The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1836-04-06

the evidence Oh tnis ouuaSc W t"' iatcse
posterity Shall this President, so glori-
Gus in peace and in war. so successful at
home and abroad, whose administration,
now hailed with applause and gratitude by
tho people, and destined to shine for un-
numbered ages in the political armament
of our history shall this President, whose
name is 70 live forever, whose retirement
from life and services will be through the
gate that leads to the temple of everlasting
fame; shall he go down to posterity with
this condemnation upon him, and that for
the most glorious action of his life
Mr.. President, have some knowledge of
history, and some acquaintance with
the dangers which nations have encounter
ed and from which heroes and statesmen
have saved them. have read much of
ancient and modern history, and 40 where
have found parallel to the services rem.
dered by President Jackson ia crushing the
conspiracy of the Bank, but in the labors Of
the Roman Consul in crushing the consplr-
acy of Cataline. The TWO conspiracies
were identical in their objects both direc-
ted against the Government, and the prop
ery of the country. Cicero extinguished
the Catiln@ean conspiracy, and saved
Rome; President Jackson defeated the con-
spiracy of tn, Bank, and saved our Ameri-
ca. Their heroic service was the same, and
their fates have been strangely alike. Cic-
ero was condemned for violating the laws
and the constitution; so has been President
Jackson. The life of Cicero was attempt
ed by two assasslns; twice was the muir
derous pistol levelled at our President. All
Italy, the whole Roman world, cried out
against the injustice done to the patriot
Consul; all America is now crying out a
gainst the injustice done to the patriot Pres
ident. Twenty thousand young Romans,
in a procession to the Capitol, tore the sem
tence of the consul's condemnation from
the fasti of the republic; million of Amer
leans, fathers and heads of families, now
demand the expurgation of the sentence a
gainst the President. Cicero, followed by all
that was virtuous in Rome, repaired TO the
Temple of the Tutelary gods, and swore
upon the altar that he had saved his coun-
try f; President Jackson, in the temple of
the living God, might take the same oath,
and find its response in the hearts of mil
lions. Nor shall the parallel stop here
but after times, and remote postcrltes shall
render the same honors to each. Two thou
sand years have passed, and the great ac-
tons of the consul are fresh and green in
history. The school-boy learns them the
patriot studies them the statesman applies
them: so shal! it be with our patriot Presi-
dent. Two thousand years hence,--ten
may, while time itself shall last,
for who can contemplate the time when the
memory of this republic shall be lost : while
time itself shall last, the name and fame of
Jackson shall remain and flourish and
this last great act by which be saved the
Government from subversion, and property
from revolution, shall stand forth as the seal
and crown of his heroic services. And if
any thing that myself may do or say, shall
survive the brief hour in which live, it will
be the part which have taken, and the ef-
forts which have made to sustain and de-
fcnd the great defender of his country.
Mr.. President, have now finished the
view which an imperious sense of duty has |
required me to take of this subject. thrust
that have proceeded upon proofs and facts,
and have left nothing unsustained which |
feel 1t to be my duty to advance. 1t is not
my design to repeat, or to rccapitulate but
there is one further and vital consideration
which demands the notice of remark, and
which should be faithless to the genius of
our Government, if l should pretermit. 1t
Is known, sir, that ambition for Office is the |
bane of free States, and the contentious of
rivals the destruction of their country.
These contentious lead to every species of
injustice, and to every variety of violence,
and all cloaked with the pretext of the pub
lie good. Civil wars and banishment at
Rome: civil wars, and the ostracism at A
thens; bills of attaindcr, Star Chamber
prosecutions, and impeachments in En-
gland all to get rid of some envied, or ba-
ted rival, and all pretexted with the public
good such has been the history of free
States for two thousand years. The wise
men who framed the constitution were well
aware of all this danger and all this mis-
chief, and took ctfectua care, as they thought
TO guard against it. Banishment, the os-
tracism, the Star Chamber prosecutions,
bills of attainder, all those summary and Vi
olent modes of hunting down rival which
deprive the victim of defence by depriving
him of the Intervention of an accusing body
to stand between the accuscr and the trying
body; all these are prescribed by the gen.
ius of our constitution. Impeachments a
lone are permitted; and these would most
usually occur for political offences, and be
of u character to enlist the passions of many,
and to agitate the country. An effectual
guard, it was supposed, was provided a
gainst the abuse of the impeachment power,
first, by requiring a charge to be preferred