Rutland herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1823-1847, 1839-07-02


myself TO practise upoG the maSims recommended
to others hence feel constrained to retire from
siiustioo where temptations may exist and sus
pcions arise of the exercise Of an influence tend
ing 10 my aggrandzemen,
Accept, sc. ANDREW JACKSON"
1t needs, Mr.. Chairman, but a slight Acquaintance
with The history Of the Presidential canvass. from
1925 to 1920 to sec The drift and bearing of this
extraordinary resignation. MIR. Clay had BEEN by
:he appointment OF the President, transferred from
the House OF Representatives to the Department of
State and thcreupon the clamor Of corruption had
been raised, and conspiracy formed to put down
the Administration. AT this crisis, Gen. Jackson
was brought out, and presented to the country as
the who was to put an end to the appointment
Of members of Congress to Office, and dry up this
source of corruption. Under his administration
legislative purity was to be maintained Congress
was TO DO free from That connexon with the Ex-
ecutive department which, then gave strong ground
OF apprehension and Jealousy :" legislative independ
ence was 10 be strictly guarded calculations from
intrigue and management were to fail : the
morals Of the country were TO be Improved" and
''tbe honor and glory Of The Government perpet-
uated!' But this was not all. If the interference
of Executive influence with legislative independence
was suffered to continue by the appoint ment of
members Of Congress 10 Office, 1t was the Generals
most solemn opinion that corruption" would "bc-
come the order of the day :" that "the People
would be attacked in their constitutional sovereign
ty :" and that " tyranny" would spring up in some
favorable emergency Human nature was then,
in his opinion, pry prone to evil : and the proprie-
ty of the prayer lead US ont into temptation was
presented to his mind in re,y impressive light -
His situation was truly delicate /! He could not
descend from his independent ground by ntrigu.
ing for the Presidential chair and felt 'cons,rain.
ed to retire from situation the Senate of the
United Staies] where he might he tempted TO act
with view to his 'own ACKNOWLEDGMENT = What
modes'y and delicacy What purity and patriot
ism Who could refuse to vote for the man who
put forth such sentiments, aud gave to his country.
men such pledges?
| Mr.. Chairman. it is no idle reminscence that
| calls up these pledges. They throw flood of
| light upon the Administration of the presen, dy-
nasty, and set it forth in bold and emblazoned re-
lief before the country. If they had been faithful
| ly fulfilled, what praise would not have been be-
slowed upon the purity. patriotism, and conss,en-
cy of their author But, sir, they have no, been
F, fulfilled. Every Of them has been violated
openly violated. Instead Of striving to maintain
the legislative purity. this dynasty has, from the
moment of its accession to power, sought to assuil
and corrupt it. Instead Of laboring to sustain the
independent, constitutional checks, they have been
trifed with and trampleG on. Instead of avoiding
a connexion between the Executive and Congress,
which it was pretended gave such strong ground Of
apprehension and Jealousy, that connexion. in the
most odious forms of Executive interference and
- HON carefully cherished and main
tained Instead of Legislative independence, there
has been legislative subserviency. Calculations
from intrigue and management instead of being
defeated have been relied on and corruption has,
indeed, become The order offhe day.
Does anybody deny this? Who is he Can he
be an Administration man? Surely not, sir, surely
not; for will he not admit. he refuse TO admit,
Una: oil this must necessarily be connected with the
practice OF appointing members of Congress TO
ohco Did not General Jackson say that it
would and will his friends make him false pro-
phet Will they now contend, hen the appoint
ment of members Of Congress to the Office has been
rry greatly increased by himself and his fayori,e
successor, that the consequences that he predicted
from The Practice as it existed before such increase
VIII not follow? If the appointment of members
OF Congress at the rate Of ue in an administration
OF four years (for that was all that Mr.. Adams nm
pointed) was TO make corruption the order of the
day, and produce all the evils predicted, what an
amount OF corruption and what MULTIPLICATION of
evils must not nave resulted from the appointment
OF hceniy members OF Congress during the first
fonr years of Gen. Jacksons adminstra,on1-I
And how iearfolly must the corruption have been
augmented and the evils multiplied by the subse
quent addition of more than twenty appointments
OF like character What a sum is here for poi,
cal arithmetic What results would stare gentle. |
men IN the face, If they would apply the simple rule
Of three to this case
Bot startling as would be these results. tbcy
would not exceed the reality, evinced by every
thing we see around US. Sir, we are overwhelmed
win the evidence of corruption. intrigue. manage.
hen'' and legislative subserviency which has been
gathering strength ever since Gen. Jackson came
into power. and put down The pure Administra-
non. What observer Of The signs of the times
has mol seen II Sir, Eota single Congress has
been elected since that time whose members have
not been brought within the charm of Executive
influence by liberal distribution at the AVERAGE
rate OF the appointment Of about tea members of
each Congress And. what is worthy Of specisl
notice, there have been several cases of members
OF Congress who. having failed of reelection BY
'he feope' 10 consequence Of their unscrupulous
oeVo'ion TO The Executive, were subsequently re-
warded for that devotion by appointments a, his