Bloomington herald. [volume] (Bloomington, I. T. [Iowa]) 1840-1849, 1848-12-23

the treasury for these objects, a much larger sum
was transferred from the pockets Of the people 10
the favored classes WIS continuallv concealed, as
was also the tendency, if not the ultimate design. o
the system, TO build up an ars,ocracy of wealth, 10
control the Of society, and monoPolise the
political power Of the country. The several branch
es Of the system WIRE intimately blended togeth-
er that. in their operations, each sustained anu
strengthened the other.
Their ioint operation was to add new burdens Of
taxation, and 10 encourage largely increasing AMI
wastefui expenditure of public money. II was the
interest of the Bank tina: the collected, and
disbursements made by the government, should be
large; because being the repository of the public
money. the greater would be the Bank profits by
It's use. I, was the in,eres; Of the favored classes
who enriched. To have the rates of that protec
ton as high as pnssiblr for the higher these rates.
the greater would he their advantages 1t was the
interest of all these persons aud localities, who ex
pected to be benefited by expenditures fur internal
Improvements. that tine amount collected should be
large possible that the sum dishurscl might
be also larger. The States being the benefciaries
in the distribution of the land, many had an interest
in the rates proposed by protective tariff. That
they should be large enough u yield sufficient re.
venue from that source to meet the wants OF Gov
eminent, without disturbing takin, from the land
funds; so that each of the branches constituting the
system; had common interest in swelling the pub
lie expenditures. They had the direct interest in
maintaining the public debt unpaid, and increasing
its amount, because this would produce an annual.
y increased drain upon the Treasury. to the amount
of the interest," and render augmented taxes necessa.
~. The operation and necessary effect OF the
whole sysens. were. % encouraee large and unnec-
L.
patronage, and maintain rich and expensive Cow
ernmen.. at the expense OF taxed aud impove'ish'
ed people.
1t is NANTES, that this scheme Of enlarged taxa
ton and expenditures. had it continued to prevail,
must soon have converted the Government Of the
Union--in,enled by the trainers to be plain, cheap
and simple confederation of States. united togethe
for common protection, and charged with few spe-r
cific duties, relating chiefly to our foreign affairs.
into consolidated empire, deprivns the States OF
their reserved rights, and the people Of their just
rights and control in the administration Of their
government. In this manner the whole form and
character of the government would be changed, not
by an amendment Of the constitution. hutby resort
ing TO an unwarrantable and Unauthorized construc
ton of that instrument.
The indirect mode Of levying the taxes by duty
on imports prevented the masses Of the people from
readily perceving the amount they pay, and has
enabled tie few who are thas enriched and who seek
to WELD the political power Of the country y, to de-
ceive and delude them. Were the taxes dice,
levy upon the people, is the case in the States,
this could not occur
The whole system was resisted from its inception
by many Of our ablcst statesmen. and some OF whom
doubted its constiutonality and expediency, while
Others believed was, in all its branches. hlgrant
and dangerous infrac,on Of the constitution.
That National Bank, Protective Tariff. levied,
not to raise the revenue needed. but for protection
merely; Internal Improvements, and the Dis,ribu-
ton Of the proceeds Of the sales Of the public lands
are measures without the warrant Of the constitution
would, upon the maturest consideration, seem APP
parent 1t is remarkable that no one Of these meas.
ures, involving such momentous consequences, are
authorized by any express grant Of power in the
constitution. No one If them is incident to. as be-
ing necessary and proper for the execution Of the
specific powers granted by the constitution. The
authority under which it has been attempted to JUS
tify each of them, is derived from differences and
construction of the constitution, which its letter and
its whole object and design do not warrant Is it
to I,e conceived that such immense powers would
have been left by the trainers Of the constitution to
mere inference and doubtful construction, had it
been intended to confer them on the federal govern
men! 1t is but reasonable to conclude that it would
have been done by plane and unequlvoca! grants
This was not done; but the whole structure OF
which the "American system consisted, was rear
ed on no other or better foundation than forced IN
depreciation and inferences of power which its -u-
thors assume might be deduced BY construction
from the constitution.
But it has been urged that the National Bank
(Which, as constituted, is so essential branch OF
this confirmed system Of measures,) was not new
measure and that its consutIonality was sanction.
ed in 1871, and had the official signature OF Presi'
dent Washington. A few facts will show the inst
WEIGHT to which this precedent should bo entitled,
az hearing upon the question of its consutionaity.
Crest division of opinion on the subject existed
in Congress. It is well known that President
Washington entertained serious doubts both as 10
the cons,itutionaitv and expedency of the measur
and while the bill was before him for his official ap.
prevail or disapproval, 50 great were these DOUBTS
that he required "thc opinion in writing" OF the
members of his cabinet, to aid him in arriving at a
decision. His cabet gave their opinion and were
divided upon the subiect-General Hamilton in ia
vor. and Mr.. Jefferson and Mr. Randolph being OPP
posed to its constitutionaty and expediency. 1t is
well known Also that President Washington re-
tanned the bill from Monday, the l4,h. when it was
presented to him, until Friday. The Oath Of Februa.
". beng the last moment permitted him by the
constitution, when he finally yielded to give his re-
luctant assent and gave it his signature, is GER
tain that as late as the 23d Of Februay-being the
9Th ay after the bill was presented to h'm-he lad
arrived at no satisfactory conclusion, tor en- that
lay he addressed note to Gen. Hamilton, tn which
he saws that "this bill was presented to me Ivy the
Joint committee of Congress, at IL o'clock on Mon
day, 10th inst, and he requested his opinion as to
what precise period, by legal Interpretation of the
constitution, could the President retain it in his
possession, before it become law by the lapse OF
the ten days.
If the proper construction was that the day on
which the bill was presented to the President, and
the day on which his action was had upon 1t, were