The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-09-22

hand he holds the sword, and in the other YOU
propose 10 place the purse. And when you have
organized your proposed standing army of two
hundred thousand men--all accustomed TO look
up 10 the President their great head and COM
mander, and have placed the public money in
the hands of men who are his mere menials--
what security shall we have lett for our Liberties 2
What check upon the ambitious designs OF some
daring usurper hereafter2 None, none, what
ever You will hold your rights and your PRIV
leges at the mere will of one man. who may be
called President, but who will be a monarch in
fact. For il is not the crown which he wears, or
the sceptre that he Yields, that constitutes
KING; i is the royal prerogative he assumes, and
the royal power which he exercises. The proud
and naughty Romans submitted to an Inpera-
tor, or Emperor, with unlimited power, at
time when the recollection Of Tarquin rendered
10 them odlous the name of king Augustus
well knew that the diadem was only the badge,
and not the source, OF power. Cromwell was
not less monarch. because he bore the name
of Protector, or Napoleon, because he was called
Consul. The substance OF liberty once parted
with, its forms become an unreal mockery.n
have always been accustomed TO look upon the
custody of the public money by the Representa-
tlyes Of the People as the main check upon pow
er and as one Of the great conservative prlncl-
plies Of free Government. The downfall of the
Liberties OF every People may be generally traced
to this unhallowed union of the executive and
money power. For without gold, no usurper
can command the services of those who, with
il, may be made the agents of his ambition.
The history of all Governments, pretending to
any degree of freedom presents a continued
struggle on the part Of the Representatives Of
the People against the control of the public rea-
sure by the monarch. When force has failed,
bribery and cunning have frequently succeeded.
The gold of Philip effected what his prowess
and all tha ole ,Nf he.
mes could not save the liberties of Greece, when
the conqueror came with the sword in one hand
aud golden brides in the other. / believe the
great secret of English liberty is, the controlling
power exercised by Parliament over the public
treasure of the nation The power of the mon
arch to declare war is mere brtttum fntmen,
while the Commons hold the purse. What pro-
lection would have been afforded TO the rights OF
Englishmen, against the daring spirit of the
Henrys and the Edwards, had the money Of the
country been at their command, or in the custody
| Of those who were under their control2 What
other protection has that People now against
the extravagant follies of youthful Queen, ex-
cept the wholesome restraint that is exercised
| by Parliament in regard TO the money Of the
| county? If she had had control of the public
treasure she would have been spared the tears
which she shed, few months since, because
| fifty thousand pounds per annum was not voted
TO her peued husband. Although Wellington
might have been saved the name Of rebel, which
she applied to him, on that occasion, still he
would probably have paid the forfeit Of his rash
ness by odgmcnt in the tower.
| What no other people ever surrendered, ex-
cept at the point of the sword, you here propose
TO yield gratuitously without struggle. If the
People sustain this measure, then there Is but
one example in history, that know OF, that can
| show parallel TO such Illuminating self sacr-
| fee that is, where the People of Denmark, in
| 1860, without force or menace, abolished the
Constitution of the States which secured TO
them their privileges, of their own free will, and
granted absolute power to their King, Freder-
lex III.
Money is power, and the custody of it is pow
er, place il where you please and surround it by
what checks you may. 1t is contrary to human
nature to suppose that the public money can re-
main secure in the g itching palms of men
who, so far from being selected for their honesty
and virtue, are, in these times chosen mainly on
account of their subserviency to power What
guaranty will the people have for the safety of
their own money, when some cunning tyrant
| may, hereafter wish 10 use ii for the destruction
of their Liberties? 1t is matter of history, that
| the States of Greece once entrusted Athens with
the custody of the general treasure on account
Of her high character and great services in the
common cause. This treasure, for time was
kept in good faith and applied to the purposes
in which all the States had common interest.
But, as Athens grew in ambition, she declined
in honor and good faith. This very treasure,
which had been entrusted to her keeping through
generous confidence, was, at length, appropr-
atcd to her own private use. She spent IT in
building navies for the subjugaton of her allies,
and in erecting fortresses against their attempts
at redress. And it finally turned out. that what
the other States had contributed for the purpose
of their safety, was converted into the very
means of their subjugation. So, fear, it will
prove with your boosted sub Treasury; we may,
in the generosity Of our confidence, entrust the
gold of the People to the keeping of the Execu-
tive and when he has matured his plans, he
may forge il into chains for enslaving us, the
links of which will be stronger than those of
iron. And when we appeal to him in the name
of the Constitution and the laws, he will point
US to the cleaning bayonets Of his two hundred
thousand armed men, who will be paid with our
own gold for fastening on our necks the yoke OF
bondage.
After discussing, in mastery manner many
other topics connected with the Bill, Mr., Rayner
closed his speech with the following brilliant
and effective passage:
Mr. Chairman, the contest now pending, and
which is to be decided in November next, will
prove most important in its consequences, either
for veal or for wo. fit terminate as hope and
believe it will, II will be TO this country what the
battle Of Waterloo was to Europe, if ] may al
lude to piece of history of more modern date.
And the parallel will hold good both as to Incl
dents and results. AT Waterloo, the nations of
Europe, though speaking different languages,
living under different Governments, and having
different interests, gentlemen say re have no
political opinions in common were all united in
a common cause, for the purpose of defending
their respective rights liberties, and Institutions,
against the daring usurpatlons Of one man, whose
only object was conquest and spoil God forbid