Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1847-01-28
THE sLAvoCRATIC POLICY.

The following is the part Of Gov Briggs Ad
dress to which we last week referred 1t con
firms the positions taken last fall by the Wing
of this state upon Protection and Slavery, ant
we have no doubt that it will find n hearty re
Spouse at least in ali the free Wing States.-
What better can reasonable opponents Of Slave
~ ask Acknowledging the obligations of thu
Constitution, as every political party must dc
what more can be done, politically, than to ress
Slavery in constitutional way? Those whit
would 90 beyond this, must nbsolve themselves
from allegiance to the constitution; they mus
act not under it, but against it; they must go, moi
for change of men or parties, who must ac
under and in subsection to the supreme law, bu
for n reyolution-for the destruction of the whole
constitutional fabric, and the construction Of {
new one
The measures Of the General Government du
ring the last two years, and the present posture
of our national affairs, are looked upon by the
people Of the country with great interest Wher
the Tariff act of 1912 was passed, the rates Of
import duties, under the operation of the com
promise act of 1914, had fallen 10 20 per cent
With the duties, the revenue Of the Government
had declined and the business of the country
fallen of, until the Government was embarrassed
for the want Of means to meet lis ordinary de-
mands, labor lost its accustomed employment,
and general arrangement and depression pervn-
ded the whole business community. Under this
gloomy state of things, both houses OF Congress
worked in earnest to provide remedy. Proba-
bly, no tariff or revenue bill, since the origin OF
our government, ever was prepared with so much
care and labor as was the bill of 1912. Its au-
thors took for their guide the principles of the
first tariff bill passed under the constitution Of
the United States, which was framed by the pat.
riot statesmen who made the constitution itself
Their object was TO raise revenue to replenish
the exhausted treasury and to encourage the
manufactures, give employment to the labor, and
revive the dropping business of the county
They wished to repair the injury which the OPP.
Grafton Of practical free trade revenue bill had
DONE The bill of 1912 became the law of the
land Did it accomplish the objects contempla-
ted by its trainers?
It's operation is matter OF history. Public con-
fdence was soon restored, capital began TO be
nut in reuuisition business revived in all its BRAN
ches, labor was employed and paid, and pros
peri,y as general and encouraging, as the de-
preston had been extensive and disastrous,
spread over the land.
The condition Of the country, under the work
ing of that law, was forcibly and truly presented
by the 1rpSlueHI, III t1e commencement VI MS
last annual message. He says, sit is sdbject
of congratulation, that there has been no period
in our past history, when all the clements of ma
,ional prosperity have been so fully developed"
that abundance has crowned the toll Of the
husbandman, and labor in all its branches is recei
ring an ample REGARD"
In IS43 the revenue which accrued from i'm
ports was only about Sl2,000,000. In l944,
which was the first entire fiscal year under the
tariff of 1912, the revenue was, In round num-
bers, twenty five and three quarter nllllons in
1645, tweniy-siy and three quarter millions, and
in 1886, S267I2 ,667, - showing an uniformity Of
receipts under that law, for three successive
wears. without parallel in the financial history
of our Government.
A law thus wisely ard carefully framed, and
which, by its operation upon the public revenue
and upon the business Of the community, proved
its adaptation to the exlgences Of the country,
was, at the last session of Congress, upon the
Recommendation of the President of the United
States, repealed. Another law was passed.
which went into operation on the first day of De-
cember last In his recent annual message to
Congress the President says, the leading prn.
cples established by this law are, to levy the
taxes with q view to raise revenue and to impose
them upon the articles imported, according to
their actual value" 1t will be seen that two i'm
portant principles, which have entered into all
former revenue bills, are eXpunged from this,
namely, the encouragement Of the business and
labor of the country and specific duties upon
such articles as the nature of the case requires
This bold innovation upon the policy sanction
ed by every President and Congress of the Uni.
ted States, from the time of Washington down
TO the present incumbent of that high office,
struck the aboring and business men OF the
country with surprise and alarm, and gave the
greatest satisfaction to the capitalists and manu-
facturers of England. The recent demonstra-
tions OF public opinion, in many of the States of
this Union, are, it cannot be denied, some evil
dence going to show how this hazardous expert
ment is regarded by the people of the country.
Twelve months ago we were at peace with
the world. More than generation had passed
away siuce we had been involved in hostitiec
with foreign country. The people of this re-
public cherished the hope, that the day was far
distant when the calamites of wa, would come
upon them. In this they have been disappolnl
ed.
At this time the soldiers of the North Amer
can republic are IN the heart of a neighborins
and sister republic, doing the deeds of war;
Their march has been triumphant; and in thei
conflict in arms with their adversaries, they have
exhibited firmness and heroic valor that woult
have done honor to the troops of any nation, il
any age of the world. Yet their victories have
been costly ones. They have dearly purchased
tr"r garlands. Into them, the cypress is deNpl,
woven. To say nothing of the desoaton aut
misery which they, as an invading army, have
carried among the distracted, msgoverned ant
Inflated people of Mexico, over whose countr,
they have marched with hostile feet, millions O
the public treasure have been diverted from th
objects of peace TO support them in their prog
Tess, and muutudes Of their brave companion
in arms, officers and soldiers, have been brough
to their graves by disease or fallen in battle.
The voice Of widows and orphans, of parents
sisters, and friends, have been heard in wailin,
through this peace loving land. To whom be
longs the guilt OF this unfortunate war? Cou
it have been prevented, with justice and homo
TO the two republics?
Are the ephemeral rulers of Mexico, VIII
manifest neither patriotism TO their own people
nor a disposition to observe the treaty stpup
tons of their government with their neighbors
and who appear and disappear, like the charac
iers in drama, responsible for its commence
ment or was it brought on by the acts of OH
own executive government, and is the spirit @
conquest one of its elements? These are gray
questions, and ought to be answered. Let tina
great public who are involved in its consequent
ces, and who must answer for it at the tribunG
of public opinion, between the nations of tn
earth, look into its origin and its cause, with
candid, Just, but unsparing scrutiny. An often
sive and unnecessary war is the highest Grim
which man can commit against society. Appal