Whole JVo. 389.
The. " No? th-Carolina. Free Press "
BY GEOftOK HOWARD,
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THE TARIFF.
Congress.. ..In the House of Repre
sentatives, on the 23d ult. Mr. Dray
ton presented the Memorial of the
members of the Legislature of South
Carolina, opposed to Nullification,
praying a reduction of the duties im
posed by the Tariff laws, &c. which
he moved to refer to the committee
on ways and means.
Mr. Denny moved that the
memorial might be referred to
the committee on manufactures.
Mr. Drayton said it was pro
per for him to state that the
memorial prayed that the du
ties laid upon imports should bo
commensurate with the claims
upon the Treasury; which he
presumed was a proper subject
to be referred to the committee
of ways and means. The com
mittee oti manufactures is the
proper committee to make en
quiries upon matters relating to
manufactures; he should not
dispute the propriety of send- J
ing to them, to enquire whether
duties ought to be diminished
upon a particular article manu
factured in this country. But
that committee are not charged
with the general subject of rev
enue; they are not presumed to
be conversant with it; they were
raised for a different object. If j
mat committee are to report
bills increasing the revenues of
the country to a great extent,
without being charged with the
general theory of revenue, the
confusion that would result may
be easily imagined. It is the
committee of ways and means,
within whose scope of duties
and experience the subjects
both of increasing and diminish
ing the amounts and objects of
revenue, properly come. . That
committee, and that only, can
decide upon the propriety of the
measures to which this memo
rial relates; he had according
ly proposed its reference to the
committee of ways and means.
Mr. Denny said he had no
wish to revive the discussion
which had already occupied so
much attention; but from the
remark made by the gentleman,
when ho presented this memo
rial, he presumed its object was
, - - J
complaint against the burthen of;
the tariff laws. These were
not acts of revenue, but of pro-;
tection. If the complaint was
against the protection afforded
to the manufacturer of the coun
try, surely no committee was so
proper as the committee of
manufactures who have charge
of that subject. He admitted
that questions of revenueshould
go to the committee of ways
and means but this was not
matter of revenue it was as to
the effect of certain rates of du
ly upon manufactures. He had
supposed the House had alrea-
Tarborough, (Edgecombe County, JV. C.J Tuesday,
dy decided that those subjects
should go to the committee on
manufactures.
Mr. Speight requested the
memorial to be read, which was
done.
Mr. Speight said, there were
two motions before the House;
one to refer this memorial to
the committee of ways and
means, made by the gentleman
who presented it the other to
refer it to the committee of ma
nufactures, made by the gentle
man from Pennsylvania, who
professes to be anxious to nvnirt
discussion upon the motion. If
he is sincere in this wish, let
him withdraw his motion. It is
very strange that no enquiry, or
proposition relating to revenue,
can be brought heforn th
o f
House, but is seized upon and
slaughtered by being sent to the
committee on manufactures.
Sir, what is the prayer of the
memorial? It is to reduce the
revenues of the country to the
wants of the government. Is
not that the very object of rais
ing the committee of ways and
means. Arc not the revenues
of the country tlueir peculiar ju
risdiction! The gentleman says
the memorial complains of the
operation of the tariff laws,
lias not the State of South Ca
rolina a right to complain?
When the planters of the South
are thrown prostrate, and the
foot of the manufacturer placed
on their necks, and his hands
thrust into their pockets, have
thev no right to utter a cum
plaint! Sir, the complaints of
the South are universal on this
subject. There is no difference
of opinion, but only as to the
proper remedy for relieving
them from their oppression.
The abhorrence to the system
is universal in the South. He
hoped the gentleman would
withdraw his motion; but if it
was persisted in, he should ask
the yeas and nays upon it.
Mr. Branch said, he would
not charge" the manufacturers
with unjustly thrusting their
hands into the pockets of the
planters of the South. He was
unwilling to indulge himself in
such remarks not because he
thought the tariff less injurious
than others no it was ex
hausting the resources of the
South day by day it would
finally, if persisted in, sink it
into absolute ruin, or compel it
to take steps at which he shud
dered. This appeal was from
a source entitled to peculiar
consideration. It was a calm
and rational some in the South
would call it a sycophantic ap
peal, actuated by a spirit of de
votion to the Union upon which
the national prosperity depends.
How docs the gentleman from
Pennsylvania, propose to meet
- J - 7 I I
this appeal! That it shall be
tried bvthc manufacturers them
selves the very persons who
enjoy the profits which occasion
their distress. Are they not
entitled to be heard before an
impartial tribunal! Would the
gentleman make them submit
to a tribunal interested in per
petuating their distress? The
obiect of these remarks was not
to foment excited feelings? He
trusted he would not be so un-
rinrstnnrl. Tlis nbieCt WAS to
call into action a feeling on the
part of the manufacturers
view this subject in its true
light. The memorialists ask
nothing but a true regard to the
public welfare. They have pe
titioned in respectful terms
will the House send their peti
tion to an interested tribunal?
He did not intend to go into a
discussion of this subject The
State of North Carolina was
deeply interested in the Union
she would cling to it until
she was driven out but she
was not insensible to her grie
vances. He hoped the House
would believe him in stating
that upon the result of this gen
eral question depended every
thing. He warned them to re
flect upon the consequences.
The spirit that has been long
slumbering in the South, can
not be repressed if relief is not
afforded. He hoped the me
morial would not be sent to the
committee on manufactures.
After some remarks from
Messrs. Mitchell, Burges, Car
son and Everett
Mr. Denny said, when he
made the motion to refer this
memorial to the committee? on
manufactures, he did not antici:
pate, after the House had obvi
ously expressed an opinion that
the subject should go to that
committee, the discussion that
had arisen much less did he
expect his motion would elicit
the kind of remark that had
been made by the gentleman
from N.Carolina, (Mr. Branch.)
He had attempted to alarm our
fears had threatened us with
the flag of disunion. Sir, on
such questions we do not take
counsel of fear. From what
had been said he was inclined
to withdraw his motion and per
mit the memorial to go to the
committee of ways and means.
He hoped they would present
to the House a statement of
facts not declamation. He
did not assent to this course
from the menaces that had been
thrown out but from a wish
that the House might proceed
with its regular business.
Mr. Branch, in reply, said,
he would appeal to every gen
tleman within the hearing of his
voice, whether he had spoken in
the language of menace. He
felt impressed by a far different
feeling tlnn that which leads to
words of menace. He had,
within a few days witnessed the
display of a spirit upon this
floor, that was not such as he
had expected from enlightened
gentlemen, seeking the good of
their country. Tor himself, he
felt how much depended upon
the issue of this question.
When he was up before, he did
not express himself so explicit
ly, perhaps, as he should have
done. His object was not to
menace the gentlemen interest
ed in manufactures, but to en
deavor to call into action, on
this all-important subject, their
generous, their just, and then
patriotic feelings. The gentle
man from Pennsylvania,- (Mr.
Denny,) had moved that a re
view of the operation of a sys
tem, imposed for the benefit of
. r. 1111
the manufacturers, wnicii naa
been ruinous to an extensive
section of the country, should
be made by the manufacturers
themselves. He had endeavor
ed, in all sincerity, to depict the
inevitable consequence of a set
tlement of this question made
by such an interested tribunal.
February 7, 1832
Of the truth of those conse
quences, there was nothing
which he believed in more firm
ly. He hoped the subject
would be thoroughly examined
and fairly met. He regretted
that words of menace should be
imputed to him for he was
aware that those whom he ad
dressed were as high minded
men as could be' found, and
were the last persons in the
world who he should expect
would be affected by the lan
guage of menace.
The memorial was accord
ingly referred to the committee
of ways and means.
Virgin ia. The L eg i si a t u re
of Virginia has been for some
lime engaged in discussing the
subject of abolishing slavery in
that State; in relation to which
the Richmond Enquirer re
marks, "The seals are broken,
which have been put for years
upon the most delicate and dif
ficult subject of State concern
ment. We publish speeches in
the House of Delegates to-day,
which at no other period, would
have been delivered but in closed
doors. In the same spirit the
press fearlessly speaks ihs own
sentiments unawed by the toc
sin of denunciation or the men
aces of proscription." The
Whig of the 19th instant, says:
"the debate on abolition conti
nues with increased and increa
sing interest. Virginia has ne
ver had greater reason lo boast
of her gifted sons. The debate
has indeed been one of trans
cendant,and the most sustained
power and interest. Day after
day, multitudes throng to the
Capitol, and have been compen
sated by eloquence which would
have illustrated Rome or A
thens." The debate arose on a pro
position to instruct the commit
tee on the subject of slaves, free
negroes, and the melancholy oc
currences growing out of the
tragical massacre in Southamp
ton, to "inquire into the expe
diency of submitting to the vote
of the qualified voters in tne
Commonwealth, the propriety
of providing by law that the
children of all female slaves,
who may be born in the Slate,
on or after the 4th day of July,
1840, shall become the proper
ty of the Commonwealth, the
males at the acq, of twenty-one
years, and the females at the age
of eighteen, if detained by their
owners within the limits of Vir
ginia until they shall respective
ly arrive at the ages aforesaid;
to be hired out until the nelt
sum arising therefrom shall be
sufficient to defray the expen
ses of their removal beyond the
limits of the United States."
This was offered as a substi
tute for a resolution, proposing
to discharge the committee from
the further consideration of the
subject, and declaring it inex
pedient to legislate thereon. It
will be observed that the object
is to effect a gradual abolition;
and this seems to meet the
views of the press. The Nor
folk Herald thus expresses what
appears to be the sentiments of
many Editors in the Uld domi
nion: "We are not so besotted
as to ask that the evil be remo
ved at once: if it can be entirely
shaken off in 50 or even 100
years, it is as much as we should
Vol. VIII Xo 25.
expect. All that wc have in
view is, that the number of
slaves sent out of the country
shall equal their increase for
the next ten years, that a cer
tain per centum of decrease
shall be established for the next
ten years, and so on until their
entire removal shall be accom
plished, according to circum
stances and the ability of the
government to provide the
means for effecting that object."
The Enquirer says: "we un
derstand the committee on co
lored population are prepared
to make their report on the re
moval of the free people of
color."
As to what will be the final
issue of this important debate,
wc are unprepared to hazard
an opinion. But as it involves
matters of the highest moment
to all the Southern States, and
must therefore be deeply inte
resting to our readers, wc shall
continue to take such notice of
its progress as may be necessa
ry to show the disposition of
the Legislature, aud satisfy
public curiosity. Ral. Star.
tt?Tho Savannah Georgian
says: "The brig Colombo, Wat
son, cleared yesterday for Nor
folk, having on board 49 slaves,
emancipated by Dr. Jas. Brad
ley, late of Oglethorpe county,
Ga. upon condition of their em
igrating to Liberia."
(Cr'Tbe American Board of
Commissioners for Foreign
Missions, under whose auspices
recently, were Mr. Isaac Proc
tor, Rev. Samuel A. Worces
ter, and Rev. John Thompson,
as Missionaries to the Cheror
kee Indians, has addressed a
memorial to President Jackson,
setting forth in glowing colors
the alleged mal-treatment and
persecution these Quixotic zea
lots have received from the au
thorities of Georgia, and pray
ing him to direct the Attorney
General of the U. S. "lo com
mence a suit in the Courts of
the U. States against the offen
ding officers of the State of
Georgia, for the false imprison
ment and other injurious treat
ment of the teachers and mis
sionaries," &c. To this memo
rial the President directed the
Secretary of War to reply, that
"the Legislatures of the respec
tive States have power to ex
tend their laws over persons
living within their boundaries,
and "that he has no authority to
interfere, under the circumstan
ces slated in the memorial."
Hancock Adv.
The Winter. All accounts
from all quarters, concur in the
opinion that the past has been
the hardest December within
the recollection of many of the
oldest inhabitants of the coun-
try. rrom notices ot tne cha
racter of the winters at New
York for the last 42 years, it
appears that it has been the
coldest December since 1789.
CAn old man was lately
committed to the jail of Centre
county, Pa. for the murder of
his son. He was inioxicuieu,
caught the boy by the neck and
choked him to death. :
CTThe remedy for injuries is
not to remember them.