Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1830-08-18


made prohibiting it, the appointment of
members of congress may be made. But
if the constitution allows of such appoint
ments, it does not follow that its auth.ri-
! ty is to be exercised to an abusive extent
And if it be improper, as general jack
son asserted, that any member of con-
! gress should be appointed to any but a
high judicial station, it was competent in
him to remedy, in practice, the defect OF
the constitution.
! The hostility of general Jackson to
corruption may be only appreciated by
the number of printers appointed to Office
during his administration. That number
constantly augmenting, is believed to ex-
ceed fifty. Whilst no class of our fel-
low citizens ought to be prescribed, it is
equally clear that none ougth to obtain an
undue proportion Of the public Offices
Above all, should the public press, the
! fountain of intelligence to the people, re-
main pure and uncorrupted. 1t is con-
! fidently stated that the number of print
ers selected for the favor ofthc president
in comparison with the total number in
the United States, far transcends the
proportion of appointments from any other
class or calling
| If we look abroad for the course of the
present administration, we there behold
an entire change of the representatives
of the United States, substituting, at
! great and unnecessary expense, untried
and inexperienced men, for those who
had an intimate and thorough acquain-
tance with the governments at which
they were accredited, and with our inter-
ests, to be there sustained.
| The condition of our Indian relations
will be hereafter more particularly noti-
ced.
| If we turn our eyes upon our domestic
concerns, every thing appears uncertain
and unsettled. The great policy of the
government, fixed by upwards of twenty
years of steady practice, in regard to in
ternal improvements, overturned-the
tariff threatened-thc union itself mena-
ced by partizans of this administration
claiming for each state the monstrous
privilege of nullifying and setting at
naught, an act passed by all the United
States in congress assembled. And fl
nally, in direct opposition to assurances
so frequently made prior to the late cleo
ton, the president has permitted himself
again to be formally announced to the A
mcrican people as candidate !
| The committee, forbearing to dwell
longer on this too faithful picture of the
condition of our national affairs, will now
proceed to call your attention more par
ticularly to the several resolutions adopt
ed at the public meeting in Fayctte.
! The three first resolutions relate to
the important subject of internal improve
ment. They affirm, among other things,
1st, that the president was supported by
a large portion fthe people of the Unit
ed States with the distinct understanding
that his opinions, on that subject, were in
perfect accordance with theirs, and with
the established practice of the govern
ment. And is not this true We ap-
! peal to the recollection of all conversant
with the incidents of the late presidential
canvass, and especially to his supporters
! in this and other western states. We
refer to his recorded votes, in favor of
measures of internal improvements in the
senate of the United States. Recollect-
! inc these things, could the late meeting
| in Fayette be otherwise than surprised at
the late course of the president ?
/ And 2dly, that the reasons assigned
by the president for the exercise of his
veto are unfoundcd and unsatisfactory.
| After manfesting evident regret that
any power was ever exercised over the
subject, by alleging the difficulty
growing out of the practice of the
government, of "bringing back the
operations OF the government to the con-
struction ofthc constitution setup in 1898 /;
assuming that to be its true reading; ''ai-
ter declaring that no bill which claims
| jurisdiction over a national road, for the
sole purpose of defending and protecting
! it, can receive his official sanction; and {,
after whiting away the power to mere
ton of roads which he deems national, ,
! the president conceives that to the eXccr-
| cisc Of this remnant of power, sit is not
only highly expedient but indispensably
necessary that previous amendment OF
the constitution, dclcgating the necessary
power and defining and restricting its cx-
crcise with reference to the sovereignty
of the states, should be made" Even
if the agency of the general government
be confined to the appropriation of mo-
ney, in aid of such undertakings, in yir-
tue of state authorities, "thcn the occas-
ion, the manner and the extent of the ap-
preparation, should be made the subject
of constitutional regulation" Thus does
the president sweep away the whole