Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1822-04-16
RICHMOND, APRIL i6, I8as.
FOR TIE ENQUIRER.
THE NEXT PRESIDENT.

n
Who shall be our next President 2" is, as
1t should be at this time, question yielding Ia
none other IN ITS Importance and interest To
the people of this Union. In its decision will
be found the evidence of the principles and
policy, which the people, shall think should be
| adopted in the admnstrationof the affairs oil
the federal government. That there exists a
distressing conflict of opinion among those
with whom union should he most desirable, q
mean the republicans,) in relation To the per-
son who Shall gil this Office, is fact as unde-
niable as it is lamentable. But it is to he
hoped, that this disturbance of sentiment has
not yet assumed a character of such inveterate
obstnacy as to preclude a reconciliation, by
| expedients which should be satisfactory to all.
BY what tests should we try the individual
thus to he selected
Those who stood recommended by the
| fame which they had acquired either in the
field or the cabinet, during the revolutionary
war, are either numbered with their fathers,
or are now Of an age so advanced as to forbid
the possibility of discharging the high duties
of the office and the new candidates must
present themselves with recommendations ac-
CURED at later period. What these shall be,
is AN enquiry ofvital consequence.
In expressing my humble views, shall
doubtless encounter an animated opposition
glory acquired in the tented feld.' What
ever propriety there may have been in the Sc
lection of Washington, as the first to fill this
highly responsible station,it should be the pray
er al the patriot and lover ofthe American con-
stitutons, that he should be the last niiiiarB
chtcfdtn upon whom the Office shall he CON
ierred. His eleyation.by the unanimous voice
oil the nation, by III means proves, that his ia
lent IN war was the cause of his SELECTION
Washington was chosen because of other
qualiiications-his retirement to private fife,
without chaSrin or restlessness, for many years
of peace, and his recent zeal displayed i'm
building up the federal constitution upon the
mouei IN winch 1T was presented to his cOun-
trymen for adoption, afforded conclusive
proof that he was "a republican in principle,
and would disdain to trample upon In. liber
ty in the establishment Of which he had equal
~ labored IN the field and the council chamber
Centuries will probably elapsc, before another
Will arise IN whose bosom the love of his
country and the liberties of its people will
not be smothered by the love ofpowerand all
| the pomp and circumstance Of glorious war;"
That ambition which is il constituent so
common in the character of the military hero.
IS not the only ground of objection TO chuice
OF one for this office. Habits of absolute con-
troll, and of the exercise of discretionary pow
ers are necessarily acquired of AN entire dr.
vestrre of which in civil office, instances are
of rare occurrence in the history of the world.
The citizen of the United States cannot but
be reminded of the truth of this suggestion,
by circumstances of very recent date in his
own country
That an Individual now falls an Important
station in the executive branch of the govern
ment, constitutes rather an objection than a
recommendation. The chief magistracy alone
in this department is filed by the goice of the
peopfe. When elected, he becomes vested
with the power of selecting all his coad tutors.
IL these should In ;f!l cases, be looked to as
constituting corps from which his successor
rs 10 be chosen, and the selection of some one
OF them grow into a rule, in the course of time
little difficulty would have TO be encountered
IN the arrangement of a plan by which the re-
| tIriDg officer would be enabled to select his
Successor; and the improper tendency of
such practice few will befoand TO dispute
To defeat any possibility of such AN arrange
menf, should at all times be an object of pri-
mary Importance with the people.
Bnt while the weight ofthis objection is ad-
mitted with It's full force, candOur requires an
acknowledgements, that of those whose names
have been mentioned for the next presidency,
the pieponderance in point of qualifications is
greatly in favor of some one Of the members of
the executive cabinet, and OF these, cannot
hesitate in the expression Of my decided pre-
fereace OF the Secretary of the Treasury
10 any man who has been named, whether
in or out the cabinet, 1 conceive objections
OF a weighty character may be made, but pro-
baby much less to those who are Of the cabi-
net than to those who are not ; but 1 repeat
that of all of them, the Secretary of the Trea-
sury is least Objectionable, when brought to
the test by which would try their principles
This government more than any other up
on earth, is dependent for its preservation up
on strict adherence to the original principles
upon which il was founded. The difference
oil opinion IN relation to these, it is admitted,
has been great, and has been especially mani
tested in the collisions which have occurred
between the two great parties called federal
ISIS and republicans To the latter explicit
ly admit myself TO belong, and acknowledge
my anxiety to preserve the memory and the
practice of The principles for which they con-
tended from the adoption Of the constitutional
the revolution lit should he SO caaled) of 1901,
when by the election of Mr.. Jefferson tho reign
oil federalism was terminated at least for a
short period would to God it had been lon
ger
In speaking of those principIes,no alIusen is
now bad to those questions of mere Temporal
! ry poiIcy, which have ceased with the occa-
slons which gave rise to them, but to such as
were ola more durable character, and likely
to present themselves frequently. First a.
tnong these, are such as grow out Of the con-
structiOn of the constitution, necessarily in
volving the rights and powers as well Of the
people and Of the states, as of the federal go
vernment.* Connected with these more or
less closely, were many questions of policy,
such as the funding system, The expenses Of
government, and consequently, loans, taxes,
armies, navies, &c. all of them pregnant with
consequences worthy ofthe deepest conside-
ration.-Not a year has elapsed since the in