Impressions of America During the Years 1833, 1834 and 1835. Volume 1 (of 2)Power, Tyrone
History
Impressions of America During the Years 1833, 1834 and 1835. Volume 1 (of 2)
Power, Tyrone
Canada -- Description and travel; United States -- Description and travel
On the other hand, our ladies, who would be most likely to monopolize
the house, are in town for the whole session, eager for new excitement,
and prepared to die martyrs to anything that may become the rage: then
again, although I will answer for their capability of remaining silent
during a debate, unless they are differently constituted from their fair
kinswomen, t'other side the Atlantic, yet is there a coming and going, a
rustling of silk and pulling off of gloves, a glancing of sparkling
rings and yet more sparkling eyes, anything but promoters of attention
or order in the house; besides the danger of a faint or two during a
crush or a row amongst the members,--the latter, if one may rely upon
the journals, a thing of nightly recurrence now.
I have many other good reasons to advance, but as they chiefly apply to
the younger members, I think it useless to add them; indeed, my object
in saying so much is rather to justify my expressed opinion, than from
either the desire or hope of seeing an order so likely to prove
agreeable to the Commons' House rescinded.
Politics have rarely run higher, or assumed an aspect more startling to
a European, than during my residence in the States; and though it is not
my intention to deal largely with a subject which every brother
scribbler, who spends his six months here, arranges to his great ease
and perfect satisfaction, yet, whenever I think my object of making the
people known may be advanced by giving a smack of their politics, I
shall do so with perfect freedom, considering this as ground on which
the best friends may differ without any impeachment of good feeling or
sound judgment.
The assumption of a new power by the President in the removal of the
national fund, upon his own responsibility, from the United States
Bank, and in violation of the terms of their unexpired charter, deranged
for a time the credit of the community, and convulsed the land from one
extremity to the other. During this panic, remonstrances and prayers for
redress poured in from one party; whilst addresses, laudatory and
congratulatory, were duly gotten up by the other.
The sea-board cities, together with every trading community, crowded the
capital with deputations, praying the President to restore the monies
and heal the national credit, until their importunities became so
frequent, so personal, and led to such undignified altercations between
these delegates and the chief of the government, that the gates of the
palace were fairly closed against them; and, as the Whig journals
expressed it, "for the first time, the Republic beheld the doors of the
chief magistrate barred upon delegates charged to pour out the
sufferings of the people, to remonstrate against their causes, and to
awaken their author to a sense of his tyranny and injustice."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account