Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-01-18

SkNAIO8 oi810NS OF Huouy AsA4nu tutSW
bomb-shell into the Democratic eampef the Ssnats
few days ago, which seems 70 have stirred up
that grave body very much. He introduced a res
slusiea sallng ~ps. he Secretary Of the Treasury
to report 10 Congress plan for the raising Of the
revenues of Tie Government by specific. instead oi
BY ad,vllprsn. duties.
Il win b rscollsctsd that the President, in his
annual Msssags, recommended the substitution OF
specific auties ibr the mode now In operation. He
syen went % fAr a. to argue, (which he did with
great deal Of force) that specific duties would be
much more fair and equal. and would raise
greater revenue than duties collected rs they now
are ed raiorem. This recommendation Of the
Chief Executive oficer of the nation seems to have
been utterly ignored by his party friends in Con-
sress. No one has made the first motion to carry
the suggestion Of the President into effect. On
the contrary it has been passed over without tho
slightest notice. The Senator from Rhode Island,
probably moved by a sense of sympathy for the
President seeing how entirely he was deserted by
his party friends. took up the cudge's in his be-
half, snd brought forward the resolution to which
we have above adverted.
Strange to SAY, though, this proposition, al
though 10 exact accordance with the views OF the
President was at once resisted by the Democratic
members Of the Senate. whys
Because tho Secretary of the Treasury, in his
Report, % far from conccding the Presidents I"-
ston that specific duties were the best, undertook
labored argument to prove tina, they were not,
He stnusly combatted the idea tina, al valorem du-
ties we're wrong. lie took stand directly at issue
with tAas assumed by the President, and thus pre-.
scented the unusual spectacle, even in Govern
ment like ours, of Presicn, and one of his Cab
net Ministers. differing toto ordo upon an impor-
tant and vital measure Of public policy.
It 10 manifest. then, that if the resolution Of the
Senator from Rhode Island had been adopted, the
Secretary Of the Treasury would have been under
the necessity Of reporting plan for the collection
Of the revenue directly ct variance with the con-
victious Of his own judgment. On the contrary.
BY failing to pass the resolution, the Senate. al.
though il contains q large maj ,rity of the Prcsi-
dents party friends. administered distinct and
emphatic rebuke to the Chief Executive for daring
to entertain the Democratic heresy that specific
duties were better than those al ralorcm. A nice
imbroslio truly--but such MS is constantly &C.
principle, and 80 much aparty of con,ris"uces and
expsdients for the purpose of keeping in power,
by sdvoeating . different set Of principles for
every parallel Of latitude that runs across the
country.
1t was . cruel thing in Mr.. Simmons to project
this fre-brand into the Democratic camp. proba-
bly, he may have felt a malicious pleasure in
49,, h.. hn,wcan n n.nn.
cratic President and Democratic Seerc,ar, Of
the Treasury. Bat, what ayals it to show up
such inconsistencissf DO they no, every
dayi 10 there . single living measure Of lcgisln-
ton upon which the party is unit' They no
more agree about the policy Of Internal Improve
ments than they do about the Tariff They do not
agree about the proper disposition Of the public
lands. any more than about Squattcr Sovereignty
or Fillibusterism or Alien Suffrage, In short.
there il single respect only in which the great
and glorious' Democratic party is cordially agreed
and that il the necessity Of defeating the Oppo-
siton in all elections. by fair means foul, so
that the Democracy my have an undisturbed mo-
nopolv of the honors. emoluments and spells Of
Office
Apvopos of this disagreement between Demo-
cratic President and his leading Cabinet Minister
tonchiug the best mode of collecting the revenue,
we find the following extract Com letter of SEN
ator Clay Of Alabama going the rounds of the
press. He regards the views Of the President as
merely Aanfortunate." Would that have been
the Senator'S expression if Wig President had
recommended specific duties ? But here is the
tract:
"Ths Presidents Message has been unfortunate
in some Of it, Recommendations, in the Judgment
OF most Of his party in Congress. His re,oinmen-
datio1 Of specific duties is regarded departure
from the principles Of free trade and of the Demo
cratic party. and adverse to Southern Interests
1t will probably command the entire Bn'k Re-
publican support and that Of the Southern Know
Nothiuga, some old Wings now acting with the
Democratic party, and the PENNSYLVANIA. and,
perhaps, Kentucky and Loui sinna Democrats
Hence. there 10 sonre danger If some bill lrosd
ing specific duties being passed at 'h,- sessl"n .
Secretary Cobb disagrees with his thet. and re-
commends the continuance ot at rcIorem duties
This would enane his dceaptation If u member
Of tho British Cabinet but our President tolemles
his disobedience. IfSecretar, Cobb had resigned,
As he should have done, he wou1 have done more
to reinstate himself with the Southern Rights De
mocracy. than by any act since bis detection IN
1850-'5l."
1t seems to US that the above contains ian Irish
mans hint TO the Chevalier Cobb to resign his
Office. Will he do iti Hardly. Does not Mr..
Clay know enough Of his own party to know that
resigning an Office is about the last thing one Of
them is ever guilty Of! Mr.. Jefferson, the father
Of the Democratic party and man who knew
them like book, said that few die, and none re-
sign" The remark is moro applicable now, If
possible, than 1t was in the day of Mr. jefferson
Tn Richmond Wing abiding to the admission
Of the Enquirer that the public debt had grown