ALS signed “D. Webster,” one page, 7.5 x 7.5, January 25, 1833. Handwritten letter to a gentleman, in part: "I wrote you this morning, sending back sundry memorials, &c—I have since rec'd yrs, enclosing Mr. Webb's memorial, &c, Since money comes in rather slower than I hoped, Mr. Hale's note, (under Mr. Wilde's care) must be renewed, in whole or in part, according to the state of yr. funds—I enclose a blank, The Senate has again passed the Land Bill: & the House is still talking on the tariff." Handsomely matted and framed with an engraved portrait (bearing a facsimile signature) to an overall size of 17 x 12.5, with Goodspeed's Book Shop label on the reverse. In fine condition.
The Tariff Act of 1832 was an improvement on the Tariff of Abominations (1828), but, retaining the protective principle which was unsatisfactory to the interests of South Carolina, it led to the 'nullification' episode—in which the South Carolina convention declared the tariff laws of 1828 and 1832 unconstitutional and void within the state. On December 10, 1832, Jackson issued his proclamation against the nullifiers, and on January 16, 1833—nine days before the writing of the present letter—he asked Congress for additional legislation to enforce the tariff law.
Webster, reversing the position he had taken on the tariff act of 1824, vigorously supported the protections guaranteed in the Tariff of 1828; such legislation was favorable to the financial success of the mill towns in Massachusetts on which his constituency depended. In 1832, when Calhoun and the Southern block voiced vehement opposition to the high rate of duties, Webster was again to side with his special interests in preserving the protections on woolen clothes. He supported Jackson's stand against the nullifiers and engaged in an important debate with Calhoun on the subject in February 1833. Much to Webster's bitter disappointment though the 'Compromise Tariff' was enacted in March 1833.
The debate over tariffs also carried over into the land distribution issue, and again reflected the sectional and partisan divisions in the country. Federal revenues at this time were high from the sale of public land, and considerable discussion was generated over how the funds might best be distributed. 'The West wished the Federal Government to dispose of its public domain either by ceding it to the states, by granting free homesteads or by selling the land at low rates; the Old South opposed liberalization of the land policy and favored a lower tariff as a means of reducing the Federal revenue; the Northeast opposed tariff reduction and a liberal land policy and favored Clay's proposal for the distribution of the net proceeds from the public land sales among the states' (Dict. of American History). Clay's bill was introduced in 1832 and soon enacted, with only a few concessions inserted to appease Western interests.
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