Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1846-07-25
SATURDAY, JULY rs, 1916.
THE RIGHT OF PETITION.

Il
tional Legislature against favorite project of the
Executive by which the petitioners likely to be
greatly aggrieved deserves, it appears to us,
than the casual and incidental notice which has
been already taken of it. The manifestation Of the
| displeasure Of the Administration, at this liberty
| taken by the memoralists, is, indeed, an offence
against the liberties Of the People which can hard
| ly be too severely condemned
In the danger, the impending ruin, not only the
great body Of private interests, but to the public
finances themselves, which SO large part of the
forced upon the people by the Government, certain
bodies Of them, engaged in occupations threatened
las they think with destruction by this new SYSTEM
present themselves to the Senate in brief and respect
full pettons setting forth their interests and their
fears: and how are these, their rightful petitions
met on the part of the Administration By con-
tumely most like to that with which the wise Athe-
Man was in return for his counsel, saluted by the
rogant Spartan of old: the government paper, the
part of the Executive, derides and stigmatzes the
petitioners as impostors, the petitions cheat
Names real, known, most respectable, and confined
to no party, vouch for the integrity and the nelli-
gence of the remonstrances and yet without in
stant's hesitation, they are officially denounced
fraudulent devices to bring about public alarm; they
are treated as ANONYMOUSLY as would be the repel-
ling the remonstrants with blows; and the Senateis
as good as hidden to stop its to them knaves
and "panic-makers -
Such is the effect Of the language applied by the
Executive, through his acknowledged organ, to
these most reputable petitioners, and to the dstin-
guished Senator whose duty it was made to speak
for them. They are held up at large with not even
SO much proof suggests conjecture, as disguised
manufacturers; and he as the geter-up and actor of
the palry errors of stage-scene of fraudpanic !"
for this is the official expression
The question to which the petitions relate is of
itself of high magnitude. Its relations to the other
great measures now impending or already affecting
render it of the very last consequence for in it
amount of private property not only the means of
war, but the employments of peace. Unsought by
the country, unsolicited By any direct voice Of the
people, the proposed reduction of the Tariff is the
voluntary move of power and of party only, in the
enforced discharge Of personal pledges betaoeen po-
fician and politician, the price of former and o.
further support For that reduction, and the conse-
quent devastation of the manufacturing interest, cho
is asking, or has asked, in land where the people
know SO well how to testify their wishes in person
What is it that, in the midst of war, can be sup
posed to be urging on thing rash and SO wild,
except the secret necessities of party, unable to
keep itself together but by this sacrifice of the
public interest to the acquisitions of of its own
factions Nothing And even of the possibility Of
this, the country has been, until just now, incre
dulous that petitions against the Treasury scheme
have been thought unnecessary as petitions in
its favor.
At last, however, the fact grows visible that with
out any public call, while all is well TO the
nue., while our monetary system is sound and while
the Treasury is just beginning TO sweat with the ex
travagant expenses of war as unconstuionally
made as it is unnecessary that system, which gives
life to the public funds and to individual labor at
once, is to be suddenly overturned. Alarmed and
asonished, the people begin to petitions and first of
all las is most naturaD those best informed in the
immediate workings Of the neU principle-the ad
valorem rates. the only real principle in the bill,
for it totally violates every other which the Secre
tary assumes-the American importing merchants
of Boston and New York; class evidently not
alone the fttes to Judge, but most strongly infe-
rested in Lo,o d,1ties--come forward in body by
petition, and declare that this plan Of duties will
give such advantage to the foreigner and the fraudu-
lent dealer as must utterly ruin and drive from the
business all Others
One would think that it behooved Government
regardfu of ITSELF if not of the right of the citizen
to be heard to listen TO such men. 1t is about to
" strike !" they ask that it shall first shear" the
Executive organ spurns at their petitions and their
persons pronounces both fraud and rails at the
high representative presenting them, as though he
were perpetrating a crime little less than treason.
As well at once might the government paper an
nounce in all the forms of royal ordinance, such
as that by which Charles K declared to his subjects
in 1880 that their Charter protected them no longer
and that the press should not comment on his acts
as well announce, we say that the citizens right of
petition exists longer that petitions shall not be
regarded by the Legislature that its members shall
be vied if they dare to offer them; that their very
privilege not to be questioned elsewhere for Dha
they may say in the course Of proceedings there,
shall be trampled on by the Executive at his
pleasure
What is petition II is the respectful prayer