The Hawk-eye and Iowa patriot. (Burlington, Iowa) 1839-1843, 1840-07-02
From the Geneva Courier.
WHAT HAS HE DONE!

s From the Geneva Courier.
! WHAT HAS HE DONE!
| When any candidate for preferment was
presented to Napoleon. the first question
asked by the Emperor was, Qu'at il fait9
What has he done The principle, By
their fruit shall ye knotc them" is not
more a precept of scripture, than a safe
maxim Of worldly policy; nor is its APP
plication in any case more proper than
where candidate for popular favor pre-
sents himself to the nation, and claims the
highest office in their gift. Let US for a
moment apply the principle to Mr. Van
Buren,. Let us ask the question, and read
its answer from the records of history.
What has he done?
He has increased the annual expenses
of the government from Sl3,OOO,O00 to
500 900, 900! s ~
He has spent. ALL the ordinary reue-
,aues Of the people, though out of those
ordinary revenues, his three immediate
predecessors paid off 100000 ofthe
National debt.
He has spent, in addition thereto, the
following sums, which belonged to the
people, and which under a righteous 60
vernment, would have been distributed
among the people, to wit:
In the Treasury when he came
into Office, $6,670,000
Withheld from the States the
4.h instalment, 1857, 900
Paid to government by the Bank
| us. for stock of u. S. 100000
Received on merchants bonds
] due in '35 and &C., but post
poned to SO aud SO, 1000 900
Making an aggregate Of 9,037 900
He has, in addition to these enormous
expenditures, run the people in DEBT,
7 by the issue of Treasury notes to the
amount of 81 100000, whereof 81 $780,
900 are still due: '@
I He has been instrumental in creating
more banks than any other man in
in the nation, and yet he is now engaged
in fierce crusade. not against banks only
but against the CREDIT SYSTEM Of
the country
+ He has brought forward the Sub-Trea-
sury, and recommended its adoption by
the example of the HARD MONEY
DESPOTISNlS of Europe; and though
that measure has been three times RE-
JECTED by the PEOPLE, he is now
upon the eve of forcing 1t By party DIS
cipline through Congress;
| He has, in violation of the established
precedents, Of every principle of justice,
deprived a sovereign State Of her repre-
septation in the National Councils;
| He has, through his friends in the Sc
nate advocated reduction IN the acages
Of labor and the price Of produce, as one
of the blest results of his Sub Treasury
scheme, and as the strongest argument in
its favor.
+ He has, through John G. Calhoun. in
troduced bill to depriue tie old states Of
their rights in the public domain, though
those rights are expressly reserved in
their several deeds of cession, and it IS
not within the Constitutional powers of
Congress to take them away;
He has, in his annual message, de-
nounced the people of the States as
bought by their Banks;
/ He has abandoned Northern interests,
and leagued himself, bya solemn coven-
ant, with that arch nullifer, and implaca-
bile enemy % Northern prosperity, John
1C. Calhoun;
He has lost more public money by the
ldefalcations Of his agents in three years,
than any previous President has done in
Eight. 81 s
He has, through Mr., Grundy's report,
|endeavored to blast the credit Of indepen-
ldent communities, by falsely insinuating
ito this nation and to the world, that the
American States had petitioned the Gene
fraI Government to assume their debts;
u He has strongly recommended the ad.