Chapter I: Front Matter

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_View of the Senate of the United States in Session._

M^{R.} BENTON ON THE FLOOR.

_from a large Engraving Published by E. Anthony_

New York, D Appleton & C^{o.}]

THIRTY YEARS' VIEW;

OR,

A HISTORY OF THE WORKING OF THE AMERICAN
GOVERNMENT FOR THIRTY YEARS,

FROM 1820 TO 1850.

CHIEFLY TAKEN

FROM THE CONGRESS DEBATES, THE PRIVATE PAPERS OF GENERAL JACKSON,
AND THE SPEECHES OF EX-SENATOR BENTON, WITH HIS
ACTUAL VIEW OF MEN AND AFFAIRS:

WITH

HISTORICAL NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS, AND SOME NOTICES OF EMINENT
DECEASED COTEMPORARIES.

BY A SENATOR OF THIRTY YEARS.

IN TWO VOLUMES.

VOL. II.

NEW YORK:
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY,
1, 3, AND 5 BOND STREET.
LONDON: 16 LITTLE BRITAIN.

1883.

Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1856, by
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY,
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the
Southern District of New York.

CONTENTS OF VOLUME II.

CHAP. PAGE

I. Inauguration of Mr. Van Buren 7

II. Financial and Monetary Crisis--General Suspension
of Specie Payments by the Banks 9

III. Preparation for the Distress and Suspension 11

IV. Progress of the Distress, and Preliminaries
for the Suspension 16

V. Actual Suspension of the Banks--Propagation
of the Alarm 20

VI. Transmigration of the Bank of the United
States from a Federal to a State Institution 23

VII. Effects of the Suspension--General Derangement
of Business--Suppression and Ridicule
of the Specie Currency--Submission
of the People--Call of Congress 26

VIII. Extra Session--Message, and Recommendations 28

IX. Attacks on the Message--Treasury Notes 32

X. Retention of the Fourth Deposit Instalment 36

XI. Independent Treasury and Hard Money Payments 39

XII. Attempted Resumption of Specie Payments 42

XIII. Bankrupt Act against Banks 43

XIV. Bankrupt Act for Banks--Mr. Benton's
Speech 45

XV. Divorce of Bank and State--Mr. Benton's
Speech 56

XVI. First Regular Session under Mr. Van Buren's
Administration--His Message 65

XVII. Pennsylvania Bank of the United States--Its
Use of the Defunct Notes of the expired
Institution 67

XVIII. Florida Indian War--Its Origin and Conduct 70

XIX. Florida Indian War--Historical Speech of
Mr. Benton 72

XX. Resumption of Specie Payments by the New
York Banks 83

XXI. Resumption of Specie Payments--Historical
Notices--Mr. Benton's Speech--Extracts 85

XXII. Mr. Clay's Resolution in Favor of Resuming
Banks, and Mr. Benton's Remarks
upon it 91

XXIII. Resumption by the Pennsylvania United
States Bank; and others which followed
her lead 94

XXIV. Proposed Annexation of Texas--Mr. Preston's
Motion and Speech--Extracts 94

XXV. Debate between Mr. Clay and Mr. Calhoun,
Personal and Political, and leading
to Expositions and Vindications of
Public Conduct which belong to History 97

XXVI. Debate between Mr. Clay and Mr. Calhoun--Mr.
Clay's Speech--Extracts 101

XXVII. Debate between Mr. Clay and Mr. Calhoun--Mr.
Calhoun's Speech--Extracts 103

XXVIII. Debate between Mr. Clay and Mr. Calhoun--Rejoinders
by each 112

XXIX. Independent Treasury, or, Divorce of
Bank and State--Passed in the Senate--Lost
in the House of Representatives 124

XXX. Public Lands--Graduation of Price--Pre-emption
System--Taxation when Sold 125

XXXI. Specie Basis for Banks--One-third of the
Amount of Liabilities the Lowest Safe
Proportion--Speech of Mr. Benton on
the Recharter of the District Banks 128

XXXII. The North and the South--Comparative
Prosperity--Southern Discontent--Its
True Cause 130

XXXIII. Progress of the Slavery Agitation--Mr. Calhoun's
Approval of the Missouri Compromise 134

XXXIV. Death of Commodore Rodgers, and Notice
of his Life and Character 144

XXXV. Anti-duelling Act 148

XXXVI. Slavery Agitation in the House of Representatives,
and Retiring of Southern
Members from the Hall 150

XXXVII. Abolitionists Classified by Mr. Clay--Ultras
Denounced--Slavery Agitators
North and South Equally denounced
as Dangerous to the Union 154

XXXVIII. Bank of the United States--Resignation
of Mr. Biddle--Final Suspension 157

XXXIX. First Session Twenty-sixth Congress--Members--
Organization--Political Map of the House 158

XL. First Session of the Twenty-sixth Congress--President's
Message 162

XLI. Divorce of Bank and State--Divorce decreed 164

XLII. Florida Armed Occupation Bill--Mr.
Benton's Speech--Extracts 167

XLIII. Assumption of the State Debts 171

XLIV. Assumption of the State Debts--Mr. Benton's
Speech--Extracts 172

XLV. Death of General Samuel Smith, of Maryland;
and Notice of his Life and Character 176

XLVI. Salt--the Universality of its Supply--Mystery
and Indispensability of its Use--Tyranny
and Impiety of its Taxation--Speech
of Mr. Benton--Extracts 176

XLVII. Pairing off 178

XLVIII. Tax on Bank Notes--Mr. Benton's Speech--Extracts 179

XLIX. Liberation of Slaves belonging to American
Citizens in British Colonial Ports 182

L. Resignation of Senator Hugh Lawson
White of Tennessee--His Death--Some
Notice of his Life and Character 184

LI. Death of Ex-Senator Hayne of South Carolina--Notice
of his Life and Character 186

LII. Abolition of Specific Duties by the Compromise
Act of 1833--Its Error, and
Loss to the Revenue, shown by Experience 189

LIII. Refined Sugar and Rum Drawbacks--their
Abuse under the Compromise
Act of 1833--Mr. Benton's Speech 190

LIV. Fishing Bounties and Allowances, and
their Abuse--Mr. Benton's Speech--Extracts 194

LV. Expenditures of the Government 198

LVI. Expenses of the Government, Comparative
and Progressive, and Separated
from Extraordinaries 200

LVII. Death of Mr. Justice Barbour of the Supreme
Court, and Appointment of Peter
V. Daniel, Esq., in his place 202

LVIII. Presidential Election 203

LIX. Conclusion of Mr. Van Buren's Administration 207

LX. Inauguration of President Harrison--His
Cabinet--Call of Congress--and Death 209

LXI. Accession of the Vice-President to the
Presidency 211

LXII. Twenty-seventh Congress--First Session--List
of Members, and Organization of
the House 213

LXIII. First Message of Mr. Tyler to Congress,
and Mr. Clay's Programme of Business 215

LXIV. Repeal of the Independent Treasury Act 219

LXV. Repeal of the Independent Treasury Act--Mr.
Benton's Speech 220

LXVI. The Bankrupt Act--What it was--and
how it was Passed 229

LXVII. Bankrupt Bill--Mr. Benton's Speech--Extracts 234

LXVIII. Distribution of the Public Land Revenue,
and Assumption of the State
Debts 240

LXIX. Institution of the Hour Rule in Debate
in the House of Representatives--Its
Attempt, and Repulse in the Senate 247

LXX. Bill for the Relief of Mrs. Harrison,
Widow of the late President of the
United States 257

LXXI. Mrs. Harrison's Bill--Speech of Mr.
Benton--Extracts 262

LXXII. Abuse of the Naval Pension System--Vain
attempt to Correct it 265

LXXIII. Home Squadron, and Aid to Private
Steam Lines 271

LXXIV. Recharter of the District Banks--Mr.
Benton's Speech--Extracts 273

LXXV. Revolt in Canada--Border Sympathy--Firmness
of Mr. Van Buren--Public
Peace Endangered--and Preserved--Case
of McLeod 276

LXXVI. Destruction of the Caroline--Arrest and
Trial of McLeod--Mr. Benton's
Speech--Extracts 291

LXXVII. Refusal of the House to allow Recess
Committees 304

LXXVIII. Reduction of the Expense of Foreign
Missions by reducing the Number 305

LXXIX. Infringement of the Tariff Compromise
Act of 1833--Correction of Abuses in
Drawbacks 307

LXXX. National Bank--First Bill 317

LXXXI. Second Fiscal Agent--Bill Presented--Passed--Disapproved
by the President 331

LXXXII. Secret History of the Second Bill for a
Fiscal Agent, called Fiscal Corporation--Its
Origin with Mr. Tyler--Its
Progress through Congress under his
Lead--Its Rejection under his Veto 342

LXXXIII. The Veto Message hissed in the Senate
Galleries 350

LXXXIV. Resignation of Mr. Tyler's Cabinet 353

LXXXV. Repudiation of Mr. Tyler by the Whig
Party--their Manifesto--Counter
Manifesto by Mr. Caleb Cushing 357

LXXXVI. The Danish Sound Dues 362

LXXXVII. Last Notice of the Bank of the United
States 365

LXXXVIII. End and Results of the Extra Session 372

LXXXIX. First Annual Message of President Tyler 373

XC. Third Plan for a Fiscal Agent, called
Exchequer Board--Mr. Benton's
Speech against it--Extracts 376

XCI. The Third Fiscal Agent, entitled a
Board of Exchequer 394

XCII. Attempted Repeal of the Bankrupt Act 395

XCIII. Death of Lewis Williams, of North
Carolina, and Notice of his Life and
Character 396

XCIV. The Civil List Expenses--the Contingent
Expenses of Congress--and the
Revenue Collection Expense 397

XCV. Resignation and Valedictory of Mr. Clay 398

XCVI. Military Department--Progress of its Expense 404

XCVII. Paper Money Payments--Attempted by
the Federal Government--Resisted--Mr.
Benton's Speech 406

XCVIII. Case of the American Brig Creole with
Slaves for New Orleans, carried by Mutiny
into Nassau, and the Slaves Liberated 409

XCIX. Distress of the Treasury--Three Tariff Bills,
and Two Vetoes--End of the Compromise