The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1837-08-08

beh old the boosted reform The annual expendi-
lures gradually advanced from twelve to thirty
millions while the Executive patronage was brought
to bear with resistess and overwhelming lnhu-
ence upon the freedom of elections and on the ac-
ton of every department OF the government
thew would not become the partizans of the Exec
utive, and their places filled by men who were pre-
pared to yield blind and INSCRIPTIONS devotion
10 his will. Patronage thus found its way to the
ballot box; it seized the press-it entered the halls
of Congress-t controlled the national legislation,
and what could not be controlled in advance, was
crushed under foot of arbitrary Executive veto.
So notorious have become these abuses OF power
these fragrant falsifcations of the grand profess
sion with which the administration began its ca
reer that they written as in "letters of living
light upon the heavens above our heads, and the
earth beneath our feet. There is not city viii
age or hamlet throughout the land where the stur-
dest supporters of the administration do not stand
coufounded at the evidence of FALsIFIED PROFESS
and ABUSED POWER, which every where sur
round them.
Nor is this all. The GREAT REFORMER
was not content with bringing his patronage into
conflict with the freedom of ordinary elections, and
thus sublecting to ms control, the action OF the
States and the legislation of Congress. His own
political life was to terminate at the end of eight
years; but he determined to live in the person
of his successor Into the contest of that election
he therefore entered. Upon it he brought to bear
his personal and official influence Having, con-
trary to his most solemn professions, made himself
the President of party, he now openly placed
himself at the head of 1t, and boldly proclaimed his
preference for of the candidates for the
sion. That candidate promised to walk in his foot
steps, and carry out his principles and policy and
was, thereupon elected.
Thus much for the reform which was to give us
an economical administration, and correct the a
buses which it was falsely pretended had brought
the patronage of the government into conflict with
the freedom of elections.
| But it was not enough that the administration,
with it's loud professions of horror at exraN
and abuse of executive power, should have made
these professions the cover of extravaganza and
ali b ,e done & l e
Peopleall for the sake OF maintaining The princi-
Piles of Democracy As wasteful expenditure was
augmented, and Executive usurpatlon grew boloer
and more reckless did the cry of "Demoeracy"
become louder and longer. Every stride in this
career was accompanied by the exclamation-be-
hold our hatred Of aristocracy, and our zeal for
the rights of the dear people
From the moment the present dynasty became
ascendant in 1929 TO the present time, ONE GREAT
PURPOSE has controlled its movements and absorb
ed its energies That PqrP1se has been mt THE
ENCE and POWER. To accomplish it, n more
than ordinary ambition would have been content
with 50 using the power of removal and appoint
ment as 10 convert the agents experimenting the
vast machinery of government into the mere min
listers of the Executive WILL and agents to supcrin.
tend the machinery of party. This would to an
ambition of moro than ordinary grasp, have been
deemed an agent sufficiently powerful to control
State legislation, and 10 influence the deliberations
of Congress- But the ambition of our modern re-
formers reached far beyond this: and the great
project was conceived of reinforcing these means
with the entire of the country, and of IL.
hitting to the POLITICAL, the MONEY POW
Err. And this introduces us to the "EXPERI-
MENT' under which the country is groen-
ing-the beginning, progress and termination of
which will now, as briefly rs possible, de-
scribe.
The great experiment embraced a succession of
experiments, which we will glance ut in their
der. The first the experiment of making the
Bank of the United States u political engine, sub
servient TO the will of the Executive. 1hts cGpeT-
iment failed. The Bank had not mingled in the
politics of tho country, and It would not. 1t had
not opposed the elevation of Gen. Jackson TO pow
er, and it would not, when he had obtained it,bow
to that power The decree went forth
that it should be crushed
The next experiment was TO create doubts of tho
solvency of the Bank-obain vote of Congress
that the public monies unsafe in its posses
sion, and thus sustain the mediatod measure of
their removal from its custody. 1Ats experiment
,faiied Neither could the credit of the bank be
shaken in the public estimation by the fagitious
attempt of the administration to impair it, nor
could Congress be induced to declare the enues
to be unsafe in its custody direct effort to this
effect, resulted in the report of n committee of the
House of Representatives. majority of whom
were the Presidents political frends-that the
public monies aoere safe: and that report was sus-
tanned by an overwhelming vote OF the House.
of the Bank remained mistaken both in Congress
and throughout the country, and the public monies
remained in their legal depository.
And now came the main experiment. The lao
made the public monies removable from the Bank
of the United States only by the Secretary of the
Treasury The President undertook the expert.
ment of commanding that officer, on pain of his
displeasure to do what the ts,o had left to his own
discretion, under responsibility 10 Congress. Mr.
Mclean at the head Of the Department. He
felt his legal responsibility and declined compi-
ance with the Presidents mandate. He trans
ferred to another office, and Mr. Duane select
ed to perform the service To him the Presidents
pleasure was signiied. He hesitated. He was the
Presidents friend-his early friend-and would do
any thing to serve him, but surrender to his dicta
ton the discretion which he was bound by law to
exercise, upon responsibility to another power.
The demand was too much. He declared that the
revenues of the government safe, and that he
could not remove them. The President was mex
orable. The Secretary resigned The great ex-
pertinent struggled for existence. The indepen-
dao Of hnd proved an match