The Democratic pioneer. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1845-1853, 1848-12-29


\ but a disregard. of the experience of III
e past.
: The introduction of the new policy
: was for time favored BY the conditio
o Tire country, by the heavy debt whic
had been contracted during the war b
the depr essicD Of The public credit, by th
a deranged state OF the finances and th
. currency, and by the commercial am
e pecnniary embarrassment which exten
$ sively prevailed. ao'f5Fe afs
These were not the only cases whicl
( the war with Great Britain, and the EN-
, barrassments, which had attended il
J prosecution, had produced on The mind
Of many Of our statesmen Ire impression
that our Government was not strong
eDopgh, and that to WELD its rescrources
successfully in great emergencies, and
concentrated into its hands. This in-
crossed power they did not seek TO OBJ.
ain by the legitimate and prescribed
mode and amendment Of the cons titu>
tion.
They saw governments In the old world
based upon di 0erent orders of society
and so constituted as to throw the whole
power OF nations into the hands of few
who taxed and controlled the many with
out responsibility or tetrain,. In that ar
rangement they conceived the strength
of nations in war consis, ed. There W as
also something fascinating in this uxu r,
and display Ct the higher orders, who
drew their wealth fiom the toll of the
laboring millions The authors of the sys
tenn drew their ideas of political economy
from what they had witnessed in Europe.
and particularly in Great Britain. They
had viewed the enormous wealth coDcen
traled in few hands, and lad seen the
speDldor of tile 0vergrown establishments
OF sn arstocracy which was upheld by
the restrictive policy They forgot TO
look down upon the poorer classes of the
English population, upon whose daily and
yearly labor the great establishments
they so much admire were sustained and
supported. They failed to perceive that
the soantily fed and half clad opera
tives were not only in abject poye rty, but
were bound in chains ofoppressive servi
tnde, for the benefit of favored classes,
who are the exclusive objects OF the care
of the government.
II was not possible to reconstruct so-
ciety in the United States upon the Eu-
ropean p Ian. Here. there was written
constitution, by which orders and titles
were not recognized or tolerated. Asys-
TEN Of measures is desired, calculated. il
not intended, TO withdraw power grad
ualIy and silently from the States aud the
mass of the people, and by construction
to approximate our government to the
European models, substituting an aristo-
cracy Of wealth for that of orders and ti-
Ties.
Without rejecting upon the dissimlar-
ton OF our people and those of Europe,
they conceive the vain idea Of building
upon the United States system similar
to that which they admired abroad.
Grea, Britain had a nati5nal bank Of
large capital, ia whose hands was con
ceDtrated the monetary and financial
power OF the nation; an institution WELD.
ing almost kingly power, aud exerting
vast Influence upon all the operations of
trade, and upon the policy Of the govern
ment itself. Great Britain had an enor
nous public debt, and it had become
part OF her public policy to regard this as
a public blessing Great Britain had
also a restrictive policy, which placed
fetters and burdens upon trade and tram.
meled the productive industry of the mass
of,he nation. By her combined system
of policy, the Landlords and other proper
ty holders were protected and enriched |
by the enormous taxes which were levied I
upon the labor Of the country for their
advantage.
I'm ,itng this foreign policy, the frs,
step in establishing the new syste EN- in the
United States was the creation Of Ma
tional Bank. Not foreseeing the danger.
Gus power and countless evils which such
an institution might entail upon the coun
try, nor perceiviog the connection which
it was designed TO form between the bank
and the other branches of the miscslled
American system but thinking the EN-
barrassments OF the Treasury aud of the
business of the country consequent upon
the war, some of our statesmen who had
held different and sounder views, aud, in
deed, settled convictions Of its unconsti-
tutionality, were induced to yield their
scruples, and to give it their sanction, as
an expedient which they vainly hoped
might produce relief. II was a most un-
r