The pilot and transcript. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1840-1841, 1840-10-21


duty of Executive officers, dependent as they |
are;on the absolute pleasure of the PRESIDENT
to- take part ia the business OF electioneerlng,
aG2 TO influence the votes 81 others IN support
sfssne administration president Wan Buren,, |
we suppose. must hold The same opinions
For il has been proved, by evidence regularly
taken by committee ot the House oil Repre-
sentatives reported TO the atouse. asd pubhshed
IA the work. that aregdlar' contribution has
been levied 1nthe officers Of the Ckstom House /
,st New YGel1, ratad in proportion 10 their saia-
-ries, and enfoTced by the terror of dismissal
from their places, to.Faise a fund 'tto be used
10 support the electioii@of persons attached to
The preseat administration" and that this prac
{ice has prevailed there for yeats. Yet, Presl-
dent Van BuTen has taken no Measure that we
have heard of, to chesig, much more to sup
press, this corrupt ant'conuptiRf practice; and
so far from oTtering The removal of the officers
principally engagedjn it, he has not manifested
the least displeasuFe at their mischievous and
disgraceful proceedings. We should probably
have had no ressonto complain of his supi9e-
ness, il the contributions had been applicdto
the purpose ofinfrencing votes against the ad
ministration.
We turn now, with pleasure and withhoRe,
to the solemn declaration of Gen. Harrison in
a speech lately delivered at Dayton, in Ohio
''ShouId ,eEer be placed in the Chief Magis-
trate's seat, will carry out the principles OF
Jackson, and never. permit the interference of
Office holderssn etions. Twill DO more, While
will forbid observation-disclosures in elections, LWill
never DO aught to prevent their going quietly 10
the polls and voting even against me and Hy
measures. no American citizen should be de-
prived of the power .ofgoting ssihe pleases."
We have presentedshese topics thus prout-
nently, for the consideration OF ogT fellowcitf-
zens, because of their immense weight and i'm
portance in our own view of the state of the
Republic. To correct those dangerous inno-
vations in the exercise Of therJGxeeutive veto,y
from which the Republican spirit of the Consti-.
tuition revolte with aveIsiGn and alarm, and to
restrain that power hencetorth within due and
ancient bounds OF caution and moderation; TO
correct the abuses of the Executive patronage,
whereby 1t has been perverted into asystem OF
rewards and punislments, to aggraDdze the
Presidential office, and TO sustain it ia its ag
grandizement; to rebuke and abolish the detest.
able and detested maxim, that ''the spoijs of the
vanquished belong TO the victors;" to restore
the representatives of the People and of the
States to their Just dominion in our councils;
and to counterfeit the tendency Of the Govern.
ment TO simple Elective Monarchy; these
great objects constitute a ruling motive Of our
opposition 10 the re election of President Van
Ruren, and sf our preference of Gen. Harrison
Ifthis happy change of Administration shall be
expect, we trust and believe that, while all the
unprncipled and seryile men who are now en-
Ejoying and abusing public Office, and all, to
make way for whom, faithful and capable Off
GERS have been removed without fault or impu-
tation of fault, will be dismissed from the places
they dishonor, every honest and competent pub
lie servant, without regard TO party distinctions,
wiltbe retained in the public service.
,There is only one other point intimately
connected with those we have already present
ed TO the consideration of our felI5EYscitizens
to which, for the present. we desire TO call their
attention. To curb and arrest the tendency OF
the Federal Government, to the concentration of
all power in the Executive head, feo elpedient
has been suggested so likely to be efficient as
the restriction of the Presidency TO single
term of office. The example of Washington
sufced to restrict the Office TO two terms; and
if he had followed the dictates of his own wis
dom, uncontrolled by the circumstances in
which he was placed, he would have accom-
plished what Harrison is solemniy eledged 10
accomplish by his example, the restriction of
il to one term.
1t is not, a mere change of nen, .butreal wi
tai reform. that we desire and aimat.
If what we have said upon the Topics towhich
we have adVerted, be founded in reason, this
alone ought TO be decisive with eur brother re-
Fublicans of all parties. We refrain fromsany
oJHSiuetdtioHEA many otneF grave 00lectlOnS 10
tie political character and conduct of President
+; Van Buren,; Ia The mischievoRs policy ,.of his
Administrations 20 his faults of commission and
omission; because the bare enumeration of them
WOE Id swell this,address beyond all moderate
bounds; and because they have been already Sc
discussed, IN every part of this wide extended
empire, that augmented, they might fatigue theii
public mind, butGculd not enlighten. Netherl
shall we bestow any notice here, ON the false
and absurd charges which have been alleged
againstGen Harrison, or the malign ant calu-
mpies that have been fabricated TO ,blackenis
character, much NOSE the vile and coarse a.
buses which have beer poured in torrents up
on him; fer ifthe voice of history and Of truth
and Justice has not been deemed wholly I'M
worthy ola hearing, those charges and those
SANDERS do not now require reSutation.
The purposes TO which this dllress has been
confined, have excluded any remark on aile
subject oft the Vice Presidency. Nor GA that
subject, should we have deemed it necessaI Y
to say but a.werd TO the people of Virginia: |
they have to choose between John Tyler and
Richard M. johnson.
And, The question having been put, the Adj
dress sas adopted by acclamatian.