Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1837-04-21
THE FAREWELL ADDRESS.

sdcrcd the paper pdrportlng TO be the
Farewell Address Of the late President Of
the United States as hardly being legiti-
mate subject for criticism, but rather cnti-
tied, as the closing scene Of the Generals
political life, to forbcarance, &c. This
opinion we have not changed, so far as the
Generals responsibility for the Address is
concerned. Considered, however, as the
production of other minds, which he has
only signed, it presents itself 10 a different
point of view. In this light the matter is
placed in an article in the last number Of
the New York Evening Star, under the
signature Of II. M. B. (H. M. BRAcKES-
RIDGE, a gentleman with whose character
and talent our readers are well acquainted
After numerically ridicuing the thought
of the late Presidents initiating OF likening
himself to WAsHrNGToN, in this matter of
the Farewell Address, Mr.. B. lets us into
the following piece offs secret history, for n
continuation of which no one probably is
possessed of more ample materials than
he Mat. Intelligencer.
"The Farewell Address is in all prooab
: ilty the production Of some such father Of
his country as Amos Kendall, with just q
sufficient spice Of Jacksonism to give it
uraisembiance. kno,o something about
these .(arepeH addresses, having written
two of them for him. The first of those
was on the occasion of his taking leave Of
his command in the army. The only part
of it which was his, was an uncouth mem
'orandum, containing some Liberal and
ungcntlcmanly reflections on brother
officer, who stood high in the esteem of
his country, (Gen. BRowN.) but who, in
recent military order, had been so unfor-
tunate as to speak with disapprobation of
the practice of whipping in the army; and
this was all he contributed TO the address.
The paternal advice to the young officers,
and the fine military and patriotic feeling
which breathcd through the rest Of it,
we're altogether dramatic. The other
a. State paper was on his leaving Florida,
where he had displayed his ercessive ener-
gy for some months as military aud C lvll
governor. you know said he, what
will suit. Accordingly, wrote an ad
dress, without single suggestion from
him, and which was signed without sin.
gle alteration. The address alluded to
was often quoted to prove the fitness of
General Jackson for civil government, to
show his exalted love Of liberty, and the
absence of dangerous ambition in his ma
'ture. 1t was highly eulogized as his pro-
'duc,ion. own l. had some design, by
contrast, in portraying out what govern
ment ought TO be, to express my opinion Of
what he ,oaS."
"The incapaciiy of General JACKSON has
become so proverbial. that it would be
mere affec,ation of delcacy to be silent.
sMr. DUANE has declared that he has no
s distinct ideas on any subject and Mr.
BERRIEN very significantly says, that
which e;sn l write > meaning that Jack
SON signs that which he does not write. -
AT the commencement of his Admnlstra
'lion pleasant anecdolc was related to me
bv one of the clerks in the Department Of
State. General JACKSON, having received
a complimentary letter from BUsTAMENTE,
president Of Mexico, sent it to the office
swilh the following laconic endorsement :
"Mr. VAN buren, will reply to the letter
of General Bus,amente ,oiM The )rankness
of SOLDIER" The Secretary laughed
heartily at this conceit, as he was neither
Il soldier, nor remarkable for frankness."
So much for Secret History. The con.
clusion of the article Of Judge BRAcKEN-
RIDGE. from which we copy the above, is
so forcible, and full Of political truth, that
we copy it, although it is commentary on
leading feature of the Farewell Address,
from which we have ourselves purposely
RETAINED:
81 have not sufficient respect for the new
Farewell Address to examine it infinitely.
A paper coming from what ought to be
considered an authentic source, claiming
the merit Of paying the national debt for
General Jackson, because he vetoed few
trifllng improvement laws, saving at the
spiggot whilethe bung- hole was left open,
could only be addressed to the grossest ig-
norancc. The writer must have laughed
in his sleeve at the absurdity OF such an
idea. He was catering merely for the g
norance Of a man for whom no hattery was
too gross, an ignorance whose inseparable
companions, according to honest John Bun
yam, in his Pilgrims Progress, ARE dark
ness. obs.nacy, and concet.
"Thcre is doctrine asserted, however
which has been so often repeated by the
late Administration, that it is evidently O
favorlte with Jackson, and at the same time
of the most dangerous character. Indeed
if it be received by the People as orthodox
it will produce an entire change in the ma.
ture of our Government, For our repre-
sentative system, ii substitutes an IMpRAcTI
CABLE democracy and in e6ect creates &
PRACTICAL MONARCHY. 1t is, that the Elk
ecu've is the representative of the whole