Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1860-11-17
dent of the Senate in 1870 he gave his casting vote
against the bank. 1t was on that occasion that he
used the following language: *

ain the course of long life have found that Govern
snot be strengthened by the assumption Of doubt
which are pconestabe the former fails to produce
suspicion and dstrust whilst the latter inspires respect
and confidence.
the General Government shall be found incompetent to the
attainment of the objects for which it vas instituted the
evil by amendment and have no doubt that in such
event on an appeal TO The patriotism and good sense OF the
community it will be readily applied
What was the result of his experience? That the
Government was never strengthened by the exer-
else of doubtful powers. A doctrine which still
prevails among the distinguished leaders Of the par
ty in the State of New York, and which they can
never consent to surrender unless they should be-
come recreant to the great principles which they
have always maintained. But he would not only
quote authority but he would also quote facts
What was it which excited the first controversy be-
tween q State and the United States; conflict
which threatened to bring ruin on the country and
which designated the regn OF terror by the re-
publican party as it we'll deserved to be character
izcn? He referred to the alien and sedition law,
which, by usurpng the power of trampling into dust
the liberty of Speech the freedom of the press, and
all the rights and securities which the people had
enjoyed, called forth movement the most glorious
to the country that could be imagined 1t drew
forth the celebrated report of Mr. Madison, report
to the merits of which he totally inadequate to
do Justice. This was movement of the aspiring
pride of the State sovereigHtieS which, instead OF
destroying the Union, brought back the Govern
ment to its first principles So much, then, for
State pride If that State pride had preserved the
constitution at It's last gasp it ought not to have
called down upon 1t such unqualified rcprobation.
The doctrines of Virginia saved the confederacy in
that dangerous crisis. They produced civil revo
luton which brought into power the wisest and the
ablest statesman who ever lived in any country
This was one of the benefits which had resulted
from State pride.
In the case of the establishment of the United
States Bank there arose also a conflict Of powers
There were many who believed that it was an as
sumption of power not delegated to the Federal Gov
eminent. Ohio was one of the States which held
that opinion. This matter also finally adjusted
What was the next question which agitated the
country? 1t the exercise of the power OF inter-
nal improvement That was not an expressed pow
or granted to the General Government. 1t was
among the doubtful powers, and the right to eXer-
clSe it was denied by several of the States 1t vas
denied by the State of New Hampshire, and by
very respectable portion of the State of New York,
which held that it one of the doubtful powers.
TIE right of appropriaing money to all or any OBJ
ects was another of the doubtful powers. III
State of New York, and some 9th ar tho s+otoS
disputed the re-. VI the Federal Government to ap-
propita MONEY except for the purposes pointed out
by the constitution. Such are the contentious
which had arisen from the exercise of doubtful pow
erS by the Federal Government.
The case of Georgia the next TO which he
would call the attention OF the Senate The usurped
powers which the United States attempted to exer-
else over her provoked the pride of that State, as
we'll it might. When the Government of the Unit
ed States undertook to tell her that she could not
extend her jurisdiction over the whole of her own
SOIL she might well resist. This contention, arts
ing also from the exercise of doubtful powers by the
United States was at one moment pregnant with
awful menace.
The last, but not the least of the conflicts which
have arisen from the exercise of doubtful powers NV
the General Government, was in relation to Il nro
tcctive system Here the Government of rho IT,,it
ed States had assumed the right of Limited toxo
ton, of taxing one portion of the Immunity for the
benefit of another and 4 more f ycrcd norton He
hoped that he had thus SUI cecdcd in pstabIisbinc
the position that most ii the controversies which
mad arisen nad their origin in the exercise of doubt
lul powers by re Federal Government, operating
against lhoSt fights which the States deem necessa-
ry Tor th preservation of their existence in a soye-
reign capacity.
The gentleman from New Jersey had held up the
constitution in his hand, and with all that patriotic
ardOr for which he distinguished said he should
cling TO the bond !, too, said Mr.. B. will cling to
the bond; and while | will willingly allow the gen.
teman to take full usanca hope that in taking the
pound of flesh, he will not spill one drop of blood
The gentleman had also said, that old Rome never
submitted to the dctation Of any of her provinces
This luminous commentary on the rest of his
remarks. No wonder that he had spoken diSparag-
inSly OF the States, when he compared them to Ro-
man provinces. This sufficiently accounted for the
conSolidaory principles of the gentleman from New
Jersey. But old Rome was always ready to extend
Justice to her provinces. Whenever the deputies of
province came before her Senate, she did not fear
to do them justice. We may all beconingly fear to
do wrong but we should not fear 10 do Justice.
The gentleman from New Jersey had said he
would not strike sister State, but would retire to
the wall He, Mr.. B., admired this principle, which
so admirably accorded with what he knew of the
private worth of the gentleman from New Jersey.
But when the gentleman went on to say that the
dignity OF the country required that the laws should
be executed, he could not avoid asking him in what
that dignity consisted? Did it consist in calling
out the military power, in bringing citizen into
hict with citiZea and deuging the country with the
blood of her children? If that was the meaning of
the dignity Of the country, he, Mr. B., prayed Hea-
ven deliver him from such dignity. He consider
cd that the dignity and honor of the country would
be best promoted and established by doing justice
and carrying out peacefully and efficiently the prin-
ciples of the constitution. This would be worth all
faSe glory, all the national glory Of which we have
heard so much. 1t would eclipse all the glory of
imperial Rome and of imperial France which
nothing to the glory of just, equal and benignant
dspcnSation of the laws.
One of the reasons which had mainly induced him
to rise was, to show that every peaceful remedy
should be resorted to- The constitution was franz
cd in a spirit of mutual Difference. 1t was ratified
in that spirit of Difference and so it ought to
be administered The whole history of our country
conforms to that principle mutual Difference to
all great interests of the country The practice of
the Government has been invariably marked with
the spirit of Cancellation.
The State of Kentucky in 1904 dissatisfied
with the Government of the United States because
the free navigation of the Mississippi had not been
secured The Legislature of that State made
strong remonstrancc on the subject to the General
Government claiming that free navigation as their
right They asserted that God and nature had given
them this right; and they menaced a withdrawal
from the Union if it was not obtained for them
What was the course of Washington? What was
the course of the American Congress on this occa-