State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1831-1836, 1836-04-05
MONTPELIER, (vT.) APRIL ., 1880.

81 say that, in the exercise of the elective
franchise, the people possess the means OF
correcting all the eritS which may arise in
our Government; and that IL ought to be
used for that purpose"
Upon the third subject of inquiry, he
replied
"That President of the United States
is bound to consult the wisees of the Peo-
pie who may have elected him, as far as
they may comport with the constitution and
the principles on which it is formed"
In a letter addressed, about the same
time, to Mr. Stevens, of Pennsylvania, he
says, in reference to the proposed exercise
of the Executive po,cer of the United States
in the suppression of masonry, that
at could not fail to be the parent Of
mlschieis, infinitely greater than those
which it is the design to cure" He adds:
"No, my dear sir, do not let the General
Government interfere with the domestic
concerns Of the States. Correct disorders
that may arise of that character, by the
po,Cer of the people themselves, or by the
authority of the State GcuernmentS;, and
let the appointments by the President be
made upon the good old rules of Jefferson
honesty, capacity, and fidelity to the
constitution; and further requirement,
which | know he always made, that Of
their being acceptable to the People for
whom they were Immediately to act"
On review of the positions thus taken
by General Harrison, the following appears
to be their substance:
!. That he regards the existence of
freemasonry as San eua, both MORAL and
POLITICAL"
2. That, sin the exercise of the elective
franchise, the people possess the means
of correcting all the eUiiS which may arise
in our Governments and that 1t ought 10 be
used for that purpose"
3. That the question with regard to the
suppression of freemasonry is "a domestic
concern of the States; that it properly ap-
pertains to the polUcr ofthe people Themselves"
and that it would be dangerous to commit
departments; and
4. That appointments by the President
should be made upon the good old rules of
Jefferson--"honesty, capacity, and fidelity
to the constitution; and that they should be
acceptable TO the People for whom they
are Immediately to act"
COlltSS, sir, tllul, VII ClOSc chuIlIlld-
ton of this subject, | am disappointed.
On glance at those letters, some time ago,
hastily came to the conclusion, which /
perceive you and some others have drawn,
that General Harrison was opposed to
political anti-masonry. In this, ! was
mistaken. lie not only says that masonry
is ga moral and political evil" but he
most clearly recognises the right and the
ala of 40 n ~ n "a n
else of the elective franchise. But, then,
work of the "peOple themselves" or the
General Government. And, it was in rela-
ton to the exercise of the power by this
latter authority only that he made the
remark, so often qt oted, That it "could not
fail to be the parent .f mischiets infinitely
greater than those which it is designed to
cure" The unfairness of making him
use this language with a reference TO the
power of the people to correct the evil
of treemasonry by the exercise of the
elective franchise, or in reference to the
power of the State Legislatures to suppress
it, is too plain TO need comment. General
Harrison, therefore, stands substantially
upon the ground where the anti-masons
have rallied from the beginning; namely,
that masonry IS an eriI, moral and political,
and that the people may correct it at the
bdlLot-bor
You will excuse me for having thus
dwelt upon this subject, for | feel concern
ed, and it should he the concern of all who
love the cause of antl-masonry, to Vlndcate
the anti-masons of Pennsylvania from the
imputation of having abandoned their
ground in the nomination they have thought
proper to make for the Presidency. The
Improperly of the objections urged against
their nomination is rendered more apparent
by comparison of the ground taken by
their candidate, with that of Mr. Writ i'll
1881. 1t is objected that though General
| Harrison asserts, as Mr. Writ did, that ma
sorry is a moral and political evil, and
recognises the propriety of correcting il
by the exercise of the elective franchise,
and the authority of State legislation, yet
he does not admit the propriety of sublec-
| ting it to the action of the General GOUeI7i-
ment, and deems it dangerous that it should
( be made a test by the President in the
exercise of the removing and appointing
power.
And lis not this substantially the ground
taken by MIR Writ in his letter accepting
the anti-masonic nomination in 1881? Hear
him:
81 had supposed Ihe says in addressing
the committee of the convention which
nominated him) that the very principle o.
your union was n war of indiscrimnatC
prescription against all persons throughout
the United States who had ever horne the
name of mason; that you would put in
nomination no person who he'd ever beer
a mason himself, and who would not
moreover, pledge himself to become par
~ to such war of determination, ant
uieId the appointing po,0er OF the Office
under your dictation; who would not, it
short, become the President Of your party
, instead of being the President of the UnitCc