The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1838-03-10
TO THE ADVOCATES OF THE SUB
TREASURY IN THE TWO HOUSES
OF CONGRESS-.

SO peculiarly constituted is the mini, that
no folly however great, no scheme however
absurd, and no theory however visionary, that
has ever been submitted to the public, but it
has found advocates. But the great redeem
ing point from error and heresy, is to be
found in the sound sense, the honest motives
and the general search after truth that operate
upon the great mass of mankind. A recrcant
spirit may sometimes prove treacherous to its
trust, blind zeal may sometimes bewilder
the Judgment, and power may for time over
shadow the independence Of action, but there
is great conservative principle so pervad'ns
in its operation, that it ultimately trluinphs
over. these obstacles and the common veal is
reached.
These general principles we will apply TO
particular case that is now fully before the
country, in which is involved some of the lead
ing considerations in one general proposition.
We would respectfully ask, and beg. to be an
swered in candor and sincerity, if the Sub
Treasury scheme had been introduced to the
consideration of Congress by less imposing
source than the Chief Magistrate, or had
come with the stamp of his opposition, how
many Of you would have been found its advo-
Gates upon its merits How many of you
would atthis day with the proof before you Of
the popular condemn ,ton of this measure, be
found stern enough to disregard that opinion
and still to press it upon the country We
ask you in the sane spirit of candor, if your
present advocacy of this "untried expedienf'
is not more in obedience to the Executive will,
and to the party course it has taken, than to
any independent conviction of its utility, or
any patriotic beefthat your constituents and
your country ask il at your hands So in
trinsically exccptionable do we consider this
measure, so manifes,ly unpopular is it with
the people, so extraordinary have been the
means to defend il as measure upon the sue
cess of which depends the fate of the adj
minisration,' that we believe if it had been
Invested of these extraneous and fictitious cir
cumstances, you would have been among the
last to have given it your support and to ha-
zard the consequences of that reprob alton
which is every where rising up in judgment
against you! We are strengthened in this
opinion from the known fact that at the COM
mencenient of the extra and the present ses-
sion, when you were directly from the people
and from hcalthful atmosphere, many Of you
were avowedIy opposed to this measure in all
its bearings, but your opposition soon gave
way to an influence that would have made ii a
vitue to have resisted.
If we are correct in this, what moral
may be deduced from it. Does it not
prove that there is a power in one branch
Of our government too strong for the indie
pendent action of another Does not that
power destroy the relative balance between
the coordinate departments as established by
the Constitution Does it not take from the
representative character its very essence,
faithful regard for the constituent will
In the face Of this alarming evil, how can
you consent to bring this Sub-Treasury plan
into operation, and by so doing augment to
a still greater degree the overgrown power of
the Executive branch ofthe government, which
at this time holds the mastery over the co-or-
dinate and co-equal branch, as declared by the
Constitution! Ii the measure had no other