第8章

Mr。Lincolnmovedtoreconsiderthevotebywhichthebillwaspassed。HestatedtotheHousethathehadmadethismotionforthepurposeofobtaininganopportunitytosayafewwordsinrelationtoapointraisedinthecourseofthedebateonthisbill，whichhewouldnowproceedtomakeifinorder。ThepointinthecasetowhichhereferredaroseontheamendmentthatwassubmittedbythegentlemanfromVermont[Mr。Collamer]inCommitteeoftheWholeontheStateoftheUnion，andwhichwasafterwardrenewedintheHouse，inrelationtothequestionwhetherthereservedsections，which，bysomebillsheretoforepassed，bywhichanappropriationoflandhadbeenmadetoWisconsin，hadbeenenhancedinvalue，shouldbereducedtotheminimumpriceofthepubliclands。Thequestionofthereductioninvalueofthosesectionswastohimatthistimeamatterverynearlyofindifference。HewasinclinedtodesirethatWisconsinshouldbeobligedbyhavingitreduced。ButthegentlemanfromIndiana[Mr。C。B。Smith]，thechairmanoftheCommitteeonTerritories，yesterdayassociatedthatquestionwiththegeneralquestion，whichisnowtosomeextentagitatedinCongress，ofmakingappropriationsofalternatesectionsoflandtoaidtheStatesinmakinginternalimprovements，andenhancingthepriceofthesectionsreserved，andthegentlemanfromIndianatookgroundagainstthatpolicy。HedidnotmakeanyspecialargumentinfavorofWisconsin，buthetookgroundgenerallyagainstthepolicyofgivingalternatesectionsofland，andenhancingthepriceofthereservedsections。Nowhe[Mr。Lincoln]didnotatthistimetakethefloorforthepurposeofattemptingtomakeanargumentonthegeneralsubject。HerosesimplytoprotestagainstthedoctrinewhichthegentlemanfromIndianahadavowedinthecourseofwhathe[Mr。Lincoln]couldnotbutconsideranunsoundargument。

Itmight，however，betrue，foranythingheknew，thatthegentlemanfromIndianamightconvincehimthathisargumentwassound；buthe[Mr。Lincoln]fearedthatgentlemanwouldnotbeabletoconvinceamajorityinCongressthatitwassound。Itwastruethequestionappearedinadifferentaspecttopersonsinconsequenceofadifferenceinthepointfromwhichtheylookedatit。Itdidnotlooktopersonsresidingeastofthemountainsasitdidtothosewholivedamongthepubliclands。

But，forhispart，hewouldstatethatifCongresswouldmakeadonationofalternatesectionsofpubliclandforthepurposeofinternalimprovementsinhisState，andforbidthereservedsectionsbeingsoldat$1。25，heshouldbegladtoseetheappropriationmade；thoughheshouldpreferitifthereservedsectionswerenotenhancedinprice。Herepeated，heshouldbegladtohavesuchappropriationsmade，eventhoughthereservedsectionsshouldbeenhancedinprice。Hedidnotwishtobeunderstoodasconcurringinanyintimationthattheywouldrefusetoreceivesuchanappropriationofalternatesectionsoflandbecauseaconditionenhancingthepriceofthereservedsectionsshouldbeattachedthereto。Hebelievedhispositionwouldnowbeunderstood：ifnot，hefearedheshouldnotbeabletomakehimselfunderstood。

But，beforehetookhisseat，hewouldremarkthattheSenateduringthepresentsessionhadpassedabillmakingappropriationsoflandonthatprincipleforthebenefitoftheStateinwhichheresidedtheStateofIllinois。Thealternatesectionsweretobegivenforthepurposeofconstructingroads，andthereservedsectionsweretobeenhancedinvalueinconsequence。WhenthatbillcameherefortheactionofthisHouse——ithadbeenreceived，andwasnowbeforetheCommitteeonPublicLands——hedesiredmuchtoseeitpassedasitwas，ifitcouldbeputinnomorefavorableformfortheStateofIllinois。

WhenitshouldbebeforethisHouse，ifanymemberfromasectionoftheUnioninwhichtheselandsdidnotlie，whoseinterestmightbelessthanthatwhichhefelt，shouldproposeareductionofthepriceofthereservedsectionsto$1。25，heshouldbemuchobliged；buthedidnotthinkitwouldbewellforthosewhocamefromthesectionoftheUnioninwhichthelandslaytodoso。

——Hewishedit，then，tobeunderstoodthathedidnotjoininthewarfareagainsttheprinciplewhichhadengagedthemindsofsomemembersofCongresswhowerefavorabletotheimprovementsinthewesterncountry。Therewasagooddealofforce，headmitted，inwhatfellfromthechairmanoftheCommitteeonTerritories。Itmightbethattherewasnoprecisejusticeinraisingthepriceofthereservedsectionsto$2。50peracre。Itmightbeproperthatthepriceshouldbeenhancedtosomeextent，thoughnottodoubletheusualprice；butheshouldbegladtohavesuchanappropriationwiththereservedsectionsat$2。50；

heshouldbebetterpleasedtohavethepriceofthosesectionsatsomethingless；andheshouldbestillbetterpleasedtohavethemwithoutanyenhancementatall。

TherewasoneportionoftheargumentofthegentlemanfromIndiana，thechairmanoftheCommitteeonTerritories[Mr。

Smith]，whichhewishedtotakeoccasiontosaythathedidnotviewasunsound。HealludedtothestatementthattheGeneralGovernmentwasinterestedintheseinternalimprovementsbeingmade，inasmuchastheyincreasedthevalueofthelandsthatwereunsold，andtheyenabledthegovernmenttosellthelandswhichcouldnotbesoldwithoutthem。Thus，then，thegovernmentgainedbyinternalimprovementsaswellasbythegeneralgoodwhichthepeoplederivedfromthem，anditmightbe，therefore，thatthelandsshouldnotbesoldformorethan$1。50insteadofthepricebeingdoubled。He，however，merelymentionedthisinpassing，forheonlyrosetostate，astheprincipleofgivingtheselandsforthepurposeswhichhehadmentionedhadbeenlaidholdofandconsideredfavorably，andasthereweresomegentlemenwhohadconstitutionalscruplesaboutgivingmoneyforthesepurchaseswhowouldnothesitatetogiveland，thathewasnotwillingtohaveitunderstoodthathewasoneofthosewhomadewaragainstthatprinciple。Thiswasallhedesiredtosay，andhavingaccomplishedtheobjectwithwhichherose，hewithdrewhismotiontoreconsider。

ONTAYLOR’SNOMINATION

TOE。B。WASHBURNE。

WASHINGTON，April30，1848。

DEARWASHBURNE：

IhavethismomentreceivedyourveryshortnoteaskingmeifoldTayloristobeusedup，andwhowillbethenominee。MyhopeofTaylor’snominationisashigh——alittlehigherthanitwaswhenyouleft。Still，thecaseisbynomeansoutofdoubt。Mr。

Clay’sletterhasnotadvancedhisinterestsanyhere。SeveralwhowereagainstTaylor，butnotforanybodyparticularly，before，aresincetakingground，someforScottandsomeforMcLean。WhowillbenominatedneitherInoranyoneelsecantell。Now，letmepraytoyouinturn。Myprayeristhatyouletnothingdiscourageorbaffleyou，butthat，inspiteofeverydifficulty，yousendusagoodTaylordelegatefromyourcircuit。

MakeBaker，whoisnowwithyou，Isuppose，helpaboutit。Heisagoodhandtoraiseabreeze。

GeneralAshley，intheSenatefromArkansas，diedyesterday。

Nothingelsenewbeyondwhatyouseeinthepapers。

Yourstruly，A。LINCOLN

DEFENSEOFMEXICANWARPOSITION

TOREV。J。M。PECK

WASHINGTON，May21，1848。

DEARSIR：……Notinviewofallthefacts。Therearefactswhichyouhavekeptoutofview。ItisafactthattheUnitedStatesarmyinmarchingtotheRioGrandemarchedintoapeacefulMexicansettlement，andfrightenedtheinhabitantsawayfromtheirhomesandtheirgrowingcrops。ItisafactthatFortBrown，oppositeMatamoras，wasbuiltbythatarmywithinaMexicancotton—field，onwhichatthetimethearmyreacheditayoungcottoncropwasgrowing，andwhichcropwaswhollydestroyedandthefielditselfgreatlyandpermanentlyinjuredbyditches，embankments，andthelike。ItisafactthatwhentheMexicanscapturedCaptainThorntonandhiscommand，theyfoundandcapturedthemwithinanotherMexicanfield。

NowIwishtobringthesefactstoyournotice，andtoascertainwhatistheresultofyourreflectionsuponthem。Ifyoudenythattheyarefacts，IthinkIcanfurnishproofswhichshallconvinceyouthatyouaremistaken。Ifyouadmitthattheyarefacts，thenIshallbeobligedforareferencetoanylawoflanguage，lawofStates，lawofnations，lawofmorals，lawofreligions，anylaw，humanordivine，inwhichanauthoritycanbefoundforsayingthosefactsconstitute"noaggression。"

Possiblyyouconsiderthoseactstoosmallfornotice。Wouldyouventuretosoconsiderthemhadtheybeencommittedbyanynationonearthagainstthehumblestofourpeople？Iknowyouwouldnot。ThenIask，istheprecept"Whatsoeveryewouldthatmenshoulddotoyou，doyeevensotothem"obsolete？ofnoforce？

ofnoapplication？

Yourstruly，A。LINCOLN。

ONZACHARYTAYLORNOMINATION

TOARCHIBALDWILLIAMS。

WASHINGTON，June12，1848。

DEARWILLIAMS：——OnmyreturnfromPhiladelphia，whereIhadbeenattendingthenominationof"OldRough，"(ZacharyTaylor)Ifoundyourletterinamassofotherswhichhadaccumulatedinmyabsence。Bymany，andoften，ithadbeensaidtheywouldnotabidethenominationofTaylor；butsincethedeedhasbeendone，theyarefastfallingin，andinmyopinionweshallhaveamostoverwhelming，glorioustriumph。Oneunmistakablesignisthatalltheoddsandendsarewithus——Barnburners，NativeAmericans，Tylermen，disappointedoffice—seekingLocofocos，andtheLordknowswhat。Thisisimportant，ifinnothingelse，inshowingwhichwaythewindblows。SomeofthesanguinemenhavesetdownalltheStatesascertainforTaylorbutIllinois，anditasdoubtful。CannotsomethingbedoneeveninIllinois？Taylor’snominationtakestheLocosontheblindside。Itturnsthewarthunderagainstthem。ThewarisnowtothemthegallowsofHaman，whichtheybuiltforus，andonwhichtheyaredoomedtobehangedthemselves。

Excusethisshortletter。IhavesomanytowritethatIcannotdevotemuchtimetoanyone。

Yoursasever，A。LINCOLN。

SPEECHINTHEHOUSEOFREPRESENTATIVES，JUNE20，1848。

InCommitteeoftheWholeontheStateoftheUnion，ontheCivilandDiplomaticAppropriationBill：

Mr。CHAIRMAN：——IwishatalltimesinnowaytopractiseanyfraudupontheHouseorthecommittee，andIalsodesiretodonothingwhichmaybeverydisagreeabletoanyofthemembers。I

thereforestateinadvancethatmyobjectintakingtheflooristomakeaspeechonthegeneralsubjectofinternalimprovements；

andifIamoutoforderindoingso，Igivethechairanopportunityofsodeciding，andIwilltakemyseat。

TheChair：Iwillnotundertaketoanticipatewhatthegentlemanmaysayonthesubjectofinternalimprovements。Hewill，therefore，proceedinhisremarks，andifanyquestionofordershallbemade，thechairwillthendecideit。

Mr。Lincoln：AtanearlydayofthissessionthePresidentsentuswhatmayproperlybecalledaninternalimprovementvetomessage。ThelateDemocraticconvention，whichsatatBaltimore，andwhichnominatedGeneralCassforthePresidency，adoptedasetofresolutions，nowcalledtheDemocraticplatform，amongwhichisoneinthesewords：

"ThattheConstitutiondoesnotconferupontheGeneralGovernmentthepowertocommenceandcarryonageneralsystemofinternalimprovements。"

GeneralCass，inhisletteracceptingthenomination，holdsthislanguage：

"IhavecarefullyreadtheresolutionsoftheDemocraticnationalconvention，layingdowntheplatformofourpoliticalfaith，andIadheretothemasfirmlyasIapprovethemcordially。"

Thesethings，takentogether，showthatthequestionofinternalimprovementsisnowmoredistinctlymade——hasbecomemoreintense——thanatanyformerperiod。ThevetomessageandtheBaltimoreresolutionIunderstandtobe，insubstance，thesamething；thelatterbeingthemoregeneralstatement，ofwhichtheformeristheamplificationthebillofparticulars。WhileIknowtherearemanyDemocrats，onthisfloorandelsewhere，whodisapprovethatmessage，IunderstandthatallwhovotedforGeneralCasswillthereafterbecountedashavingapprovedit，ashavingindorsedallitsdoctrines。

Isupposeall，ornearlyall，theDemocratswillvoteforhim。

Manyofthemwilldosonotbecausetheylikehispositiononthisquestion，butbecausetheypreferhim，beingwrongonthis，toanotherwhomtheyconsiderfartherwrongonotherquestions。

InthiswaytheinternalimprovementDemocratsaretobe，byasortofforcedconsent，carriedoverandarrayedagainstthemselvesonthismeasureofpolicy。GeneralCass，onceelected，willnottroublehimselftomakeaconstitutionalargument，orperhapsanyargumentatall，whenheshallvetoariverorharborbill；hewillconsideritasufficientanswertoallDemocraticmurmurstopointtoMr。Polk’smessage，andtotheDemocraticplatform。Thisbeingthecase，thequestionofimprovementsisvergingtoafinalcrisis；andthefriendsofthispolicymustnowbattle，andbattlemanfully，orsurrenderall。Inthisview，humbleasIam，Iwishtoreview，andcontestaswellasImay，thegeneralpositionsofthisvetomessage。

WhenIsaygeneralpositions，ImeantoexcludefromconsiderationsomuchasrelatestothepresentembarrassedstateofthetreasuryinconsequenceoftheMexicanWar。

Thosegeneralpositionsare：thatinternalimprovementsoughtnottobemadebytheGeneralGovernment——First。BecausetheywouldoverwhelmthetreasurySecond。Because，whiletheirburdenswouldbegeneral，theirbenefitswouldbelocalandpartial，involvinganobnoxiousinequality；andThird。Becausetheywouldbeunconstitutional。Fourth。BecausetheStatesmaydoenoughbythelevyandcollectionoftonnageduties；orifnot——Fifth。

ThattheConstitutionmaybeamended。"Donothingatall，lestyoudosomethingwrong，"isthesumofthesepositionsisthesumofthismessage。Andthis，withtheexceptionofwhatissaidaboutconstitutionality，applyingasforciblytowhatissaidaboutmakingimprovementsbyStateauthorityasbythenationalauthority；sothatwemustabandontheimprovementsofthecountryaltogether，byanyandeveryauthority，orwemustresistandrepudiatethedoctrinesofthismessage。Letusattemptthelatter。

Thefirstpositionis，thatasystemofinternalimprovementswouldoverwhelmthetreasury。Thatinsuchasystemthereisatendencytoundueexpansion，isnottobedenied。Suchtendencyisfoundedinthenatureofthesubject。AmemberofCongresswillprefervotingforabillwhichcontainsanappropriationforhisdistrict，tovotingforonewhichdoesnot；andwhenabillshallbeexpandedtilleverydistrictshallbeprovidedfor，thatitwillbetoogreatlyexpandedisobvious。ButisthisanymoretrueinCongressthaninaStateLegislature？IfamemberofCongressmusthaveanappropriationforhisdistrict，soamemberofaLegislaturemusthaveoneforhiscounty。Andifonewilloverwhelmthenationaltreasury，sotheotherwilloverwhelmtheStatetreasury。Gowherewewill，thedifficultyisthesame。

AllowittodriveusfromthehallsofCongress，anditwill，justaseasily，driveusfromtheStateLegislatures。Letus，then，grapplewithit，andtestitsstrength。Letus，judgingofthefuturebythepast，ascertainwhethertheremaynotbe，inthediscretionofCongress，asufficientpowertolimitandrestrainthisexpansivetendencywithinreasonableandproperbounds。ThePresidenthimselfvaluestheevidenceofthepast。

Hetellsusthatatacertainpointofourhistorymorethantwohundredmillionsofdollarshadbeenappliedfortomakeimprovements；andthishedoestoprovethatthetreasurywouldbeoverwhelmedbysuchasystem。Whydidhenottellushowmuchwasgranted？Wouldnotthathavebeenbetterevidence？Letusturntoit，andseewhatitproves。InthemessagethePresidenttellsusthat"duringthefoursucceedingyearsembracedbytheadministrationofPresidentAdams，thepowernotonlytoappropriatemoney，buttoapplyit，underthedirectionandauthorityoftheGeneralGovernment，aswelltotheconstructionofroadsastotheimprovementofharborsandrivers，wasfullyassertedandexercised。"This，then，wastheperiodofgreatestenormity。These，ifany，musthavebeenthedaysofthetwohundredmillions。Andhowmuchdoyousupposewasreallyexpendedforimprovementsduringthatfouryears？Twohundredmillions？Onehundred？Fifty？Ten？Five？No，sir；lessthantwomillions。Asshownbyauthenticdocuments，theexpendituresonimprovementsduring1825，1826，1827，and1828amountedtoonemillioneighthundredandseventy—ninethousandsixhundredandtwenty—sevendollarsandonecent。ThesefouryearsweretheperiodofMr。Adams’sadministration，nearlyandsubstantially。

Thisfactshowsthatwhenthepowertomakeimprovements"wasfullyassertedandexercised，"theCongressdidkeepwithinreasonablelimits；andwhathasbeendone，itseemstome，canbedoneagain。

Nowforthesecondportionofthemessage——namely，thattheburdensofimprovementswouldbegeneral，whiletheirbenefitswouldbelocalandpartial，involvinganobnoxiousinequality。

Thatthereissomedegreeoftruthinthisposition，Ishallnotdeny。Nocommercialobjectofgovernmentpatronagecanbesoexclusivelygeneralastonotbeofsomepeculiarlocaladvantage。Thenavy，asIunderstandit，wasestablished，andismaintainedatagreatannualexpense，partlytobereadyforwarwhenwarshallcome，andpartlyalso，andperhapschiefly，fortheprotectionofourcommerceonthehighseas。Thislatterobjectis，forallIcansee，inprinciplethesameasinternalimprovements。Thedrivingapiratefromthetrackofcommerceonthebroadocean，andtheremovingofasnagfromitsmorenarrowpathintheMississippiRiver，cannot，Ithink，bedistinguishedinprinciple。Eachisdonetosavelifeandproperty，andfornothingelse。

Thenavy，then，isthemostgeneralinitsbenefitsofallthisclassofobjects；andyeteventhenavyisofsomepeculiaradvantagetoCharleston，Baltimore，Philadelphia，NewYork，andBoston，beyondwhatitistotheinteriortownsofIllinois。ThenextmostgeneralobjectIcanthinkofwouldbeimprovementsontheMississippiRiveranditstributaries。TheytouchthirteenofourStates—Pennsylvania，Virginia，Kentucky，Tennessee，Mississippi，Louisiana，Arkansas，Missouri，Illinois，Indiana，Ohio，Wisconsin，andIowa。NowIsupposeitwillnotbedeniedthatthesethirteenStatesarealittlemoreinterestedinimprovementsonthatgreatriverthanaretheremainingseventeen。TheseinstancesofthenavyandtheMississippiRivershowclearlythatthereissomethingoflocaladvantageinthemostgeneralobjects。Buttheconverseisalsotrue。Nothingissolocalastonotbeofsomegeneralbenefit。Take，forinstance，theIllinoisandMichiganCanal。Consideredapartfromitseffects，itisperfectlylocal。EveryinchofitiswithintheStateofIllinois。ThatcanalwasfirstopenedforbusinesslastApril。Inaveryfewdayswewereallgratifiedtolearn，amongotherthings，thatsugarhadbeencarriedfromNewOrleansthroughthiscanaltoBuffaloinNewYork。Thissugartookthisroute，doubtless，becauseitwascheaperthantheoldroute。

Supposingbenefitofthereductioninthecostofcarriagetobesharedbetweensellerandthebuyer，resultisthattheNewOrleansmerchantsoldhissugaralittledearer，andthepeopleofBuffalosweetenedtheircoffeealittlecheaper，thanbefore，—

—abenefitresultingfromthecanal，nottoIllinois，wherethecanalis，buttoLouisianaandNewYork，whereitisnot。InothertransactionsIllinoiswill，ofcourse，havehershare，andperhapsthelargersharetoo，ofthebenefitsofthecanal；butthisinstanceofthesugarclearlyshowsthatthebenefitsofanimprovementarebynomeansconfinedtotheparticularlocalityoftheimprovementitself。Thejustconclusionfromallthisisthatifthenationrefusetomakeimprovementsofthemoregeneralkindbecausetheirbenefitsmaybesomewhatlocal，aStatemayforthesamereasonrefusetomakeanimprovementofalocalkindbecauseitsbenefitsmaybesomewhatgeneral。AStatemaywellsaytothenation，"Ifyouwilldonothingforme，I

willdonothingforyou。"Thusitisseenthatifthisargumentof"inequality"issufficientanywhere，itissufficienteverywhere，andputsanendtoimprovementsaltogether。IhopeandbelievethatifboththenationandtheStateswould，ingoodfaith，intheirrespectivespheresdowhattheycouldinthewayofimprovements，whatofinequalitymightbeproducedinoneplacemightbecompensatedinanother，andthesumofthewholemightnotbeveryunequal。

Butsuppose，afterall，thereshouldbesomedegreeofinequality。Inequalityiscertainlynevertobeembracedforitsownsake；butiseverygoodthingtobediscardedwhichmaybeinseparablyconnectedwithsomedegreeofit？Ifso，wemustdiscardallgovernment。ThisCapitolisbuiltatthepublicexpense，forthepublicbenefit；butdoesanyonedoubtthatitisofsomepeculiarlocaladvantagetotheproperty—holdersandbusinesspeopleofWashington？Shallweremoveitforthisreason？Andifso，whereshallwesetitdown，andbefreefromthedifficulty？Tomakesureofourobject，shallwelocateitnowhere，andhaveCongresshereaftertoholditssessions，astheloaferlodged，"inspotsabout"？ImakenoallusiontothepresentPresidentwhenIsaytherearefewstrongercasesinthisworldof"burdentothemanyandbenefittothefew，"of"inequality，"thanthePresidencyitselfisbysomethoughttobe。Anhonestlaborerdigscoalataboutseventycentsaday，whilethePresidentdigsabstractionsataboutseventydollarsaday。Thecoalisclearlyworthmorethantheabstractions，andyetwhatamonstrousinequalityintheprices！DoesthePresident，forthisreason，proposetoabolishthePresidency？

Hedoesnot，andheoughtnot。Thetruerule，indeterminingtoembraceorrejectanything，isnotwhetherithaveanyevilinit，butwhetherithavemoreofevilthanofgood。Therearefewthingswhollyevilorwhollygood。Almosteverything，especiallyofgovernmentpolicy，isaninseparablecompoundofthetwo；sothatourbestjudgmentofthepreponderancebetweenthemiscontinuallydemanded。OnthisprinciplethePresident，hisfriends，andtheworldgenerallyactonmostsubjects。Whynotapplyit，then，uponthisquestion？Why，astoimprovements，magnifytheevil，andstoutlyrefusetoseeanygoodinthem？

Mr。Chairman，onthethirdpositionofthemessagetheconstitutionalquestion——Ihavenotmuchtosay。BeingthemanI

am，andspeaking，whereIdo，IfeelthatinanyattemptatanoriginalconstitutionalargumentIshouldnotbeandoughtnottobelistenedtopatiently。Theablestandthebestofmenhavegoneoverthewholegroundlongago。Ishallattemptbutlittlemorethanabriefnoticeofwhatsomeofthemhavesaid。InrelationtoMr。Jefferson’sviews，IreadfromMr。Polk’svetomessage：

"PresidentJefferson，inhismessagetoCongressin1806，recommendedanamendmentoftheConstitution，withaviewtoapplyananticipatedsurplusinthetreasury’tothegreatpurposesofthepubliceducation，roads，rivers，canals，andsuchotherobjectsofpublicimprovementasitmaybethoughtpropertoaddtotheconstitutionalenumerationofthefederalpowers’；

andheadds：’IsupposeanamendmenttotheConstitution，byconsentoftheStates，necessary，becausetheobjectsnowrecommendedarenotamongthoseenumeratedintheConstitution，andtowhichitpermitsthepublicmoneystobeapplied。’In1825，herepeatedinhispublishedletterstheopinionthatnosuchpowerhasbeenconferreduponCongress。"

Iintroducethisnottocontrovertjustnowtheconstitutionalopinion，buttoshowthat，onthequestionofexpediency，Mr。

Jefferson’sopinionwasagainstthepresentPresident；thatthisopinionofMr。Jefferson，inonebranchatleast，isinthehandsofMr。PolklikeMcFingal’sgun——"bearswideandkickstheownerover。"

Buttotheconstitutionalquestion。In1826ChancellorKentfirstpublishedhisCommentariesonAmericanlaw。HedevotedaportionofoneofthelecturestothequestionoftheauthorityofCongresstoappropriatepublicmoneysforinternalimprovements。Hementionsthatthesubjecthadneverbeenbroughtunderjudicialconsideration，andproceedstogiveabriefsummaryofthediscussionithadundergonebetweenthelegislativeandexecutivebranchesofthegovernment。Heshowsthatthelegislativebranchhadusuallybeenfor，andtheexecutiveagainst，thepower，tilltheperiodofMr。J。Q。Adams’sadministration，atwhichpointheconsiderstheexecutiveinfluenceaswithdrawnfromopposition，andaddedtothesupportofthepower。In1844thechancellorpublishedaneweditionofhisCommentaries，inwhichheaddssomenotesofwhathadtranspiredonthequestionsince1826。Ihavenottimetoreadtheoriginaltextonthenotes；butthewholemaybefoundonpage267，andthetwoorthreefollowingpages，ofthefirstvolumeoftheeditionof1844。AstowhatChancellorKentseemstoconsiderthesumofthewhole，Ireadfromoneofthenotes：

"Mr。JusticeStory，inhisCommentariesontheConstitutionoftheUnitedStates，Vol。II。，pp。429—440，andagainpp。519—538，hasstatedatlargetheargumentsforandagainstthepropositionthatCongresshaveaconstitutionalauthoritytolaytaxesandtoapplythepowertoregulatecommerceasameansdirectlytoencourageandprotectdomesticmanufactures；andwithoutgivinganyopinionofhisownonthecontesteddoctrine，hehasleftthereadertodrawhisownconclusions。Ishouldthink，however，fromtheargumentsasstated，thateverymindwhichhastakennopartinthediscussion，andfeltnoprejudiceorterritorialbiasoneithersideofthequestion，woulddeemtheargumentsinfavoroftheCongressionalpowervastlysuperior。"

Itwillbeseenthatinthisextractthepowertomakeimprovementsisnotdirectlymentioned；butbyexaminingthecontext，bothofKentandStory，itwillbeseenthatthepowermentionedintheextractandthepowertomakeimprovementsareregardedasidentical。Itisnottobedeniedthatmanygreatandgoodmenhavebeenagainstthepower；butitisinsistedthatquiteasmany，asgreatandasgood，havebeenforit；anditisshownthat，onafullsurveyofthewhole，ChancellorKentwasofopinionthattheargumentsofthelatterwerevastlysuperior。

Thisisbuttheopinionofaman；butwhowasthatman？Hewasoneoftheablestandmostlearnedlawyersofhisage，orofanyage。ItisnodisparagementtoMr。Polk，norindeedtoanyonewhodevotesmuchtimetopolitics，tobeplacedfarbehindChancellorKentasalawyer。Hisattitudewasmostfavorabletocorrectconclusions。Hewrotecoolly，andinretirement。Hewasstrugglingtorearadurablemonumentoffame；andhewellknewthattruthandthoroughlysoundreasoningweretheonlysurefoundations。CanthepartyopinionofapartyPresidentonalawquestion，asthispurelyis，beatallcomparedorsetinoppositiontothatofsuchaman，insuchanattitude，asChancellorKent？Thisconstitutionalquestionwillprobablyneverbebettersettledthanitis，untilitshallpassunderjudicialconsideration；butIdothinknomanwhoisclearonthequestionsofexpediencyneedfeelhisconsciencemuchprickeduponthis。

Mr。Chairman，thePresidentseemstothinkthatenoughmaybedone，inthewayofimprovements，bymeansoftonnagedutiesunderStateauthority，withtheconsentoftheGeneralGovernment。NowIsupposethismatteroftonnagedutiesiswellenoughinitsownsphere。Isupposeitmaybeefficient，andperhapssufficient，tomakeslightimprovementsandrepairsinharborsalreadyinuseandnotmuchoutofrepair。ButifIhaveanycorrectgeneralideaofit，itmustbewhollyinefficientforanygeneralbeneficentpurposesofimprovement。Iknowverylittle，orrathernothingatall，ofthepracticalmatteroflevyingandcollectingtonnageduties；butIsupposeoneofitsprinciplesmustbetolayadutyfortheimprovementofanyparticularharboruponthetonnagecomingintothatharbor；todootherwise——tocollectmoneyinoneharbor，tobeexpendedonimprovementsinanother——wouldbeanextremelyaggravatedformofthatinequalitywhichthePresidentsomuchdeprecates。IfIberightinthis，howcouldwemakeanyentirelynewimprovementbymeansoftonnageduties？Howmakearoad，acanal，orclearagreatlyobstructedriver？TheideathatwecouldinvolvesthesameabsurdityastheIrishbullaboutthenewboots。"Ishallnivergit’emon，"saysPatrick，"tillIwear’emadayortwo，andstretch’emalittle。"Weshallnevermakeacanalbytonnagedutiesuntilitshallalreadyhavebeenmadeawhile，sothetonnagecangetintoit。

Afterall，thePresidentconcludesthatpossiblytheremaybesomegreatobjectsofimprovementwhichcannotbeeffectedbytonnageduties，andwhichitthereforemaybeexpedientfortheGeneralGovernmenttotakeinhand。Accordinglyhesuggests，incaseanysuchbediscovered，theproprietyofamendingtheConstitution。Amenditforwhat？If，likeMr。Jefferson，thePresidentthoughtimprovementsexpedient，butnotconstitutional，itwouldbenaturalenoughforhimtorecommendsuchanamendment。Buthearwhathesaysinthisverymessage：

"Inviewoftheseportentousconsequences，Icannotbutthinkthatthiscourseoflegislationshouldbearrested，evenweretherenothingtoforbiditinthefundamentallawsofourUnion。"

Forwhat，then，wouldhehavetheConstitutionamended？Withhimitisapropositiontoremoveoneimpedimentmerelytobemetbyotherswhich，inhisopinion，cannotberemoved，toenableCongresstodowhat，inhisopinion，theyoughtnottodoiftheycould。

HereMr。MeadeofVirginiainquiredifMr。LincolnunderstoodthePresidenttobeopposed，ongroundsofexpediency，toanyandeveryimprovement。

Mr。Lincolnanswered：IntheverypartofhismessageofwhichI

amspeaking，Iunderstandhimasgivingsomevagueexpressioninfavorofsomepossibleobjectsofimprovement；butindoingsoI

understandhimtobedirectlyontheteethofhisownargumentsinotherpartsofit。NeitherthePresidentnoranyonecanpossiblyspecifyanimprovementwhichshallnotbeclearlyliabletooneoranotheroftheobjectionshehasurgedonthescoreofexpediency。Ihaveshown，andmightshowagain，thatnowork——noobject——canbesogeneralastodispenseitsbenefitswithpreciseequality；andthisinequalityischiefamongthe"portentousconsequences"forwhichhedeclaresthatimprovementsshouldbearrested。No，sir。WhenthePresidentintimatesthatsomethinginthewayofimprovementsmayproperlybedonebytheGeneralGovernment，heisshrinkingfromtheconclusionstowhichhisownargumentswouldforcehim。Hefeelsthattheimprovementsofthisbroadandgoodlylandareamightyinterest；

andheisunwillingtoconfesstothepeople，orperhapstohimself，thathehasbuiltanargumentwhich，whenpressedtoitsconclusions，entirelyannihilatesthisinterest。

Ihavealreadysaidthatnoonewhoissatisfiedoftheexpediencyofmakingimprovementsneedsbemuchuneasyinhisconscienceaboutitsconstitutionality。IwishnowtosubmitafewremarksonthegeneralpropositionofamendingtheConstitution。Asageneralrule，Ithinkwewouldmuchbetterletitalone。Noslightoccasionshouldtemptustotouchit。

Betternottakethefirststep，whichmayleadtoahabitofalteringit。Better，rather，habituateourselvestothinkofitasunalterable。Itcanscarcelybemadebetterthanitis。Newprovisionswouldintroducenewdifficulties，andthuscreateandincreaseappetiteforfurtherchange。No，sir；letitstandasitis。Newhandshavenevertouchedit。Themenwhomadeithavedonetheirwork，andhavepassedaway。Whoshallimproveonwhattheydid？

Mr。Chairman，forthepurposeofreviewingthismessageintheleastpossibletime，aswellasforthesakeofdistinctness，I

haveanalyzeditsargumentsaswellasIcould，andreducedthemtothepropositionsIhavestated。Ihavenowexaminedthemindetail。Iwishtodetainthecommitteeonlyalittlewhilelongerwithsomegeneralremarksuponthesubjectofimprovements。Thatthesubjectisadifficultone，cannotbedenied。StillitisnomoredifficultinCongressthanintheStateLegislatures，inthecounties，orinthesmallestmunicipaldistrictswhichanywhereexist。Allcanrecurtoinstancesofthisdifficultyinthecaseofcountyroads，bridges，andthelike。Onemanisoffendedbecausearoadpassesoverhisland，andanotherisoffendedbecauseitdoesnotpassoverhis；oneisdissatisfiedbecausethebridgeforwhichheistaxedcrossestheriveronadifferentroadfromthatwhichleadsfromhishousetotown；anothercannotbearthatthecountyshouldbegotindebtforthesesameroadsandbridges；whilenotafewstrugglehardtohaveroadslocatedovertheirlands，andthenstoutlyrefusetoletthembeopeneduntiltheyarefirstpaidthedamages。

Evenbetweenthedifferentwardsandstreetsoftownsandcitieswefindthissamewranglinganddifficulty。Nowthesearenootherthantheverydifficultiesagainstwhich，andoutofwhich，thePresidentconstructshisobjectionsof"inequality，"

"speculation，"and"crushingthetreasury。"Thereisbutasinglealternativeaboutthem：theyaresufficient，ortheyarenot。Ifsufficient，theyaresufficientoutofCongressaswellasinit，andthereistheend。Wemustrejectthemasinsufficient，orliedownanddonothingbyanyauthority。Then，difficultythoughtherebe，letusmeetandencounterit。

"Attempttheend，andneverstandtodoubt；nothingsohard，butsearchwillfinditout。"Determinethatthethingcanandshallbedone，andthenweshallfindtheway。Thetendencytoundueexpansionisunquestionablythechiefdifficulty。

Howtodosomething，andstillnotdotoomuch，isthedesideratum。Leteachcontributehismiteinthewayofsuggestion。ThelateSilasWright，inalettertotheChicagoconvention，contributedhis，whichwasworthsomething；andInowcontributemine，whichmaybeworthnothing。Atallevents，itwillmisleadnobody，andthereforewilldonoharm。Iwouldnotborrowmoney。Iamagainstanoverwhelming，crushingsystem。

Supposethat，ateachsession，Congressshallfirstdeterminehowmuchmoneycan，forthatyear，besparedforimprovements；thenapportionthatsumtothemostimportantobjects。Sofaralliseasy；buthowshallwedeterminewhicharethemostimportant？

Onthisquestioncomesthecollisionofinterests。Ishallbeslowtoacknowledgethatyourharbororyourriverismoreimportantthanmine，andviceversa。Toclearthisdifficulty，letushavethatsamestatisticalinformationwhichthegentlemanfromOhio[Mr。Vinton]suggestedatthebeginningofthissession。Inthatinformationweshallhaveastern，unbendingbasisoffacts——abasisinnowisesubjecttowhim，caprice，orlocalinterest。Theprelimitedamountofmeanswillsaveusfromdoingtoomuch，andthestatisticswillsaveusfromdoingwhatwedoinwrongplaces。Adoptandadheretothiscourse，and，itseemstome，thedifficultyiscleared。

OneofthegentlemenfromSouthCarolina[Mr。Rhett]verymuchdeprecatesthesestatistics。Heparticularlyobjects，asI

understandhim，tocountingallthepigsandchickensintheland。Idonotperceivemuchforceintheobjection。Itistruethatifeverythingbeenumerated，aportionofsuchstatisticsmaynotbeveryusefultothisobject。Suchproductsofthecountryasaretobeconsumedwheretheyareproducedneednoroadsorrivers，nomeansoftransportation，andhavenoveryproperconnectionwiththissubject。Thesurplus——thatwhichisproducedinoneplacetobeconsumedinanother；thecapacityofeachlocalityforproducingagreatersurplus；thenaturalmeansoftransportation，andtheirsusceptibilityofimprovement；thehindrances，delays，andlossesoflifeandpropertyduringtransportation，andthecausesofeach，wouldbeamongthemostvaluablestatisticsinthisconnection。Fromtheseitwouldreadilyappearwhereagivenamountofexpenditurewoulddothemostgood。Thesestatisticsmightbeequallyaccessible，astheywouldbeequallyuseful，toboththenationandtheStates。Inthisway，andbythesemeans，letthenationtakeholdofthelargerworks，andtheStatesthesmallerones；andthus，workinginameetingdirection，discreetly，butsteadilyandfirmly，whatismadeunequalinoneplacemaybeequalizedinanother，extravaganceavoided，andthewholecountryputonthatcareerofprosperitywhichshallcorrespondwithitsextentofterritory，itsnaturalresources，andtheintelligenceandenterpriseofitspeople。

OPPORTUNITIESFORYOUNGPOLITICIANS

TOWILLIAMH。HERNDON。

WASHINGTON，June22，1848。

DEARWILLIAM：——LastnightIwasattendingasortofcaucusoftheWhigmembers，heldinrelationtothecomingPresidentialelection。Thewholefieldofthenationwasscanned，andallishighhopeandconfidence。Illinoisisexpectedtobetterherconditioninthisrace。Underthesecircumstances，judgehowheartrendingitwastocometomyroomandfindandreadyourdiscouragingletterofthe15th。Wehavemadenogains，buthavelost"H。R。Robinson，Turner，Campbell，andfourorfivemore。"

TellArneytoreconsider，ifhewouldbesaved。BakerandIusedtodosomething，butIthinkyouattachmoreimportancetoourabsencethanisjust。Thereisanothercause。In1840，forinstance，wehadtwosenatorsandfiverepresentativesinSangamon；nowwehavepartofonesenatorandtworepresentatives。Withquiteonethirdmorepeoplethanwehadthen，wehaveonlyhalfthesortofofficeswhicharesoughtbymenofthespeakingsortoftalent。This，Ithink，isthechiefcause。Now，astotheyoungmen。Youmustnotwaittobebroughtforwardbytheoldermen。Forinstance，doyousupposethatIshouldeverhavegotintonoticeifIhadwaitedtobehuntedupandpushedforwardbyoldermen？Youyoungmengettogetherandforma"RoughandReadyClub，"andhaveregularmeetingsandspeeches。Takeineverybodyyoucanget。HarrisonGrimsley，L。A。Enos，LeeKimball，andC。W。Mathenywilldotobeginthething；butasyougoalonggatherupalltheshrewd，wildboysabouttown，whetherjustofage，oralittleunderage，Chris。Logan，ReddickRidgely，LewisZwizler，andhundredssuch。

Leteveryoneplaytheparthecanplaybest，——somespeak，somesing，andall"holler。"Yourmeetingswillbeofevenings；theoldermen，andthewomen，willgotohearyou；sothatitwillnotonlycontributetotheelectionof"OldZach，"butwillbeaninterestingpastime，andimprovingtotheintellectualfacultiesofallengaged。Don’tfailtodothis。

Youaskmetosendyouallthespeechesmadeabout"OldZach，"

thewar，etc。Nowthismakesmealittleimpatient。IhaveregularlysentyoutheCongressionalGlobeandAppendix，andyoucannothaveexaminedthem，oryouwouldhavediscoveredthattheycontaineveryspeechmadebyeverymaninbothhousesofCongress，oneverysubject，duringthesession。CanIsendanymore？CanIsendspeechesthatnobodyhasmade？Thinkingitwouldbemostnaturalthatthenewspaperswouldfeelinterestedtogiveatleastsomeofthespeechestotheirreaders，IatthebeginningofthesessionmadearrangementstohaveonecopyoftheGlobeandAppendixregularlysenttoeachWhigpaperofthedistrict。Andyet，withtheexceptionofmyownlittlespeech，whichwaspublishedintwoonlyofthethenfive，nowfour，Whigpapers，Idonotrememberhavingseenasinglespeech，orevenextractfromone，inanysingleoneofthosepapers。Withequalandfullmeansonbothsides，IwillventurethattheStateRegisterhasthrownbeforeitsreadersmoreofLocofocospeechesinamonththanalltheWhigpapersofthedistricthavedoneofWhigspeechesduringthesession。

Ifyouwishafullunderstandingofthewar，IrepeatwhatI

believeIsaidtoyouinaletteroncebefore，thatthewhole，ornearlyso，istobefoundinthespeechofDixonofConnecticut。

ThisIsentyouinpamphletaswellasintheGlobe。Examineandstudyeverysentenceofthatspeechthoroughly，andyouwillunderstandthewholesubject。YouaskhowCongresscametodeclarethatwarhadexistedbytheactofMexico。Isitpossibleyoudon’tunderstandthatyet？Youhaveatleasttwentyspeechesinyourpossessionthatfullyexplainit。Iwill，however，tryitoncemore。ThenewsreachedWashingtonofthecommencementofhostilitiesontheRioGrande，andofthegreatperilofGeneralTaylor’sarmy。Everybody，WhigsandDemocrats，wasforsendingthemaid，inmenandmoney。Itwasnecessarytopassabillforthis。TheLocoshadamajorityinbothhouses，andtheybroughtinabillwithapreamblesaying：Whereas，WarexistsbytheactofMexico，thereforewesendGeneralTaylormoney。TheWhigsmovedtostrikeoutthepreamble，sothattheycouldvotetosendthemenandmoney，withoutsayinganythingabouthowthewarcommenced；butbeingintheminority，theywerevoteddown，andthepreamblewasretained。Then，onthepassageofthebill，thequestioncameuponthem，Shallwevoteforpreambleandbilltogether，oragainstbothtogether？TheydidnotwanttovoteagainstsendinghelptoGeneralTaylor，andthereforetheyvotedforbothtogether。Isthereanydifficultyinunderstandingthis？Evenmylittlespeechshowshowthiswas；

andifyouwillgotothelibrary，youmaygettheJournalof1845—46，inwhichyouwillfindthewholeforyourself。

WehavenothingpublishedyetwithspecialreferencetotheTaylorrace；butwesoonwillhave，andthenIwillsendthemtoeverybody。Imadeaninternal—improvementspeechdaybeforeyesterday，whichIshallsendhomeassoonasIcangetitwrittenoutandprinted，——andwhichIsupposenobodywillread。

Yourfriendasever，A。LINCOLN。

SALARYOFJUDGEINWESTERNVIRGINIA

REMARKSINTHEHOUSEOFREPRESENTATIVES，JUNE28，1848。

DiscussionastosalaryofjudgeofwesternVirginia：——Wishingtoincreaseitfrom$1800to$2500。

Mr。Lincolnsaidhefeltunwillingtobeeitherunjustorungenerous，andhewantedtounderstandtherealcaseofthisjudicialofficer。ThegentlemanfromVirginiahadstatedthathehadtoholdelevencourts。NoweverybodyknewthatitwasnotthehabitofthedistrictjudgesoftheUnitedStatesinotherStatestoholdanythinglikethatnumberofcourts；andhethereforetookitforgrantedthatthismusthappenunderapeculiarlawwhichrequiredthatlargenumberofcourtstobeholdeneveryyear；andtheselaws，hefurthersupposed，werepassedattherequestofthepeopleofthatjudicialdistrict。

Itcame，then，tothis：thatthepeopleinthewesterndistrictofVirginiahadgotelevencourtstobeheldamongtheminoneyear，fortheirownaccommodation；andbeingthusbetteraccommodatedthanneighborselsewhere，theywantedtheirjudgetobealittlebetterpaid。InIllinoistherehadbeenuntilthepresentseasonbutonedistrictcourtheldintheyear。Therewerenowtobetwo。CoulditbethatthewesterndistrictofVirginiafurnishedmorebusinessforajudgethanthewholeStateofIllinois？

NATIONALBANK

JULY，1848，[FRAGMENT]

Thequestionofanationalbankisatrest。WereIPresident，I

shouldnoturgeitsreagitationuponCongress；butshouldCongressseefittopassanacttoestablishsuchaninstitution，Ishouldnotarrestitbytheveto，unlessIshouldconsideritsubjecttosomeconstitutionalobjectionfromwhichIbelievethetwoformerbankstohavebeenfree。

YOUNGv。s。OLD——POLITICALJEALOUSY

TOW。H。HERNDON。

WASHINGTON，July10，1848。

DEARWILLIAM：

Yourlettercoveringthenewspaperslipswasreceivedlastnight。

Thesubjectofthatletterisexceedinglypainfultome，andI

cannotbutthinkthereissomemistakeinyourimpressionofthemotivesoftheoldmen。IsupposeIamnowoneoftheoldmen；

andIdeclareonmyveracity，whichIthinkisgoodwithyou，thatnothingcouldaffordmemoresatisfactionthantolearnthatyouandothersofmyyoungfriendsathomeweredoingbattleinthecontestandendearingthemselvestothepeopleandtakingastandfaraboveanyIhaveeverbeenabletoreachintheiradmiration。Icannotconceivethatothermenfeeldifferently。

OfcourseIcannotdemonstratewhatIsay；butIwasyoungonce，andIamsureIwasneverungenerouslythrustback。Ihardlyknowwhattosay。Thewayforayoungmantoriseistoimprovehimselfeverywayhecan，neversuspectingthatanybodywishestohinderhim。Allowmetoassureyouthatsuspicionandjealousyneverdidhelpanymaninanysituation。Theremaysometimesbeungenerousattemptstokeepayoungmandown；andtheywillsucceed，too，ifheallowshismindtobedivertedfromitstruechanneltobroodovertheattemptedinjury。Castaboutandseeifthisfeelinghasnotinjuredeverypersonyouhaveeverknowntofallintoit。

Now，inwhatIhavesaidIamsureyouwillsuspectnothingbutsincerefriendship。Iwouldsaveyoufromafatalerror。Youhavebeenastudiousyoungman。YouarefarbetterinformedonalmostallsubjectsthanIeverhavebeen。Youcannotfailinanylaudableobjectunlessyouallowyourmindtobeimproperlydirected。Ihavesometheadvantageofyouintheworld’sexperience，merelybybeingolder；anditisthisthatinducesmetoadvise。YoustillseemtobealittlemistakenabouttheCongressionalGlobeandAppendix。Theycontainallofthespeechesthatarepublishedinanyway。MyspeechandDayton’sspeechwhichyousayyougotinpamphletformarebothwordforwordintheAppendix。Irepeatagain，allarethere。

Yourfriend，asever，A。LINCOLN。

GENERALTAYLORANDTHEVETO

SPEECHINTHEHOUSEOFREPRESENTATIVES，JULY27，1848。

Mr。SPEAKER，ourDemocraticfriendsseemtobeinagreatdistressbecausetheythinkourcandidateforthePresidencydon’tsuitus。MostofthemcannotfindoutthatGeneralTaylorhasanyprinciplesatall；some，however，havediscoveredthathehasone，butthatoneisentirelywrong。Thisoneprincipleishispositiononthevetopower。ThegentlemanfromTennessee[Mr。Stanton]whohasjusttakenhisseat，indeed，hassaidthereisverylittle，ifany，differenceonthisquestionbetweenGeneralTaylorandallthePresidents；andheseemstothinkitsufficientdetractionfromGeneralTaylor’spositiononitthatithasnothingnewinit。ButallotherswhomIhaveheardspeakassailitfuriously。AnewmemberfromKentucky[Mr。Clark]，ofveryconsiderableability，wasinparticularconcernedaboutit。

HethoughtitaltogethernovelandunprecedentedforaPresidentoraPresidentialcandidatetothinkofapprovingbillswhoseconstitutionalitymaynotbeentirelycleartohisownmind。HethinksthearkofoursafetyisgoneunlessPresidentsshallalwaysvetosuchbillsasintheirjudgmentmaybeofdoubtfulconstitutionality。HoweverclearCongressmaybeontheirauthoritytopassanyparticularact，thegentlemanfromKentuckythinksthePresidentmustvetoitifhehasdoubtsaboutit。NowIhaveneithertimenorinclinationtoarguewiththegentlemanonthevetopowerasanoriginalquestion；butIwishtoshowthatGeneralTaylor，andnothe，agreeswiththeearlierstatesmenonthisquestion。WhenthebillcharteringthefirstBankoftheUnitedStatespassedCongress，itsconstitutionalitywasquestioned。Mr。Madison，thenintheHouseofRepresentatives，aswellasothers，hadopposeditonthatground。GeneralWashington，asPresident，wascalledontoapproveorrejectit。HesoughtandobtainedontheconstitutionalityquestiontheseparatewrittenopinionsofJefferson，Hamilton，andEdmundRandolph，——theythenbeingrespectivelySecretaryofState，SecretaryoftheTreasury，andAttorneygeneral。Hamilton’sopinionwasforthepower；whileRandolph’sandJefferson’swerebothagainstit。Mr。Jefferson，aftergivinghisopiniondecidingonlyagainsttheconstitutionalityofthebill，closeshisletterwiththeparagraphwhichInowread：

"Itmustbeadmitted，however，thatunlessthePresident’smind，onaviewofeverythingwhichisurgedforandagainstthisbill，istolerablyclearthatitisunauthorizedbytheConstitution，——

iftheproandconhangsoevenastobalancehisjudgment，ajustrespectforthewisdomofthelegislaturewouldnaturallydecidethebalanceinfavoroftheiropinion。Itischieflyforcaseswheretheyareclearlymisledbyerror，ambition，orinterest，thattheConstitutionhasplacedacheckinthenegativeofthePresident。

"THOMASJEFFERSON。

"February15，1791。"

GeneralTaylor’sopinion，asexpressedinhisAllisonletter，isasInowread：

"Thepowergivenbythevetoisahighconservativepower；but，inmyopinion，shouldneverbeexercisedexceptincasesofclearviolationoftheConstitution，ormanifesthasteandwantofconsiderationbyCongress。"

Itishereseenthat，inMr。Jefferson’sopinion，ifontheconstitutionalityofanygivenbillthePresidentdoubts，heisnottovetoit，asthegentlemanfromKentuckywouldhavehimdo，butistodefertoCongressandapproveit。AndifwecomparetheopinionofJeffersonandTaylor，asexpressedintheseparagraphs，weshallfindthemmoreexactlyalikethanwecanoftenfindanytwoexpressionshavinganyliteraldifference。

Nonebutinterestedfaultfinders，Ithink，candiscoveranysubstantialvariation。

ButgentlemenontheothersideareunanimouslyagreedthatGeneralTaylorhasnootherprinciples。Theyareinutterdarknessastohisopinionsonanyofthequestionsofpolicywhichoccupythepublicattention。Butisthereanydoubtastowhathewilldoontheprominentquestionsifelected？Nottheleast。Itisnotpossibletoknowwhathewillorwoulddoineveryimaginablecase，becausemanyquestionshavepassedaway，andothersdoubtlesswillarisewhichnoneofushaveyetthoughtof；butontheprominentquestionsofcurrency，tariff，internalimprovements，andWilmotProviso，GeneralTaylor’scourseisatleastaswelldefinedasisGeneralCass’s。Why，intheireagernesstogetatGeneralTaylor，severalDemocraticmembersherehavedesiredtoknowwhether，incaseofhiselection，abankruptlawistobeestablished。CantheytellusGeneralCass’sopiniononthisquestion？

[Somememberanswered，"Heisagainstit。"]

Aye，howdoyouknowheis？Thereisnothingaboutitintheplatform，norelsewhere，thatIhaveseen。IfthegentlemanknowsofanythingwhichIdonotknowhecanshowit。Buttoreturn。GeneralTaylor，inhisAllisonletter，says：

"Uponthesubjectofthetariff，thecurrency，theimprovementofourgreathighways，rivers，lakes，andharbors，thewillofthepeople，asexpressedthroughtheirrepresentativesinCongress，oughttoberespectedandcarriedoutbytheexecutive。"

Nowthisisthewholematter。Insubstance，itisthis：ThepeoplesaytoGeneralTaylor，"Ifyouareelected，shallwehaveanationalbank？"Heanswers，’’Yourwill，gentlemen，notmine。

’’Whataboutthetariff？""Sayyourselves。""Shallourriversandharborsbeimproved？""Justasyouplease。Ifyoudesireabank，analterationofthetariff，internalimprovements，anyorall，Iwillnothinderyou。Ifyoudonotdesirethem，Iwillnotattempttoforcethemonyou。SendupyourmembersofCongressfromthevariousdistricts，withopinionsaccordingtoyourown，andiftheyareforthesemeasures，oranyofthem，I

shallhavenothingtooppose；iftheyarenotforthem，Ishallnot，byanyapplianceswhatever，attempttodragoonthemintotheiradoption。"

Nowcantherebeanydifficultyinunderstandingthis？ToyouDemocratsitmaynotseemlikeprinciple；butsurelyyoucannotfailtoperceivethepositionplainlyenough。Thedistinctionbetweenitandthepositionofyourcandidateisbroadandobvious，andIadmityouhaveaclearrighttoshowitiswrongifyoucan；butyouhavenorighttopretendyoucannotseeitatall。Weseeit，andtousitappearslikeprinciple，andthebestsortofprincipleatthat——theprincipleofallowingthepeopletodoastheypleasewiththeirownbusiness。MyfriendfromIndiana(C。B。Smith]hasaptlyasked，"Areyouwillingtotrustthepeople？"Someofyouansweredsubstantially，"Wearewillingtotrustthepeople；butthePresidentisasmuchtherepresentativeofthepeopleasCongress。"Inacertainsense，andtoacertainextent，heistherepresentativeofthepeople。

Heiselectedbythem，aswellasCongressis；butcanhe，inthenatureofthingsknowthewantsofthepeopleaswellasthreehundredothermen，comingfromallthevariouslocalitiesofthenation？Ifso，whereistheproprietyofhavingaCongress？

ThattheConstitutiongivesthePresidentanegativeonlegislation，allknow；butthatthisnegativeshouldbesocombinedwithplatformsandotherappliancesastoenablehim，andinfactalmostcompelhim，totakethewholeoflegislationintohisownhands，iswhatweobjectto，iswhatGeneralTaylorobjectsto，andiswhatconstitutesthebroaddistinctionbetweenyouandus。Tothustransferlegislationisclearlytotakeitfromthosewhounderstandwithminutenesstheinterestsofthepeople，andgiveittoonewhodoesnotandcannotsowellunderstandit。IunderstandyourideathatifaPresidentialcandidateavowhisopinionuponagivenquestion，orratheruponallquestions，andthepeople，withfullknowledgeofthis，electhim，theytherebydistinctlyapproveallthoseopinions。Bymeansofit，measuresareadoptedorrejectedcontrarytothewishesofthewholeofoneparty，andoftennearlyhalfoftheother。Three，four，orhalfadozenquestionsareprominentatagiventime；thepartyselectsitscandidate，andhetakeshispositiononeachofthesequestions。Onallbutonehispositionshavealreadybeenindorsedatformerelections，andhispartyfullycommittedtothem；butthatoneisnew，andalargeportionofthemareagainstit。Butwhataretheytodo？Thewholewasstrungtogether；andtheymusttakeall，orrejectall。

Theycannottakewhattheylike，andleavetherest。Whattheyarealreadycommittedtobeingthemajority，theyshuttheireyes，andgulpthewhole。Nextelection，stillanotherisintroducedinthesameway。Ifwerunoureyesalongthelineofthepast，weshallseethatalmostifnotquiteallthearticlesofthepresentDemocraticcreedhavebeenatfirstforceduponthepartyinthisveryway。Andjustnow，andjustso，oppositiontointernalimprovementsistobeestablishedifGeneralCassshallbeelected。AlmosthalftheDemocratshereareforimprovements；buttheywillvoteforCass，andifhesucceeds，theirvotewillhaveaidedinclosingthedoorsagainstimprovements。Nowthisisaprocesswhichwethinkiswrong。Wepreferacandidatewho，likeGeneralTaylor，willallowthepeopletohavetheirownway，regardlessofhisprivateopinions；

andIshouldthinktheinternal—improvementDemocrats，atleast，oughttoprefersuchacandidate。Hewouldforcenothingonthemwhichtheydon’twant，andhewouldallowthemtohaveimprovementswhichtheirowncandidate，ifelected，willnot。

Mr。Speaker，IhavesaidGeneralTaylor’spositionisaswelldefinedasisthatofGeneralCass。Insayingthis，IadmitIdonotcertainlyknowwhathewoulddoontheWilmotProviso。IamaNorthernmanorratheraWesternFree—Stateman，withaconstituencyIbelievetobe，andwithpersonalfeelingsIknowtobe，againsttheextensionofslavery。Assuch，andwithwhatinformationIhave，IhopeandbelieveGeneralTaylor，ifelected，wouldnotvetotheproviso。ButIdonotknowit。YetifIknewhewould，Istillwouldvoteforhim。Ishoulddosobecause，inmyjudgment，hiselectionalonecandefeatGeneralCass；andbecause，shouldslaverytherebygototheterritorywenowhave，justsomuchwillcertainlyhappenbytheelectionofCass，andinadditionacourseofpolicyleadingtonewwars，newacquisitionsofterritoryandstillfurtherextensionsofslavery。OneofthetwoistobePresident。Whichispreferable？

ButthereisasmuchdoubtofCassonimprovementsasthereisofTaylorontheproviso。IhavenodoubtmyselfofGeneralCassonthisquestion；butIknowtheDemocratsdifferamongthemselvesastohisposition。Myinternal—improvementcolleague[Mr。

Wentworth]statedonthisfloortheotherdaythathewassatisfiedCasswasforimprovements，becausehehadvotedforallthebillsthathe[Mr。Wentworth]had。Sofarsogood。ButMr。

Polkvetoedsomeoftheseverybills。TheBaltimoreconventionpassedasetofresolutions，amongotherthings，approvingthesevetoes，andGeneralCassdeclares，inhisletteracceptingthenomination，thathehascarefullyreadtheseresolutions，andthatheadherestothemasfirmlyasheapprovesthemcordially。

Inotherwords，GeneralCassvotedforthebills，andthinksthePresidentdidrighttovetothem；andhisfriendshereareamiableenoughtoconsiderhimasbeingononesideortheother，justasoneortheothermaycorrespondwiththeirownrespectiveinclinations。Mycolleagueadmitsthattheplatformdeclaresagainsttheconstitutionalityofageneralsystemofimprovements，andthatGeneralCassindorsestheplatform；buthestillthinksGeneralCassisinfavorofsomesortofimprovements。Well，whatarethey？Asheisagainstgeneralobjects，thoseheisformustbeparticularandlocal。Nowthisistakingthesubjectpreciselybythewrongend。Particularityexpendingthemoneyofthewholepeopleforanobjectwhichwillbenefitonlyaportionofthem——isthegreatestrealobjectiontoimprovements，andhasbeensoheldbyGeneralJackson，Mr。Polk，andallothers，Ibelieve，tillnow。Butnow，behold，theobjectsmostgeneral——nearestfreefromthisobjection——aretoberejected，whilethosemostliabletoitaretobeembraced。Toreturn：IcannothelpbelievingthatGeneralCass，whenhewrotehisletterofacceptance，wellunderstoodhewastobeclaimedbytheadvocatesofbothsidesofthisquestion，andthathethenclosedthedooragainstallfurtherexpressionsofopinionpurposelytoretainthebenefitsofthatdoubleposition。HissubsequentequivocationatCleveland，tomymind，provessuchtohavebeenthecase。

Onewordmore，andIshallhavedonewiththisbranchofthesubject。YouDemocrats，andyourcandidate，inthemainareinfavoroflayingdowninadvanceaplatform——asetofpartypositions——asaunit，andthenofforcingthepeople，byeverysortofappliance，toratifythem，howeverunpalatablesomeofthemmaybe。WeandourcandidateareinfavorofmakingPresidentialelectionsandthelegislationofthecountrydistinctmatters；sothatthepeoplecanelectwhomtheyplease，andafterwardlegislatejustastheyplease，withoutanyhindrance，saveonlysomuchasmayguardagainstinfractionsoftheConstitution，unduehaste，andwantofconsideration。Thedifferencebetweenusisclearasnoonday。Thatwearerightwecannotdoubt。WeholdthetrueRepublicanposition。Inleavingthepeople’sbusinessintheirhands，wecannotbewrong。Wearewilling，andevenanxious，togotothepeopleonthisissue。

ButIsupposeIcannotreasonablyhopetoconvinceyouthatwehaveanyprinciples。ThemostIcanexpectistoassureyouthatwethinkwehaveandarequitecontentedwiththem。TheotherdayoneofthegentlemenfromGeorgia[Mr。Iverson]，aneloquentman，andamanoflearning，sofarasIcanjudge，notbeinglearnedmyself，camedownuponusastonishingly。Hespokeinwhatthe’BaltimoreAmerican’callsthe"scathingandwitheringstyle。"AttheendofhissecondsevereflashIwasstruckblind，andfoundmyselffeelingwithmyfingersforanassuranceofmycontinuedexistence。Alittleofthebonewasleft，andI

graduallyrevived。HeeulogizedMr。Clayinhighandbeautifulterms，andthendeclaredthatwehaddesertedallourprinciples，andhadturnedHenryClayout，likeanoldhorse，toroot。Thisisterriblysevere。Itcannotbeansweredbyargument——atleastIcannotsoanswerit。ImerelywishtoaskthegentlemaniftheWhigsaretheonlypartyhecanthinkofwhosometimesturnoldhorsesouttoroot。IsnotacertainMartinVanBurenanoldhorsewhichyourownpartyhaveturnedouttoroot？andishenotrootingalittletoyourdiscomfortaboutnow？ButinnotnominatingMr。Claywedesertedourprinciples，yousay。Ah！Inwhat？Tellus，yemenofprinciple，whatprincipleweviolated。

WesayyoudidviolateprincipleindiscardingVanBuren，andwecantellyouhow。Youviolatedtheprimary，thecardinal，theonegreatlivingprincipleofalldemocraticrepresentativegovernment——theprinciplethattherepresentativeisboundtocarryouttheknownwillofhisconstituents。AlargemajorityoftheBaltimoreconventionof1844were，bytheirconstituents，instructedtoprocureVanBuren’snominationiftheycould。Inviolation——inutterglaringcontemptofthis，yourejectedhim；

rejectedhim，asthegentlemanfromNewYork[Mr。Birdsall]theotherdayexpresslyadmitted，foravailability——thatsame"generalavailability"whichyouchargeuponus，anddailychewoverhere，assomethingexceedinglyodiousandunprincipled。ButthegentlemanfromGeorgia[Mr。Iverson]gaveusasecondspeechyesterday，allwellconsideredandputdowninwriting，inwhichVanBurenwasscathedandwithereda"few"forhispresentpositionandmovements。Icannotrememberthegentleman’spreciselanguage；butIdorememberheputVanBurendown，down，tillhegothimwherehewasfinallyto"stink"and"rot。"

Mr。Speaker，itisnobusinessorinclinationofminetodefendMartinVanBureninthewarofexterminationnowwagingbetweenhimandhisoldadmirers。Isay，"Deviltakethehindmost"——andtheforemost。Butthereisnomistakingtheoriginofthebreach；andifthecurseof"stinking"and"rotting"istofallonthefirstandgreatestviolatorsofprincipleinthematter，I

disinterestedlysuggestthatthegentlemanfromGeorgiaandhispresentco—workersareboundtotakeituponthemselves。ButthegentlemanfromGeorgiafurthersayswehavedesertedallourprinciples，andtakenshelterunderGeneralTaylor’smilitarycoat—tail，andheseemstothinkthisisexceedinglydegrading。

Well，ashisfaithis，sobeituntohim。Butcanheremembernoothermilitarycoat—tailunderwhichacertainotherpartyhavebeenshelteringfornearaquarterofacentury？HashenoacquaintancewiththeamplemilitarycoattailofGeneralJackson？DoeshenotknowthathisownpartyhaverunthefivelastPresidentialracesunderthatcoat—tail，andthattheyarenowrunningthesixthunderthesamecover？Yes，sir，thatcoat—

tailwasusednotonlyforGeneralJacksonhimself，buthasbeenclungto，withthegripofdeath，byeveryDemocraticcandidatesince。Youhaveneverventured，anddarenotnowventure，fromunderit。Yourcampaignpapershaveconstantlybeen"OldHickories，"withrudelikenessesoftheoldgeneraluponthem；

hickorypolesandhickorybroomsyournever—endingemblems；Mr。

Polkhimselfwas"YoungHickory，"orsomethingso；andevennowyourcampaignpaperhereisproclaimingthatCassandButlerareofthetrue"Hickorystripe。"Now，sir，youdarenotgiveitup。

LikeahordeofhungryticksyouhavestucktothetailoftheHermitageLiontotheendofhislife；andyouarestillstickingtoit，anddrawingaloathsomesustenancefromit，afterheisdead。Afellowonceadvertisedthathehadmadeadiscoverybywhichhecouldmakeanewmanoutofanoldone，andhaveenoughofthestufflefttomakealittleyellowdog。JustsuchadiscoveryhasGeneralJackson’spopularitybeentoyou。YounotonlytwicemadePresidentofhimoutofit，butyouhavehadenoughofthestufflefttomakePresidentsofseveralcomparativelysmallmensince；anditisyourchiefreliancenowtomakestillanother。

Mr。Speaker，oldhorsesandmilitarycoat—tails，ortailsofanysort，arenotfiguresofspeechsuchasIwouldbethefirsttointroduceintodiscussionshere；butasthegentlemanfromGeorgiahasthoughtfittointroducethem，heandyouarewelcometoallyouhavemade，orcanmakebythem。Ifyouhaveanymoreoldhorses，trotthemout；anymoretails，justcockthemandcomeatus。Irepeat，Iwouldnotintroducethismodeofdiscussionhere；butIwishgentlemenontheothersidetounderstandthattheuseofdegradingfiguresisagameatwhichtheymaynotfindthemselvesabletotakeallthewinnings。

["Wegiveitup！"]

Aye，yougiveitup，andwellyoumay；butforaverydifferentreasonfromthatwhichyouwouldhaveusunderstand。Thepoint——

thepowertohurt——ofallfiguresconsistsinthetruthfulnessoftheirapplication；and，understandingthis，youmaywellgiveitup。Theyareweaponswhichhityou，butmissus。

ButinmyhurryIwasverynearclosingthissubjectofmilitarytailsbeforeIwasdonewithit。ThereisoneentirearticleofthesortIhavenotdiscussedyet，——ImeanthemilitarytailyouDemocratsarenowengagedindovetailingintothegreatMichigander[Cass]。Yes，sir；allhisbiographies(andtheyarelegion)havehiminhand，tyinghimtoamilitarytail，likesomanymischievousboystyingadogtoabladderofbeans。True，thematerialtheyhaveisverylimited，buttheydriveatitmightandmain。HeinvadedCanadawithoutresistance，andheoutvadeditwithoutpursuit。Ashedidbothunderorders，I

supposetherewastohimneithercreditnordiscreditinthem；

buttheyconstitutealargepartofthetail。HewasnotatHull’ssurrender，buthewascloseby；hewasvolunteeraidtoGeneralHarrisononthedayofthebattleoftheThames；andasyousaidin1840Harrisonwaspickinghuckleberriestwomilesoffwhilethebattlewasfought，IsupposeitisajustconclusionwithyoutosayCasswasaidingHarrisontopickhuckleberries。

Thisisaboutall，exceptthemootedquestionofthebrokensword。Someauthorssayhebrokeit，somesayhethrewitaway，andsomeothers，whooughttoknow，saynothingaboutit。

Perhapsitwouldbeafairhistoricalcompromisetosay，ifhedidnotbreakit，hedidnotdoanythingelsewithit。

Bytheway，Mr。Speaker，didyouknowIamamilitaryhero？Yes，sir；inthedaysoftheBlackHawkwarIfought，bled，andcameaway。SpeakingofGeneralCass’scareerremindsmeofmyown。I

wasnotatStiliman’sdefeat，butIwasaboutasnearitasCasswastoHull’ssurrender；and，likehim，Isawtheplaceverysoonafterward。ItisquitecertainIdidnotbreakmysword，forI

hadnonetobreak；butIbentamusketprettybadlyononeoccasion。IfCassbrokehissword，theideaishebrokeitindesperation；Ibentthemusketbyaccident。IfGeneralCasswentinadvanceofmeinpickinghuckleberries，IguessIsurpassedhiminchargesuponthewildonions。Ifhesawanylive，fightingIndians，itwasmorethanIdid；butIhadagoodmanybloodystruggleswiththemosquitoes，andalthoughIneverfaintedfromthelossofblood，IcantrulysayIwasoftenveryhungry。Mr。Speaker，ifIshouldeverconcludetodoffwhateverourDemocraticfriendsmaysupposethereisofblack—cockadefederalismaboutme，andthereforetheyshalltakemeupastheircandidateforthePresidency，Iprotesttheyshallnotmakefunofme，astheyhaveofGeneralCass，byattemptingtowritemeintoamilitaryhero。

WhileIhaveGeneralCassinhand，Iwishtosayawordabouthispoliticalprinciples。Asaspecimen，ItaketherecordofhisprogressintheWilmotProviso。IntheWashingtonUnionofMarch2，1847，thereisareportofaspeechofGeneralCass，madethedaybeforeintheSenate，ontheWilmotProviso，duringthedeliveryofwhichMr。MillerofNewJerseyisreportedtohaveinterruptedhimasfollows，towit：

"Mr。MillerexpressedhisgreatsurpriseatthechangeinthesentimentsoftheSenatorfromMichigan，whohadbeenregardedasthegreatchampionoffreedomintheNorthwest，ofwhichhewasadistinguishedornament。LastyeartheSenatorfromMichiganwasunderstoodtobedecidedlyinfavoroftheWilmotProviso；andasnoreasonhadbeenstatedforthechange，he[Mr。Miller]couldnotrefrainfromtheexpressionofhisextremesurprise。"

TothisGeneralCassisreportedtohaverepliedasfollows，towit：

"Mr。CasssaidthatthecourseoftheSenatorfromNewJerseywasmostextraordinary。Lastyearhe[Mr。Cass]shouldhavevotedfortheproposition，haditcomeup。Butcircumstanceshadaltogetherchanged。ThehonorableSenatorthenreadseveralpassagesfromtheremarks，asgivenabove，whichhehadcommittedtowriting，inordertorefutesuchachargeasthatoftheSenatorfromNewJersey。"

Inthe"remarksabovereducedtowriting"isonenumberedfour，asfollows，towit：

"Fourth。Legislationnowwouldbewhollyinoperative，becausenoterritoryhereaftertobeacquiredcanbegovernedwithoutanactofCongressprovidingforitsgovernment；andsuchanact，onitspassage，wouldopenthewholesubject，andleavetheCongresscalledontopassitfreetoexerciseitsowndiscretion，entirelyuncontrolledbyanydeclarationfoundonthestatute—

book。"

InNiles’sRegister，vol。lxxiii。，p。293，thereisaletterofGeneralCassto_______Nicholson，ofNashville，Tennessee，datedDecember24，1847，fromwhichthefollowingarecorrectextracts：

"TheWilmotProvisohasbeenbeforethecountrysometime。IthasbeenrepeatedlydiscussedinCongressandbythepublicpress。Iamstronglyimpressedwiththeopinionthatagreatchangehasbeengoingoninthepublicminduponthissubject，——

inmyownaswellasothers’，——andthatdoubtsareresolvingthemselvesintoconvictionsthattheprincipleitinvolvesshouldbekeptoutofthenationallegislature，andlefttothepeopleoftheconfederacyintheirrespectivelocalgovernments……

Briefly，then，IamopposedtotheexerciseofanyjurisdictionbyCongressoverthismatter；andIaminfavorofleavingthepeopleofanyterritorywhichmaybehereafteracquiredtherighttoregulateitthemselves，underthegeneralprinciplesoftheConstitution。Because——’First。IdonotseeintheConstitutionanygrantoftherequisitepowertoCongress；andIamnotdisposedtoextendadoubtfulprecedentbeyonditsnecessity，——

theestablishmentofterritorialgovernmentswhenneeded，——

leavingtotheinhabitantsalltherightcompatiblewiththerelationstheybeartotheconfederation。"

Theseextractsshowthatin1846GeneralCasswasfortheprovisoatonce；thatinMarch，1847，hewasstillforit，butnotjustthen；andthatinDecember，1847，hewasagainstitaltogether。

Thisisatrueindextothewholeman。Whenthequestionwasraisedin1846，hewasinablusteringhurrytotakegroundforit。Hesoughttobeinadvance，andtoavoidtheuninterestingpositionofamerefollower；butsoonhebegantoseeglimpsesofthegreatDemocraticox—goadwavinginhisface，andtohearindistinctlyavoicesaying，"Back！Back，sir！Backalittle！"Heshakeshishead，andbatshiseyes，andblundersbacktohispositionofMarch，1847；butstillthegoadwaves，andthevoicegrowsmoredistinctandsharperstill，"Back，sir！Back，Isay！

Furtherback！"——andbackhegoestothepositionofDecember，1847，atwhichthegoadisstill，andthevoicesoothinglysays，"So！Standatthat！"

Havenofears，gentlemen，ofyourcandidate。Heexactlysuitsyou，andwecongratulateyouuponit。Howevermuchyoumaybedistressedaboutourcandidate，youhaveallcausetobecontentedandhappywithyourown。Ifelected，hemaynotmaintainallorevenanyofhispositionspreviouslytaken；buthewillbesuretodowhateverthepartyexigencyforthetimebeingmayrequire；andthatispreciselywhatyouwant。HeandVanBurenarethesame"mannerofmen"；and，likeVanBuren，hewillneverdesertyoutillyoufirstdeserthim。

Mr。Speaker，Iadoptthesuggestionofafriend，thatGeneralCassisageneralofsplendidlysuccessfulcharges——charges，tobesure，notuponthepublicenemy，butuponthepublictreasury。

HewasGovernorofMichiganterritory，andex—officioSuperintendentofIndianAffairs，fromthe9thofOctober，1813，tillthe31stofJuly，1831——aperiodofseventeenyears，ninemonths，andtwenty—twodays。DuringthisperiodhereceivedfromtheUnitedStatestreasury，forpersonalservicesandpersonalexpenses，theaggregatesumofninety—sixthousandandtwentyeightdollars，beinganaverageoffourteendollarsandseventy—

ninecentsperdayforeverydayofthetime。Thislargesumwasreachedbyassumingthathewasdoingserviceatseveraldifferentplaces，andinseveraldifferentcapacitiesinthesameplace，allatthesametime。Byacorrectanalysisofhisaccountsduringthatperiod，thefollowingpropositionsmaybededuced：

First。Hewaspaidinthreedifferentcapacitiesduringthewholeofthetime：thatistosay——(1)Asgovernorasalaryattherateperyearof$2000。(2)Asestimatedforofficerent，clerkhire，fuel，etc。，insuperintendenceofIndianaffairsinMichigan，attherateperyearof$1500。(3)AscompensationandexpensesforvariousmiscellaneousitemsofIndianserviceoutofMichigan，anaverageperyearof$625。

Second。Duringpartofthetime——thatis，fromthe9thofOctober，1813，tothe29thofMay，1822hewaspaidinfourdifferentcapacities；thatistosay，thethreeasabove，and，inadditionthereto，thecommutationoftenrationsperday，amountingperyearto$730。

Third。Duringanotherpartofthetime——thatis，fromthebeginningof1822tothe31stofJuly，’83hewasalsopaidinfourdifferentcapacities；thatistosay，thefirstthree，asabove(therationsbeingdroppedafterthe29thofMay，1822)，and，inadditionthereto，forsuperintendingIndianAgenciesatPiqua，Ohio；FortWayne，Indiana；andChicago，Illinois，attherateperyearof$1500。Itshouldbeobservedherethatthelastitem，commencingatthebeginningof1822，andtheitemofrations，endingonthe29thofMay，1822，laponeachotherduringsomuchofthetimeasliesbetweenthosetwodates。

Fourth。Stillanotherpartofthetime——thatis，fromthe31stofOctober，1821，tothe29thofMay，1822——hewaspaidinsixdifferentcapacities；thatistosay，thethreefirst，asabove；

theitemofrations，asabove；and，inadditionthereto，anotheritemoftenrationsperdaywhileatWashingtonsettlinghisaccounts，beingattherateperyearof$730；andalsoanallowanceforexpensestravelingtoandfromWashington，andwhilethere，of$1022，beingattherateperyearof$1793。

Fifth。Andyetduringthelittleportionofthetimewhichliesbetweenthe1stofJanuary，1822，andthe29thofMay，1822，hewaspaidinsevendifferentcapacities；thatistosay，thesixlastmentioned，andalso，attherateof$1500peryear，forthePiqua，FortWayne，andChicagoservice，asmentionedabove。

Theseaccountshavealreadybeendiscussedsomehere；butwhenweareamongstthem，aswhenweareinthePatentOffice，wemustpeepaboutagooddealbeforewecanseeallthecuriosities。I

shallnotbetediouswiththem。Astothelargeitemof$1500

peryear——amountingintheaggregateto$26，715forofficerent，clerkhire，fuel，etc。，Ibarelywishtoremarkthat，sofarasI

candiscoverinthepublicdocuments，thereisnoevidence，bywordorinference，eitherfromanydisinterestedwitnessorofGeneralCasshimself，thatheeverrentedorkeptaseparateoffice，everhiredorkeptaclerk，orevenusedanyextraamountoffuel，etc。，inconsequenceofhisIndianservices。Indeed，GeneralCass’sentiresilenceinregardtotheseitems，inhistwolonglettersurginghisclaimsuponthegovernment，is，tomymind，almostconclusivethatnosuchclaimshadanyrealexistence。