The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1849-10-27


Minister Of Foreign Affairs letter containing the fol-
lowing paragraph;
Universal reciprocity in the widest sense is held by the
American government the only thoroughly appropriate
basis for intercourse between great nations The pro-
hibon of the indirect trade has but restrained enterprise
It has done good TO neither country To abrogate would
free dormant commercial wealth, without i'm
juring any Should her Maesiys government sHf0aia
similar vies, the wadsigasd prepared, s part Of the
Amsea1 government, 10 propose that British ships may
trade from port Of the word 10 any port IN the Unitsd
States and BE- received protected aad respect TO charges
AND dsiss treated like Amricaw ships: if recipvocaRy,
Amrean ships may IN like trade from a~y port Of
The Wortd 10 aay port sada the domisow of her Brianme
Majesty"
That letter is now on file in Mr.. Clayton's depart
ment and yet with that letter before him. il would be
strange il Mr. Clayton endeavors to make il appear
that the last administration did nothing for CONNER
cial reciprocity; and that moi satisfied with sending
forth charge which he knows TO be utterly unfound
ed he should pass the evidence in his own depart
ment proving that Mr. Bancroft did not propose to open
our coasng and internal trade to British vessels and
relies upon mere newspaper reports to induce the be-
lief that the late administration desired to open that
trade in order TO enjoy that of the United Kingdom
The Secretary Of State may be able to reconcile such
duct to the dictates OF political morality; and if so,
he is better skilled in casustry than he is in dipo-
macy. To our humble perceptions, such course, if
really pursued by him, would be emnsntly disreputa-
Bile in any man who preends to claim position in
the ranks of American statesmen. All the instruc-
tons sent to Mr.. Bancroft, and all the dispatches
sent by Mr. Bancroft to the United States are on file
in the Department OF Stale. Mr. Clayton may have
right to conceal them from the public eye But he
would have right, while thus concealing them, to
make permit others TO make, under the sanction OF
his authority, any charges either against Mr. Folks ad-
minstration against Mr.. Bancroft. which would be
dspoved and iased If those instructions and despatch
es were made public To do so would be unbecomng in
statesman, as it would be disgraceful in a man to
SANDER and defame the defenceless, while, as pub
lie officer, he withheld the proofs Of their innocence
During the last special session Of the Senate, resou-
ton passed calling on the President il compatible
with the public interests to transmit to that body all the
correspondence touching this matter For some reason
the President failed refused comply with the Senaies
call He had ample tme before the Senate adjourned 10
transmit the papers, but they not transmitted And
the administration, toih all official Information in
its exclusive possession. appears to permit assaults to be
made upon the preceding administration and through its
official organs to put forth claims which il would know
to be false and unfounded 1t is pursuing the same
course in the Nicaragua and Mosquito questions, as we
have satisfactorily proved According to this suppose
tion Mr. Clayton would put forth day after day. through
his organs, charges against the late President and Secre
tay Of State, founded newspaper paragraphs and on
anonymous letters which he should know that the au.
thoratve records in his department. that be conceals
from the public will sustain An honest and inelli
gent people must turn from such conduct in disgust
When il became apparent that Great Britain was will
Il
believed that the offer could not be accepted by the
United States. unless the President issued his proclama
ton under the law Of 1885, which requires the Executive
to issue proclamation repeating discriminating
duties the tonnage Of any foreign nation, when salts
factory evidence is presented to him that such nation had
repealed its " Discriminating duties American ton
mage Such the hostility then entertained to CON-
mercia reciprocity by the wing party that leading wing
presses asserted that he President not compelled 10
accept the British offer. and that he ought not to accept H.
The organ Of the President in this city declared that the
acceptance OF the offer discretionary with General
Taylor and indicated most clearly that he would not ac
cept it, But found that the law Of 1917, UNIFORM
w construed by democratic construction
aict icas departed from until Mr. Webster al
the head Of the eabiaetacceped the British offer in ad
vance, and left General Taylor no power to refuse Yet
we find that the article of the National Iateigenesr
claims for General Taylors administration the credit OF
having placed such construction upon the act Of 1877
as to acquire for commercial reciprocity with Great
Britain We urged this great measure from the first, as
the National Iatdigencr well knows; while neither
that paper any other prominent wing paper gave
any aid or assistance. And yet the National Inteli
gener permits its columns to be the medium through
which commercial reciprocity is claimed as whig
principle We do not believe that any wing paper. or
any wing statesman, has asserted it. II is known
that the wing party wishes to place every imaginable
obstruction commerce, in order to protect the
facturers of the North. The leading principle Of the
wing creed, il fully carried out would force us TO pro-
duce in America all that the consumption OF America
needed The leading object Of protective imporaons is
mereiai intercourse Nth foreign nations. But now,
when great measure tending 10 take immense
burdens from commerce is forced upon the admins
traton by law passed more than twenty years ago
a law which is now repudiated by the wing party
the administration falsely pretends TO have placed
construction upon that law, in order that il may surep-
ttiously obtain credit with the people As have be-
fore said the circular Of Mr. Meredith adheres to the
uniform construction placed upon the law Of 1917. ex-
cept when Mr. Webster was at the head OF the cabinet
IN Is42 Mr.. Webster is a wing, and as a wing he
wished to prevent commercial reciprocity Accordingly
the democratic construction cf the law of 1917 was de-
frorn and nav conafrurton nlaced un,n N in