Weekly national intelligencer., 1848-07-22
SPEECH OF Mr.. TOOMBS,
OF GEORGIA,
On the state of the Union and the state Of
Political Parties
HOUSE, or RrPnrsEsrArIvrs, JUIr !, ls4s.

HOUSE, or REPRESENTATIVES,, JULr !, ls4s.
The House being in Committee Of the Whole the state
of the Union, (r. ROor in the cha and having under
the civil and diplomatic appropriation bill
Mr. TOOMBS said Mr. Chairman, it is my purpose to
the line Of discussion marked out by those who bave
preceded me ia this debate and submit to the committee
some remarks upon the condition OF the Union expect to
exhaust my hour chiefly upon an inquiry INTO the state o. par
ties and exposure Of OF the resolutions recently pass
ed by the Balnse Convention and announced on this oor
by their friends Democratic platform The present
condition Of the country subjects of deep and anxious
socude to every patriot The general OF the coun-
try is greatly depressed with nothing 10 the immediate
future promising any speedy and permanent improvement
The great staple Of my section Of the Union below remu
nerang prices Cotton foreign markets is about as low
ii has been at any time the last with Great Britain
Wheat and have eceded 70 unusually low prices ana
depending for the maintenance Of present prices solely upon
declining home market Manufactures languishng and
Of all scarcely paying the cost Of Poduc
ton Our trade and commerce generally are inurlousy al
ected BY these depressing causes Nor does tne
our public affairs present cheering prospect Our re-
venue after being unnaturay stimulated and enlarged by
Temporary causes arising mainly out OF the general scarcity
Of and provisions and partial famine in Europe now
daily declining Our wants are increasing alarmney IN
creasnC and our means are diminishing We have not,
like wise and prudent Government should have done, hus
banded for the coming exigency This increased
revenue and the twelve millions OF surplus treasure which
Mr. Polk found in the Treasury, together with foy
millions Of dollars which he has borrowed, have all been
squandered in war unnecessarily and unconstutionaly
begun by himself Besides these large sums, under the
treaty with Mexico we have engaged to pay her hteen mil
lions of dollars her debts to amount estimated
by our Government at about five Millions for peace which
we set out to conquer In addition to these charges upon
our Treasury we have bounty land warrants which the
uster-ros Of the army show will amount to charge OF at
least ten millions Of doarslpon your revenues arising from
the public lands besides the bounty scrip Then we have
millions Of unadustcd claims and deficiencies in appropra
tons large claims for horses and other property lost or de-
GaI.Eo~ .~olonv nnnfinr m
six hundred thousand dollars arising out Of that yet
planned white bear revolution. Then we have pensions
to pay the mulaed living and to the widows and orphans
of the patriotic dead and the Government asks for approp
atoms to your army navy under the peace establishment
double their before this To these embarassments
upon your Treasury this hard-money Administration has added
the Of above thirteen millions Of dollars part Of the loans
before referred toy Of paper money receivable pubic dues
unwsely arranged that il will all press down upon an ex-
hausted Treasury the first moment Of commercial disaster
These not ALL but only Of the financial difficulties
which demand attention. But besides these difficulties
which the mighty resources OF our county ITS almost limit
less capacity for productions and the ndomabe energy OF
people may overcome, have graver difficulties visible
in the political horizon More foolish than the Troans, who
pulled down their walls for the admission of the Greek horse
filed with armed men, have iodden down the barriers Of
our Constitution for the introduction of people unfit TO be
citizens and fatal institutions subjects and OF coun
try which adds neither to strength security but brings
domestic dsco and sectional strife around our council boards
and homes and resides. These Of the bitter
ocratic party in s44 In this condition of affairs we
need wisdom, mnes JUSTICE and moderation in our public
councils We need patriot and not partisan in the Pre-
sdentia chair For the last twelve months the people have
realized this necessity, and with unanimity unprecedented
in day, the public judgment marked out Gen. Taylor as
that This popular preferences was manifested IN great
variety of ways il clear and unmsakeabe and adj
mited by those who at first sought covey but
openly, to defeat his election
The opposition Gen. Taylor began here with the Ad-
minsraon and by it. and its mercensnes and dePendanis
has been steadily pursued to this hour Those who live upon
the abuses of Government those who avishy paid tor
the defence Of public crimes and conupons; all those who
rely for immunity from pcnshment solely upon the suppress
sion of inquiry into their practices very early banded together
to defeat Gen. Taylor. Mr. Polk seconded their efforts He
marked victim by the Administration solely because
he had become favorite with the people The Admnisra-
ton begun by crppng his resources hoping thereby to dsa
bic him from accomplishing brilliant results in the field bis
genius umphed their Vaccinations and the nadequacy
Of his but additional usire 10 the glory OF his
achievements The President then turned military crt and
censured the capulaon of Monterey public and Gen.
Taylor received the contempt He then charged
him with giving aid and comfort the enemy in the pub
cation Of the Gaines letter. shout of and ndgna-
ton base charge burst from the national heart which
made the caumnsor treDbe in hs palace Driven to
desperation the failure Of all his schemes Tor the destruction
of Gen. Taylor he determined TO upsrsede him with another
gallant soldier whom his petty jealousy had kept Of the
field but with the eacherous intent to supesede both under
contact with distinguished Senator Of his party. The lat
ter part of the dseputabe scheme defeated by the hon
csty OF tue uc suCcteocu 80 ih
to Gen. Taylor to be stripped Of his forces in the very
face of Mr. Folks avoe general Santa Anna, al the head
of twenty thousand of the best troops Mexico brought
into the field. In all human calculation, this last act Of each
cry had compased the ruin Of Gen. Taylor and the % band
of four thousand patriotic citizen soldiers who Standing
with him under the and stripes upon the plains Of Buens
Vista The official organ Of the Government predicted his
safety in ngorous retreat upon Monterey "Is hope was
father to the thought But during the whole forty years oi
his life, he had turned his back upon the enemy The
nation knew him better than official organs and stood mute,
breathess with anxiety sranng its eyes looking towards the
western frontier The courier he had fought and
the unequal 6gh and made Of the most brilliant
pages in annals The nation filed with gratitude
and wild with joy bat to this day gun has been fred at
the national capital by order Of the Government for the vic
tory Of Bnena Vista.
were well TO stop for inquire what Of
this Zachary Taylor and how has he this popular a
fecon. His military genius and undoubtedly first
attracted to himself public attention, but il at the time
subjected him popular scrutiny The result Of that scrui-
ny disclosed in him moral and intellectual qualities for which
the people gapped him to their hearts, with hooks
Of STEEL They admired the soldier but they loved and trust
ed the They loved him, not because he with.
out fear" but because he without repoaoh" They
found him Of spotess purity and integrymodesi,
TRUTHFUL honest great and wise modest in his estimate Of
his greatness truthful and honest in all things great in
action in moulding wise in his knowledge and judg
Of men, and in his conception Of practical truth, 10 his
adaptation Of the best to the accomplishment OF useful
and noble ends He not Of words bot OF thoughts
and Deeds penoned partisan newspaper may contain all
his letters Except official eports yet Submitted to the public,
and then leave ample space the dsparagng criticisms up