Richmond Indiana palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1837-1839, 1837-07-08

and Lexington ru0d-Whlch was urged e.
nd passed part Of great line Of coumunsca- 10
ION from Washington City to Fosencc, IN Ala
anna, branching OF from the Cumberland Road G,
4 GAINESVILLE: ne vetoed the bill giving aid to IN
his all-important and national work, the ground n
+ alleged unconstitutionaisy, while at the 4,
ime be signed the bills, which, year after year,
made heavy appropriations on the Cumberland n
ODD, part Of the same great undertaking, and 4
resting on precisely the Same principle, Ear ~
could conceive, Of nationality in its object. The
distinction taken by Gen. Jackson was, that the 9
appropriation for the Cumberland road was made d
. contract with the states; If q
contract to violate the constitution could give
right to violate it. No, fellow-citizcus, it Q
mere Protencc to extend executive discretion, and
to compel those who sought the passage of laws d
favorable to their sections Of tho country, 10 seek
it through executive, rather than the Legislative
action That no actual constitutional scruPlc ev- 9
cr did rest upon the mind Of the President, and !
prevent his sanction Of that law, infer from
other distinction still ridiculous, which he
adopted in another class Of cases. Many aPPro-
Priations were made by congress for the improve
ment Of rivers, which, with some exceptions,
that l need not here stop to point out,) rest on
precisely the same ground with roads and cantsls.
The president undertook to discriminate among
them, and to make some constitutional and others i
not and the rule which he laid down was, that
all which were below a port Of entsy were consti-
tutional, and he gave his sanction all above, vio
lated the constitution. The senators from Indiana
made several attempts to get an appropriation tor
improving the navigation Of the Wabash river, |
but their bills were vetoed, They then cndeavor-
ed to get port of entry established higher up the
river, 30 that it might become const;tusi0sat 10
make the contemplated improvements. This
suggested to friend Of in the house Of repre-
sentatives a most compendious remedy for the G.
viii He drew up a resolution, Il believe he did
not offer it,) making the high lands which sepa-
rate the waters falling into the Gulf 81 Mexico
from those falling into the Atlantic ard the st.
Lawrence, one continuous port Of entry, Sd that
it might become constitutional to improve the
navigation fall below. But ridiculous rs these
distinctions were, they served to concentrate
power and influence IN the hands Of the executive
Il caused those who sought favoss from Govorn-
, ment to seek them through him, and it made his
very capriccs more potent than the sound intei-
gence Of the nation bcsides, backed and support
sss~- sesa another favoeite pursuit Of the past
] administration, by every means which could DO
used with effect, either by new Legislation, by
new aud arbitrary construction, to rcnder the laws
the public officers in their execution. ! need in
f stance only the inroads which have been made
upon our land system, formerly the most perfect
n perhaps that was ever devised.
e Instead of the regular sales to the highest bid
# ders, fair competition and equal privileges "a
IS all purchasers, and the universal right to make
e entries after closing the sales, such it
der our old and we-tried system, set Of pre- emp
n ton laws were commenced under the last admin
If stration, g. continued until the winter Of 1856
when we succeeded at last in arrcsting their pro
s. gross but VIC could not put end to the evil.
If which they had produced. need not detail to you
gentlemen, the frauds, the poculation, the awles:
n violence that had its origin in those emptiOu
4 laws, which were feigncd to be intended for the
m benefit Of the poor, while in fact they only in
e rich Spectator and monopolisf look at it herr
4, in different and more important aspect; as
if measure, part Of system, whose whole tendon
Of cy was put down the law and the power Of law
d. and substitute in its place personal caprice ant
Ne executive discretion. The right to prc-emptio'
nd had to be proved before the registers and recciy
or of the land Offices, and their certificate wa
Id generally conclusive Of the claim. A legal RICH
nc must be lost by the i'll will Of those officers,
claim, not legal, might be sustained by their q
n vor. In some cases they became partners in tn
ed claims which had to pass under their sanction
IS in others, they cof,tented themselves with advan
cling the interests Of their personal friends and
vs. litical partizans. Sometimes appeals were "a
ken from the decisions Of registers and receiver
y, to the commissioner Of the general land Office an
he while fellow-citizen, governor Brown, was q
lr the head Of that bureau, neither private fraud
nd political favortism was countcnanccd there Bu
n he too honest to hold Office in these times
ur and under that administration. His situation wa
rendered unpleasant; he was annoyed, assailcs
n, ridiculed; and 1t last resigned.
u AS the measures OF the past administration ar
re to be carried out by the present, we shall, n
&C. doubt, have forced upon the country another
it, Of presumption laws the vocation Of the Profe
Of sional squatter will become again profitabl
vocation, and, If any you venture to 60 to th
W to bid for land at the public sales with tn
y, hope Of securing favorite spot, which to Sc
1r- tie your children, your bid will be drowned b
m the voice Of an angry multitude, yourselves q
sailed, for daring to oppose the new power whic
has risen up and taken the place Of law, under d
lly late glorious administration.
Of BY means like these, which have touched u
on, but have not been able fully to detail, all u
he patronage and power Of the government, the pov
ng Of removal, the legislative power, the dspeis
IN ing power, the judicial power; all the powers
ed the government, except the control over the Pu
he lic purse, have been drawn together and cents
ver cd in a single hand: and did he leave the PCsa1
ev- runsE, the other great lever with which nsfs'
NJ, are moved and directed, did he leave pat 2.
on touched or unattemptedf No;-the sa9ggso e
II skas is too recent. vas too long continued and q
nj fierce, 10 have been overlooked o. osgottea-
~ see many of the ooassqoeecos O snes ooose'
1el a(keefa. n nef