The spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1840-1844, 1840-10-09
Wonnsrocx. Scnlember 22d. 1870.

NoODsToCK, September 22d. 1870.
GENTLEMEN:
have the honor to acknowledge the reception
by due course of mail olyour communication the
date of 3D. of July last, requesting my opinions up
on the polirica topics of the day, with view 10
their publication, An answer has been delayed
longer than the rules of politancss, or consdcra-
ton of the source from which the call proceeds,
would seem to Justify. My excuse must be found
in Il reluctance to assume so conspicuous position
as is involved in compliance with your request
Indeed. had, until very recently, thought Of ask
ing 10 be excused n',usrtilvr. Iho o',oo noV,
hold and to which YOU have alluded YOU are aware,
expires with the present political year, and, in the
section in which reside, entertaining the political
sentiments now do, il Is matter of course, that
the appointment will not be renewed. | shall then
have again attained Che height of my ambition,)
private station; and had iondIy hoped TO have
been permitted to pursue in peace the pro lcsSlon
which has hl|ento my lot, and AS a matter of COM
mon right as well as duty,io exercise the privileges
Of freeman, openly and without concealmcni,
but otherwise with as little parade or publicity as
proper exercise Of that privilege would admit
But, my name having found its way contrary TO
my wishes, into the public p'ints, Ohrongh the IN
strumcntuily in the first instance of some core
spondent Of whig paper printed in this yicnily,)
u
measure superseded, il the opinions which may
happen to entertain are thought of any Importance,
or their "avowal" is desired by men of either po-
ical patty, such as they are, the public are wei
come to them; and yielding my private incllnalons
10 the wishes of others, shall attempt TO comply
with your Request.
II is true, that until the present year have ac-
ted with the party, styling itself the wing party.
In the incidents which have occurred recently ,more
particularly connected with the discussion olihc in
dependent treasury system, and the nomination and
the manner Of their support by the whig party, OF
General Harrison for the Presidency, have had
occasion to review my past political course; TO cx-
anime more thoroughly ilan before into the sub
ccls, upon which you have done me the honor TO
request nv views, the comparative ''merlts of the
existing political parties, the qualifications of their
respective candidates for the Presidency aud the
one last enumerated by you but not the least in i'm
por,ancc in my humble opinion, ''the means rcsor-
ted to by each to secure the election of those can
dida,es."
The result of that examination, am forced to
admit has been an essential change of former ~
pnons The party with which have heretofore
acted hy their extraordinary efforts to convince the
world of the 'ruinous measures of the present ad-
minslra,ion'' and of the utter ruin, which over
hangs the country, as they say, TO be ayer,cd only
by the election of their candidate for the presidency
together with the means employed by them for the
purpose; have served TO satisfy my mind of quite
different fact which is that the leading men, both
in the State and Union. by whom that party is and
will continue to be controlled, either through igno-
rance or design, (no matter how many errors may
have been committed by the present administration
are themselves the last men to whose hands should
he committed the political destinics of free pco-
PIE.
When in 1888 General Jackson, then President
caused the removal Of the deposites from the Uni
ted States Bank, many ofus thought he did wrong
We could Mt that time see no necessity for such
measure, because we considered the dcposilcs
perfectly safe in that instituton.-l'he consequence
was that, falling in with the popular cry, the opin-
ion was entertained, that in that act the President
must have been governed by other motives than a
regard for the public good, and, therefore. that he
was dishonest. But when, after the expiration of
the old charter and the granting of the new one in
Pennsylvania, with an increased capital, and Gas
at the time proclaimed BY Mr.. Biddlc, the President
of the bank,) much stronger and more efficient
charter for banking purposes than the cd one I'M
der Congress, that same bank in the fall Of 1899.
when thrown like other banks upon lis own resour-
ces without the aid of the government monies TO
sustain 1t, in time of peace and prosperity with
out any assgnablc cause hui its own mi,nnnapc-
ment, was the first 10 stop payment, the question
very naturally suggested ITSELF what If the public
monies had been in the bank then, Would they
have been safe' Although at the time of the re-
moyal, we thought we understood the subject per-
ectly the result has shown that the President knew
better than we as to the safety of permitting the
government funds TO remain in the bank SO far
therefore as the opinions then entertained created
doubt Of the wisdom, or the integrity, ofihai ven
cradle old man now retired 10 the hermitage, am