The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-05-14

MANY opponents when II was nFnt PFopose0; Dut
like that i i assuming psrtx nss And ,ae
traticn be NOT broken down. " party vote for
he benefit Of party. Rscendy two distinguish
81 SENATOR. and leading friends Of the Admin
;strstion (Mr. Benton and Mr.. Buchanan) have
avowed their advocacy Of il the press defends
h: and If the "!Sub-ireasury" is adopted, this
win follow in the wake. ! arm opposed, fellow
citizens. 10 all bankrupt laws, on account Of the
a;sainctiou il makes between the merchant and
the farmer, and mechanic, and the injustice OF
cancelling just debt by iap against the con-
sent Of the creditor but am more particularly
opposed TO this scheme, which would invade the
power and Dust the jurisdiction Of the States
over their own institutions.
The fhird objection which take TO Mr.. Van
Buren's policy is the authority which he claims,
that the Executive should be left al liberty to
use banks or not, in the financial operations OF
the Government, Al its discretion. ! find the
following sentiment in his message Of the Sd day
Of December, 1888:
!" Like other State establishments, they may be used
or not in conducting the affairs Of the Government
public policy and the general Interests Of the Union
may TO require"
This authority would leave the Executive in.
vested with discretion that would enable u,
with the influence OF its patronage, 10 draw into
its embraces, and subject to its policy, the sound
eat and most efficient banks Of the community
Through this instrumentality the Executive
would address the most susceptible Of all pas
sions, self-intcrest. Without any argument on
my part, put in contrast with this view Of Mr.
Van Buren,, those Of General Jackson upon the
same subject, BY which it will be seen how dia-
metrically opposite are the views of the sue
cessor' and the predecessor. In General Jack
sons message Of December, 1884, he said:
ttIN THE REGuI ATOMS WHICH CONGRESS- MAY FIRE.
scaIBE REsPEcrIN0RrHE CUSTODY OF THE PUBLIC MO-
NEy, DESIRABLE THAT As LITTLE DISCRETION AS
MAv ~ Dn&MED CONSISTENT WITH THEIR SAFE KEEP
ING, smoULD BE GIVEN TO EXECUTIVE AGENTS. No
can be more deeply impressed than ! with the
soundness of the doctrine which Restraints and limits
by specific PROVISIONS Erecutipe discretion, far
can be done consistently with the preservation of its
constitutional character In respect TO the control
The public money, this doctrne is peculiarly applied
Me.'-Gensrdl Jackson's Message, December, 1885
Again he says upon this subject:
" The duty OF the Legislature to define by CLEAR
and POSITIVE enactment the NATURE and EXTENT OF
the action which il belongs to the Executive to super
intend springs out Of policy analogous to that which
cnoins upon all the branches of the Federal Govern
ment abstinence from the exercise Of powers not
clearly granted"
In his cabinet manifesto Of the 18th of Sep
TENDER, 1885, he said
" In Kidding the country Of an irresponsible power
must be taken not to unite the power with the
Executive branch To give President control the
currency and power over individuals possessed by
the Bank Of the United States with the material
difference that he is responsible TO the people would be
as objectionable and dangerous TO leave 1t il is.
Neither the one the other is necessary and there
fore ought not to be resorted to-"
And again:
"The attention of Congress is earnestly invited to
u, of the State hanks nv
law Although the power now exercised by the Ex
ecutve department in this behalf is only such
uniformly exerted through every Administration from
the origin of the Government up to the establishment
of the present bank yet it is one which is susceptible
of regulation BY ato and therefore ought not to be
regulated The potper of Congress to direct in 1rhdt
places the Treasurer shall keep the moneys in the
Treasury and impose restrictions upon the Execu
tive authority in relation their custody and remora
is uniimited and its will rather be courted
than discouraged by those public officers and agents
on whom the responsibility for their safety 1t is
desirable that little power possible should be left
the President the Secretary of the Treasury over
those institutions ,rhich being thus freed from Err
ecutipe influence and tcifhout common head to direct
their operations lco1ld hare neither the temptation
the ability to interfere in the political conflicts Of the
country Not derivihy their characters from the na-
fionai authorities they monld nerer hare those induce
menfs to- NEEDLE in general elections rlich hare led
the Bank of The United States to dgifdfe and conpuise
the country for up,oards Of tiro years"
General Jackson sought to tie mp the hands of the
Executive By ld,c, Mr.. Van Buren, to keep them
loose and unshackied. The Sub Treasury
friends of the Administration see imminent
danger to the purity of the Government and the
safety Of the people, in regulating the deposites
of the public money in banks by laaD; but they
see none in leaving the Executive at discretion
upon this subject, and giving them the Sub Urea
sury as sapper and miner, and the bankrupt
law as a battering-ram to operate upon their
fears The discretion of this active, restless,
and aspiring department of the Government, is
much more safe, in their estimation, than
"lap"!!! Combine this with the other pow
ers now in, and proposed to be placed in, the
hands Of the Executive, and how formidable
and dangerous it will be none can be so blind as
not to see.
The fourth and not the least formidable ex-
cepton which take to Mr. Van Burens Ad-
ministration, is the following recommendation
of the Secretary Of War, for what he is pleased
to call the organization of the militia:
al is proposed to divide the United States into
eight military districts so have a body Of ficeire
thousand fire hundred men in ACTIVE service, and
another of equal number as a RESERVE. This would
give ARMED militia force Of fico hundred thousand
men, SO drilled and stationed as to be ready to
take their places in the ranks, in defence Of
the country, whenever called upon to oppose the
enemy or rcpel the invader. The age Of the
RECRUIT to be from ficenfy to Mirtyseren. The
whole term of service to be eight years four years
in the first class, and four in the reserre. One
fourth part, twenty-five thousand men, to leave the
service every year. passing at the conclusion of the
FIRST term into the reserve and exempted from ordi
nary militia duty altogether at the end of the second
In this manner twenty five thousand men will he dis
charged from militia duty every year. and five
thousand RECRUITS be received into the service
II will be sufficient for all useful purposes that the
mainder Of the militia, under certain regulations pro-
vided for their government, be enrolled, and be
mustered at long and stated intervals; for in due
process of time, nearly the whole mass of the
militia will pass through the first and second classes