The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-03-16
WASHINGTON CITY, MONDAY NIGHT MARCH IL, 1876

nearly ali pafla of the country, each Of those !
lustrious chief magistrates reconimenaea mat IN
constitution be amended, in order 10 ongrat upon
| the power which it does not now Contain
i Ifit may be conSidered as established by thes
authorities as unconstitutional, viii say further
was wisely prohibited 10 ths general government
Given 10 Il Il would have conferred too vast pow
or upon the federal authority. BY reaching int
every corner of State, and Prohering the feders
funds layi.llly to local interests, Il would neeessa
ny, so long as interest ID predominant feeling Ii
the heart, hold a controlling influence over men
opinions, and seduee the States from their prou
position as soyereigns, to become bsggars at th
shrine OF the federal treasury.
Whenever il shall become set,led policy Of III
government, then will every local interest eoEete
gate ia this hall-the committee rooms VIII be con
yerIed into an exchange, where barter VIII be TIN
ruling spirit and by union Of ell Ms forces, having
reference more 10 strength than 10 judicious AND
wise expenditure Of common fund, will uniols
millions be voted away for local purposesj and
consequeudy, 10 provide tho means, "ths unholy
alliance" will have 10 IMPOSE enormous and heay
taxes upon the posfH. r..
in this hall, has been iaaiied. The gentleman from
Indiana has said that the South must look 10 IT, fo
il should pas no tariff biR uIib this bill passes
and others Of the committee hase intimaied ih'
same. Great God and has Il come 10 this, tina
before the spirits Of the revolution have been swep
away by the wing Of time, such system Of legisla
ton should be adopted on the floor OF Congress- tina
,hk constitution should no longer be looked 10
guide but that the polar star Of legislators cours,
here should be yeBgesnee that because nractior
the constitution resisted another should be pur
posely nader And shall such, l must say strange
must further say most reprehensible, principles be
openly ayowed here Il was 10 prevent the preya-
lenee Of such a spirit doubtless that this power
r.. D..
Congress.
Again, il was wisely prohibited 10 prevent SC
vast expenditure of public money, and conse-
quent heavy taxation. How vast Il would become
may be partly conceived by the declaration OF tho
gentleman from Kentucky, that he would not agree
TO limit the demands Of the West for western riy-
ers alone to Eve hundred millions Of dollars! Our
country is SO covered with streams and lakes and is
Of such vast extent that this system, carried gu,
fully, would cover il with a vast network Of
works Of internal improvement, which would re-
quire countless treasures 10 build up; and instead OF
raising twenty millions annually by taxes for
the support OF an economical administration Of
the government, we should be called upon
to lay taxes upon the people to at least
the amount Of one hundred Iiiilliops year.
The gentleman from Kentucky has already
advanced principle which will consume nearer
double that sum. He asks, with an air Of indgna-
ton, "why steamboat should be taxed nearly its
cost annually, 10 navigating the falls Of the ohol
answer, that commerce must bear it's own bur-
dens--thnt you cannot ask my constituents Ga plant
ing people In Aabamal TO buy out that Ohio canal
in order to relieve an Ohio steamboat from pa yng
its own way up and down that river. But il | am
wrong and the gentleman is correct then will ask,
on the same principle, what right is there for
charging a canal boat for travelling the New
York canal, or Il bale Of cotton for passing over
the Charleston railrosdl Sir, the principle avowed
a.NA 81 II
transit now existing, the ground that it is bur
den to commerce To such unlimited results does
this system lead us.
Ag in: it was wisely prohibited, because inus-
lice would otherwise be done by mere numerical
majorties. II is, i'll the nature Of things, that the
strongest should appropriate the most; and yet the
stronses: do not always pay the most. Already,
indeed, are we threatened with this result. The
gentleman from kentucky calls upon US to beware,
that the West will have the powar, and let us
be careful that there be no Cd scores to settle.
Sir this eternal cry of the West--inustice to the
West--the West will soon have the power--is dis
gusting when designed threatening 1t can have
no infusnce over a single vote have to give; and
| imagine that but few here are to be driven by
threats to swerve hur's-breadth from any line
they may have marked out for themselves. But
have fears of the West, and no belief in its dis
position TO avenge itself upon any section of coun-
try for conscientious discharge Of its duty. be-
eve that few men may reach to this station as
representatives of the West, who hold out such
threats; but that they do not know or represent II
in making such remarks. have been accut toned
to look upon her people likely to become not only
a great, but a just people. Magnificent in extent,
pierced by noble and lengthy rivers--blessed with
amazing fertility of soil have been accustomed
to think the face Of the country, exhibiting as it
does the grandeur and benefcence of the Almighty
in high degree, would assist materially in form
ing public character ihere--hat their views would
be cnarged-their hearts as fruitful in all that is
great and noble, as their prairies were teeming
with rich abundance-tha,, liberal as God had been
in lavshing blessings upon it, they, too, would ex-
hibit noble generosity of character far above petty
piquc. .....
fear not the West then, sir. Let empire take
it's way there. The South will not envy her the
possession of power. All that she asks is u strict
observance Of the chart by which you hold power.
No matter who Yields it, If you but WELD it Justly
and well. We ask for no power to protect our in
dustry-to build up favored classes--to improve
our streams All that we ask is freedom from OPP
preston. We ask for no expenditure for local or
commercial purposes All that we ask is that you
protect us from foreign aggression, and allow our
trade to remain unfettered by protecting law. With
wants so few, we want no power, save to prevent
its unjust exercise. 'Let us alone" il our motto.
Let the power pass to the West lift is SO destined
1t cannot be exercised there with a harsher hand
than il has been by the North. When Il shall cd
there, we will bid II God speed; and our prayer
shall be, what every mother in that broad valley
will say amen to, that virtue, due regard for
others rights and love of the constitution may go
with it. But if that unjust spirit rules there, such
as is heralded here by gentlemen from Indiana and
Kentucky, and the purposes of the Union are no
longer subserved by the Union, we can, and be as
sured we will right ourselves. .a" h's "".a-
Such course will be painful one to u.s. But
if driven to 1t, the regret we shall feel will be that
we thus part from the hallowed graves of their
sires and not that NE shall sever connexion from
such degenerate soma, such course OF conduct
on their part would clearly indicate then, to be.
In connection with this threat Of the West, the
gentleman from Kentucky, [Mr. THoMAssoN, de-
sired to see party lin es rgdy drawn here on this
question, and to let II be proclaimed to the West
how men sood upon it. join with him in the
wish, sir; at the same time, however, believing that
if democratic papers and orators have done their
duty there, the West needs not to be told, at this
late day, what the views of the democracy, as a
party, are on this debate-riddled and tlme-honored
issue. The democratic party, at all times and on
all occasions, whenever they have met to assert
their principles, have branded this system uncon-
sttutional. believe that the editorial democratic
corps of Illinois has representative here, Mr..
WENTWORTH II his paper has published the Bal.