out and here reproduce it for the purpose of
showing how entirely respectful and inoffensive it
is, both in its terms and its object:
To the honorable Senate ofe United States Of america:
The undersigned, your memorials would respectfully
present that they importers of foreign goods into the city
Of Boston, and SUCH they have examined with alarm and
CONSERVATION the bill recently passed by the House of Repre-
sentaves to change in great system OF collect
ing duties imports.
Should the bill referred become the law OF the land, we
fully convinced that shall be compelled to abandon our
business into the hands of INSCRIPTIONS foreigners who have
little regard to custom-house oaths.
From long experience entirely satisfied that
compete with this class where duties based merely
the al vaorem principle
Without expressing any opinion respecting the amount of
duties which should be levied earnestly pray honor
able body that the bill may be far amended have all
duties made specific which in their nature can be arranged
Upon such memorial, the I" Union" the Exc
CuuFc dill VI
beginning thus
"THE TARIFF IN THE SENATE.-The protec-
nonsts-or, to give the party truer name, the ex-
tortionists-in the Senate have already displayed
the tactics of the battle which they mean to make
against tariff REFORM
Their tactics That tactics What strategic
art Ito follow the figure before us has been display
ed in the plan of the campaign? What description
of force has been put in requisition What battery
has been unmasked against this odous and desolat-
ing measure which the House of Representatives
has sent to the Senate at almost the latest day of
the session! The plan is as old as the Constitu-
ton, in which the right of the people peaceably
to assemble and to petition the Government is
solelnnly and sacredly guaranteed. Public Opinion
is the only force employed, and Petitions the only
ammunition discharged from its battery. How
tender conscience must not the Administration
have whose organ thus shrieks out in terror at the
first approach of appliances innocent as
these!
"Now," says the Union TO have "the
manufacturers pouring into Washington to appeal,
: by all sorts of appliances, to members of Con-
gress. We are to have memorial after memorial
thrown in, speech after speech made, TO alarm the
: country" The Editor then adds, in evident
alarm, the debate will be spun out )" but, finally,
in the face of adversares so much to be dreaded
memorials, speeches, and prolonged debate, he
braces himself up, and declares himself prepared
to do our This duty at this juncture, fearless of
all consequences"
The sort Of "duty" which he is to perform con-
ssts, suppose, of such elaborate efforts as these
two columns of hard writing, against petition,
speech, or debate adverse to this favorte Presden-
tia scheme, which he seems 10 think should not
be debated at ALL much less petitioned aganst
a scheme so monstrous, which could not be more
eunningly devised than it is to break down the
Manufactures and bankrupt the Treasury of the
United States, could be expected to pass sub silen-
ITO, and not to be opposed with all the power which
facts and arguments and eloquence, combined with
public opinion, can array against it. IL in such a
case as this the PEOPLE are not allowed to speak
for themselves, nor THEIR REPRESENTATIVES, in both
Houses of Congress to speak for them, when can
they ever!
To what pass have come when the Execu-
tive shall dare to make it a matter of accusation
against the People that they cry out when they are
hurt and to arraign the Representative in the Sen
ate of one of the good old States of the Union for
the high offence of having been bold enough to