The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-10-27


uent can 60 on long in course Of successful opera
ton, Il no change can be produced without such
effort a. that in which the People of this country
now engaged7 l put il TO the old-fashioned Repubi
cans Of Virginia. ask them. whether il can be sup
posed that this free Republican Government Of
can last for half century longer fits Administration
cannot be changed without such an excitement may
say such civil revolution is in progress and
trust. is near its completion
present this case as the greatest and strongest Of
all proofs that Executive power in this country has in
creased, and is dangerous to liberty.
Ifthis be so, then ask, what the causes which
nave gwen and have augmented this force OF Execu-
tive power The disciples Of the ancient school OF
Virginia long entertained the opinion that there
great danger Of encroachmemt by the General Govern
men ON the just rights of the States but they were
also alarmed at the possibility of undue augmenta-
ton of the Executive power. II becomes u.s. at cri-
sis like the present. TO to first princpIesto 90
actually stands. 80
You all well know that in the formation Of Con-
situation for the government Of this country the great
difficulty IL trainers encountered with regard to
the Executive power twas easy to establish House
OF Representatives and second branch Of the Go
vernment in the form of Senate, for il very
obvious thing to say that the States should be repre-
scented in one House of Congress the people were
represented in the other but the great and perpex
ing question was, how to limit and regulate the Exc
cutive power in such manner that while it should
be sufficiently strong and effective for the purposes of
Government, it should not be able TO endanger civil
liberty Our fathers had seen and felt the inconve-
nlence during the Revolutionary war, of weak
Executive in Government. The country had suffered
much from that cause There was not any unity Of
purpose efficiency Of action in its Executive power
As the country had just emerged from war, and
might be plunged into another, they were looking in
tently to such Constitution as should secure an eff
cient Executive. Perhaps it remains to be whe
ther, in this respect they had not better have given
less power to this branch and taken all the inconve
nience arising from the want Of it, rather than to
hazard the granting of much might prove danger
not only to the other departments of Government
but to the safety and freedom Of the country at large
Because in the first place, it is the Executive which
confers all the favors Of Government 1t has the
patronage in its hands, and if we look at the augmen
tation of patronage which has taken place in this
country, shall that in the Of things, and
to answer the purposes of men, this patronage has
greatly increased. We shall find the expenditures for
office have been augmented. We shall find that this
is true Of the civil and diplomatic departments-we
shall find it is Of all the departments Of the Post
Office, and especially Of the Commercial Department
Thus, to take an instance from of our great
mercial cities In the customhouse at New York the
number Of officers has, in twelve years, increased
three-fod, and the whole expense, Of course in the
same proportion.
Then there is the power of removal-a power which,
in some instances has been exercised most remorse-
lessly By whatever party it is welded, unless il be
called for by the actual exgencies Of the public service
rejected, dsowned dsavowed the practice of removal
for opinions sake. Loud cheers do honor to
Virginia in this respect That power has been far less
practised in Virginia than in certain States where the
spells doctrine 10 known he popular But this
power of removal, sanctioned as il is by time, does
exist and have seen exercised in every part Of the
country where public opinion tolerated it with most
unsparng hand.
Twill now say, however, that which admit to be
very presumptuous because it is said notwithstanding
the usrious authority Of Of the greatest of your
great men-a man better acquainted with the Consti-
tuition of the United States than any other mana
man who in its cradle-who held it in his arms
one may say in its infancy-who presented and
recommended it to the American people, and who saw
it adopted very much under the force of his
| soning and the weight of his own reputation-who
est honors-and who at last went down to thl grave
among ten thousand blessing for which, morning and
evening, he had thanked God IL mean James Madi-
son. Yet even from this great and good man, whom
hold TO DO chief among the just interpreters Of the
Constitution, l am constrained however presunptu-
il may be considered to differ in relation OF
his interpretations of that instrument refer the
opinion expressed by him. that the power Of removal
from Office does exist in the Constitution as an indie
pendent power in the hands Of the President, with. ut
the consent Of tho Senate. ] wish he had ta..en a
different view Of it, do not say that he wrong
that in me would be too hazardous | advert to this
here, to show that | not for the first time
preaching against the danger of increase OF Excel
before Congress, in 1885, expressed there the same
opinions which have now uttered, and which have
been only the more confirmed by recent experience
The power Of removal places the hopes and fears the
living, the daily bread Of men, at the disposal of the
Executive, and Does thereby, produce vast Of
Executive influence and control. Then, again, from
the very nature of things the Executive power acts
constantly; il is always in belng-always in the cita-
del and on the look out and it has, besides, entire
unity Of purpose. They who are in, have but one OBJ
ect which is to keep all others out while those no
not in Office and who desire change, have a va
retv OF different objects they to be found in
different parts of the country. One complains of one
thing, another of another and, ordinarily, there is
strict unity of object agreement candidates,
concert of action and, theref re- it is that those
welding power within the citadel able to keep the
others out though they may be more numerous
Hence we have seen an Administration though in a
minority yet by the continued exercise Of power able
to bring majority of the peoples representatives
to the support of such measure the Subtreasury,
which, when it first proposed received but little
favor in any part of the country.
Again though 1t may appear comparatively incon-
siderable, yet when we looking at the means by
which the Executive power has risen to its presen,
threatening height we must not overlook the power
OIL will not say pensloned-but Of patronized
press. OF all things in popular Government, Go
rernment Press is the most to be dreaded The press
furnishes the only usual Of public address and
if Government by supporting to control it, then
they take TO themselves at the public expense, the
great channel Of all communication to the People
Unless France be exception, where the Minister
guarly demands so many thousand francs for the
management of the public press, know of no Go
vernment in the world where the press is avowedy
patronized to the same extent is in this country
Have not you men Of Virginia, been mortified to wit
the Importance which is attached at Washington
TO the election of Public Printer oobserve the great
anxiety and solicitudc which your own friends
have been obliged to exercise to keep that appoint
ment out Of the hands of Executive power One Of
the first things which in my opinion, ought to be done
is, when new Administration shall come in, to sepa-
rate the Government Press from the politics Of the