Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1839-05-14

A:c rcan cIZt and lay tie icuntGll"h iht lna us
.ncii"n Of ranks, which. perhaps would rot d" nhhc'
cpprable 10 n, SO who since TIE days of the elder Ad-
have almost arrogaied 10 heir party ali The tath'
all The decency. all the responsibility W nave ,"ah
pehend, therefore, repetition OF tie experiment.
they come into he administration Of the Government,
ana really In nd TO carry out Ihef own PCiesseo Fh
cip!es
What then, ask you. are The peculiar claims Of the
pOrer s,rhiDg party TO the confidence OF tins nation:
What have hey done, when They were in The cscendan
cy, and what do they promise 10 effect 10 cnH'!e
them 10 your support: Were they not iaiy '5tu IN
der The administration Of the elder Adams, and s"bEc
CneEty urdcr the coalition administrator "i Juhh u
Adams and Henry Clay: Their repatriation ny We
nation, on both these occasions, Is now mhllrr "'
history, and requires no COMMIT ut from us Hha'
have YOU 10 expect from such principles ana from
such n party; lhrir great leader, niue Hank III
deed than nany of his followers has eady presented
The proa Of his FIFTY MiiionS Emit; nd we have had
some strong Indications Of disposition, by means OF
rag ia,c, to ahrdgr the irrrd"m q" speech, ana to
make arislocratiC distinction brtwrcn lhc h"H0T""e
GisaiG,irS and The huuMc fuTclionaries Of HE u"
vernmenl On most sub Gets. ii Is IIue, they may
mystify. Bat have surer exponent IT the Pc.
LEY which iEcy would adopt, than the principles 81
the candidate whom they would support Mr.. Clay
is the champion of n National Bank; the father "i
Pro'eclv" Tariff the friend Of Internal Improve
men,s the Distributor of the Proceeds Of ihc Pubic
Lands; aliludna1ian Conslructionis Of The Federal
Constitution None Of those scruples which the Eir.
gina School has c0nscenl"nsly eneralned have served
in the slightest degree 10 arrest his qxcr,lons lie has
even mockt your S'ac Rights doctrines " hat then
can YOU expect from such politician: What assistance
any State Rights mnu lrd 10 HE promotion Of such
candidate or the election Of his supporters
1t would SEEM however that they rely for Your support
on HE alleged abuses I'll the present AdmrIsiin-
ton, ihan any peculiar merits at their own. We
hear them cIamor about the increased expenditures OF
tie Government; about an imaginary spirit {" pr"Srrlp'
t,"n-lhe civilizations OF some public officers, nnd Tie
rtcuinmfnda ions by the President 0l IN independent
L. oh. aud
with how poor grace they emunac from those "ho
advance them AS 10 the EXP, ndIlnrrs a. tie Govern
mCn,. we ask at once, through whose rsttumeh'hhiy
IIsy have been augmented; Can a solitary insiarce be
suggested in which the Wing party has opposed any
measure The of expense? Look to HE journals
a Ccucr'ss-eS"rnine the recorded votes n The mrIn'
hers. ard lei"e you pass Judge ior yons'Ves
whether the Representatives in Congress, oi he very
plriy which makes The charge, have not heel HE most
zalnus urging and snncomnGh y their VOTES The very
EXPENDITURES, which have formed the ground work for
much C!amor against the Administration. Were not
l,arv expenditures part o the policy Of the high la
rf PARTY. and encouraged by thrp. aiorcng e'rx
io ,he continuance OF high dnies: a curihHicnt 81
Tie expenses TO the necessary wants Of the G0vcnmcnt
would have demonstrated too plainly 10 the r"oP" Tie
oppr Of the system Hence The roCy oi lis iGcrts
voting r appropriations for any conceivable pat pose
DO The pnirnns of .hr bills by which millions were
impruvdrnty lnvished in P'nsi0rS? Who were tie cc'
vocaics Of that nrxhnus'lbe source Of exlendns-re
cORuoi.nareS. surveys Nc Tor internal impf iPInfn'H
unlii Jackson 'crUsIcG nchlh
Maysvc Road Bill, by which act Of wisdom and patriot
ism, the Constitution has been preserve d, nii"rS have
been saved and policy defeated, that, lever car'G 'o
execution would only terminate in the utter anni!u!non
of the sovereignty of the States Bat, sometimes
asked by our opponents. why has no, The Presidential
veto been nietpnsed 10 arrest every expenditure winch
he may have regarded ineXpedirnt And may we not
ASK in reply, what would The Opposition have said. ii
the PRESIDE nj hud vetoed Mghiy important bS inrov.
ing no constitutional question, because appropriations
OF money tucked to them and sntdIed upon them,
which lie may not have approved; Did not The great |
advocate Of the Bank--ihe lartand Internal Improve.
meni schemes, Of his TRADE speeches ttnUunCr
the late President General Veto, and complain
most bitterly TINT his avorie measures, believed by
General Jackson to he unconstitutional rs well as mex
pedicni, clay crushed beneath The ver":' II 50 much
camour has been raised in consequence Of The IN
erp"silion Of the Presidential veto, constitutional
questions, What camor would not have been eH |
cited, if que sons Of mere fTp'd"nry ile irfsCrnt
had vetoed bills, which though Objectionable IN some
Of their features could have been rejected with
cut serious derment TO The public service: But, while
al! parties may have been rePreheGs'he Tor the IN.
ere nsed expenditures Of the Government, and The
Wings much more than the friends Of the AdmInls'ra
ton We should before condemn too harShiy all The
expenditures, calmly consider The circumstances I'M
der which they incurred. We should rfcol. |
leC the rapid increase of our country IN Tertiary
ard p0puaiion-ihe admission Of new States into |
the Uuiun-ihe necessary multiplication Of pubic unc
lonnrps-lhe extended and useful though expensive
operations Of the Post Office Department, and the
great but unavoidable augmentation OF rxprrse result
inu from these varinus causes. The naural revenue
has also been expended in GCraying the cost ti eIren
svr Indian wars-ihe exngulshment Of lnran titles,
by which many millions OF acres OF valuable land have
been acquired giving peace 10 our borders, and 'nhrI
inr the national doman-the payment ui pcnsIr MS the
immense augmentation OF which we nave aready NJ" |
Iced-Ihe Of the army and navy--Ile Cr mpr
ton of light houses, &c. We may also add. the arr"
sums Of appropriations estimated 10 lie paid 'rt "f
the Treasury 10 American citizens. in satisfaction !
Of ciams for spu!;a"rs on our commerce 10y i""ign
na,Iuus for which indemnify had been obtained hy !
the energy and determined Of the late 4 diii.
rsraion In addition these considerations it rust
be obvious that the accumulation in the Treasury Of
render The national legislature less provident than they
would have been, with revenue al command not
than ade qua,e TO the necessary wants OF the Govern
men,. (Sse Appendix AZ
But We have heard also tho cry of prescription ras
and by whum? BY The very parry that Lave lost T."
oproruniiy which little brief authority" may have
afforded Them 10 eject from Office, without any regard
to merit, almost every officer in certain States 10
whom they politically opposed If proof hr
Oui.Pd ask you 10 look al the recent political
revolutions in Of The Northern Sintcs-Wc Gsk !
YOU 10 look at The ndiscrirnina,e prescription which
has swept from office almost every Democrat IN Tenn.
sylvania. New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut
with What grace, then, could the Wings complain Of the
proscriplve spirit Of the pPsen,A administration; But
The charge itself correct: Does this proscriptio exist
Having regard 10 the number of public officers which the
increasing business U our growing couLtry has ieito,
requires better evidence than lie caor If Tie Wings
to satisfy that there have been removals under he
rrcs nj ;han under any preceding Administration The
nc proportion of rlccholteTs Tie District Vi Co.
lunbia Who opposed 10 tie Atnnistfa' lon not only
rclurs The charge but furnishes evercc Of moderation
end Eberalny the Chief Magistrate OF the nation:
which is rarely TO bc met with. (Ste Appendix u
The recent deaIca,ions Of public officers have also
been u fruitful. theme of decnmntioa. That instances
should occur of The dishonesty or intompetency OF pub
lie agents in this wide spread Republic, is neither new
nor extraordinary. From the Perl"dof Washington
administration down To the present dn'; indeed. in all
countries and in oil nges many Offices have been
found unable to resist temptation: and he pu lie good
doubt imperiousy requires. that some severe exam
pies should be made, 10 arrest the evil But what Ad
minis,ra,ion can in large majority Of cases be sup
posed to be personally acquainted with the Gnnrsi-
cations Of those who obtain Office /; Geaernl Andrew
jackson himself, though he was entitled 10 the graft.
lude Of his country for most eminent seIvcts was uncr