The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-03-20
MR. VAN BUREN's JEFFERsONIAN
PRINCIPLES.

/ ouu iVSoHiiuSnu Ito pubic ditentiOn.
NM. VAN BuREN,s JEFFERsoNIAN
i PRINCIPLES.
With Mr.. JEFFERSON, the qualifications for
office were, "Is HE HONEST? Is he cAPA-
BILE? Is HE FAITHFUL TO THE CoNsTiTU-
TIoNw This was his language in 1901.
/ What are the qualifications for Office with
Mr.. Van Buren, Look at the following from
his Official organ Of Monday night.
ain opinion no man should be entrusted with an
office where want Of vigilance could bring disrepute
on the Government, (much less ruin its fnances)
who did not take an active interest in the success Of the
| Administration"
According TO this, then, it is sufficient that
a man IN Office take an aciipe interest in the
success Of the administration" for him to re-
tain it, no matter what lack of vigilance
may be proved against him, bringing dis
repute on the Government, and ruin on its
finances !" On this principle it is, we sup
pose, that LEVI WOODBURY. is to be continued
in office, who, in our opinion, by lack Of en-
ergy, vigilance, and his incompetancy, has
done more to bring the Government into dis
repute, and to ruin its finances, than all those
who preceded him in the Treasury Depart
ment put together. So, also, upon the same
principle, the First Auditor, First Comptroller,
the Solicitor of the Treasury, and the Col.
lectors Of New York and Philadelphia, are
to be continued in their offices, notwithstand-
ing want Of due vigilance is proven against
them; because they /" take an active interest
in the success of the Administration.
Let US contrast the principles Of JEFFER-
SON and the practices Of Mr.. VAN buren, in
another respect. Mr.. Jefferson said in his
inaugural address in March, ls0l--that
"Having banished from our land the religious in
tolerance under which mankind so long bled and suf
fered, have yet gained little If we countenance
political intolerance, as despoc, as wicked, and
capable Of as bitter and bloody prosecutions"
With Mr.. VAN buren,, intolerance and pro-
scription are the order Of the day. We have
before, adverted to the fact, Of individuals
being proscribed-removed from Office on
suspicion merely of their entertaining opinions
Of Conservative character. Under such
system we may talk of Republicanism, but
in reality we have practical Despotism.
--------------
THE EXECUTIVE ARMY OF OFFICE
| HOLDERS-THEIR INTERFERENCE IN
ELECTIONS.
MIR. JEFFERSON in letter to Governor
McKEAN, Of Pennsylvania, dated the I'd
February, 1901, speaking Of the Federal
officers obstructing the operations Of the State
/ ~ Al. -
interterences with elections, whether Of the
State or General Government, by officers Of
the latter, should be deemed cause Of removal,
because the constitutional remedy by the cleo
tive principle becomes nothing, if it may be
smothered by the enormous patronage Of the
General Government"
In accordance with these doctrines and for
the purpose Of carrying them out Mr.. Jeffer-
son, while President issued circular adj
dressed to ofice-holders under himself, from
which the following is extracted:
The President of the United States has seen
with dissatisfaction, officers of the General Govern
ment, taking, on various occasions, active parts in
the elections OF public unctionareS whether Of the
General or State Government. Freedom of election
being essential to the mutual independence of Go
vernment and of the different branches of the same
government, SO vitality cherished by most of our
constitutions, i is deemed improper for officers de-
pending on the Executive OF the Union, to attempt
to control or influence the free exercise of the cleo
tive right Il is expected that no officer will attempt
| TO influence the votes of other men nor take anv
part in the business of electoneerng-that being
deemed inconsistent with the spirit Of the constiu,
ton and his duties"
How does the practice Of Mr. Van Buren,
and the policy advocated by his friends in the
Senate correspond with those principles Of
Mr.. Jefferson We will show.
Early in the session Mr.. Crittenden intro
duced into the Senate the following bill:
BILL to prevent the interference Of certain Federal
! officers in elections. a
To the end that the great powers given tothe officers
/ OF the Federal Government, and other persons en-
ployed in its service may not be used for the in
| fuencing of elections, which ought to be free and
| incorrup:
Be ii enacted by The Senate and House OF Reprcsen-
tatires Of The United States of America in Congress
assembled That from and after the first day Of April
in the year one thousand eight hundred and thirty
nine, no marshal or deputy marshal, no postmaster
or deputy postmaster, 10 receiver or register of a
land office, any OF their deputies or clerks sur
veyor general Of the public lands, or any of his
deputies or assistants, collector, surveyor, naval
officer weigher, gauger appraiser, or other officer
or person whatsoever concerned or employed in the
charging collecting levying, or managing the Gus
toms, or any branch or part thereof, no engineer,
officer or agent employed or concerned in the exc
cuton or superintendent of any of the public works.
shall by word, message, or writing, or in any other
manner whatsoever, endeavor TO persuade any cleo
tor to give, or dssuade any eleclor from giving, his
vote for the choice Of any person TO be elector OF
President and Vice President Of the United States,
or for the choice of any person 10 be Senator or
Representative in the Congress of the United States
or the choice OF any person 10 be Governor or Lieu
tenant Governor OF any State of any person TO be
a representative or member in the Legislative De-
partment of any State of this Union the choice
of any person TO serve in any public Office establish