Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1838-08-31

has The word lost its meanng' lie is now
voting fifteen hundred dollars a year for a
gardeners salary, The gardner of the palace.
IL shou!d promote the prosperity Of the
people. las the government done this !
have not their measures tended rather to
destroy all lar business, to cripple trade,
and annlhllate Industry The farmer, in.
stead of finding ready market for his wool,
| sells 1t at low prices, or keeps it on hand.
The government instead of consulting the
peoples interest, are striving to promote
their own. aud using the people as instrI.
mens to help on their plans. What is this
but despotism. The first principle of des-
potism is that the people are The creatures
of the government They claim to rule
by diUine right, and that the people are
bound to obey. Despotism cries separate
The government from the people and let each.
guage of Mr.. Van Buren,. and The conse-
quence is that the prosperity Of the people
is secondary matter. But softly, my
masters, the people witI take care Of them.
selres. and their agents too, such care as
some of them may not relish.
| 1t would be waste of time TO point out
in detail The injurious measures Of the gov.
eminent they have all been injurious. II
any one doubts this, let him point out ono
of different character. Their measures
have all one tendency, one object, to ad.
vance their own interests. They begin
boldly to assert this. 1t has been declar-
ed by authority, that, notwithst anding the
decision Of Congress, they viii pursue their
own plans, in spite Of all iamentation.
Mr.. Van Buren's leading measure, and
indeed the only leading measure that can
be called his, is the subtreasury, the meas
ure on which they stake their reputation
as practical politicians. The avowed OBJ
ject Of this is 10 separate the government
from the people-nothing more nor less
than practical despot.m. The object Of
this measure cannot be mistaken, nor its
probable results on the business and pros
perity of The country. IF any doubt, they
are beyond the power Of argument, and
can only be convinced by that stern teach-
er misfortune. This is one of the expert
ments and has been denounced by Mr.. Van
Buren's former friends, Hives, Preston.
Tallmadge, and Legare, and voted out Of
Congress but the Vanites, in defiance Of
public opinion, still adhere to it. 1t is
their last plank, and they cling 10 it for dear
, life. Blair and Kendall have issued their
orders and the army Of emIssarles, office
holders and dependents are at their posts.
Another object to be attained by the peo
pie, is I o preserve power in their own hands.
, the leading features of republcauism is
that the people are The source of power,
and that in order to preserve institutions in
their purity, this power must be preserved.
| IL r., al,
exposed are anarchy and despotsm. 1t
was at first feared that anarchy would BE-
! our ruin but time has shown this was
mistake, and the thoughtful have long
since perceived that the tendency of the
government is TO despotism. This is the
Y danger to which we are now exposed, and
t It demands anxious attention We must
e not be so simple as to suppose that men
< have ceased to feel the influence of impro-
!" per motives. The time will never come
g when the allurements Of power will have
e no effect. The possession Of power creates
d the wish TO use it, and all history is full Of
the melancholy examples Of misguided peo.
. pie who have contided too much and been
!, enslaved. This is The rock on which we
:. shall be dashed; and that the evil may net
!, happen in our day. let us resist the at.
+, tempts that are making to increase The
, power in the Executive.
u The constitution OF the United States
o has vested extensive powers in the Presi.
dent, sufficient Tor all sautarv purposes
! and unless we intend to give him crown
!! and regalia of royalty. we should be careful
+ how we increase it. He is necessarily the
q commander Of The army and navy; he has
y the power OF nominating to all offices. fill
IA ling oil vacancies, &c. The executive
patronage is now so great that Mr. Calhoun
: and others long since sounded an alarm.
y He has all power but the money power
! give him that, and he need ask no mans
leave to pass whatever law he pleases. He
is dictator.
1t is of the nature Of power that it 10
5 continually stealing from the many to the
i against the possibility of danger. Nom
0 power should be delegated than necessity
requires, and even then it should be SO
guarded that the people can resume it at
pleasure. A blind confidence in rulers is
an evidence that the people have begun to
lose that nice perception of danger essen
llal to the preservation OF liberty. Tho
strong desire to invest the President with
e the dangerous control of The money power
is alarming. He is simple indeed who
thinks hat the President would not abuse
. that power. The Presiden, is but Il man.
and has given small evidence that he is
. superior to ambition. His ambition may
b not be of an elevated order, but in small
n way and to the extent C his capacity, he
f has quite enough of it. There is no lack
t Of evidence of his desire for power. His
: life has been one determined struggle for
it. Power has been used not for the &C.
compI'shment of grand designs, but for the
little objects Of sefishne,s, He is little
: | nd moi q lonl, for nrnat cnhnmpS