Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1839-10-17
MARTIN VAN BUREN ALONE Is
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.

MIR. Rives, in his late speech to the
people Of one Of the counties in Virg inia,
boldly and fearlessly attacks the present
system Of political management, by
which, under the forms Of repre- sentative
government, the present supporters Of
the President are induced to surrender
their most deliberate and solemn con-
victions to his will The power over
the public money, the power over the
moneyed institutions Of the country, and
power over popular elections, are all
welded by the single arm Of the Presi-
dent. liz dictates THE LAW. lie alone
is the party. Listen to Mr.. Rives :
But one more power could be wanting
to establish an absolute and despoic
supremacy in the Erecmiue-a power
over the freedom of individual opinion
and conscience and is not that power,
fellow citizens, already supplied, through
the medium Of that slavish system OF
party discipline, which has received so
fearful and porientous a development
under the auspices of the present admin
istration Has it not come TO be re-
cognzed as fundamental maxim of po-
litical morality, that a man must 90 " iih
His party, right or wrong, at the sacri-
fee Of the most solemn convictions Of
his own judgment, and even ut the hu-
initiation Of belying and going counter
to his recorded opinions, deliberately
proclaimed to all the world Have we
not seen this principle Of party obedience
enforced by the rack and the gibJet, the
denuncialions of the press, the depriva-
tion Of Office, and the nterdiction, even,
Of social communion, by afljxing to the
doomed offender, the foulest epithcts Of
moral and political disgrace And who
and what, fellow citizens, are the party?
| will tell you The President, and the
President alone, is the party. He, in
the mysterious solitude of his own will,
determines what measures are to be
proposed, and which the party are to be
required TO support. These measures
are then brought forward by one or two
accredited organs, whose introduction Of
them is considered warrant that they
have received the Presidential sanction.
If any member Of the party should ex-
hibit signs of thinking for himself, and
OF exercising his own judgment on the
merits Of the measure proposed, it is i'm
mediately inlimated TO him that the Pre-
sident means TO siand or fall by Il, and
with most Of those to whom this appeal
is made, all incl pient scrupes arc at
once merged in the one great interest Of
sustaining the President and preserving
the unity Of the party. IL, however,
4 enough of the recusants, under a solemn
sense of their responsibility TO the coun-
Il try and their own consciences, should
persist in their opposition TO defeat the
measure, the President has nothing TO
do but to hold on and recommend it again
and again, till finally the whole party,
with the exception Of few unterrife d
omia,cs, come in and surrender their
/ opinions to the supremacy Of the Execu-
tive will. THIS is no fancy sketch, fel
low citizens. | wish, for the honor and
happiness Of the country, IT were. /
could appeal to my honorable and able
friend and your former Representative,
who sits near me, (Mr. Patton) whose
lofty independence OF character, no less
than his eminent abilities, commended
him TO your confidence and support, to
say if what we have both seen, in the
highest councils of the nation, does not
too mournlully verify tho picture have
! presented to you. | could cite to you
the eloquent and recorded testimony OF
another gentleman, MIR. legare Of S.
Carolina, who has SO graphically des-
cribed the operations Of this system Of
! party discipline, in the body of which he
was proud but redeemng ornament
a system under which, to use his express
sivc language, ca few leaders dictate
no one knows how, to muliitudcs OF dis
senling, dissatisfied, and yet complying
followers,-ihe whoIe body toing wha
almost re'y member Of IL disarprorcs.'
And is this, gentlemen, Representative
Government, in which the will Of the
people prevails, or is it a monstrous party
despotism, 10 which all power being vir-
tually surrendered to the President ns
The heat ofa party, he proudly gives law
10 the people
/ Ono ELECTION. In Franklin coun-