Madison Whig advocate., 1840-05-09

vise of which, had produced, and would, doubt
less continue to produce. jealousies and dissen-
.ion.n
Let us see what foundation there is for the
assertion that Gen. Harrison is in favor of a
National Bank. We have already seen that,
in his address TO the voters of the Cincinnati
district in 1922, he expressly declared that she
',elievod the charter given to the Bank of the
United States was unconstitutional" In his
letter to Sherrod Williams, in answer 90 the
query, ,-whether, if elected President, he would
sign bull with proper notifications and res
frictions, tor c1artenln4 Bank of the United
States, he replies IN the following very specific
aud guarded ierms---s.I would. If it were clear
lY sscertained that the public interest ia reia-
tion to the collections and disbursement of the
revenue would materially suffer without one.
and there were uHe1uivocai manifestations of
public opinion III ITS favor. ] think, however,
the experiment. should be fairly tried 10 ascer-
tain whether the financial operations of the
government cannot he as weil carried on with
out the aid of National Bank. If it is not
necessary for that purpose, il does not appear
TO me that can be constitu;ionallv charter
ed. There IS no construction which can give
70 the Constitution which would authorise IT,
on the ground OF affording facilities to COM
merce.o
1t is to be remarked that Gen. Harrison here
speaks, not OF what he would recommend or
is personally IN favor OF, but what he would dc,
in tie creTlt of Bill for cirartering a Bank un-
der proper modftlcation and restrictions, being
passed by Congress and presented to him for
his signafrre; and even in that case he says he
would sign 1t only under the special contingent
cies he enumerates, to VII, that il had been
clearly dscertafaed BY experience TO be necessary
for carrying on the financial operations of the
government, and that there were trlequrocai
manifestations of public opinion in its favor,
and, he adds emphatically, that unless it should
be shewn 'sto be necessary for conducting the
h4ancial operations of the government, he does
nSt think can be co1tstitutionally chartered.''
xvfl III fh
the declaration in his address to the voters in
his District in 1922, il is evident that his own
lcanings decidedly against National Bank.
While this - Cen Harrison positI the
question OF a National Bank, Mr.. Van BuTen
is, we know, actively exerting all the influence
of his high Office to force upon the country
great Government Bank, (under the disguise of
his sub-Treasury schemc,) controlled entirely
BY executive agency, and thus effecting in the
hands OF the President that union OF the
Inoneyed and political power of the govern
ment, which has ever been held fatal to the lib
critics OF free people.
This question of Executive power IS, after
all, the great and paramount question of the
day, threatening, IL does, the existence of
that civil and political freedom on hich all
our institutions repose. We have seen what a
rapid and alarming development, by means OF
party discipline, the abuse OF official patron
age, and the new and extraordinary Preten-
sons put forth BY the President and his friends, |
this power has recently attained ;.till the Gov
ernnient has been warped into practical mor- |
archy of the worst sort, in which all power is |
centred in one man, to be used. not for the |
good of the people, but for the exclusive bene- |
ut of party. To "correct this procedure''-l
10 "restraIn Executive power, within its legi- |
innate bounds--to bring back the "A dminis- /
,ration to Republican forms and prnciplesr-
and TO protect the ''purity and independence /
OF the legislative Department. should now be
the object of every Republican patriot, it
was that which Mr.. Jefferson tells US, 9th vol.
of his writings, p. 450.) first aroused and unit
ed the Republicans of '93 and 80. To enable
you the better to judge of the principles and
opinions of General Harrison on this great
question of Executive power. in contrast with
the doctrines and practices of the present a d.
mnistration, / will extract from his letter TO
the Hon. Harmar Denny, written four years
ago, certain cardinal principles which he lays
down ''as proper to be obserl ed BY any Execu-
tive sincerely desirous of restoring the Govern
nent to its original simplicity and republican,
ism,'' and then exhibit in immediate juxta-po-
sition to them the correlative principles fairly Il
deducible from the practice or express declara-
tions of the President or his friends.