The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-07-18

| sures which he had proposed, and all the opinions
which he had expressed, on public affairs, PRIOR u
thai event We have seen this principle applied OF
various occasions. Let Mr. Van Buren, be re-eecte,
IN November next and il will be claimed that the PEG
pie have thereby approved Of this plan Of the Secreta
ny OF War All entertain the opinion that il is i'm
ponant to train the militia and render IL effective AM
VIII be insisted, in the contingency mentioned, tina
the people have demonstrated that they approve o
tnal specific plan. There is reason To apprehene
such consequence from the fact that committee o
the Senate, to which this subject referred nsteaa
OF denouncing the scheme unconstitutional anc
dangerous To liberty, presented labored apologize
report, and the Administration majority in that bod,
ordered twenty thousand copies of the apology to be
printed for circulation among the people take plea
sure In testiiying that Administration Senator
nad the manly Independence 70 denounce, IN his place
lhe project as unconstitutional. That Senator war
from your own State.
have thus fellow-citizens exhibited to you true
and faithful picture Of Executive patronage enlarg
ed and explained within the last few years and has
Deen proposed further to extend il. II oyershadows
every other branch Of the Government. The source
OF legislative power is longer to be found in the
capitol, but in thepalace Of the President In assum
ing TO be part Of the Legislative power as the Pre-
sident recently did, contrary TO the Constitution, he
would have been the actual fact If he had al
legged that he was the sole Legislative power in the
Union. How is il possible for public liberty TO be pre-
served and the constitutional distributions of power
among the Departments OF Government, TO be nam
tanned unless the Executive career be checked and re
strained
may be urged that two securities exist first that
the Preside tiaI term is Of short duration and, Sc
condly, the elective franchise But it has been already
shown that whether depository of power be arbitrary
or compatible with liberty does not depend 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
Presidential term. Whether the elective franchise be
am adequate sccurtyor not is problem to be solved
next November. hope and believe il gel is But il
Mr.. Van Buren, should be reelected, the power al
ready acquired by the Executive be retained aid that
which is in progress be added To that department is
my deliberate judgment that that there will be hope
remaining for the continuance of the liberties Of the
country
And yet the partisans of this tremendous Executive
power arrogate to then selves the name of Democrats
and bestow upon us, who arc opposed to it, the de
nomination of Federalists In the Senate of the
United States there five gentlemen who were
members of the Federal party and four Of them have
been suddenly transformed into Democrats, and arc
now warm supporters of this administration, whilst J.
who have exered the utmost of my humble abilities
to the nation to vindicaiion of its nsulted
honor and its violated rights and the vigorous pro
secution Of the against Great Britain, to which
they were violently opposed find myself by sort OF
magical influence, converted into fcdcralist The
only American citizen that ever met with, who was
avowed monarchst, was supporter of the Admins
me that his motive to bring about the system OF
monarchy which his judgment preferred.
There are other points of difference between the
Fedcralists and the Democratic rather Republican
party of 1898 but the great leading, prominent dis
elimination between them related to the constitution Of
the Executive Department of the Government The
Federalists believed that in its structure, il too
weak and was in danger of being crushed by the pre-
pondcratng weight of tho Legislative branch, Hence
they rallied around the Executive and sought give
to it strength and energy strong Government, an
energetic Executive was, among them, the common
language and the great object Of that day. The Re
publcans on the contrary believed that the real dan
ger lay the side of the Executive; that having a
continuous and uninterrupted existence, ii always
on the alert ready to defend the power il had and
prompt in acquiring and that the experience of
history demonstrated that it the ching and
usurping department They therefore rallied around
the People and the Legislature.
What are the positions Of the two great parties of
the present day. Modern democracy has reduced the
federal theory of strong and energetic Exccu i've
practical operation 1t has turned from the People
the natural ally Of genuine democracy to the Execu-
tive, and instead of vigilance, jealousy and dstrust
has given to that department all its confidence and
made to it virtual surrender of all the powers of Go
yernment The recognised maxim of royal infal-
bty is iransplanted from the British monarchy into
modern American democracy, and the President can
do no wrong! This school adopts modifes,
changes renounccs opinions at the pleasure of
the Executive Is the Bank of the United States a
useful and valuable institution Yes unanimously
pronounces the Democratic Legislature Of Pennsyva-
MIA The President vetoes it pcrncious and dan
gerous establishment. The democratic majority in
the Legislature pronouce it to be pernicous and
dangerous The democratic majority of the House OF
Representatives of the United States declare the de-
poses of the public money in the Bank of the United
States to be safe The President says they are un-
safe and removes them The democracy say they are
unsafe and approves the removal The President
says that scheme of Sub-trcasury is revolutionary
and disorganizing The democracy say it is revolu-
tionary and disorganizing The President says it is
wise and salutary The democracy say ii is wise and
salutary.
The Wings of 1910 stand where the Republicans of
1913 stood, and whore the Wings of the Revolution
were battling for liberty for the People for free inst
tutions against power, against corruption against Ex
ecutive oncroachmens, against monarchy.
We are reproachcd with struggling for Offices and
their emoumcnts. II we acted on the ayowed and
acknowlcd principle of our opponents, that the spos
belong to the vctors, should indeed be unworthy
the support of the People No, fellow citizens, higher
nober and more patriotic motives actuatc the Wing
party Their object is the restoration Of the Consttu-
ton the preservation Of liberty the rescue ofthe coun
try. lfthey were governed by the sordid and selfish
motives acted upon by their opponents, and unjustly
imputed to them, to acquire Office and emolument,
they have only to change their names and enter the
Presidential palace. The gate is always wide open,
and the path Is which leads through it,
The last conner too, often fares best
On a rcsurvey Of the few past years, we behold
enough to sicken and sadden the hearts Of true pa
triots Executive cncroachmcnt has quickly followed
upon Executive encroachmcnt; persons honored by
public confidence and from whom nothing but CRATE
ful and parental measures should have flowed, have
inflicted stunning blow after blow in such rapid
cesson that before the People could from the
reeling effects Of another has fallen heavily upon
them. Had either of the various instances of Exccu-
tive misrue stood out separate and alone that its
on bee
composure the condemnation of the Executive would
have long since been pronounced but il has hitherto
found safety and mpunity in the bewdering effects
of the multitude Of its misdeeds The nation has
been in the condition of man who having gone TO
bed after his barn has been consumed by fire, is
scd In the In witncss his lMclllnm hnusc