Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1835-01-26
.vvcuBURG, JAN. 26. 1885.
r.r HUMBUG DINNER.


oa' ar Congress, ostentatiously claiming fo
msn'o, the sppclla,ion of "Repnbican," to III.
hem'': n al who do no, sing hosannahs to Gen
eheo' v.,led themselves Of the return of til,
Sae1' If January to commemorate by a baccha
on".' arousal the extinction of our National
ae.a" connection with the Victory Of New Or
''1 po,b of these events constitute proud Pc
'e'" N our national history, 10 which the mind of
''o's ,,,o, will we hope, al all times recur with de-
.'I and both of them well worthy Of com
.,on. illustrating, as they do, the valor and
.,r,oism of our soldiers & the magnitude of our
u" 'sa,rces as well the wisdom and good faith
TT Distinguish our government, IN the fuhmcnl
VIM" NV. ono,oemep,s. But we hesitate mot to say
" ho,h ,hc victory Of New Orleans and the pay
'., Of our public debt may be justly regarded as
c,ami,iss, it, instead of being made mat
n General congra,ulation and rejoicing, they
o to be sezed upon by party leaders, perverted to
,ho narrow purposes Of faction, and made to serve
y. lad ,ers. whereby knavcs and chasla,ans shall
40 Elevated to power, over the heads of men dis
,;nsuisbeJ for public and private virtue, andI for
..en, which dignity their country aud adorn the
noe in which they live.
we have waded through the nine columns of
.meches and loas,s which were born Of this famous
w,sssil with unminyled feelings of disgust.
such spirit of servility and man. worship-such
m ul,ef disregard of principle studied con-
cealment of iru,h-such open and apparent hypo-
caisy-hat we almost despair Of The Republic, y
that has bred in its bosom, at so carly period OF
is existence, when nigh suppose that Public
Virtue among Public Men was something more
than a name such host of corrupt placemcn,-
such band Of spurious patriots, whose horizon IS
bounded by ,heir own party attachments, and
whose ambition is limited 10 the smiles and favors
of tho great dispenser Of public patronage
Thomas II Benton presided at this hunbug din
r,r-ft genius for such cnrnival-and Messrs.
Polk Of Tennessee, King of Alabama, Muhlenburg
Of Pennsylvania, Wright of New York, Wayne
81 Georgia, (who la,oly received his reward by
nronoiion to the Supreme Court,) isaac h'H, Bed
ford Brows of North Carolina, Morris OF OHIO
Brosn of Indiana, John Y. Mason OF Vrgino,
Kane of Illinois, Dltkcrson of New J'rsey, and
Hall of Mo ne, were the Vice Presidents.
The revels were opened by speech from the
Missouri Senator, which, save the quality OF bre-
yity, which he rarely exhibits, is dshgurcd by the
o,u, charactcrs,ics of his hypebolical illusions,
40 often mistaken for coquencc and profoundly, by
shoss who consound mystery with sobI'muy, con
fused metaphor with classical crudi'ion, aud I'M
p,ient pretension with extensive aualnments -
Mr. Benton attributes (by implicatlon) the victory
Of New Orleans to the single arm of Gen Jack
san, and the credit of paying off the National Debt,
/. in like manner, referred exclusively to his saga
rny and prudence, Nor was Mr.. Benton alone, IN
thus decking the brow of the President with stolen
1aures bu, in this ne was followed by the entire
company who alluded to these events. and nearly
all of them did so. In relation to the New Orleans
victory, VIC do not design now TO say any thing
That matter is so well understood by every body,
shat it is unnecessary. But we do cmphaticai'y
deny that Gen. Jackson deserves any peculiar cred
il for the extinction of the National Debt--nay we
boldly assert, that the unprecedontcdy LAVISH ex-
pendiures of his administration far greater than
those Of J q. Adams's administration, and many
Of them too, for pur poses which he has himself de-
eiarcd 10 be unconstitutional, has retarded mat
event, perhaps year, or mo e. Even nan ms au-
m .nistrat,on, however, been distinguished lo' "s
rigid economy instead Of its cx,ravaghnt pro os'oh
Of expenditure, we shout deny his claims 10 any
tp.cnliar credit for the extinction OF the NaUoha
Debt. because il Glanced to happen during his OH
clul term Of service. And ~hyl Because tha'rc-
sut IS n od,ccd by a measure with which ne
had no agency e,,hcr in its inception, lls progress
or its consumm a,ion-a measure winch was s',en,-
w. though surely, tending to this event, and when
would have iufaIl,biy led to il, had Gen. Jackson
never lived or had he revcr occupied the Prcsoen-
sial chair or being President had he exer,eo 'nc
whole weight of his official and personal influence
Ia ,hwart its operations. What was that srea'
measure 7 We beg leave to answer TINS enquiry
in the words of the National tntcltigehccr' na'
paper says: ad tram
The moment oe The return "f peace ana 't""-
guilty to our country was seized by inc Fa"lo'
and enlightened William Lowndss, OF oou'" O''
DINA, and his intelligent assoc" cs !" oo"S
10 obtain the legislative sanction {" inc es'"o'''".
man, If a Sinking Fund to the final ex'inguishneh'
Of the Public Debt. BY the gradual x silent opera
ton Of that Sinking Fund, the debt has come 10 On
end. Through the administrations OF MI Moh'oe
and Mr.. Adams the public faith p'edgc oy
wa, sacredly guarded & the change OF au'hl',''''a
ton in 1920 left, for those who came ln' "on." "
d., to secure the speedy extinction OF inc 'o''' ~.
TO refrain from laying uni allowed nahus 0" "'"'
sacred fund. The paying oil OF the fu".'' D..''
therefore, is merit not due to any adn''''S""" ""
particularly, or at least not to the pfeseh' o''' 'y
one that has preceded II, but rather 10 INC o' o,'.
principles o. our government. II dc''s"'s a.. ""
knew Mr. Lowndes to connect the eVeh' WV" a.
memory. 1t is but just, however, to say '"a' " ~
tert Galla,n belongs the honor of the or.s"a
suggestion of the plan for the hnai exu"cuo"
the public debt (on which Mr.. Lowndes's plan wa
builO which NAV be found in a report to IN
Committee of Ways and Means of the House U
Representatives in 1902, then commu"'e"'e' y
that committee to the House -,
We repeat it, then, that the operations OF IN
Sinking Fund System, have led to the ex.'n So's'
n,cnt of the public debt-and not the wislon,
tcn. Jackson, or the character OF any one or al,
the measures recommended and sancioneh by h'''
previously to or since his accession 10 me 'e'
dency. What credit then does he deserve ior 'h'