The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1837-09-02

agree tina, the immense yearly paid in for
shall between the time Of collection and the time Of dis
bursement, be wholly unemployed and unproducliye.
"If Mr. Leigh has reference to the friends Of Pres
dent Jackson when he speaks Of the supporters OF the
Executive claims TO power, he may be assured they will
to be united against any such n,oasroas accnmh-
afion of poirer the public money irhich such plan
pouid hrop INTO THE HANDS OF the Exc
CUTlVE Aud we venture to aege, that had such
suggestion come from Gen Jackson il would have been
rung through the Old Dominion with the reiterated false
hoods about the Proclamation and the Protest.
conclusive proof Of all the aspirations which have been
charged to the Hero Of Orleans See (they would
say,) hop he ,rshes 10 put The pabiic money directly
INTO The PALMS Of his friends and pansans,
instead of keeping 1t on deposiie an Banks, ,chenee
IL cannot be drapn for amy other than public pT-
poses tofhout certain detection In such case, noe
should feel thai he PEOPLE HAD JUST CAUSE
FOR ALARM, and ought 10 gire their mosi waiehlui
attention 10 such an effort 10 ENLARGE ExECu-
TIVE POWER, AND PUT IN ITS HANDS THE
MEANS OF CORRUPTION. And arc these the
principles upon which Mr.. Leigh expects return to
the Senate from the land Of Jefiersoni'
In the same article, find the following !:
Abiding TO Mr.. Leigh, the Globe said, He
says, :. 1 will never vote for any measure
whatever that will tend to increase the pa
tronage, power, and influence of the ,Execu-
tive We are glad to hear this, because it is
declaration that he will not vote for the
piid and dangerous scheme he has himself
suggested"
Again, says lie Globe in the same article,
"Mr. Leigh knows that the President himself
is opposed to the project which he ascribes to
his supporters" "rhey 1.-THE friends of the
Presidency look to gold and silver as a general
currency-to restrictions by the States upon
the circulation Of small notes.-the deposite
Of the public moneys in the State Banks, I'M
der the regulations established by Congress
and TO those Banks 10 carry on an future the
domestic Exchanges Of The country for the ac-
commodation Of the Government and the peo-
PIE"
These are the sentiments uttered in the
J" editorials of the Globe" from what hand"
know not. They probably did not obtain
the endorsement of President Jackson, be-
cause find, by the same paper, that he did
not return to Washington from Tennessee,
until the latter part Of October.
In pursuing my researches still farther in
the Globe, have found the proposition of
Mr.. Leigh commented upon more than once,
after Gen. Jackson's return to Washington ;
and from the semi-o6fciai character which the
articles carry on their face, leave little if any
doubt in my mind, that they received his con-
curence and appreciation before they were
published
The following is from the Globe of the 18th
November, commenting on Senator Leigh's
speech delivered at the dinner given to him
at Petersburg, on the 9Th October last"
ave appeal to every frank, singe-hearted Virginan,
who has read this speech, TO tell il he what
his Senator intends 10 pnrsnc the Representative of
Virginia. in relation the Bank Of the United States
and the future repositories Of the public moneys Does
he intend regulate by law the depostes IN the State
Banks Or does he intend to propose and adhere to
his plan Of subdivding the Treasury, and creating
multitude Of Treasurers to keep the public moneys
Or does he mean to vote to rcestabsh IN some shape
the Bank OF the United States! We think it will per-
pick the most clear sighted Of his constituents to per
ceive, amidst the fog Of this speech the path which the
honorable Senator proposes to tread.
The only question which Is likely to he presented
to Congress at the Session s whether the depo-
OF public money the State Banks shall be regu
lated by law, left it now is, to Executive direction
Yet upon this question, the Virginia Senator is totally
silent! While he tits at and things with the valor
and Judgment of Don Qnxotte he carefully avoids the
real question which he will have to encounter IN the Se
nate. Whether he will TO curtail the power of the
Executive in this respect the President has once
commended, and probably will again whether he will
have every thing is, he does not condescend to IN
form the people of Virginia He certainly leaves them
to infer shall presently perceive that he is who'll
ly to the employment of the State Banks, and
viii oppose all legislation which tends TO settle the
question and render the present system permanent
What, them will he do He declares to us expli-
city what sort Of system of repositories, according
to his opinion, the Constitution intended and dclncates
It's features IN the following passage, VIZ;
" Let general Treasury office be established at the
seat oil Government under the management OF ireasu-
rer and local Treasury Offices established III each OF the
States many should be convenient under the man
agenen OF Assistant Treasurers requiring bond and
cdry from the Treasurer and Assistant Trcasurcrs, for
the faithful performance Of their ,rustlct the he
deposited these Offices 1t should be collectedgvc
power the Secretary OF the Treasury to rcdu
dant funds from Office To another where convenience
should require them TO be dlsburscdnve power TO the
Treasurer draw any Office he should think
proper, guarding the power by suitable and efficient
chccks-make it cmbczzement and felony IN him wully
to issue any warrant except under authority OF law at The
bidding OF person whatever; and make 1t cmbczzlc.
ment and felony any Assistant Treasurer to use for his
purposes lend TO others pay away any money
cept TO warrants drawn by the Treasurer III due form OF
law"
This is the notable plan by which Senator Leigh
would diminish the power Of the Executive over the
repositories of public money lnseafof suffering the
President to appoint Treasurer as he does now he
would have hun "appoint as many as should he conve
nient" Or If the appointment were taken out OF the
hands Of the President with the concurrence OF the
Senators, must he vested IN the Head OF inc lrcasu-
nv Department, he made without their concurrence
And when appointed these officers must necessarily be-
all other Executive officers are, subject to re-
mova at the will OF the President Mr. Leigh attacks
the Constitution itself when he contro,erts these posi-
tons. as we shall hereafter show And these Trcasu
rcrs, oil appointed by the President and removable at
his will, with all the public money III their actual pas
sessioa-n Their pockets, desks. trunks, and rdnhs-
arc the opinion Of Mr. Leigh, the constitutional de-
postoIlos of the public moneys in preference to the
State Banks, which guard the public treasure they
do their own which the President has CONTROL
and Treasurer, who instead Of having the money
in his actual possession, cannot possibly get dollar Of
into his own hands, for any other purposes than TO
pay his salary and ordinary office expenses. 1t is
fortunate for General jackson that he does enter
tain Mr. Leighs opinions II he had suggested such a
system, what peas OF patriotic indignation would have