Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1840-12-03
PROPOSALS FOR
ENLARGING AND CONTINUING
THE YEOMAN,
AZ a regular Political T. Miscellaneous
NefnsIlnner.
Newspaper.

Newspaper.
WHEN the undersigned commenced, in
January last, the publication Of a weekly po-
litical sheet under the name Of the YEOMAN,
to be continued until tho Presidential cleo
ton, he intimated that, If circumstances
should prove suspicious, 1t would probably
be converted, after that period, into a regular
journal. The awakening spirit of the coun-
try has thus far crowned his enterprise with
u success as brilliant as unexpected. The
people of the country have at length learned
from bitter experience that every citizen must
make tia part Of his business to watch over
the administration of its affairs. The maxim
that perpetual vigilance is the price that must
be paid for liberty, is no longer regarded as a
rhetorical flourish of high sounding words -,
it has become, and ii it please Heaven, it
will continue to be, a practical maxim with
thespcople of this generation. A storm has
arisen which will ere long hurl from their
high places the prohigate and ambitious men
who have blinded and deceived the people,
who have abused their generous confidence,
who have brought the institutions rthe coun-
try and the country itself to the verge of ruin.
The political atmosphere will be purified, III
some degree at least, and the acclamations of
the people will elevate to the first Office In
thoir gift an honest man, true patriot, and a
genuine lover of liberty.
But the election of William II. Harrison,
though an important and indispensable step,
is, after all, but step towards the attainment
of those great objects which every ehlight-
ened patriot perceives to be essential to the
preservation of our liberty and our institu-
tons. Those objects, some of which can be
attained only by an amendment OF the Con-
Stltutlon, are -
First and chiefly, the reduction of the pow
er, importance and patronage of the Presiden-
tial office; and under this head that the Pre-
sident should be Ineligible for second term,
and that the power of removal from office
without the consent of the Senate should be
taken from him:
That public opinion, purified and enlight-
ened by fair discussion, should frown on the
vile system of buying up political partizans
with the offices in the gift of the government,
and of prescribing one-half of the people for
opinions sake, and treating them enemies
the country -
That the freedom selections should be re-
stored by tho disavowal of the base and de-
grading doctrine tha. the officers of the gov
eminent are the ''hirelings'' and servants OF
the President, and bound, by virtue of their
office, to become electioneering partiZans, and
even to contribute part of their salaries to
raise fund for corrupting the people -
The restoration of purity, independence
and their original deliberatlve character to
the Legislative bodies, now corrupt and SER
vile to an alarming extent, by making the
members of the two houses Ineligible to any
Office with some few eXceptions,) in the gift
IF the Executive, and by the abandonment,
once and forever, of the base, degrading and
anti-repnblican doctrine, that every member
OF the party in power must vote as the head
of the party directs. on pain of denunciation,
obloquy and unmeasured abuse through all
the Journals of the party -
Tho publication of a degraded and venal
press, now the disseminator Of falsehood and
servile doctrines, and the eXecutiOncr of the
victims Of presidential wrath -
The reduction of the superintendent
weight of the Federal government by a Sc
we're and scrutiniZing reduction of its eXpcn-
SEES or disbursements, and jealous resistance
of all its encroachments on the rights of the
States and the people:
Finally, the restoration of the Republic in
all its departments, to its pristine simplicity
and purity.
If these great objects be unattanable-if
these views be Utopian, as some will be rea-
dy to pronounce them-then is our whole
system of government Utopian also-and the
great problem of the capacity Of man for self
government will have been finally and fatally
solved. The American people has already
taken one long step towards monarchy, by
permitting q President to nominate his sue
cessor. That almost fatal step is about to
be retracted. Now is the appointed time to
purify our institutions-now or never.
They fatally deceive themselves who ina
CINE that single eilort-that mere change
ofmen-can at once effect this great and glo-
rious object. A great and ling continued eff
fort will be necessary. We rehgiously be-
lieve that WM. III. HARRISON is an hon
est man and true patriot-and moreover that
he will faithfully devote himself to the carry
ing out of the political doctrines which We
have thus family sketched. But antagonist
doctrines and practices have struck deep root
in the country, and will not easily be eradi-
Gated. We repeat what we do firmly be-
lieve, that great ana continued efforts will
be necessary in order to purify our institu-
tons.
We offer ourselves as humble co-labcreEs
in this great work. We cheerfully concede
10 the jealous and able jouraal which public
opinion and its own unweared efforts have
placed at the head Of the Wing opposition
press in Virginia, the rank which 1t has fair
ly earned and well deserved. Ia profess
sional career which has now extended, here
and elsewhere, over nearly fourth Of d CEN
tuary, we have honestly devoted ourselves to
the dissemination Of what we have believed
70 be just and sound politi' al principles
We have never failed to denounce usnrpa-
ton, or quailed beneath the frown of those in