The pilot and transcript. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1840-1841, 1840-07-17
MIR. CLAY's SPEECH.

(CO7tctMdeu)
Hitherto, the Army aud Navy have remained
unaffected by the power of dislnission, and they
have not been called into the political service of
the executive. But no attentive observer of the
principles and proceedings of the men in power
could fail to see that the day was not distant
when they, too, would be require to perform the
partisan offices of the President. Accordingly,
the process of converting them into executive in
struments has commenced in Court Martial as
sembled at Baltimore. Two officers of the Army
of the United States have been put upon their
solemn trial, on the charge of prejudicing the
democratic party by making purchases for the
supply of the Army from members OF the wing
party! 1t is not pretended that the United States
were prejudiced by those purchases; on the con
trary, it was, believe, established that they
were cheaper than could have been made from
the supporters of the administration But the
charge was, that to purchase at all from the OPP
ponents, instead of the friends, of the adminstra
ton was an injury to the democratic party,
which required that the offenders should be put
upon their trial before Court Martial! And
this trial commenced at the instance of
committee of a democratic convention, and con-
Quoted and prosecuted by them! The scandal
lous specta Gle is presented TO enlightened
world of the Chief Magistrate of a great poople
executing the orders of a self-created power, or
ganized within the bosom of the State, and upon
such an accusation, arraigning, before a military
tribunal, gallant men, who are charged with the
country, and with bearing its eagles in the pres
ence of an enemy!
But the Army and Navy are too small, and in
composition are too patriotic to subserye all the
purposes of this Administration. Hence the re-
cent proposition of the Secretary of War, strong
ly recommended by the President, under color of
a new organic alton of the militia, to create
standing force of 10000 men, an amount which
no conceivable foreigl exigency can ever make
necessary 1t is not my purpose now to enter upon
an examination of that alarming and dang erous
plan of the Executive Department of the + ede-
raj Government. 1t has justly excited a. burst
of general indignation; and nowhere has The di s.
appreciation of it been more emphatically ex-
pressed than in this ancient and venerable Com
monwealth e.r
The monstrous project may be described in
few words. 1t proposes to create the force by
breaking down Mason and Dixson's Line, ex-
puneing the boundaries OF States, melting them
up into a continent mass, to be subsequently cut
up into ten military parts, alienates the militia
from its natural association, withdraws it from
the authority and command and sympathy OF its
constitutional officers, appointed by the States,
puts it under the command of the President, au-
thorizes him to cause it to be trained, in Palpa-
BILE violation of the Constitution, and subjects it
to be called out from remote and distant places,
at his pleasure and on occasions not warranted
BY the Constitution ttt
Indelensible as this project is, fellow-citzens,
do not be deceived by supposiAg that it has been
or will be abandoned. 1t Is principle of those
who are now in power that an election or re-
election of the President implies the sanction OF
the People to all the measures which he had
proposed, and all the opinions which he had ex-
pressed, on public affairs, prior to that event
We have seen this principle applied ON various
occasions. Let Mr. Van Buren, be reelected IN
November next, and it will be claimed that the
Secretary of War. iii entertain the opinion
that it is important to train the militia and rem
der it effective; and it will be insisted, in the
contingency mentioned, that the People have de-
monstrated that they approve OF that SPECIFIC
plan. There is more reason to apprehend such
consequence from the fact that committee OF
the Senate, to which this subject was referred,
instead of denouncing the scheme as nconstltu-
tional and dangerous to liberty, presented Ia
bored apolegetic report, and the Administration
majority in that body ordered twenty thousand
copies Of the apology to be printed for circula-
ton among the People. take pleasure in testi-
fyine. that one Administration Senator had the
manly independence to denounce, in his place,
the project as unconstitutional. The Senator was
: from your own State.
have thus fellow-citizens, exhibited to you
true and faithful picture of Executive power, as
it has been enlarged and expanded within the
last few years, and as it has been proposed tur-
ther to extend it. 1t overshadows every other
branch of the Government The source OF legls-
lative power is no longer to be found IN the Cap
ital, but in the palace OF the President. In as
suming to be part of the Legislative power, as
the President recently did, contrary to the Con.
stitution, he would have been nearer the actual
fact il he had alleged that he was che sole iegis-
lative power of the Union. How is it possible
for public liberty to be preserved, aud the con-
stitutional distributions Of power, among the De-
partnlents of Government, to be maintained, I'M
less the Executive career be checked and re-
strained?
ItInay be urged that two securities exist: first,
that the Presidential term is of short duration;
and, secondly, the elective franchise. But it has
been already shown, that whether depository OF
power be arbitrary or compatible with liberty,
does not depeSd upon the duration of the official
term. but upon the amount of power Invested
The Dictatorship in Rome, was an office OF brief
existence generally shorter than the PresideE-
tial term. Whether the elective franchise be an
adequate security or not, is problem to be solv-
cd next November. hope and believe it yet is.
But if Mr. Van Buren, shall be reelected, the
mower already acquired by the Executive be re-
taued, and that which is in progress be added to
. That department, it is my deliberate Judgment,
that there will be no hope remaining Tor the con-
tinuance of the liberties of the country. s
And vet the partisans of this tremendous Exc
cutiye bower arrogate to themselves the name OF
Democrats and bestow upon US, who are opPos-
cd 10 it. the denomination OF Federalists. In
the Senate of the United States there are hve
: Gentlemen who were members of the Federal
marty. and four Of them have been suddenly
transformed into democrats, and are now warn,
supporters Of this Administration, whilst y VINO
had exerted the utmost OF my humble aoiii'ies "
arouse the nation to agvindication OF its nsuiteo
honor, and its violated rights, and to the v,so-
rous prosecution OF the war against Great nIi,
tain, to which they were violently opposed, ma
myself, By sort of magical influence, conver'sa