The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-04-10

800 /. hgae 10 voa on every breeze Niii not
shsA ~ y. ....s.s.rv M hasusge The Executive
~ ~. H. command ~ the Army and Navy
IN 4, psl into his hands the money power
80 &, ,vefnaseai, which bsl,ngs TO the people
t,a.,r Repgesentalivesf 10 other words you
aal a - lanraare u oar Revolutionary Fathers,
$3.50 A. IA. and, the puaSE AND rnE swoaDf'
$3.50. a,.,.r a 1 nov exercised BY the Executive
s1.n-y yer ooniempaiei By the trainers ~ .as Son,
,ralion Their JEALOUSY was sspee'y ~ 49,,
,s,,as ne Lsgidafire power Such was 'ne theoty
S,hs 4, ,yern,nen, Bur 10 is practical operation,
,isy M. pre~ent Executive, he has nsn'peu inc
n1Wer, 81 Congress. say usuipei-,i ~ ma'ef
N what means he has golien consfy =. ~ as.en "
~. ,nenbers Of thai body and made them su'ser.
tne ~ ILL /, a an aSurpaiioa OF power, aud
s.im chsrae,eri,e Il by no mildcr term. care not
now he has gained his ascendaney ute. ~ memoers,
whether by force or iraad O. o' py nus
.1s III SEDUCTION or By parry dseipine, or py any
az " 49, n ,hr Independence oi the represen-
on,si - = as.,,oved by Executive infuence-if he
a-s mi aci Ia his legislative capacity according 10
his own Judgment ana ~ aeeotaance whn tne
of The legislative by the Executive power;
sa H. inevitable tendency Is 10 change the repre-
san,,Iye character Of the Government, and even
,n1iIy 10 concentrate all power in the hands OF one
man This Is no idle assertion, made for effect here
or elsewhere. | speak from my most deliberate
;nlgment and from my most honest convictions. /
speik Of what my own eyes have seen and my
own ears have heard" No one who has no, been a
roo sufficiently appreciate IT, have seen Il in all
N. stages of It's progress, aud Of its alar ming in
duence over the representatives Of the people until
il has risen,
Like colossus and we petty men
Walk under lis huge legs, and peep about
To find ourselves dishonoribse graves"
Ihave seen the drill serseants of the Executive
training members for the performance OF duties
which he had pre- cribsd and for the support of mea
sures which he had dictated | have seen with what
reluctance they have yielded ptheir own judgments
and their own consc!ences 70 his holy keeping. |
have heard them condemn. In the most feeling m1n-
per his Subtreasury scheme, rs ruinous 10 every
branch of business and destructive 10 the best in,e-
rests OF the try, and al the same time add, g"
NUT vote tor IT, because IL is party m easure"--
Whenever one has b..n found more refractory than
the rest and has had The independence TO withstand
the inporuniiies and the discipline OF these drill SER
gean,s, the President has not hesitaed 10 send for
him, and put him through the manual exercise"
himself Such is The hunilating condition of some
of The Representatives. of free people. They bow
down before Executive power the devotees OF East
dDatory PROSTATE themselves be fore the car Of
Juggernaut. When this direct application Of party
discipline has failed other means have BEEN resorted
TO- All The arts Of seduction have been practised-
All The Establishments Of Executive power have been
held up before the dazzed vision oil those whom he
wished to bring 10 his support. Temptations to un-
dermine their political integrity, have been placed in
their way, in order 10 make them the supple instru
VI III.
justice 10 those gallant Consei vatives that Spartan
Blnd," who resisted TO the eGd the temptations as
well as the Establishments Of power. Whose patriot
ism scared above the grovelling pursuits Of party,
and from that lofty elevation like The bird OF Jove
took in its comprehensive view, the country, the
whole country, and nothing but the country" Had
they been governed By any o,her motives had they
been ambitious Of place and high official station they
would have surrendered themselves, BODY and soul
to the Executive will and received at his hands the
price oftheir humiliation and disgrace. They would
have sacrificed the interests of their constituents and
oil the whole country, merely To satiae their nppe,e
with The "spoils" OF Executive triumPhs. But they
were governed by higher motives, and took their
stand for nober purposes-and although the Conser-
valves 60 for the credit system, still the Executive
offered to pay dogn. Without reference 10 others
iee myself justified in alluding to the distinguished
Senator from Virgi la, (Mr. Rives,) whom am
proud to call my friend, and to bear my testimony
TO his manly and patriotic resistance Of all attempts
u seduce him from the path Of duty and of honor.
The Executive tenderedto him, and urged upon him,
Inc highest offices within his gift-oficeS which, IN
der other circumstances, might have gralified the
amb iion of any man. But he firmly resisted all
these seductive offers, and determined to do his duty
to his country, regardless OF consequences, personal
or political, as long as he was recruited 10 hold
seat in the Senate of the United States, and that in
suca crisis as this nothing could tempt him 10 aban-
don that seat ill the expiration Of his term. Thus
did this little band like Leondas and his Spartans
at the straits Of Thermopylae resist the myrmidons
OF power; and thus far have they saved the country
from being overrun by host of Executive officers
and hungry expectants more dangerous TO the purity
OF our government and to the spirit Of our free insi
tutions, Than The Persian host under Xerxes was TO
the civil Institutions Of ancient Sparta--and thus
will! they continue to resist this power, unless by the
perfdy Of some modern Trachinian, they shall b.
betrayed into the hands of the enemy. When the
Executive had failed 10 command their services; Ell
Their by purchase or persuasion, he determined to
wreak his vengeance on them and punish their OBJ
sinacy by prescription and denunciaton. The par
ty press, leashed like hounds only waited the sign
TO hunt them down-and no sooner was the signal
given, by the bull dog that hows around the Execu.
tive mansion, than all the little ours "rray Blanche
and Sweetheart" joined in the yelping chorus. No
considerations OF past services could stay the punish
ment which had been awarded by the Executive de-
cree 1t was in vain that we had done the state
some service" II was Off avail that we had car
ried the distribution BILL by which Mr. Van Buren's
election TO the Presidency was secured, as he and
every one knows, who knows any thing Of the history
OF those times, and without which he could never
have been elected II was sufficient for him. that we
had carried that bill in diDbedienec of orders not
outstanding he was told at the time, and as the re-
suit afterwards showed that aside from its intrinsic
merits II was his political salvation In the then pend
ing contest. But General Jackson, who had recon-
mehded il in three several messages had now be-
come opposed to ii, and, Of course, Mr.. Van Buren
was opposed to also-and the discipline of party
wood not tolerate the dsobedence Of orders, how
ever signal nigh; be the benefits derived from it,
w suppose that the pactises Of modern warfare, as
Illustrated in the history OF our country, would
satuIe 70 us in political contest that indulgence
wnGh IN gratitude Of the nation had extended to
h hnotner service. When the gallant CRoGHAN and
T'N ofaVe comrades, during the last war, defended
ro,, stephenson on the Sandlsky in disobedicacc of
""s's' ana thereby savel the whole Northwestern
army, congress honored them with resolution of
, ,nankS ana subsequently with sword for his dis
tpSulsned services We asked no such compliment
ON VIZ Van Buren, Tor having saved him and all
nspasgase, But we had reason to hope, that ac-
cofdins TO the enlightened policy of modern times,
we should De permitted to retain our heads upon our
shoulders In this we we're mist ken so far ne his
disposition went to take them of. We soon found
ma we we're TO be subjected to the sternes discipline
q the Romans long betorethe Christian era of which
history furnishes signal example. When the Con