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patriots, if the President be a patri t. Th:y <
are all honest men. if the President ba an hon
est man. Sir, let me put a case in common
... life to illustrate this doctiine; one which eve
ry farmer will understand. Take any m.m of
seventy years of age, put him on a farm with i
sixty hands to ro ilrol, give him a full crop, to
~bacco,'and small grain; can he mi age them 1
so that no part of the crop will suffer? Sup- '
pose his foremen are faithkss a. d roguish, I
tint they are detected marauding the con tyi
of nights, taken with their pigs and luiki 4 . '
their chickei s and po aloes, upon them, (,o Jd
they ph ad the virtu, sos their master n jus
tification of their crimes? Could you not
lynch them without meaning to inflict blow s
upon the go id old man whose confidence thev
had abused? There is ny man.amongs: 'diem who
can stand one moment upo > his own merits.
No, sir, they have crowded and huddled tog: th
er under the ma itle of General J.icksoii, u.i
til that is not broad enough to cover them :
they nave worn it thieulb.re, stretch, d a..n
torn it into tatters. You may occasi > ally get
a glimpse of Va..’s bald piie popped out hem,
Amos’s sharp face there. Felix’s red < yes yon
der. Blairs shank at one place, and Reuben’s
pockets filled with Treasury receipts at anoth
er; and now, sir, we have the ge .tieman from
Rhode Island squealing arotmd like an odd pig.
for whom there is no teat, Im .li g a place to
crawl in au Now, sir, whar I wish is, to st rig
the Jackson mantle off these gen 1 men, a d
let them stand up for thems.lv s. Every o n |
k iows that no gentleman upo; this floor ha '
nny motive, any wish to make an issue with
General Jacks.>n ; that he cannot be the obj c;
of this resolution, His course is run, his d.y
is past, his power is i i other hands, and w.
wish to hold those gentlemen accou .tab’*- 1 11
the manner in which they exercise it. i'ber
has been no investigation into the D. p <rtmeals,
which we propose to examine A' 1 ’ the last
light years. ii'e wish to sec a s til meat ot
th.sir accounts at the bar c/ ihe public, and
the balance fairly struck b ■••Weea th m and the
people. Thev may be, li mes’, very honest;
if s >, it is due to then/clves that they show it.
It may 1 ba otherwise and, i:i that event, it is
due to the cou itrv<n ’■’ we should have a co n
mittee of the 11-mse to sh >w th it. How is ii
proposed tin..' they should come to trial ? Up
on the ceriificate contained i t the tn sstig- .
and upoi th.i’ alone. The ge.itlema i hims.A
admits that these swe. ping certificates are u
usual. Id-test the whole system of c.rtifi
ing which pervades every 1) parim.ut of th
Government, and ca . he traced from Renb •
M. Whit ney up, (I bli vc you cannot go fro I
Riiibin rZotca.) Y>-s, sir, a coward, wli
shri iks and ru >s from an udvers try whom h
has i jured. will get a certific te of h s con
age to use upon th.: stump; a traitor will g
'a certificate of his patriotism; a rogue of Ii
honesty ; and a perjured wit ess of his ver
city ; and if you attempt to fix upon eith r c
tiles'* his true character, he will e.iseo ise him
self L .hind his certificate. We ask permi
sio.n to g > i :to the various D ■parimeuts, a .
see wh it their true conditio i is.
But, says tli.j go .tinman, ill it is cquivalei.
to nu imp •.ichmm't of th: preside. 4, for hai
ls his statem i.it th it all is wall ; “th U tiler
is no just cause of complaint from any qua:
ter;” and the argument is, that if you fi.i
just cause of complaint, it will show that whui
the President has s.ud mil tr e, ami. then
fore, if you do not mean to attack the Presi 1
dent, there must bi no examinntio.i whatever, t
We hold these officers. w hose conduct we pro I
pose to examine, to be trustees, aid we hav
reason io believe that they have abused their '
trust, and abused the co .fidence of the Presi. t
dent, anti demand that they shall give an a<-- ;
count of their own conduct to the represeuta- I
tives of the People, and are m. t it once, and j [
told that we are putting the President upon his ) i
trial; it is an impeachment ag li .st him ; make I ;
but your specifications and summons him to h
the bar of the Senate. Ail we ask. sir, is, that | <
the representatives of the American people i i
shall send a committee mid examine the ar- j t
chives, r cords, and papers of th ir own G >- I'
verament, in any and all of its Departme t--, ! j
and make th ir report of the facts to this I
House. We prop >sa no criminal pmsecuti m
ngai'ist any one, but an investigation i .to th? >
condition of the Departments, a d the hones
ty and fidelity of the public agents, aid this ..
tne ge hleinan calls dis'’r:’.irhis t :m,mt u d r th. t
commo i law. 11 • w.is eloqu •it and exit - .v i- !
gant i i his eulogiums upon the Iva Is of these
Departments; he sp uted th ir praise i i pm t
ry, and I suppose he mea sth y shall live i t
song and story. Hi savs the S.cr.tary of
the Treasury has not. slept upon his arms :
No, sir, he has not slept, and the party shoul.. i
fee! under the highest obligations to him, for
he has so contrived us to make the Treasury
and the public lands a powerful auxiliary to
Mr. Van Buren i:th - late election. By th
celebrated Treasury Order, which he is.su ■■ .
requiring sp.iei :i i piymnit tor iha public
Im ids, with an exe. 'piio i in fav.ir < ( citiz ■ >
of the S ate.sin which those Li ids are si mated,
he in effect offered a bribe of one hundred
dollars a head for votes in the States of Mis
sissippi, Arkansas. Missoni t, and Michigan,
which was then look- d apo i us a State. For.
sir, at the sale of public la ids in Missi»ippi
last fall, specie was worth at o le time twe.it'.
percent.; and, while the citiz :i:s of Tennis
see, than considered i i reb diio i ag.ii st M
Van Buren, w> re required to pay this eimr
ninus tax, the citizens of Mississippi, a doub
till State in the e ecti ni, were ex nipt fro n i .
At Government price, three hundred .rid twen
ty acres of land would cost the Mississippia
four hundred dollars, while the Ten icss ta. .
for the same was compelled to paj
the sum of five hu idred dollars, from the ne
cessity he was placed u drr by ibis order ol
raising specie. And, sir, this was m t coiifi
ted to the poor and needy, but extended to tii
nabob with his hundred of hands, and then
Hands of bales, while the specie was exacted
from the most i.idige t and nvritorious Ten
nesseean. This, sir, is what I ••aii high han
ded oppress!.>ii ou the ole side, and wh d sa><
bribery auk corrupiio.i on the other. Philip
of Macedo.i never made a more iiiiblushi g
use of money to corrupt and enslave the peo
ple of Greece. This Secretary must ba en
titled to the praise, and something mere sub
stan'.ial still, toapnrtio i oi ilie spuds party.
The geutl man alluded, also, to the visit ot the )
Secretary of State (.‘dr. Forsyth.) io G <>rgi i, |
which he calls u .toi ui iaie ; true, his vis.t was j
unfortunate; rod ot the visit ot the becreta- '
ry of the Navy ( \lr Dickcrso.u) uiNew Jr. j
Bey, which was also uniortu.iaie. He seems
u iwilli. g to give them aiy credit for well
meant exertions, u; d " wishes to God they had
staid at home.” This appears r.ilher ungrate
ful, as they used their best exertions i.i the
cause. 1 1 is true the gentleman attempts to
conceal the fact, but it is notorious that lhe Se
cretary of State went to Georgia, and used
every effort to rally his shattered forces —that
he was open y electioneering for Mr. Van Bu
ren. Amos,;(>• >, it’ l was correctly informed,
made atv excursion, for a like purpose, i to
New E igland. lam sure that I saw itstated
that he had h.s lace lithograph d and copies
seat through the cou ary, so Unit those who
coul loot see “the divine origiaal might at
least gazion love’s counterfeit.”
But, sir, the ge. tiem i i assumes another
grim d . i delunc: of ill ;se *• mi nsters” us he
calls them. Ho says the appointment of th.s
committee would anion >t to a disfranchisement
of those officers whose conduct it is proposed
io scrutinize, by denying to them a trial accor-
dijg to the stiict rules of the criminal law.
Ihispri ctple holds only where a mania on
rial for crime. A;1 i:.w s are to Lv liberal’.v
:xpou uied, so as to detect fraud, but Si'ictlv
construed when y<>ti come to pu usii a't'ri.miaai.
i he gentleman goes too fast; hij '.inis to tin
colic usio I, g U3 nt lho |, , ni > of thjs
matter; w mle we are Comw.v.ci.ig the devd
,t of fraud and cerrupti m, which th
w i bnors, he uuti’cipaies liv awful rcsul
( a,u hinny b.:bro t )g| lt ~h. llttil al is appeali ■<
o your symn thy 0 : b us - th : cu i |in ?
.mow. ii he "wili be patient, we will go o i wi l
him, and i j due season we will lean io the sick
>t mercy, a d acquit wherever tivr . is r.?-
so lid,,;, dojiht. This is strange doctrine r
co'me from that side of the Houv . Th -se
‘hei rs are the trustees of tlv peo an-’, :lc '
-OU table to the people. Th :y have ■' ‘ 0!! £
i i < slice, and are about ente'ing ti r '
eise; aid now, when called uno r ”. an
vi.bitiou of 11 vi r fidelity a/”^ s :’’’:
Ir.e ids upo I thisflo >r raise .1 Cl ’- V Gt “isfraii-
< hisernt: t and summarv pc ‘ehm* ■■ - I deny
aid utterly repudiate t'* ’ d° ci ri;->e. Sir. in
private life, r.o one dec’ d ti,u n S h . t - ot ’ a I’ I ' 3 -
cipai to look i to tl- "•’’■duct of his agent.
What won cl that • I'wipM think of an agent
who would shut “ s books and say, I claim pro
t eiio : U ,d v >lB criminal code :• you cannot,
xamine tl> je book lest it may lead to a pro-
- C .tiou agai ist me? What ho est man
.vouid -at s 'i.V at once vas guilty '! What
jndi,o would sustain iho-objection for an in
staid? Take -ihc. cnsevd’ a guardian: a mo
is made in court, a committee is appointed,
vd he is brought forthwith to a a ttlcrne..t:
could he object on the 'groii ,d that the exami.
•ation of his ,i v> i its nigh de el pe crime,
i.id lead to pm.ishme; t ? And, sir, have not
he American people the same power over
hese keepers of their treasure, and guar-nans
•>f their constitution, laws, and liberties, wh.ch
(O'.irt of justice can exercise over lhe guar
han of >»;> estate, and the children who own it ?
Sir. bi-eaus * i .vestigation m y lc..<d to such a
discovery, it does not preclude investigation al
t gether. The geutlemai.’s f.i v. ■. ;cems to b
11 muted by the idea of c.i . ■ rosecuiio s
iid penitentiary pit .isluiv as. Veil, sir, his
h.incies m iy be realiz id; iv mav know some
hi ;g calculated to excite his alarm; it may
I -ad to that, and I would not be surprised if, i
Inina 1 .stance s, it did ; but we move no im
•eachment, co indictment, no pres-.-utme.4, a.
his time. We merel} ask that ibis Hous.-, as
iv great i qu st of the nafio ’,>hall i quire in-
< thest..te of tlv Departments, and upon a re
■ >rt of facts, by a c immittee, it will then b
hie to determi.:e what s;eps are proper io be
ken. If crime is developed ia any quartei.
ie:i it will be the proper time to In i ;g off .u
; -rs to trial, and they shall h ive all the b.-ne.
its of the strict rub . of common law, and cri
liual law, a.id the benefit of clergy likewise,
hr. there is something “rotten in Denmark,”
. we would not have this resolute and comi
ued opposi.ioa to all i .vastig.ition which is
calculated io show mismutmgemeut on die par.
.>/ age ,ts and officers of G iver ment. At the
t’j >ur meat of the last mission of Cot.grot
m re were pending motions and resolutions,
c ilculated to effect objects to thoss
••.oatempl.it -d by this resolution, a d diey wen
di smothered by the party to which the gentle
nan belongs. a,.d, i believe, with his assistance.
Pile g« •>I.-in.t i dreads a s led committee,
while he is willing to go to trial upon the cer
tificate of the President, and seems to havt
full confidence in the result, if the matter b.
entrusted to the committee of Waysand Means.
Yet, sir, he is alarmed nt the idea of a select
committee, and says it will be it “ fault fading,
ce s iriuus committee,”. Have the geotlema:
«>d los ft tends any thing to dread io the up
poi.itmeut of this committee? Is the Speak
er subj ct to the suspicion of doing injustice to
any of the party in the appointment of com
mittees? Sir, is it not a matter of absolute
certainty that a majority of this committee, ii
appointed, w,ll be composed of the friends of
these officers ? Cannot these gendemen meet
their own friends without, fear and tremb’i :g?
Ii there not viriue aad talent in this House suf
ticie.d to guaranty protection to th; i mocent,
as well as to ensure the detection and expo
sure of the guilty ? Are gentlemen willing
that it shall be understood, and go abroad to the
..-on dry, that they ca i >'*t face such a commit
tee, composed of genii.-men ofthe highest
honor u d purest pri iciples, eve i though th. \
■re th ir own trie .ds? A.id these, too, ar.
he me iin wnose hands the Government o
t.e cou..try is placed, and who claim to b
ibove suspicion, beyond the power of thm
House, foi'ted in upon alt sides by the rarnpa' te
of the President’s certificate.
There is one o'h r p. s.liuf, assumed by th>
gentleman from Rhode Island, which is quite
irigi.ial, a id merits particul ,r atte-t'iwu ; it is
his, sir, that the direction given at the last ses
ao.i to the bill com onlv called the Executive
Mir > lage bi.l, is co icuisive ns to ill? vievs of ;
his House upon th subject of Executive pa- ;
ro .tige. And be seems to draw an iufereuCe
hat the !louse then gave its sanction to all
h it had been or would be done in the way oi
Executive patronage, i i all its departments.
What are th? facts in relation to that case '!
\ gentleman from New York (Mr. Matin.) on
n •25 hos February, 1836, moved “ that said
>ilt b : referred to the committee o i the Judi
i try.” Mv coti.-a.riie (Mr. B II.) moved *■ it
di mid be referred t tii select com nittee,” and,
pe di.ig ill -so motions, a go tieman from Vir
ginia (Mr. Urotrgoole.) moved “ that the Ex
■ciuivo patronage bill be committed to the
'ommittee of the Whole House oil the state
>f the U.iio ,” which motion look precedence
f the others and prevailed, and there the bill
has slept ever si ice. The quest io iof Exec
itive patronage was not taken up for conside
atio.i ait rwards; aid now the gentleman
contends that the Housd'thavi ;g f iled to act
ipoa the subject, it was ther fore against the
>ili, and i.i favor of Executive patronage, to
,h fullest extent. hir, duri..g th.? last sum
mer, ia Ten..essee. I end.•.. Vol ud to inculcate
his doCti ice So far as to ho! ' t majority of
his House accou .table f >r i s facing to act up
>:i ibis as wdl as s®.: other important q ies
ioi.s ; but this doctrine >vas co. troverted by
you and your friends. How would it hold up.
o.i another great question —the question of a
meudiug the Co .stituiion of the United States
|‘ so as to secure the election of President and
| Vice President to the People at ail events, and
In dei all circumstances? For the last two
I sessions of Congress this lias been a leading
| question, and ass ird.ed a fa.ropporlu .ily lor the
party to show their z al ri carrying out the
measures of G nieral Jackson. I, and the
friends Midi whom I act, have ever been in fa.
vor of that measure. At the session before
the last, soo i after it was k town that Judge
White was a candidate for the Presidency, and
while we were urging the House to take up
| the resolutions upon th it subj Ct. the present
i Speaker (Mr. James K. Polk,) made a speech,
in which, after prufessi ig a willingness to go
for the measure, objected Io acting upon the
subject then, alledgmg a want of lime, and al
so some imperfection m the resolutions. 1
followed ma few remarks,’., which I urged
the importance of a speedy action on the sub
j cl,and reminded the Speaker ot Ins former
course in rek.li mto the mat.er, and though he
S'tul.e i .st us, he voted with us <o take up
th s. Hts fne.ids, however, look
th.ircue, and followed Ins prece; t instat'd .of
hisexwwpZe, and the resolutions were postpo
ned. At the last session of Congress the same I
subject came up, with no better late than be-.
wee. It was with great difiic"'- v ’ , c . GU ci
get a repert from the commii'T at !l ' iley
! all professed to be in favor " tne !imen^men '-
’Oh ! yes ; but they sev/ ;,i u ’ a g rpr - f<)
|as to the mode of **.’ ail ''’ at
; when ihe report cap'' lll ' loo ‘ < t ' ,e Si,llle *-‘-
j rectio i with the 7> c r , ', uj - lv « patronage bill, or
(something like ” We . cnu!<l not brii) S l!ie
i gentlemen to -’ vOt ‘ ? 0:1 e!, ’ fi<sr - And it is to be
( understood- !ile eb;ct ‘ o:l over, (I know
shit it w l ' "ot have been admitted before,)
( .j/.aose who voted to give those important
! m ; i.i--'' iei| ,be go-by. are to be set down as vo
l agai-st tiiem? li so, how do the party
i-.iand upon the great leading measures of Ge
neral Jackson’s r.dmini.vtrat'.on ? if we call
upon S’entlemtm to walk in the footsteps of the
President upon that oft repeated, but. never
heeded recommendation in regard to the elec
tion of President and Vice President, are we
to ba toid that the House has already decided
hat question ? Are we to be told, if we pro
pose to limit Executive patronage, that the
House has already decided that question in
the.sumo manner, and has sanctioned the lull
extent to which Executive erasures have been
recently carried? A-td, sir, what is that ex
tent’ It is s ifficient, if not checked, and
grows into a settled precedent, to rivit chsins
upon us and our chii Iren forever ! Such a
precedent will authori-e a President to nv.ke
the nomination of his successor a cabinet mea
sure, issue his proclamation calling a conven
tion to confirm that inmiinatio.:, a.id denounce,
in advance, all who dare oppose the nominees
before or after the convention acts, as “ assail
ing public virtue, and opposing the right of the
People to govern.” For, san this has been
lone in the iat.i nomination cf the “Govern
me t” candidates, as they are called in the
English journals. Was j hat ticket so remark
able for its purity and virtue that, to oppose it,
waste assail ‘Am virtue of the People! Mr.
Van Buren had promised io walk in the loot
steps of Geneial Jacksoi:. and is, conseeuent
ly, bound in due time to nominate his colleague
(Col. Johnson,) f ( .r the Presidency, <-rd:ra
convention te ratify h.s nonii.iatiiv, t .-.e th:;
lield, and si.cure his election bv the use of ail
he ways and means in the power of li. > Ex
ecutive. This, sir, is the extent to whichEx
■cuiive patronage h. s already gone, and wliu h
.he gentleman co itends inis Ivt •h.. d been
sa .ctioned bv this 11-ris •. 'i'his, sir. ;; what
Ide y. V, hatever this II ni.-v may be desti
ned to do, it has not com:: to Hint vet.
Sir. I was not prepared for such doctrines,
mo I tn-.; .say that. I w, s not prepared for tlv
opposition io lhe proposed i..vesiigatio. . i
nad hoped ill it. geaiiemea would have become
ashamed of screening tins: officers, wlv, iu
siead of run .i...g to General J_ 'kso:i forev.
tificat s of moral character, should be the first
to demand an investigation. But, sir, will die
People of the United States be satisfied forev
er that th y shall shri. k from responsibility,
i >ld up Gen. Jacks > i’s character as then
Jueld. and thereby escape a scrutiny of their
conduct? If they have acted honorably, we
wish them to show it; if those suspicions, so
•ommon, so universal, are groundless, we Irish
: the country to know it. Innocence never
seeks for safety it; iugbt, in concealment, but
rather courts i v:.siu...i.n,m, and defies scrutiny.
How can gentlemen reconcile innocence with
this treinbiiug and shrinking—this shielding
hemselves under the numerical strength of
■ heir friends in this House? This was then
course at the last s.-s.-io i of Congress. Re
member, sir, what fatality attended every ef
fort to obtain a committee of investigation then.
Recollect the extraordinary and obstinate pro
tection extended to that darling Treasury-pet,
Reuben Whitney. Let it also be remembered
ih:it the Committee ou Indixn Affairs unuuirn
o'.islv recommended an inquiry into the abu-
es of that bureau, which would have devel
oped the causes of the late and present Indian
Wars in the South. That committee reported
i resolution authorising any two of its mem
bers to prosecute the inquiry by taking testi
mony lor the information of the House at this
R-ssion. Bir, sir, this resolution reported by
i committee, a majority of whom were in fa
vorof Mr. Van Baren, was rejected in the
Hous-?. The citizens of Georgia and Alabi
na petitioned and implored the House to iu
• estigate that subject, alleging the most un
uard-of frauds and abuses. Upon this appli
a ion the vote s-:ood : ayes 17, uoes 77, a tie,
nd the Speaker gave the casting vote against
ae I ivestigation. Sir, men high in favor and
ugh in office were suspected. The agent, of
.tie Government, John B. Hogan,gave the De
partment official iatormatiou of lhe greatest
utrages practised upon the Indians which
were ever perpetrate.! upon any people, sav.
age or civilized. He was very soon removed,
or rather promoted, from Indian Agent to be
collector at the port ot Mobile. And yet. sir,
we have no account of prosecutions, convic
ti >::r. and punishments, which have followed
his disclosures. Why, sir, those speculators,
or rather Indian robbers, would find an old
child upon his patiimonial estate, where the
chiefs and kingsof his race had lived for cen
turies before him, with his slaves and his farm
around him, smoking his pipe amidst his own
forest trees, spurning any offer to purchase his
home; and they would bribe some vagabond
li.dianto personate him in a trade to sell his
laud, forging his name, and the first intimation
that he would have of the tra .saction, would
be his expulsion, by force, from his house !
fins was common, and not only so, b it, under
■he pretext of claiming fugitive slaves, the
wives and children of (of mixed blood) ofthe
Indians were seized and carried off iti bond
age. The famous Oceola himself had his
wife taken from him, and that, too, it. has been
said, t'y a Government officer, and was chained
by this same officer to a Jog. Sir, what else
could be expected but that these scourged,
plundered, starving savages would glut their
vengeance by the indiscriminate slaughter of
the inn cent and helpless families of the fron
tier, whose blood has cried to us in v tin ? This
i has caused the i-'torida war, which h .s produ
, ced such a waste of treasure, the loss of so
much national and individual h 0 and of so
many valuable lives! This has called the gal
lant volunteers from my own State, and from
my own district, who have traversed a thou
, sand miles to fight the battle of Sir.uigers —to
i contend with a savage foe, while dri king
j those stagnant waters, whose malaria is death,
j many ol whom are left in the wild woods of
I I'lorida, where “the foe and lhe stranger will
tread o’er their h inds,” while their fellow.sol
diers are far away, happy at home with their
friends and families. One—ah! sir, any one
of those noble youths who now sleep under a
foreign sod. -,ias wo; th m. re than the whole
: army ot plundeiers who have caused lhe mis
j chief. Aid yet, sir, such men as these were
. shielded at the last session of Congress by the
; casti-.g vote of th.' Speake. ! And now, ac
; cording to the gentleman from Rhode Island,
the House has sanctioned all they did.
I think , sir, it is lime sot this course ofthings
to cease. It is time lor lhe People to know
something of the conduct of those in whose
hands ihe public busincsss is entrusted, and
who really admims!i.:r the Government. They
have been belli.;d ieiierai Jackson long enough,
I was present when Mr. Van Buren took his
position there. It was a striking display of
that paternal care which the President has ex
tended over Mr. Van Buren. In thesnriii" of
1834, the President, Mr. Van Buren, and a
few other gentlemen. 1 amongst the number
rode out to the Washington course to witness
a trial ofspeed, (an amusement of which 1 am
Southern Chig.
■ very fonu, and for which the President had not
! altogether lost hj s taste at. thatdav.) It was
j a trial run between tne celebrated Bnsiris and
I Emily. The horses were brought on the
|C- ire. ad was calm and quiet until the rider
: in niis:. srn >j■ ,j. yi.-hcn . old courser be
i gau to var and plung.-; this seemed to stir the
( mettle oi Old Hickory; he reared upon bus
; stirrups and took comiu.uid: “hold him,'* (said
,be to the boy,)‘<q oi .q j et ;, t . i rUII against the
lienee. “ion must break niiu olthat, sir,”
| (to the trainer,) j eviid do if. i’i an hotirP—
, > urging to me, b-sai• .akeyour’staud diere,”
i (pointing to a position <_>n the side of I he course,)
j•“ there is but one place from which a horse
I can be correctly tuned.” I took my station
i with lever in hand. “ Now,” said he, “come
I up, and give them a fair s>art.” At this ino
| merit he discovered the \ ice President, wl o
i h id come up and tiken bis position near me;
( he exclaimed with great emphasis and earnest
; ness ... .. inner, as fie flashed his eye from the
I excited anima’s t > the Vice President, “ Mr.
i ian Buren, get behind me, they will run ocer
.you.sir. ’ It wunid ii.ive done you good to
| see how natural i ;d easy it was for Van to
j slope off behind th ; o’d chit f. And. • ir, there
: he has been ever .face. Gid Hickory would
i u->t g.-t out of th- way ffir us to run over him:
: ii he had givenus a fair ciiaue :,on any stretch
■or turn during tn viiuie race, we would have
i run over hi n, or ■ him ify the track. But,
I sir, we have got him i.a the repeat; the Gene
| rai Wiflbeout of tic: wav: he is no game-horse,
j and we will make icuse of him on the repeat.
■ I do not complain ><•> much that the President
, has fallen in love mi Mr. \an Buren. Ivt I
i c.aun tfie privilege of falling in love with whom
I t please; and this, .-.r, is ilie last privilege whicii
i will ever be eurr- by man, or woman
( eiiin r. jfut, sir, Air. Wn Buren is in love
| with the President, too; and lie accidently
i found it cut. The nvmvr of this discovery is
i somewhat c’-riuiis. Id> n,,t know this tube
| tr : t w. i. : .n-'n talXi-d of and universally
• ■ - -Ir. Van Bnre.i was in
’ c<- .. a 1., : jtimate friend of
■ i. ■ ... -
" ‘ : -ting, aim remar-
' “‘lf ■ ■ >mmu ... -o him whatever she
:'liottg.i; w. ul-| b • agre --.bir. fol-him to hear.
| air. Van Buren s -id to this lady “ that he had
. been readmg in; • ;i ;.d thi-.ki.ig deeply of
| late, upon the characters of great men. and had
■ come to the conebisv'.: fliai General Jacks >u
; was th • greatest man that had ever lived in lhe
j tine ot tun-; that lie was tile o-rdv man among
them aii who .-as w.timut a fault ” The fan
i trieiid of the President was delighted. But,”
’ said he, '•whatcvi-1- you do, don’t tell General
: Jackson what i have smil. I would not have
him to kno >v it. for t':e world.” You see, sir.
I that he was air;.id she might forget it, and
i therefore thought it ai-.:st to jog- her memory.
I But, sir, he might mivi; sived himself that trou-
I bin, for the exemk-i.t lady flew to the Presi
' dent, and told him m: that had passed. “ Al: !
■ madam., ’ said he. wt'.li tears :n his eyes, “ that
man lures me; he tru-s t > conceal it, but there
is always some way fixed'‘by which I can tell
Imyfi i nls from my eii-mies.'’ Now, sir, Van
I was lil:-: the 1 r•mcliman, (though I want.it
i distinctly understood that 1 differ with him
I about this, as well ,;s about many other things.)
| A Frenchman began to write his deed thus:
i “Know one woman by these to. is.”—
I “ Vv hy,” said the other partv, “do you not put
it know all men by tnese presents?” “Veil,”
l said he, “is it made same thing? If vone.
• woman know it, will not atl de mens find it
! out ?”
i In reply to General Ripley, of Louisiana, I
i Mr. Peyton said: Mr. Speaker, the gentie
[ man from Louisiana has charged me with as
sailing the President’s measures- and to that
cause he ascribes the excited state of feeling
under which he spoke while in Tennessee.
iMy opposition to the measures of the President! )
I defy that gentleman to point to one of the '
j great pleasures of Gen. Jackson’s admiuistra- I
I tion which I had not supported, unless he claims ;
I tile election of Mr. Aan Buren as one of those I
; measures. If so, 1 end oppose that measure, I
■ and will ever bo foinid i.i opposition to such |
■an E:;ecu ivc measure. But,sir, has any man
, the boldness, the hardihood, whatever may I
have been his motives of action, to avow such
iti doctrine noon tins .jor ? The gentleman I
! speaks os I -e m connexion with ‘‘the '
■ tnat the 1 eople of mat as No. I don
i appreciate the character
i oral Jackson.” , his charge against Teuries-
. see, of ingratitude to the President, is not ori
ginal with the gem! ■man, (Gen. Ripley.) It
has been adopted by him from the lowest
source—it issued f rom th-? dark caverns of the
'-'lobe. What, sir: the People of Tennessee
learn to appreciate the character and services
of Andrew Jackson ! Look at his history—
when he first crossed the Alieghanics. a beard
less stranger, with his knapsack upon his back,
his rifle on his shoulder; no power, no patron,
ig ■ ‘ hen, sir, with nothing to recommend him
to our pioneer fathers but a congenial spirit.
How aid they receive him ? Wuh open arms
they took him to their bosoms. They confer
red upon him ail the honors, all the offices
known to their laws and constitution. And,
sir, tiieir sons have stood by him in every cri
sis, in every peril ot his subsequent life. Look |
back, sir, upon the nignway of his fame, and ■
you wiil find the bones of a Tennesseean tnoul- I
during upon every field of his glow. And the i
gentleman hopes that Tennessee will learn to
appreciate Ins character! It is true, sir, that
■ i.i tnelate Presidential election Tennessee eftr-
■ly took her stand. She planted herself upon
those principles for which she had battled by
the side ofGen. Jackson; and there she proud
ly stands yet, firm, fixed, and immoveable.—
She was not to be driven from the ballot-box.
She could not. she dare net yield her princi
ples, and surrender up her liberty, nt the com
mand of any man. But, sir, I wish to set the
j gentleman right ttjton another point. He con
-1 ' s in..-. ;he [louse, in adopting this resolu
h ■?, v. i? 1 Gen. Jackson injustice: that we
! who ii.’vocate it Ji.-.ye already done him groat
! i manner that every ii-
i *pt-ry ii.vciiijgati'H) is io be strangled in
i its iiiia.acv, under tue pretext of inflicting iuju
!ry upon Gen, Jackson ? VVhv, sir, we have to
legislate upon this subject under the terrors of
! “expu :ge.” Yes, sir, the gentleman has an
. nouuced to the House that if this resolution is
passed it will b? expunged. The Lord save
. me from an expu igtug House, as well as an
I expunging Senate. 1 have witnessed, with
loathing and disgust, operation oft at pro
cess in th" Senate. I have seen the great ex-
• punger (Col. Buxto?;.) in the grim majesty of
j his expunging power, lashin", widi the whip i
■ o/" scorpions, abler and honester men than him- j
! self to the work; flogging them on to make war j
i upon the Constitution of their country and the
j journals of the Senate, and 1 have shuddered
j when I saw it. But I saw. sir, last winter, a
| disposition manifested by the partv, I am sure
I did by some of its leaders,“to encourage him
i in his mad scheme of wasting the surplus re
: venuejhai he might b.ittcrout his brains against
> the walls of his own fortification system, and
' thereby save them the trouble of knocking him
|on the head. Sir, he will never rise under the
weight of that stone and mortar, f rom the mud
and quicksands into which thev ii?’-' ' phmged
him. Sir, I hope never to see tms House
scourged by so rude and barbarous a despo
tism. I hope that Heaven has torus instore
a better tute. “ Expunge,” sir ! expunge what?
Weproposa to look into the conduct of your
‘•hirelings”—to examine the dark deeds of
your Vvhitneys and vour Kendalls, and have
j-expunge” flung in our faces. But arc ic<»,
I rhe Representatives of the American People,
j to faiter in our duty, and cower under the iron
1 sceptre of some expunging hero who is to rise
|up amongst us ? And, sir, if we but touch one
i little twig of this great Jackson tree, which
j overshadows the laud, and stretches its branch
i es throughout the continent, we are charged
with an assault upon its trunk, and expunge is
| mst.ai.tiy proclaimed. No, sir, we wish to
I brush oil these sap suckers, who have been
drawing from that body its vitality. We h ive
to approach them as boys kill woodcocks, by
whipping round old Hickory, and I have ai-
I ways advised the mildest measures, the use of
: limber switches,so as not to hurt him. There
was something in the gentleman’s manner, and
the tenor of his remarks, which seemed to ap
peal from me to the People of Tennessee, and
io threaten me with their displeasure. Sir, the
boldest representative upon this fluor is far be
hind the spirit of that People in their unshaken
I purpose oi asserting tbeir rights and rnamtain
; hig their freedom. A cruel war has been
I waged against Tennessee, but she has met the
I crisis as became her character.- she has met
I the mercenary legions unawed: she ni iy be
I crushed, but not conquered : she may fail, but
it'sin: does, it will : the -.hr. mos the Con-
I solution, in lhe -'.tc liberty. And.
sir, I wiii go down r : I would not sur-
vive her fate. I wming to go home and
meet my people; I Luve nothing to fear from
them : their kindness and partiality towards me
have always been far beyond mv merits. But,
I sir, the injustice done to General Jackson bv
] supporting this measure : what, is it? We de
mand an investigation into the agency of Reu
| ben Whitney: we ask for an inquiry into the
condition of the Treasurv. We require that
j there shall be a full investigation into ail the
I Departments, and into the conduct of the whole
’ army of public officers, who have been engag-
Icd in this business of the succession—this
■ trampling under foot of laws and Constitutions.
V, c wish to know from w'n -nce came this mo
| ney. Where is the source of th -ir corruption ?
Vv Imre is the mint from which they can send
■ th.iir hireling editors through lhe cou..try, poi-
I soning lhe fountains o-l’i.iteliigeuce amongst the
' People? How is it that our army in Florida
1 has been neglected, and left to suffer for want
■ of supplies, while it was within a few days’
> sail of New Orleans ? Men starving, horses
j sinking under them in the swamps—all, all, sir,
; in cousequenco of gross and criminal neglect
l somewhere. Was it that cur high functiona
| ries were too busily engaged to think of th :
■ army—too full ot Mr. Van Buren to cast a
j thought on Oceola—too busily engaged i i elec-
■ tioneering to think ofthe gallant men who were
I fighting the battles of their country ? It is in
I behalfof men whose conduct has been such as
[this, that the message volunteers a laudatory
’ certificate. Sir, I deny the authenticity of
i this message. General Jackson never gave
' that certifieate. They have written it them-
I selves, and obtained the signature of his name.
I And yet, with such a testimonial in their favor,
[ they shrink from the proof—they shrink from
. inquiry. Lotus hive the proof, sir. and then
■ we will see whether they are honest, or venal,
( corrupt or immaculate. Sir, Ido not say they
I are corrupt: that is just what i wish to find
: out. I want a strict and impartial investiga
i tion. It is lawful, it is usual, to make such in-
I quiries. It is surely right to investigate our
| owm affairs—to examine into the deeds of our
I own agents. This is our right, it is our duty,
j and cannot do“ injustice” to any one. I pro-
I test against the issue which the gentleman from
Louisiana has joined. It is not a question be
tween General Jackson and this House: his
person and conduct is one thing, and the per
sons and conduct of these officers is another.
I hope that no attempt to crush this investiga
( tion on such an issue will succeed; tied, sir, let
I us hope that no Am. rican Congress will ever
> be found ready to exnunge an order directing
;an investigation into the Departments. No,
> sir, this will never be the case, so long as a
; shadow of our liberties remains.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. ;
Monday, January 9, 1837.
ABOLITION OF SLAVERY.
The States were called for Peiitions
tffiir. Adams ros :a id said—l have a peti
ibtfid’ loin women, the wives and daugh- ■
of mv constituents, praying the abolition j
of slavery in the District of Columbia. ;
Mr. Glascock—l object to the reception of j
the petition.
An inquiry was made ofthe Chair wheth- I
er the question was debatable.
The Speaker decided that it was.
Mr. Adams hoped, he said, that the princi- ;
pie of non reception, subversive as it was of
the constitutional rights of his constituents,
would not be countenanced by the House.
The petition might be rejected, and the House
he believed, were but too ready aid eager to
reject the prayer of such petitions. He com
plained that the petitions were not <• ;lv reject- ;
ed, but that the petitioners were t eaied with '
obloquy and c< ntempt. 'lhe htruauily and ;
benevolence of the motives which prompted |
this memorial ought alone to commend it to the I
respect, and a't 'nttoti of th" House. What I
had the Hous: to ' ■? i’om those females?)
Blood, msurrec'i" - "id murder? No sir, ■
there is notm ig, s..iu Mr. A. of an i.ifiamatory j
character i i the paper. I hope the objection |
will be withdrawn. I appeal to the g intio-:
man, himself a son and a father, from c ins d- ■
erations of respect for those mothers and daugh- j
ters. The memorial is very brief, aid 1 trust I
it will be received and read.
Mr. Glascock said, in reply, that though the 1
petitioners were fem dns, he found that they I
acted on this subject under a very improper )
influence. No petition ot the kind was sent I
here without an object. They were all got ,
up and sent here in pursuance ot a general |
system of agitation. No man had more con
sideration than he had for the motives which
lhe gentleman supposed to actuate the memo
rialists ; but were he a so.i of any one ot the
petitioners he would implore h r at least to
withhold the expressio i of feelmg and opinion
which, however sincere, he would assure h r
were fraught with mischief to the public
fare. Moreover, acting as the represe.- • *
of Southern mother-, he objected to
ci'plio i o-T memorial which. hgjflß**
ed, would h ive the effect to 4. ...
with apprebensio ) and alarm.
that a majority ot the House were
this mono i, andth.it it would not be sustained : 1
but, he should persist i.i it ior the purpose ot
recording his own vote in its support.
Mr. Parks siid that no good could result
from the di mission ofthis subject. He mov.
ed, -herefore, to lay the question of receptio i
oil the tabic.
Mr. Reed called for the yeas vnd nays ou '
the q testioa, and they were ordered.
The question being taken, it was decided
in ihe affirmative, yens 139. nays 69.
The memorial therefore lies over till next
Monday.
Mr. Adams again rose and presented the
memorial of two hundred and twenty-eight
females, residents ofSouth Weymouth, proving
the abolition of slavery in the District of Col
umbia.
Mr. Adams proceeded to read the petition. ;
Several members called Mr. Adams to or- j
der. Mr. Chambers of Ky. made a point, ot I
order: was not the member under the 45th |
rule of the House confmed to “a brief state-j
ment ofthe contents ot a memorial.”
j The Chair decided that Mr. Adanas could
' not read the memorial, and must confine hi na-
I selfto “a brief statement of its contents.”
Mr. Adams appealed ftom the decision of
the Chair. He called upon the Speaker to say
whether he decided that a member was not
in order to read any thing that he pleased, as a
part of his speech. If it was intended to sap- ;
press the liberty of speech and the right of
discussion in this House, so help him God, he
i would resist it in his own person.
j The Chair read from the Manual ofdfr.
| Jefferson, and other authorities, passages which i
( stated that a member had no rigb.t to read any |
I paper, printed or written, (not even his own
written speech) without the consent of the •
; House. But, independently of that considera. t
| tion, the gentleman’s attempt to rend the peti- I
I tion was t.n evasion o' the 45th rule, which I
confines a member to a brief statement of the j
contents “of a petition,” when he presents it. |
Some'discussion took place on the question
of order, in which ‘he decision of the Chair
was sustained bv Messrs. Patton. Briggs and
j Chambers, of Ky. and opposed by Messrs.
■ Harper, of Pa. and Adams.
i tllr. Adams said he would compromise the
i matter. He would withdraw the appeal, ii
' tn? House would suffer him to complete his
I “brief statement” of the contents ot the merno-
■ rial. There were but two more lines ot it,
t and those he wished the House to hear.
He proceeded to read the “two lines;’
I wherein the memorialists express their deter-
I mination to present the same memorial every
! year until its praver shall be complied with.
Treme.i h.iun cries of “order” accompanied 1
i and followed Jzr. A’s remarks.
The Speaker peremptorily ordered Mr. A. j
, to take his seat.
I Mv. Adams, instead of complying, raised his |
■ voice, and continued his remarks, which were ,
( however entirely inaudible, in consequence of I
j the loud cries of “order,” “‘order,” from every j
, part ofth? House. '
; I’he Speak er again directed the gentleman :
ito sit down. Mr. Adams having brought his :
’ “brief statement” to a conclusion, took ins seat, ’
I at the same time saving, “I withdraw the ap- (
j peal.” “ j
Mr. Glascock objected to the reception of |
■ the petition presented bv ihe gentleman from I
I Massachusetts, and proceeded to make some !
; remarks, in the course of which he was inter- i
j rupted by many calls to order.
j Mr. Dawson, ofGa.. attempted to address,
j the House on the subject. His remarks ap-j
I peared to be deprecatory oi’any excitement on :
; the question ; but owi ig to the increasing
I confusion he was not distinctly heard.
i Mr. Mann, of N. York, moved the previous
. question, which was ordered to be pat. The
! main question, “shall the petition bn received?'’
; was put and decided in the affirmative, yeas '
’ 137, nays 75. So the petition was received.
Mr. Haynes moved to lay the petition on the
, table, which motion was agreed to, yeas 141,
I nays 50.
Mr. Adams presented another similar peti
j lion, to the reception of which Mr. Halsey ob
(jected.
At this point, (.3 o’clock) this despatch was
i closed. Mr. Underwood speaking on the
j question of reception.
; From the Anrusla. Ci.ronicie and Sentinel.
•’ [FROM OUR
Washington
The proceedings of
: : t \i i line .» :
H •!><;,iv tin' Iloi.ise
; confusion and
.( of Abolition petitions. Mr. Adams presented
I one numerously sighed by women, th;: wives
and daughters of his immediate constituents,
■ praying the abolition of slavery and the slave
trade in the District of Columbia. Gen. Glas-
, cock instantly rose and demanded the ques
tion of reception. Mr. Adams made some
remarks in favor of the reception, to which
j Gen. Glascock replied with great spirit and
effect. One ofthe collar-men, Parks of Maine,
| thereupon rose and moved to lay the question
‘ of reception on the table. hich was carried,
i yeas 136, nays 69. When this decision was
I announced, Mr. Adams declared that he would
i call up the question, to which the House had
( thus given the go-bv, every day so long as the
I House would permit him. He also presented
I another petition, and began to read its con
' j tents with great vivacity ol’ expression and
; manner, and evident high gusto. He was
( c .lie J to order, and considerable time was very
idly spent in debating the qtfi-siion—W hether
a member could read a petition in his place—
! the end of till which was that the Ex-President
’ was permissively reading the document!—but
the closing phrases ware so stimulating that a
dozen voice i called him to order. Col. Daw
son your new member then raised the question
of reception, and in a brief but manly and im
pressive speech appealed to the House to grant
' those who thought they had a right to object
■ to the reception of these petitions, an oppor
! tunity of giving their votes directly and re-
I cording them. He deprecated in strong terms
■ all undue excitement on the subject, but cou-
I demoed the conduct of those who continued to
I agitate it. The question was then put, and
; the House resolved to receive the petition by a
I v >t::of 137 to 75! O.i motion of Mr. Haynes
| of your State, the petition was then laid on the
i table. When Col. Dawson’s ur.me was ca'i-
I ed, he rose and declined voting on the ques
! tion. Done like a true son of the South! Mr.
■ Adams then presented another petition of the
I same character and again the question of re-
’ caption was demanded. Mr. Underwood, of
( Ky. opposed the reception. Mr. Bynum of
! North Carolina, took the same ground, and
I without finishing his remarks, gave way to a
i motion to adjourn.
I The debate on Mr. Wise's resolution for a
committee to inquire into the condition ot the
Executive Department was resumed on Tues
day; and Thomas L. Hamar, who once de- ,
louucedthe Van Bureuites so roundly as a
Faction, and as 1 am informed, called the
M igici.m himself a P itical Swindler,
prepared himself and the Party to which he
has deserted, for a thorough beating. It is
’'“■■Sj.'inai liable that Pearce and Hamer, the loud-
of the spoils party now, were
most violent, opponents of
***•«*»;:). The Otiio man tried
-—-J<;tter writers—iml
' ' ’;.jt_ they dl.l ill.
' ■ /r ofthe partv,
.in th..’r nS. . j proceedings.
1 f I onlv were that de-
s rveany-X 7 not pass
by their mw t j. be il little
. absiir<t to api«k . #men as Hamar.
i Cambreleug,
i’ capacities. Mr. ot New York, ob
; t uned the floor, after Hamar got through his
oratioiial exercise. Seven friends of the Ad
ministration have spoken on this resolution;
Mr. McKenon will be the eighth. Only four
ofthemembers ofthe opposition have spoken
—and yet the Globe writers charged the op.
position with wasting the time ofthe House—
and Mr. Hamer repeats in his place the un
founded assertion’
I’he lai'ili ilm lai'iil! 1 his subject
I was introduced to day, and gave rise to a great
j excitement. Mr. Cumbreleng fi'omthe Com-
I mittee of Ways and Means introduced a Bill
) with an accompanying Report, to reduce the
| Revenue to the wants of the Government,
j The Report was long and occupied two hours
in reading! The Bill proposes to aceomplisli
within eighteen months, what the Compromise
Bill proposed to do by 1842; and provides for
the entire repeal ofthe duties on salt and coal
jon tlje 30th of September next. This mea
j sure has been it traduced without any concert
( oj action among the Administration party and.
it is universally believe I by the members of
the opposition that the object is simply to make
a demonstration on protection. I have r.ot
met with a man of any party m ho has any abid
ing feeling that the bill will becurne a law ol
the land. °Su convinced are the minority of
the committee, that nothing is meant but tor
party purposes; that the Bill is a mere hum
bug—that they have concluded not to send in
the committee' report they have prepared.
I warn the South that the Faction have
merely produced this bill as part of t-hat system
announced bv Van Buren i.i the impudent and
insulting declaration that "He would cdrnf the
South by falling in with Southern measuresM
Will any Southe man allow himself to be
first dimed in this ay. and then trampled un
der foot? I trust not. The Van Bureiiitei*
will labour h nd to raise another party in the 1
South oppos :d to those who are inverse to any
disturbance of the Compromise Bill, but with’
the consent ol ihc repres ntatives of the great
manufacturing interest. But they will do
nothing. Maik the worc’s. The revenue
will not be: reduced at this session. This mea
sure is only a part ofthe system of governing
bv humbug ami excitement. JZr. Lawrence
of Boston, a member of the Committee, moved
the indefinite postponement of the Bill; and
made an able argumentative and impressive
speech against the bill. He declared it to be
fraught with incalculable mischief to the whole
country, and that it deserved to bo entitled “a
Bill to maku the rich richer, axd the
poor poorer.” Ihe party’s troops and lieu
tenants mace repeated efforts to interrupt J/r.
L iivrence bv raising questions ot order, and
b/ calling for the orders of the day—but in
everv case thev were voted down! The votes
indicate:! a strong feeling of opposition to the
measure on the part of a majority ol the House;
and I r peat there is no probability ofany such
bill passing the House at this session. Mr.
Lawrence spoke with great earnestiw ss, ami
like a man who was thoroughly <* >av< isa. t
with the subject. Mr. Corwin next obtained
the floor, and will speak to-morrow.
Lithe Senate the treasury Circular has
continued to b * the subject ol discussion. Mr.
S range advocated its policy ■) id legality ou
Mo idav. O.i Tuesday Mr. Rives took the
floor in support of his own proposition, a d iiv
a speech of gaeat le igth contend, d ar a n t
the extreme an 1 impracticable opimo is ol B n
ton and the rest of that set < f Currency Tin
kers. He pronounced their schemes of aix
exclusive specie currency perfectly Utopian..
Mr. Clay spoke on the subject to-day. He
went at great length into the Constitutional
questions involved, and depicted with his c.us
toma. v eloquence the disastrous consequences
that had flowed fr nn the Circular this tar. lie
dwelt wit.i much force o:i the humiliating
character of the objection Rives and othe:s
hid brought against Mr.- Ewiftg’s Resolution
for rescinding, that it implied censure on the
President. He declared that it R,ves had not
intended to condem i t!»a Circular he ought
not to have made the speech he did, nor in Iced
to have introduced his resoluuo ), lor b >th se-
the policy of the measure.
HHHtfßtotedid co the word
. i
the the
to ill-: issuing of th.s
the case ofthe ram val of tie
Deposits, the act was one of Executive will »-
loi e. But unlike that ease the Secretary
clings to his office, and affixed his signature
contrary to hisown convictions of j,ustice and
expediency! Rumour even go s furiher —imi
reports that the whale of th- responsible Cab
inet were, opposed to the measure, and the Sen
ate of the United States has ful'cn so low, that
it cannot repeal this co idr mned m •nsure. lest
the act might imply c misure on the Executive!"
The whole subject, Ewing’s Resolution and
Rives’ substitute have been referred to the
Committee on Public Lands.
There is no news h?re. We are expecting
Santa Anna to be among its verv soon. M.
The Ueposite I3anki*, &c.
The reader will find in the following col
umns Mr. Whitmiy’s Letter, from which we
published an extract in cur Inst. The publi
cation of it, on ire, wiil enal',l.! every reader
to ji’dg.i for himself of its bearing. The point
concerning the intervention < f this agent be
tween th? (ioveroment and the Banks, which
concerns the Public, is the nature and amount
o/nnthoritv with which he is invested in the
premises by the Executive, positively or per.
missive!?. Upon that point th ■ Letter now
publish ’d throws some light; and the investi
gation by the committee appointed by the
House of R : ■ >sen!atives, under Mr. Gau
land’s resolu . . will, it is to be presumed,
brinu forth al! the facts which bear upon the
case. If Mr. Wise’s motion to the sarneeffect
had not been so perseveringly voted down at
the last session of Congress, the subject would
long ago have been divested of the mystery
which has given it so much of its interest.
Is it not worthy of remark (by the way) thrt
the measure, unanimously adopted on the mo
tion of Mr. G arland, is substantially, and al
most identically, the same with the proposition
of Mr. Wise, supported by himself and others,
at this session and at the last—the agitation of
which has b. ea the pretence for pouring out,
through official channels, torrents of feculent
abuse on those who have proposed it? Why
do they not abuse an vilify Mr. Garland ?
Is it shame restrains them? Or any lingering
rest of the sense of propriety which was wont
to regulate the actions and the organs ot the
official corps ? No; it is neither. It is a
restraint far more powerful than either of all
these—tlie bonds of the party discipline, which
they daro not rend asunder. Mr. Garland
belongs to ■ ‘the party.”— National Intelligencer
It has occurred to us that the document pub
lished below (the authority of which is .un
questionable) may throw some light on two or
three objects of inquiry proposed in Mr. Gar
land’s resolution. It is a circular letter ad
dressed by R. M. Whitney to the officers of
certain deposite banks, and pretty conclusively
shows the close political connexion between
that gentleman and the Government, the nature
of some of his duties, and the means by him
deemed legitimate to efi'cct the objects of his
agency. In the debate of last Saturday, Mr.
Thompson, of South Carolina, said :
‘•He wished to know what was the nature
ofR. M. Whitnev’s connexion with these banks
and what compensation he received. Let the
suspicions which were abroad be either put
down or confirmed. Whatever this individu
al’s connexion might turn out to be with the
banks, he (Mr. T.j believed it to be an abso
lute autocraev, he believed that the -‘sicVolo,
sic jubeo” of R. M. Whitney placed money tu
the banks and took monev out ot ’hem. He
believed such to be t he fact, though he did not
know it ; and if R. M. Whitney had this pow.
er. was it not all important that the people
should know it ? He (Mr. T.) had nothing to
sav about his character ; but he desin to now
whether R. M. Whitnev was not influenced by
douceurs from these banks ; whether it was
true that he received fifty thousand dollars a
year, as had been stated. A bank wljtch had
a million ofthe public money on deposite. w hich