The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-03-20

from speech of as true hearted southern gentle
man as breathes; from one OF spotless reputation,
and whose high talents and character have shed
honor ON his country ! will print some extracts
from his speech.
Extract from the speech of MIR. BERRIEN, of
Georgia, April 9th, ls44.-[Appendix 10 the Con-
gressional Globe, 25th Congress, LIST SESSION.
Mr.. BEaRIEN was referringto the charge that the
South oppressed" He said he was speaking
as southern man." and he was disputing the
charge that there was suffering. He might have
been accused of not standing up for his section"
Hut he argued as follows:
SIT is mere question of fact; and answer 1t by
aflrning-what presume no one VIII deny-that
there is sensible, obvious improvement in the
condition of the country since August, 1912.
Whether il be because the tariff of that year, or in
spite of il, repeat, is not subject OF my present
| inquiry: am dealing with fact, not theory; and
these things take 10 be undeniable, IN the com
parison between the two periods;
81. The credit of tire Government was PROSTATE,
and il has been redeemed. Its bills protested.
lts treasury notes were below par. IL sought loan
and could not obtain il, either here or in Europe,
but upon terms which were Illuminating TO great
nation. II could not go into the market and Dor
row money on terms as favorable as would be ac'
corded TO responsible individual All this has
been changed. Its stock is above par. The Gov
eminent has ample means to meet its current ex-
pendtures, and such is now its credit that IT could
command on loan any amount OF money 1t might
| require.
-. The treasury empty. 1t is now replen-
ished, has increasing income probably adequate
10 its wants, and the means, if need be, of adding
to it.
so. The commerce and navigation of the country
have increased
81. Its agricultural condition has improved.
'5. There has been marked improvement in the
price Of Our great staple.
$50 Il reduction Of prices Of almost all, If not ALSO
iutsy Of euery article Of consumption.
81. To crown the whole, every branch of indus
try has been stimulated to increased activity, and
confidence has been restored.
| Mr. I ia ssedu mo in
ment that the act of 1912 imposes undue and pecu-
liar burdens on southern industry--on the planting
interest of the South. This, sir, is to me
awakening suggestion-the burden If it exists,
operating alike on my constituents and myself, and
upon me, personally, to the whole extent of the pro-
ductiye property which possess. little refiec--
ton, however, relieves from apprehension.
know that any tax which the Government inn
pose in so far as it operates upon consumption, can
only compel the southern planter to share in the
burden which all consumers have to bear. Expert
satisfies too that this cannot be to the whole
amount of duty, but the foreign producer must bear
his proportion of in the diminished profits of CAPT
tai. kno,c that the price Of southern produce has
not fallen SINCE these duties imposed. knOtU
too that the prices Of articles Of southern consumption
hare not risen but haze been sensiby diminished
shall surely not be blamed for unwillingness
TO believe that the existing system of revenue ope
rates hardly on the South and West And again,
| ask why could not such man as William Gas
ton-why cannot our Grahams and Moreheads-see
this oppression
u j
Cardinals most distinguished son-Gastol-in the
earlier part Of my life. 1t was think, at Union
meeting, after North Carolina had been called the
| Rip Van Wrinkle of the South because she
would not nullify act of Congress. Z" Better, far
BETTER" said MIR, CASTOR, ''be called the Rip Van
Wrinkle of the South, than the Cataline of the
historian, the Captain Bobadill of the poet
better sleep on forever, than wake to treason
or disunion." These words were from the
of one whose fathers blood shed by the
enemies of his country; they were from the heart
and lips of patriotic christian gentleman-who
was long honored by my native State, and whose
memory Is still cherished by all her ue-heartcd
sons. His mortal remains repose within the bor-
ders of that in which these words that hurn"
were spokenit is a part of the country represent
When forget the applause these sentiments met
with from that people, shall forget them; and
when do that, my tongue will cleaye TO my
mouth and my right hand lose her cunning
But my colleague complains Of the amount of
money expended at the North, and he says: "North
Carolina for example, is brde,ed to The ertent u not
less than three millions, and get does not get back
hundred thousand dollars IN any toay from The Govern
menf The clear loss in pecuniary point of view,
on account OF the action of the Government, may
be set down at three millions annually. The south
ern States generally in the same condition"
Now, cannot imagine how my colleague calcu-
lates this three millions of burden. fear il is to
use his own words, "Dant Of accurate knowledge
Of all the facts renders IL impossible 10 determine pre-
ciseiy the effect tohich system produces.
should be glad 10 see these "iacts' stated.
suspect my colleague is much mistaken in this
ne Is IN the number fugitive slaves
! escaping from "few counties in Maryland" He
said, "a few counties in Maryland had within six
! months, upon computation, lost one hundred
thousand dollars worth"
He is surely mistaken. Senator from South Car
DINA MIR. BUTLER) said that ''thirty thousand
dollars worth Of slaves stolen from Ken
lucky annually and he added, ''the loss TO the
people Of the sLaUehoidirg States may be estimated
at two hundred thousand dollars annually"
Whose computation is right And my colleague
says Delaware loses zone hundred thousand dollars
worth of slaves each year" My colleague makes
the loss of "few counties in Maryland and the
loss Of the State of Delaware, great Mr.. Bur
thinks is the loss of the slayeholding States'
and yet the members from Kentucky, Delaware and
Maryland, do not threaten to dissolve the Union.
But the complaint is, a small amount of money
is expended at the South. Whose fault
is this
Mr.. Tyler vetoed a bill that contained an appro-
priation Of twenty thousand dollars for the improve
ment of Cape Fear river And when Congress
made appropriation of fifty thousand dollars for
opening Roanoke inlet, on the coast of North Caro-
Ina Mr.. Tyler pocketed the bill. Is this sggres-
sion? IL was an outrage, and well becoming a
strict constructonist Of the school of 9S and 99.
This s a work of inestimable value to large por-
ton Of my State. hope 10 live to il perfected
! The people in mine and my colleagues (Mr. Our
LAw's) district will soon hold a convention relative
20 this subject-a convention, not TO dissolve the
Union, but to open communication by which we
can reach New York by steam in few hours-to
facilitate intercourse, and bind together in
dissolubly. virginia politicians have opposed this
WORK, anu Will oppose ~. open tnls COtnfnunha-
ton, and in the event Of domestic rebellion, we
should speedily have thousands Of New Workers
with whom our intercourse is so frequent and
! so frendly-brought on the wings OF steam, ready
10 stand by
Let not gentlemen complain Of the North ON this
score. When these internal improvement questions
arise will promise to bring ten, yes, twenty
Wings or Democrats, from the North or West, for
any southern Democrat my colleague will find
: My colleague, when speaking OF the possibility
of dissolution, said
! "Subjsefing The goods of The North 10 duty, ,cih
those from oo foreign countries, ico,iid at give
9 potoerfd stimulus 10 manufacturer We
have already sufficient capital for the purpose. But
If needed, il would come in from abroad. English
8 capitalists have filed Belgium with factories Why
did this occurS Simply because provisions were
! cheaper there and taxes lower than in England.
Tho same motives would bring them into the south
ern country, since both the reasons assigned are
. much stronger in our II has already been
proved hat zoe manufacture some kinds OF goods
h more cheopiy than the North"
What would the "free trade" gentlemen Of the
n South say TO THAR Would not South Carolina be
y oppressed by that tariff law