Newspaper Page Text
VOL. 1.
Tilt: V A BINE T
Is published every Saturday , by P. L.
ROBINSON, ffarrenton , Geo. at
three dollars per annum , which maybe
discharged by two dollars and Jijty
cents if paid within sixty days of the
time of subscribing.
From the Southron.
ANTI TARIFF MEETING.
At an adjourned meeting of the ci
tizens of Baldwin county, held at the
Court House, on Friday the 3d day
of JulyTto take into consideration the
Tariff Art. passed at the last session
es Congress, Seaton Grantland, Esq.
was called to the chair, and Dr. C. J.
Paine appointed secretary : when Mr.
Holt, from the committee, made the
following report, which after undergo
ing slight amendments, was adopted
with great unanimity. The meeting
consisted tApore than an hundred
persons, tMfc whom were many of
the substauW planters of the county.
The committee appointed on the
27th ult. to consider the evils imposed
upon our Stale by the operation of the
late Tariff Law, and to rep rt such
measures as they may deem best a
dapted to counteract its pernicious
tendency, beg leave to offer their fefo
low-citizens the following
REPORT:
The object of every government is
by the institution of general and e
qual laws; and by an impartial exe
cution of those laws, to promote the
honor and interest of every component!
part of that government. When men
associate together for the purpose of
social and government, this is the;
grand and sacred principle of their j
compact—that, each one is entitled to
receive from, and bound to the whole,
protection and safety in the enjoy
ment of his natural and civil rights.!
The veriest despotism, as weii as the
most carefully nrgannized govern-j
meat, owes its existence and power to j
the adoption of this fundamental prin- ;
ciple. It is, in fact, one of those in
*fmi five sentiments that nature has
Oppressed upon the human heart, and
which is inseparable from its exis
tence.- Any law which violates this
principle; which operates to the ex
clusive benefit of one section, and to
the ex lusive injury of another sec
tion of an empire ; which directly
takes the substance of one man, and
gives it. to another, is a manifest vjo
fence to that natural ligament which
binds man to his fellow man. In this
point of view, even in the absence of
any special contract, defining with
the utmost, exactness of language, the I
terms of our association, we believe;
tariff for protection to bead-p rhire
from the very rudiment of govern |
ment. We care not which garb the
title and language of this law may
bear ; it is most unequal in its opera
tions—it is certainly destined to en
rich one portion of this Republic, to
impoverish , almost to ruin , another— j
this too in a time of profound tranqui
lity, of national prosperity, when not
the least public emergency calls for
the least sacrifice. A system of op
pression, thus engendered, surely
owes its origin to the most selfish feel
ings of the human heart.
But when we refer to that sacred,
yet abused, charter of our liberties,
consecrated by the blood of heroic an
cestors, it is with feelings of despair,
that we look for some delegated au
thority to give this deed of some of
their sons, another name than tyran
ny—usurpation. The unconstitutio
nally of this law has been so often
asserted, so clearly demonstrated, and
ao eloqaently enforced, that argument!
upon it now, would be but vain repe
tition.—But there is one view of the
Rural Cabinet.
subject so vital', iliac your c mii.iuUco
cannot retrain from presenting it to j
your consideration. The ground as
sumed by the advocates of 4highlyß
- to give it the stamp unconstitu
tional currency, is the p<Wr of re
gulating commerce with foreign na
tions.* It is true that if the constitu
tion went no further, however unjust
and oppressive, and impolitic, these
restrictions upon our foreign com
me re might be, yet congress would
have exercised on** of us iigitimate
powers. But, as if governed by a
prophetic foresight, conscious that it
required the strongest barriers to re
sist the strides of power, that it would
seek some outlet in the. and fi iency of
language, its framers not only defined
the special powers of congress, but
enumerated certain powers which it
should not possess. They not only
said ‘so farslialt thou g<>, but* also
‘no further.’ Though they gave con
gress the power of regulating com
merce with foreign nations, they ex
pressly denied them the right to ‘ lay
a tax or duty on articles exported from
any State.*” If these two clauses of
the constitution conflict, they ought to
be construed so that both may be ef
fectual. If congress then, in regulat
ing foreign commerce, does lay a tax
upon the exports of a particular State,
does it not exercise a power expressly
denied by t|ie constitution ? That this
is the case, can be clearly demonstra
ted. Commerce among nations con
sists in an exchange ot commodities.
Suppose then that a merchant of this
place sends to a foreign market one
hundred hales of cotton, which he ex
! changes for the manufai tured fabrics
<>r that country, say woolen cloths.
B> lore he is permitted to land them in
| this State, he must pay the govern
ment, for its gra ions permission, fifty
per cent, on the value of his goods: so
lie brings home to his own use hut one
i half of his merchandize, whi h is but
| another sign for hupcVlftn. Suppose
now that orpassiog the tariff,
congress* irftfie plenitude of its pow
er, had an act laying a <lu
ly of fifty per rent, upon the exporta
tion of Cotton, In this case the
merchant pays to the government fif
ty of hundred hales >f< ltoiu
previous to exportation. He sends
the remaining fifty to that foreign
market, and brings bat k their vain
in woollen fabric 8, lear of the duty
on importation. M .rk the eff t: It
either case he looses one half of the
value of hi* entton. This last act
wo'il-i he clearly unconstitutional; n w
|wh it and fF'C'h, r does it mk“ to hint.
; whether he p -.>s this duty by virtue of
a law inhibiting the Importation of
j foreign merchandize, or one prohib
iting the exportation of cotton, un
der the same penalty.
’ Rot it may be said, that this rea
Snipeg is idle, since the merchant, in
stead of exchanging his cotton for
i foreign inanufa< tures. can find a con
venient market at home. Hut all
competition being extinguished, and
the growing of cotton and rice being
the “staff'” which supports the South,
those brethren of the north can dimin
ish the value of these staples forty Jive
per cent. And from the example of
brotherly love and patriotism, of
which this tariff bears testimony, we
place too much reliance upon their cu.
pidity not to give full faith to the
probability.
There is one circumstance connect
ed with the passage of this law,
which is calculated to arouse within
us the warmest feelings of indigoa
; tion. This law was intended to pro
j tect the nothern and western manu
; facturers. It was established upon
1 their urgent & repeated Solicitations.
Warrenton, July 11828.
Ai.dycl, wmn a southern memoer,
with the view to test its constitution
ality, proposed to give it its proper
title, with a timid, yet open hypocri
sy, its advocates profanely baptised it
a legitimate offspring of the constitu
tion, in the appellation of an act reg
ulating imports on foreign importa
tions.
Fellow-Citizens, we have remon
Htratod HgainsX the passage of this
Uw, We i.uviMloue every thing -but
servilely’ implore the mercy of our
northern and western brethren. We
have rniresented to them the calam
ities tiiit would befall this fair por
tion of pur common country, by the
annihilation of our foreign com
merce; hat they would change the
whole aipectofour States—from op
ulence iu want, from long establish
rd habit* of national industry, to ein
ploymerjt new ami adventurous; and
yet with the ruthless hand of a ‘stran
ger, ’ they have not only disregarded
these appeals, but as if desirous to
sharpen our calamities, have made
them present and certain.
It is this shameful departure from j
the constitution, for the purpose oFa-|
varice; it is this total disregard of <e
feelings, the •interest, and political
tenets of the South—tenets which we
adhere to the anchor of our. political
safety—which were originally intend
ed, and are alone competent to se
cure to these United States, that un
ion which is the life blood of its exis
tence. It is for these reasons that
we deprecate the passage of this law.
These tenets consist in an interpre
tati >n of the constitution, consistent
with its language and the intention of
its framers, at the time of its adop
tion. We believe that this, and eve
ry nation if right or power, except
those attrihstes of sovereignty which
we have expressly delegated to Con
gress. Tint Congress have no im
plied powers except such as are ub
solute!y necessary to carry into exe
(Mjtion those specific powers granted
it by tiie <o stitutiun; That under
the pretext of regulating foreign on
metre, Congress h ive iti effo, | impo
sed a tax. and a grievous one, upon
the products of this Ssate, and there
by excr is-oi a power prohibited bv
the constitution.
Fellow Ciuzcim. in reviewing the
history of our native Btat*, no nation
and misfortune attracts our attention,
•f comparative hardship with this
tariff. Tho war of the Revolution
was one of prin ipie, in which our in
fant R punlii generously offered .up
her treasures and her blood, Irotn a
generous syiupithy with our northern
brethren. We felt comparatively no
oppression—no tax —it was sufli ient
fur us to know that our brethren bad
been wronged. We assisted in re
sistiug the right of Britain to impose
a tax upon these States, without their
consent. F r this return of patriot*
tSm, our brethren have taxed us fifty
fold greyer than Britain ever medi
tated, contrary to our remonstrances.
We love this union; we venerate this
government; the blood of our fathers
is yet fresh on the green hills of our
country. We therefore reccommeod
Ito our fellow citizens, moderation
in resisting those encroachments upon
their rights; let nothing which they
do bear the m&rks of a feverish ex
citement; the short lived murmuring*
of discontent are feebly calculated to
effect our purposes; let our rssistance
be within tlje pale of the constitution
—calm, even, yet powerful, let us
return the shaft of oppression against
the oppressor, and by the investment
of our capital and labour iu manufac
turers, and an ex lusion of the fob
rics of tbs north* and the products of
itie west, Iroin our market, show our
persecutors, however unwillingly wo
submit to a change of national em
ploy ment, that change shall be atten
ded with no benefit to them, of af
little injury as possible t(? ourselves.
Therefore.
Resolved , Ist, That we discounte
nance all intention to impair the fed
eral constitution, and every measure
having an immediate nr direct ten
dency to bring the legislature of this
state, or of any other state, lute h4~
lision with the government ot the 13-
trited States.
Resolved , 3dly. That we will ab
stain, as far as possible, from the use
of every thing produced in the tariff
states, and rely as much as possible,
on the productions of our own labour
and industry for the articles of our
consumption.
Resolved , 3dly. That to retaliate
as for as possible, on our oppressors,
our legislature be r quested to irupiso
taxes amounting to prohibition, on
the bogs, horses, mules, and cotton
bagging, whiskey, pork, beef, bacon*
flax and hemp cloth, for the western*
j and on all the productions and man
ufactures of the eastern and northern
states.
Resolved , 4thly, That to bring
hoiqe the monstrous iniquity of tho
system to our people, the inert hunts
throughout the Union, be requested to
adopt and persevere in the plan of
charging the goods they sell and tho
taxes imposed on them in separate i*
terns.
Resolved , sthly* That Goodwin
My ri <k, John Williams, A, Tor
rance, J. G. Worsham, B L. Lesley
J. C. Watson, John Riithvpforfl,
times ILdt, Anderson Redding, D,
ti. Hill and H. B. Troutman, be ap
pointed a committee to collect by
subscription or otherwise, a fund to
be dictributed in premiums for tho
best specimens of domestic cloth man
ufactured in Baldwin County, and
nat said committee have power to
prescribe rules under whi< h such
premiums shall be distributed.
Resolved. 6Ally. That this meeting
earnestly desire his Excellency the
Governor to correspond with the
Governors of different states, injuri
ously affected by the tariff law, and
concert with them aurli means as may
seem best calculated to counteract
the effects of tile said law, and pro
lire its repeal, and rec ommend the
same to the next legislature.
Resolved , Tthly. That we sincere
ly sympathise with, and applaud the
patriotism of those citizens opposed
to the protective tariff, but who are
in the minority in their respective
States, and that we will co-operate
with them in all constitutional menus
to procure a repeal of the system.
Resolved , BtMy. That the thanks
of tins meeting is due to the commit
tee for the able discharge of the duty
assigned them, and that the Editors of
the different G< of this State*
and In the United States, be request*
ed to publish the Preamble and Ue-
S. lotions a iopted by the meeting.
Resolved, 9'hly. That our fellow*
citizens throughout the state be r*
quested to co-operate with us in tho
present undertaking.
Resolved , lOthly. That the pro*
ceedings of this meeting be signed by
the Chairman and Secretary.
SE iT()N GRANTLAND, CAr’m.
C. J. Paine, Sec’ry.
The able preamble, preceding tho
above resolutions, says the Southron*
is from the pen of Joseph T. WiU
liams, Esq and does credit to his ta
lents, and to his patriotism in defenc#
of slate rights and southron interest*
No. 7.