Southern Argus. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1834-1842, 1840-04-07


In compliance with this Recommendation Of
the President, we have just seen the Sub-trea-
sury bill, with the obnoxious specie clause.
hurried through one branch of the National Lee
giSlature, by minority vote; in the absence of
many members, when, if that body (the Sen
ate,) had been full, and its members had yo-
ted in conformity to the opinions and wishes.
either expressed or understood, -sftllRir respec-
tive States, the measure would have been de-
feated. And yet, in the face of such facts as
these, appeals are still made in the name of
blind and abject party-allegiance to many who
are truly opposed to this scheme from thor
ough conviction Gifts most dangerous and ia
tai tendencies, to support the reelection of the
President, by whose influence and anti-repub-
lican contumacy it is to be imposed and perma-
nently fastened upon the country. poor at
tempt is now made to give plausibihty and eff
feet to this appeal, by representing the Sub
| treasury scheme as mere question of erpedi-
e1lcy, on which men may agree to differ with
out any compromise of principle, on either side:
and this attempt is made, toe, by thoseswho
have themselves but recently denounced the
scheme in the strongest terms, as dangerous
to the public liberty, by giving tie President
the immediate control of the public money, put
ting into his hands ga fund of corruption" and
alarmlngly increasing the power and influence
OF his office, "already too great for republic.
Surely, when considerations such as these are
involved, the question is one of vital and funda-
mental importance. In this aspect as mea-
sure alike aostlle to the public liberty, and war
ring upon the prosperity of the country, direct
y and indirectly, in all its most essential inter-
ests, the Sub-treasury project has ever been
UIptpod hr1 fh0-o
who have given evidence of the sincerity .of
their faith by fearlessly and alnRinchingly NEE
ting the denunciations which its profession has
drawn down upon them. Entertaining such
opinions, can they, as honest men, and as free
men, so far surrender their minds and their wills
to the slavish discipline of party, as to support
the reelection of a President, whose policy
they believed TO be frau2ht with consequences
so calamitous to their country humbly think
| not.
Another disineenuous device for entrapping
conservative votes, is founded on the assump-
ton that they differ with the President on but
a single question. Even were this so, it would
be cause enough for the withdrawal of then
support, where the question is one ESQ Grave
and fundamental character as the Conserva-
ives honestly believe the Sub-treasury scheme
| " UC' DuL TIC dSSuIIlpllOu Is WHOLLY untrue
The Conservative Republicans have differed
and still differ with the President on Other
points ofthe highest Importance. They have
seen, through the whole course of his admins.
tration and In the conduct of his friends, a svs
tematlc design to build up the practical Supre.
macy Of the Erecutiue Poloer, at the expense o
the Legislative department, and of the people
themselves. They have seen this design pur.
sued, not only by the persevering efforts which
have been made to secure to the President and
his agents the custody and control Of the pub.
nc moneys, through the medium of the Sub,
treasury scheme, bat also by the new and alar
ming doctrine, which was preached in his an.
nual message at the commencement of the late
session of Congress in December, 1888, that
IN the management of the public revenue, he
should be left sat liberty to employ Banks OF
not, loithod legal regulation and at his mere
discretion as deposltaries and fiscal agents O
I the government,--thu subjecting all the mon
eyed institutions o. the country to his influence
and control In the steady pursuit Of the same
great ann, they have seen a system OF pqrtt
discipline introduced and organized under the
auspices of the present Chief Magistrate, tht
fundamental canon of which is that every mem
her of the party which brought him into powe
must surrender-his individual opinions and cor
victions on public measures, however profound
ly entertained to the dictum of the President
and support whatever, he shall recommend. III
der pain of accommodation and polItica
death for dsobedience. BY these means, com
bIned with the powerful persuasives of his Of
fetal patronage, the President is virtually IN
vested with supreme Polrer. The debasins
principle has been openly avowed, as well a!
practically enforced that the first duty of TIN
public functionary is to the President who ap
points, and not to the country which employs
him, and that SO long as he renders good polit
zeal service to his chief, no nfdelity to his pu
lie trust, not even the grossest peculations
shall be suffered to deprive him of his Office
, While unfaihful agents and public defaulter
have thus earned impunity and reward, other
f who have been distinguished by the honest abb
and exemplary discharge of their official dutie:
+ have been arbitrarily removed from Office fo
, no other reason than that they could not con
' form the private and Involuntary operations c
their minds to the standard of Executive faitf
or that they believed it unbecoming the propr
cites of their situation public officers, to tax
a part in those electoneering exertions, whic
have come to be considered the surest passpo
2 to favor and security. And to cap the china
. of these bold pretenslons of Executive powe
we have seen a report solemnly put forth an
a triumphantly carried through by the President
+ friends in the Senate, procaiming in the face
e dav. and in contempt of the most reserved o.
: acles of Anglo-American liberty, the DARN
: heresy that It is both the right and the duty
. the Executive office-holders to intermeddl
a with the freedom of election, thus sacrfcr
: the vital principle of popular sovereignty itse
n at the shrine Of this new idol of Presidential s.
e premacy.
= While in these measures and proceeding
: we have seen the President and his friends pu
n suing with unyarying aim, as the primary o.
e iect, it would seem, of their efforts, the DANCE
( Gus aggrandizement ofhis power,-in his plaI
e, of national policy we have been constantly m
u with suggestions and recommendations ain
inc at the subversion of established Instit
70 tions, and utterly destructive of the repoSe ar
le settled order of business in the affairs of Il
= country, and appealing to the jealousies al
in worst passions of society IN their support II
re special object to which his schemes of innov
is ton have been. mainly directed, is unfortunat
to " the most delicate of all ----.s . s4-
ID and that which requires to be touched with t
n wisest and most cautious hand-the system
80 its currency, forming the common measure
re which the labor and property of every indiyid
I'd al in the community is estimates or exchange
ur Instead of pursuing salutary and pfactiC
ne reform of existing abuses, whatever they N
IL be. ian object in which all good men and D;
,h riots would heartily unite With him,) he |
,st brought forward crude and anti-social theori
in and has propagated them with all the infuen
be of his high Office, which go to the entire
us tructioR ofthat system of credit, which is CT
er val with the settlement -four country, is so