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

by the power of dismissng them at his pleasure iron
Their respective places To make this terrible powe
OF dsnsson more certain and efcacous its exercise
Is covered up IN mysterious secesy without exposure
without the smallest responsibility The Constitution
and laws Of the United States are 10 be executed II
the sense IN which the President understands them
although that sense may be at variance with the un
derstanding OF every other in the United States
II follows, necessary consequ ence from the prn
eple deduced by the President from the constitutions
injunction, TO the execution of the laws that il al
aet OF Congress be passed in his opinion contrary u
the Constitution If decision be pronounced by thu
courts in his opinion contrary 10 the Constitution
the laws, that act or that decision the President is moi
Obliged 10 enforce, and he could not il to be
ioreed without violation, az is pretended, OF his o
cial oath. Candor requires the admission that the
principle has not been pushed in practice to these
cases, but il manilestly comprehends them and who
doubts that if the spirit Of usnrpaon is not arrested
and rebuked, they will be finally reached The
march of power is ever onward As times and
sons admonish, il openly and boldly, in broad day
makes It's progress or, il alarm be excited by the
enormiy Of its pretensons it silently in the dark OF
| night, steals lis devious way. II storms and
mounts the ramparts of the fortress of liberty now
saps and undcrInines its foundations Finally, the
| command Of the army and navy being already IN the
President and having acquired perfect control
the Treasury of the United States he has consun-
mated that frghtfu union Of purse and sword long
so much so earnestly deprecated by all true lovers Of
civil liberty. And our present Chief Magistrate
stands soemnly and voluntarily pledged in the face
ofthe whole world To- follow in the footsteps and carry
out the measures and the principles Of his llusrious
predecessor
The sum Of the whole is that there is but one
| power, one control one will in the Senate. All is
concentrated in the President. He directs, orders,
commands the whole machinery Of the State. Through
the official agencies scattered throughout the land,
and absolutely subjected to his will, he executes
cordng to his pleasure caprice the whole power of
| the Commonwealth which has been absorbed and en-
crossed by him. And one soul will predominant in,
and animate the whole OF, this vast community. If
this be not practical desposn am incapable of con
ceiving or defining it,, Names are nothing The ex
sence nonexistence Of arbitrary government does
not depend upon the title denomination bestowed
the Chief of State, but upon the quantum Of power
! which he possesses and wields. Autocrat, Sultan
Emperor, Dictator, King, Doge, President, all
mere names in which the power respectively possess
ed by them is not TO be found but is to be looked for
in the Constitution, or the established nsages and
practices of the several States which they govern and
control. If the Autocrat OF Russia called Pre-
sdent Of all the Russias the actual power remaining
unchanged, his authority under his new denomina
ton, would continue undiminished and if the Pres
dent of the United States To receive the title Of
| Autocrat of the United States the amount of his
authority would not be increased without alteration
| of the Constitution.
General jackson was bold and fearless reaper car
rying wide row, but he did not gather the whole
harvest he left some geanngs to his faithful success
sor and he resolved TO sweep clean the field power
| The duty of intoxicating the official corps the
tive exerton of their personal and official influence
was let by him to be enforced by Mr., Van Buren,, in
all popular elections. II was not sufficient that the
official corps bound implicitly to obey the will Of
the President Ii was sufficient that this ODE
dicncc coerced by the tremendous power of dis
mission. 1t became apparent that this corps
might he benefically employed to promote, in other
matters than the business of their Offices the views
| and interests of the President and his party. They
far efficient than any standing army of equal
numbers, A standing army would be separated, and
stand out from the People; would be an object Of
jealousy and suspicion and, being always In corps or
in detachments, could exert influence on popular
elections But the official corps is dispersed through
out the country in every town. village and city, mix
ing with the People, attending their meetings and con-
ventions, becoming charmen and members OF com
mtlees and urging and stimulating partsans to active
and vigorous exertions. Acting in concert and
Throughout, the whole Union, obeying orders issued
from the centre, their influence, aided by the Execu-
tive patronage by the Post Office Department, and all
the vast other Of the Executive is almost
sstibe.
To correct this procedure and to restrain the sub
ordinates OF the Executive from all int ference with
| popular elections my colleague, Mr.. Cnenden,)
now present introduced bill in the Senate He had
| the weight OF Mr. Jehersons opinion, who signed
circular restrain Federal officers from nermeddlng
in popular elections He had before him the British
! example according to which place and pension
ers were not only forbidden to interfere but not
some of Them allowed TO vote at popular cleo
tons But this bill left them free to exercise the cleo
tive franchise prohibiting only the Of their official
influence And how this bill received in the Sc
\ nate Passed, by those who profess to admire the
character and pursue the principles of Mr.. Jefer
son No such thing. 1t denounced as sed
ton bill And the just odium Of that sedition bill
which was intended to protect ohicehoders against
the People, successfully used 10 defeat
Of protection Of the People against the oiiicehoders
Not only they left unrestrained, but they Were
urged and stimulated by an official report TO employ
their influence in behalf Of the Administration at the
elections of the People
Hitherto the Army and the Navy have remained
unaffected by the power Of dismssion and they have
been called into the political services of the Execu
tive. But no attentive observer OF the principles and
proceedings OF the IN power could fail to that
| the DAY not distant when they, too, would be
CURED to perform the parts offices of the President
Accordingly, the process of converting them into Exc
cutiye instruments has commenced IN Court Martial
assembled at Baltimore. Two officers of the Army of
the United States have been there put upon their
Tenn trial, on the charge Of prejudicng the Demo
cratic party by making purchases for the supply Of the
! Army from members Of the Wing party 1t is not
pretended that the United States were preiudced by
those purchases the contrary, il was, believe,
tabished that they cheaper than could have been
made from the supporters of the Administration But
the charge that to purchase at all from the oppo
nents instead of the friends of the Administration,
was an injury TO the Democratic party, which requr-
ed that the offenders should be put upon their trial be-
fore Court Martial And this trial was commenced
at the instance OF a committee of Democratic Con
vcntion and conducted and prosecuted by them The
scandaous spectacle is presented TO an enlightened
world OF the Chief MagistIats of great people exc
cutting the orders OF selfcrcated power, organized
within the bosom Of the State, and, upon such
cusation, arragning, before military tribunal gallant
men, who charged with the defence of the honor
and the interest of their country and with bearing ITS
eagles in the presence of an enemy
| Butthe Army and Navy are too small, and in com
position too patriotic to subseryc all the purposes OF
this Administration. Hence the recent proposition of
the Secretary of War, strongly recommended by the
President, under color of new organization OF the
: $500 80. -