Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1840-10-31

sufrages all public concerns are controlled an,
managed by them, at their own pleasure and tin
trust has always been to the baot-box as an effect
ual means to keep the Government at all times il
conformity with the public will. How. then, ha
it happened, that with all this, such extraordinar,
efferts have been necessary 10 put out particula
Administration A! Why has it not been done b,
the silent power of the elective franchise! VIII,
has not the Government been changed both in it
pulley and in the men who administer it de
sire from the free, the thinking men of Virginia
an answer to that question. When the election,
are every where showing that large majority d
the People are opposed in sentiment to the existing
Administration | desire them to tell the how
that Administration, has held its place and pursued
its own peculiar system Of measures 50 long!
My answer TO my own question is this In INV
judgment, it has come to be true in the actual
working of our system Of Government that the
Executive power has increased its influence and its
patronage to such degree, that it may counteraci
the will of majority of the People, and continue
to do so. until that majority has not only become
very large, but till it has united in its objects nd
in its candidate, and by strenuous effort is ena
bled to turn the Administration ont Of power.
believe that the power and patronage Of the Exec.
ntive in our Government has increased is increas.
ing, and ought to be diminished. believe that il
does enable the incumhents to resist the public
will, until the country is reused to high and sim
uitaneous effort and the imperative mandate of the
public voice dismisSeS the unailhful servants from
their places. Now, ask, can it be supposed that
this Government go on long in a course of sue
cessful operation, if no change can be produced
without such an effort that in which The People
OF this country are now engaged! | put it to the
old-iashioned Republicans of Virginia. | ask
them, whether it can be supposed that this free
Republican Government Of ours can last for halt
century longer, If its Administration cannot be
changed without such an eXcitemcnt--[ may say,
such civil revolution, as is now in progress and.
trust, is near its completion!
present this case as the greatest and straDcesr
of all proofs that Executive power in this country
has increased and is dangerous to liberty; that
when majority of the people have for long time
been opposed TO an administration, it still requires
such an etfOrt-it still demands that men should
simultaneously reinqnish all their private pursuits
to produce change Of that Administration.
If this be so, then | ask, what are the causes
which have given and have augmented this furce of
Executive power The disciples of the ancient
school Of Virginia long entertained the opinion
that there was great danger of encroachment BY
the General Government on the just rights of the
States; but they were also alarmed at the possibility
OF an undue augmentation Of the Executive power
1t becomes US al crisis like the present. to rec,,,
to first princples-to go back to our early history
and to see how the question actually stands
You all well knew that, in the formation Of n
Constitution for the Government of this country
the great difficulty its trainers encountered wa,
with regard to the Executive power. 1t was easy
to establish House Of Representatives and q
second branch of the Government, in the form or a
Senate, for it was very obvious thing to say tina:
the Senate should be represented in one House Of
Congress he people were represented. But the
great and perpIeXing question was, how t limit
and regulate the Executive power in such manner
that while 1t defended the country, it should not
be able to endanger civil liberty. Our fathers had
seen and felt the Inconvenience during The reyoln.
tionary war, Of weak Executive in Government
The country had suffered much from that cause
There was not any unity Of purpose eff, ency OF
acton IN It's Executive power. As the cOuu try
mad just emerged from one war. and might BE-
plunged into another, they were locking intent "
to such constitution as should secure an efficient
Executive. Perhaps it remains TO be seen, whet hei
IN this respect they had not better have given less
power to this branch and taken all the iuconyeni
ence arising from the want of it. rather than tc
hazard the granting Of so much as might prove
dangerous not only to the other departments Of
Government but TO the safety and freedom CT the
country at large.
Because. in the first place, it is the Executive
which coniers all the tavors of Government. II
has the patronage in its hands, and If we look al
the augmentation OF patronage which has ken
pace III IiilS CDuUtty, we SIihlI see that the
course Of things, and to answer the purposes OF
men, this patronage has greatly increased We
shall find the expenditures for Office have very
much increased. We shall find tnat this is true OF
the Civil and Diplomatic departmenIs--we shall
find it is true Of all the departments, of the Post
Office, and especially Of the Commercial Depart
ment. Thus, TO take an instance from Oae Of our
great commercial cities :--ln the Custom House OF
New York the number Of officers has in twelve
..,.it I IA l,
of office nave been augmented more than thraa-fud.
as we'll as remember. There is thus a constant
increase Of power from the bestOwment o! Office.
Then there is the power Of removal; power
which in some instances has been exercised most
remorselessly BY whatever party it is exercised
unless it be called for by theactual exigencies
of the public service Virginia, more than any Safe
Of the Union, has ever rejected, disogned, diSa-
vowed the powur of removal for opinions sake
Loud cheers. | do honor to Virginia in this re-
spect. That power has been far less practised in
Virginia than in certain States where the Spells
doctrine is known to be more popular But this
power of removal, sanctioned as it is Gy time, does
exist, and have it exercised in every part o!
the country where public opinion tolerated it, with
a most remOrseeSS hand
will now say, however, that which admit TO
be very presumptuOus because it is said, notwth-
standing the illustrious authority OF one of the
greatest OF your great mena man better acquainted
with the Constitution Of the United States than
any other mana man who saw it in its cradle
VINO held it in its arms, as one may say, in its
infancy presented and recommended it to the
American people, and VINO saw it adopted very
much under the force Of his own reasoning and the
weight of his own reputalion--who lived long
enough to see it proSperous--to enjoy its honors--
and who at last went down to the grave among ton
thousand blessings for which morning ana evening
he had thnnkpu (fDl--l lanes Madison
Yet even from this great and good mar, whom
hold to be the chief among the Interpreters o! the
Constitution, am constrained, however presuwp-
tuous it may be considered, to differ in relation 10