4 strated will not bring into the Treasury a revenue of eighteen millions of dollars—a sum far below the annual ordinary expenditures of our Government. At a time when the nation is surrounded by difficulties, which ought to inspire its rulers with a patriotic solicitude to adopt all measures necessary to guard its honor and interests by maintaining its credit unimpaired, the American patriot is subjected to the mortifying humiliation of seeing the Executive Administration of his country seek a temporary clap-trap popularity by recommending the enactment of a law “reducing the duty on imports;” and the yet more painful humiliation of seeing that recommendation gravely and seriously entertained by an American Congress. Are the President of the United States and his Cabinet ignorant of the importance of preserving the national credit at all times, but more especially in a conjuncture like the present? Do they not know that there is a close relationship and intimate sympathy between public and private credit? Do they not know that the destruction of the one involves the ruin of the other? Are they ignorant of the evils and embarrassments which never fail to beset a Government when its credit is stricken down? Do they not know that it will be impossible to negotiate loans upon advantageous terms,, or maintain treasury notes at par, when the revenue of the Government 'shall be reduced many millions below the amount necessary to pay its. ordinary annual expenditures? Have they been unobservant of the truth, which experience teaches, that when a nation is embarrassed by such financial difficulties as result from a destruction of its credit, its people cannot prosper? Are the representatives of the people, in the legislative branch of the Government, ignorant of these truths? It would be an unpardonable reflection upon the American people to believe that they have placed in authority, either in the executive or legislative branch of the Government, men who have not investigated and understood these well-settled questions. Why, then, is it that this measure is so earnestly Urged by the executive, and so seriously" entertained by the legislative,, branch of the Government? Why are we importuned by argument and entreaty to abandon the existing law, which as a revenue measure, has proven itself a rock of safety, to adventure upon the doubtful quicksands of wild experiment, that present themselves in the bill now under consideration ? But one answer can be given to this question. It is because party has so decreed. Shall the decrees of that monster nullify the obligations of patriotism, and extinguish the lights of wisdom? The gentleman from Georgia, [Mr. Jones,] a member of the Committee of Ways and Means, who, it seems, was selected to open the debate and commend the bill to the favorable consideration of this committee, placed foremost in his array of arguments the fact that the Baltimore Convention, which nominated Mr. Polk as a candidate for the Presidency, passed a resolution declaring that the tariff act of 1842 ought to be repealed. And many gentlemen who succeeded him in the debate on the same side of the question have urged the same argument. If this is a valid argument, the conclusion would seem to follow, that hereafter the only duty which will devolve upon the Congress of the United States will be, not to deliberate and debate with a view to wise legislation'—not to look to our own independent convictions, nor yet to the will of our constituents, to ascertain our public duty, but merely to inform ourselves of the action of a political con
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