Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1836-10-20

FrEEMEN OF RHODE Isl. AMI.
CoNCLUDED FROM OUR LAST.
But, fellow Citizens, while we are examin-
ing The qualilic atons of the candidates for
the Presidency, let us not forget that highly
lmpoitun, as TINT consideration is, il has be-
come but secondary one. The first and
most serious question IL. shall he present Err
tcutire (hifT be aiIo,crd h select his o,cn suc-
c'Ssor Gm impose him upon he nation? This
Guesll' u the Executive and his adopted sue
cessor intend to settle for Us, il the means
still left in their hands cun be made to hold
out. What they might have done had they
kept posse sslUn OF the thirty millions surplus
it Is fearful to think of.-What they Thought
they could do, was notorious to every body;
and Mr.. Van Buren felt sufficiently at his
ease to remark carelessly, in reference To the
coming election, that he should "Oniy hare 10
wuK oro He course on the 7h Of DecemLr."-
1t is very true that the loss 10 them, Of the i'm.
meDsc surplus revenue, very much lowered
their tone Of confidence and filed them with
''misg,rings" las Mr.. Secretary Woodbury.
describes the troubled state of his mnd) lest,
after all, the people might take the choice of
; their Chief Magistrate into their own hands.
Mr.. V. Ii. could then see 'ip0rtentouS clouds
m The horizOn," and call loudly upon the Con-
auMtOU-Dy tIeln 50 IIltIc new
er resorted to bu, to exalt the Executive n
bove the legislative authority. Really, the
sorrowiul account which Mr.Van Buren, g ives
OF the defeat OF "the great mass of the sup
porters of The Government, in either House,
and Of their finally quitting the Executive and
going over I'm great mgjoritieS," resembles
the "melancholy news" we have often read,
of the capture Of some great garrisoned city,
and the dcscrtion Of the main body OF the ar
my TO The enemy Gen. Jackson also, on oil
occasions, has manifested his disappointment
and wrath, and does not, any more than Mr..
Van Buren,, confnc himself to his official Ga
zcttc for the expression of his disquietnde.-I
I'm his letter "to the Bedford County, Tennes-
see Committee" he denounces he numerous
poliicM dposidtes, whom he charges with a.
bandoning 'ihtr PARTY attachments amt 1850
ciaiions," and he calls upon he people to''crush
this danger" IA queer exprcssonrby selecting
public agents Who WiN carry om the principles
tohich you (says the General to the Commit
tee) haze so fully opprored Of M MY ADMINS
TRATIoN." proclamation, naming Mr.. Van
Buren as his SUCCESSOR would not more plain
ly have designated him as the man who is to
carry on his approved principles. The whole
letter is curiosity, and betrays alarm as well
as anger, in it's writer. lie is indignant that
ulS supporters " III IOt supPOll H'o o''pt'"
Successors, (for that is clearly his nIeaning)
and he declares that the times have become
very epH times. Surely Gen. Ii. was right in
his opinion, that the safety Of our free institu-
tions requires that the accumulated surplus
revenue should be distributed among the
States without delay. When great amount
of surplus money is left at the disposal OF the
: Executive, beyond what is required by an e.
economical administration, consulting only the
public welfare, it will unavoidably be put to
bad if not dangerous uses. 1t leads to bound
less waste and extravaganza IN the public eX-
penditures, to the increase of salaries, and
multiplication of useless officers retainers and
Instruments all dependent upon and subser-
Went to the will Of the Executive, and con-
stantly increasing in numbers, by thousands,
as the means of maintaining them, supplied
from the public revenue, increase, until de-
leterious, paralyzing influence spreads over
the nation, and the Executive Chief finds
himself powerful enough to stride over 1t with
out resistance.
The course Of the sun is not more certain
than is this course of things in the political
world. Look but for a moment and see the
progress that had been in this career, when
check was given to it by the distribution law
ut the last session Of Congress. What is now
called the surplus revenue is said to amount
to over thirty millions; but this is less than
half what the actual surplus would have been,
had not the bulk Of it already been absorbed
and made way with in the manner Just point
. ed out To convince us Of this fact, no rel
ercnce is necessary to particular msapplica-
! tons Of the public money. We need not
point to the monstrous corrnptions OF the Gen
eral Post Office, or to the vast sums lavlshed
upon favoritcs in nominal foreign missions,anc
various other ways. Concentrated evidence
of the fact is before our eyes IN the sum total
+ of the expenditures. We know OF no cause
for any considerable increase in the necessa-
ry expenses of the government beyond what
they were during the administration immedi-
ately preceding the present. On the contrary
: many large, though useful approprlations,v ,vot-
: ed by Congress for public improvements, have
8 been vetoed by the Executive: yet VIC find
, that from about twelve and half millons,th the
average yearly expenditures of the last ad-
: minstration, the expenses have mounted up
to more than forty-seven millions tor the
present year. How could it be otherwise, and
how can we be surprised, when we have seen
, the extraordinary efforts Of the Executive to
work up the whole revenue, and to have 1t all
= placed at his Cisposn, for tlInt purpose. we
recollect the scene which was acted Mt the
close of the session Of Congress before the
las, when the attempt was made to have three
millions Of dollars placed at the disposal ol
the Exc cutivc, without any specific appro'
: prations, and directly in the face OF the Con
4 sttution. II was afterwards avowed by tho
President that this demand was made by hl'
E dIrcction,or with his appreciation. The same
! game was played over again at the last scs
sion. After the Committee Of Ways and
Means had agreed upon and reported an ap
preparation bill to tue House, the Chairman
? (Cambrclcng) just at the close of the session
added several large appropriations never u