The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-08

do not belong to that class Of politicians an
anything but that With me name signifies
nothing. ! 60 for persons In relation to their
merits, and cannot be brought to alter and turn
with men who hold every single principle antag-
onistical to mine. Sir, some of the old party
issues are fairly dead, and gone TO the " tomb
Of the Capulets" But there are certain live
questions now which agitate the country and on
those, am sorry to say, find men, with whom
! have hitherto acted, belonging now to differ
ent party from me.
Mr.. McLANE. What right have you to
claim the name of Democrat!
Mr.. MORSE. do not claim to be Demo
crat ] say | am against all those doctrines II
they are right, am wrong. | am Wing, a
Free soiler, or anything else. Great laughter.
/ do not belong to any such section of party
| Nor do belong to the Union party exclusively
When say that, ! do not mean to say that
have no feeling for the perpetuity Of this Union.
There is no man in this body there is no man
in America, that has more warm or devoted
attachment to the Union the Union of this
country which was founded by our ancestors
and cemented with their blood. A mans loyalty
cannot be questioned, whose ancestors have
been more than two hundred years in this couli-
try. Yet, say now. once for all, that am for
| q OUtOU UNJUST (OIt6tttutlVtt, duu pTUdCLtO
by the Constitution but that am for ne Union
that rides over these barriers, and those doc
trines of State rights. | belong to no such Union.
Sir, the word Union" has no cabalistic mean
] ing with me. My ancestors went into and es-
tablished Union for the common welfare and
common advantage And whenever that Union
is used to carry out measures which degrade and
| dishOn0r my people, whenever it il used by a
majority us the means of oppression, am for
disunion, and no party ties no fears of any re-
sponsibility, will make me say the contrary.
Sir, have been drawn from the substance oil
the few remarks which proposed to address to
the committee upon this most dangerous and
monstrous proposition. Why, sir, we have not
been satisfied with increasing the expense Of
this government from some $l5,O00,O0O OF
$20,000,000, but we have raised the expense oil
the administration of this government to some
sixty or seventy millions and now the spectacle
is presented to the world, of the United States
embarking in system Of internal improvements
for which we shall have to borrow money to
clean out bitches, and rivers and harbors. Sir
it is MS abhOrrent to me as is the meddling with
the slave question. 1t is my deliberate convic
ton, that in danger to the institutions of Amer
ica, in tendency to produce dsunion, and to
arm brother against brother, this monstroui
system of bribery and corruption through the
means of the public treasury, ia even more dan
gerous than any other that has been agitated ir
this country. Men who would scorn bride
whether of Office or place, can be approached
by this system of bribing them through attach.
ment to their constituents.
Look at the bill that is before us. Sir, if ar
Improvement be required for the benefit of com
merce at the mouth Of the Delaware river, or OF
any other river let it stand upon its own merits
Bring in simple bill, and let it be discussed
upon its own merits. But by this system oil
Jumping together, this system of buying the
votes of members, the government of the United
States may be continued in the hands of one set
of men forever.
| Sir, in regard to this question, am an ultra
man. l am opposed not only to internal inn
provements, rivers and harbors. and lighthouses
on the lakes, but am opposed to them on the
seaboard. What right has the city of New York
to ask this government to aid it in inducing and
inviting the commerce of the city Of Philadel-
phia! Where do you get the power to provide
for lighthouses, buoys, and breakwaters II
the people of Philadelphia desire to compett
with New York, let them do it. 1t has been as
certained that every power exercised by the peo
pie is exercised with much more judgment, much
moro economy, much more use TO the public a
large, than when exercised by the government
Now, there are gentlemen here who profess tc
hold, that the doctrine of n low tariff or tariff
for revenue purposes, is one of the elements Of
the Democracy Of this country ! ask those
gentlemen how they can-believing those doc
trines--vote for a system of measures which
must inevitably involve this government in deb,
to the amount Of hundreds of millions of dol
lars-a debt which will require an increased tax
alton, which will induce other means of raising
money by borrowing it through the means of ,
United States bank, onby raising the tariff!
And suggest to the gentleman from Penn
r sylvania, Mr.. STRONG and other gentlemen
who feel the least interest in this question oil
the tariff, that it would be proper occasion, il
it were in order to do so, to move an amendment
] to this bill, so adjusting the tariff as to raise
r revenue for the purpose of supplying the def
j, cheney expected. For me it would be discour
{ teous to do so, because should be compelled
to vote against it myself believe in that prin-
ciple adopted by my friend from New York, that
provides, that whenever a State intends to run
into debt, we shall also provide the means Of
paying that debt We have already proposed
in this bill appropriations amounting to y 800
900, and everybody knows, that before the bill
leaves this House its appropriations will be in
creased to $5,O00,000, or perhaps to &l0,000,-
900. Now, is it right, is it fair, is it honest
enues, when our reuenue does not equal by
some millions our current expenditures re-
peat, is it right to contract obligations we have
not the means of paying? There Is no scheme
that like this stupendous system Of internalim-
provements, will carry away so much of the pub
lie treasure. There is nothing, either for which
men are so ready to vote. And whyl Because
few men would be found ready to vote against
an appropriation Of 100000 ut their own doors
Still cannot and do not understand that prin-
ciple.
do not quarrel with the Wings of pursuing
such policy. II is their policy to have splen-
did government; il is their policy to spend freely
and literally the revenues Of this great country,
and even to exceed those revenues, II is their
true policy to protect all the branches of our
national neutrality-suspicious., commerce. and
manufactures-by offering bounties Gentle
men talk about this government being admins
tered conomically--gentleme who talk about
resisting the oppression of this government, be-
cause they seek TO interfere with the institution
~ al. 10