The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-09-15
BUNKER HILL DECLARATION,
Ssptsmber 10, 1910. .

| l assemble IN great numbers, proper ieap'e. -
N ;udqnent of the country and oil the age, requires
4 4 th,y should clearly set forth the grave Causes
,h,h have brought them together, and the purpose
4, Erh they seek to promote
r.lng the force of this obligation, more th"n I'M
\ sands of the free electors of the New England
is honored also by the presence OF like free cleo
| ~ rom nearly every other State in the Union, nav
4 \, assembled on Bunker Hill, on this 10Th day o
|S9aenber, 1910, proceed 10 set forth DECLARE
ITDN Of their principles, and of the occasion ana Oh
| M. Of their meeting
n the first place we declare our una'teranie al'.
o, 10 that public liberty, the purchase OF so nue.
IhlJ aud treasure in the acquisition OF whien my
lt ,,hereon we stand obtained early and inpeI
,,l, rtnown Bunker Hill is not spot on whior
b,ll forget the principles of our fathers, OF sui
. In thing 20 quench within our own ooso'ns 'h'
freedom which we have inherited from tneth
AK npxt place we declare our warm ana nearly
Vi " - ne constitution ofthe country, and To that
Inc States which il has so happily cemented,
uli'" ,,ns ana so prosperopsly preserved We call
o,.e,es by no local names, we recognize no geogra
u'' E,s;,ns while we give utterance To our senti-
a' ' Non constitutional and political subjects.
afNs A. sricans, citizens of the United States,
Wv ,, nd other country, and desiring to be distn-
uoNIi- H. M other appellation We believe the con-
,,sn while administered wisely and IN ITS proper
he capable Of protecting all parts Of the coun-
,,,rinr all interests, and pcrpetuatlng naiionai
k...t4
t o,nl iealousies To attempt TO prove the exist
f onnositc interests between one part OF the couh
"' lnnther and thus to disseminate feelings OF
| + ,n- ana alienation while II Is IN conlemptuous
t,rl of the cuunsels of the great ihthef o. me
.a,,y 1 but one form in which irregular ambition,
,st,tur Of all true patriotism, and love OF power,
kess of the means of It's qualification eAhipA .'iei
unsubdued and burn ng desire
W. belieye too that party spirit, however natural
| unavoidable il NAV be- in free republics YET wheh
, n,ns such an ascendancy in mems minds as ieaas
% ~ substitute party for county, to seek no ends
H." n,,y ends no appreciation but party appreciation,
(, ar no rcproach or contumey, so that there be
10 marty dissatisfaction not only alloys the true enjoy
nent Of such institutions, but weakeh7 every uas 'he
nnndations on which they stand -,
W are IN favor OF the liberty oil speech ana OF the
, ~, ,rc friends of free discussion; we espouse
he cause OF popular education we believe IN mans
.anactv for seIt.poyernmfnti we desire 10 see the
teest and widest dissemination OF knowledge and OF
ruth and we believe especially, IN the benign innu-
snce of religious feeling, and moral instruction, on
Inc social as well as the individual happiness OF
man.
Holding these general sentiments and opinions, we
bye come together to declare that under the present
Administration Of the General Government a course
Il measures has been adopted and pursued, in our
judgments disastrous to the best interests of the coun
ri threatening the Emulation OF still greater evils,
hostile 10 the sTit OF
III he principles Of civil Liberty and called upon all men
honestpurpose disinleres,ed patriotism and unbiased
intelligence 10 put forth their utmost constitutional eff
0n, III order to effect change.
General Andrew Jackson was elected President OF
IL United States and took the oahs and his seat on
III lth 81 March 1929; and we readily admit, that,
8nifr his Administration certain portions of the pub
( affairs were conducted with ability. But we have
"a lament that he was not proof against the insinua-
nj pf eyJ ar Uprh
against his own passions, when moved and excited.
Hence IN one most important branch of the public
interest in that essential part of commercial regulation
elrh respects the money the currency, the circua-
and the internal exchanges of the country, acci-
dental occurrences acting his characteristic love OF
td md uneasiness under opposition, led him to de-
part from all that expected from him. and to enter
en measures which plunged both him and the coun-
"a in greater and greater difficulties at every step
that in this respect his whole course OF administra
tQn was but series of Inflated experiments, and
focts framed in disregard of prudence and prece
Hon and bursting in rapid succession; the final ex
o,on taking place few months after his retremen
,lno office
General Jackson was not elected with any desir,
expectation, on the part of his supporters that h
would interfere with the currency of the country
We affirm this as the truth of history. 1t is incapa
n of rciutation or denial Ii is certain that tn
Aner,can Revolution not undertaken to destro,
-
Bit unhappily, he became involved in controver
s. with the then existing Bank of the United States
t manifested desire, how originating or by whom
Inspired is mmaterial, to exercise political inhuenc,
vel that institution and TO cause that institution L
.lpcsc in turn, a political influence over the commu
ls: Public documents prove this as plainly as they
t'e any other act of his administration In this de
a,t he was resisted thwarted and finally defeated
By what he could not govern, he supposed he coule
ie.ros; and the event showed that he did not over
tate lis popularity and his power He pursued thu
BOX q the death, and achieved his triumph by the
ldo of 1892 The accustomed means of maintaining
sound and uniform currency, for the use of the whole
country having been thus trampled down and destroy
y recourse had to those new modes of expert
dr0lal administration to which we have already adj
yr'n and which terminated so disastrously both fo
U, equation Of his administration and for the wei
hTs 0t the country
BIZ General Jackson did not deny his constitutions
oAItations seek to escape from their force He
n''mproessedy abandoned all care over the genera
aftp'y His whole conduct shows that he admitted
lHoushout the duty of the general government tc
Nanlom supervision over the currency of the coun
r 'ath metallic and paper, for the general good and
Y" u the peoples and he congrat ulatcd both himsc
l'l me nation that by the measures adopted by him
e currency and exchanges of the country placed
90 better footing than they had been under tie
lpereton of Bank of the United States This con
Wicnrc u hS own experiments, we know, proved mos
aasory, Bu the frequency with which he repeated
i' ana similar declarations, establishes, lncontestably
aN own sense OF the duty of government.
" Az the measures of General Jackson upon the
thry the present chief magistrate is known to have
incurred Like him, he was opposed to the Bank o
fe United States ike him, he was in favor of tn,
M'e iepositc banks and like him, he insisted that
Y We ald Of such banks, the administration had ac-
apshed all that could be desired on the great sub
Y y the currency and the exchange.
51t the catastrophe of May, 1887, produced new
WN' ~ ovcrthrowing the last in series of expert
0e1l, and creating absolute necessity, ether o.
slrnng to that policy of the government which Gen
litSson had repudatcd, of rcnouncing altogether
1 institutional duty which it had been the object
policy TO perform The latter branch of the al
frn.tve was adopted. Refuge sought in escape
duty up to that moment, admitted by all, was sud
ir'y denied, and the fearful resolution announced
6a government should hereafter provide for its owr
cuNcs and that for the rest, the people must take
say y themselves
Assembled here, to-day, and feeling in common