Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1840-03-12

the puoilc mon~s, through The medium OF the sub
treasury scheme, but also BY The new and alarming
doctrine. which was broached in his annual meg
sage at the commencement of the late session VI
Congress in December, 1888, that, in the manage
ment Of the public revenue. he should be left a,
liberty TO employ Banks or not, ~gfhoxf ie gai reg
sfafaoa aud at his mere discretion, as depositarie,
and fiscal agests Of the governmeRt,-thus sutiec.
ting all the moneyed Institutions OF the county 10
his influence and control. In the steady pursuit OF
the same great aim. they have seen a system Of par.
~ Discipline, introduced and organized under the
suspices Of the present Chief Magistrate, the fun
damental canon OF which is that every member Of
the party which brought him into power, must sur
render his individual opinions and convictions on
public measures, however profoundly entertain
ed, to the dictum Of the President. and support
whatever be shall recommend, under pain ofex.
communication and political death for disobedience.
BY these means. combined with the powerful per-
suasives OF his official patronage, the President is
virtually invested with supreme posrer. The deba.
sing principle has been openly avowed, as well as
practically enforced, that the first duly Of the pub
lie funciionary is to the President who appoints.
and not to the country which employs him; and,
that so long as he renders good political service TO
his chief, no infdelity to his public trust, hot even
the grossest peculstion, shall be suffered to deprive
him OF his Office. While u~nfailhful agents and pub
lie defaulters have thus earned impunity and reward,
edt a. iuNc 2 histHStipHpd ny lnS nubcsir
able, and exemplary discharge Of their official du-
ties, have been arbitrarily removed from office, for
no other reason than that they could not conform
the private and involuntary operations OF theif minds
to the standard of Executive faith. or that they be-
lieved it unbecomins the proprieties Of their sisua.
ton, as public officers, 10 take a part in those cleo
pioneering exertions. which have come to be censi-
dered the surest passport to favor and seclrity.-
And to cap the climax Of these bold pretensions Of
| xac.,tiv "a ws haya saan n rpparr solamnlv
put forth and uiumplnntly carried through, BY The
Presidents friends in the Senate. proclaiming in
the face Of day, and in contempt OF the most feve-
red oracles Of Anglo-Americsn liberty, the daring
heresy that il is both the right and the duty Of Elk
eeutive ofice-holders TO intermeddle with the free
dom of elections, thus sacrificing the vital principle
ofpopulat sovereignty itself at The shrine OF this
new idol Of Presidential supremacy.
While in these measures and proceedings, we
have seen the President and bis friends pursuing.
with unvarying aim, as the primary object, 1t would
seem, of their efforts, the dangerous aggrandize-
ment of his power,-in his plans of national policy
we have been constantly met with suggestions and
recommendations aiming at the subversion OF esta-
blished institutions, and utterly destructive OF the
repose and settled order Of business in the affairs OF
the country, aud appealing to the jeslousies and
worst passions of society IN their support. The
special object to which his schemes of innovation
| have been mainly directed, is unfortunately the
most delicate of all the interests OF society, aud
that which requires TO Re touched with the wisest
and most cautious hand-ihe system OF its currency,
forming the common measure by which the labor
and property Of every individual in the community,
is estimated or exchanged. Instead Of pursuing a
saluiary and practical reform OF existing sbuses,
whatever they may be, IAN object in which all good
men and patriots would heartily unite with him.
| he has brought forward crude aud anti-socisl theo-
ries, and has propagated them with all the infiu-
ence Of his high cfice, which go 10 the entire de-
struction Of that system Of credit, which is coeval
with tho settlement of our country, is SO peculiarly
adapted to its circumstances, and TO which, whate-
yer irregularities may have sometimes attended II,
| Gas, indeed, what good, in the ordinances OF nature
or the institutions Of man, is not liable to occasion
| al abuse every candid and well informed mind
must admit that the unparalleled development of
American prosperity and civilization has been main
ly owing,
The Presidents theories and recommendations,
if they mean any thing, go 20 the entire destruction
Of this long established system, now indissolubly
connected with all the interest OF society. and to the
| establishment, in its stead, of an exclusive hard
money currency, or something practically tanta-
mount to it, operating a sudden and total revolution
in the value Of labor, property, and contracts, and
involving the farmer, the mechanic, the tradesman,
the merchant, and in short every class Of men, with
the exception Of creditors and public officers enjoy
ing fzed salaries from the Gopernmtnf) in one
common ruin. As an essential part of this policy,
the President has proclaimed Il crusade against In
siitutions deriving their existence from, and respon-
sible to the States alone, and in his newborn zeal has
so far forgot his former opinions, rs to recommend
to Congress The enaction of a special bankrupt law,
applying TO these Institutions exclusively, and in
tended to put an end to their existence by an act OF
the Federal au.horiiy--a measure which but a few
| yeats before, he had denounced In the strongest
ten ms, as an " odious and unconstitutional invasion
Of the rights of the States" lSee his speech inthe
Senate Of the United States, on a proposition of Mr..
Branch of N. c.. on the 9th OF FebruRiy 1927, Bid
vol. Register Con Debates, p. 2S6
Upon all these subjects, the Conservatives have
differed, and still differ with the President, as well
as upon his sub-Treasury scheme. These dIHeren-
ces have been manifested by them on various occa-
sions, and in a variety of forms-speeches, votes,
and discussions of popular assemblies. In regard
10 myself, | have omitted no proper occasion, in both
written and oral addresses TO my fsllow-citizeDs, to
proclaim them: and yet | have seen, with infinite
surprise, that some persons recently, TO cover their
own change Of position, have alleged that 1t had
been heretofore understood that | differed with the
administration on but a single question, that of the
.ub-Tressury! This allegation. too, is made in the
face of The notorious fact that have been denoun-
ced By the administration press from one extremity
of the country TO the other, for daring, 10 the con-
scientious discharge Of my public duty, to oppose
and expose divers other acts and measures OF The
President and his party-his Illicit and dangerous
renewal of the connection with the Bank OF the u.
Staies-his alarming aad anti-republican doctrines
preached in his message to Congress at the com
mencement of the last session of Congress, with re-
gard TO The Discretionary employment OF Banks in
general as hscsl agents OF the Government, ut his
sole ,ein and pleasure. without any rule, or limita.
ton Of kaw land finally, the daring aiisck made by
his friends 10 tie portenious doctrines If Nh. WALLS
report. on the vita! principle OF iepfesentaiise go
v~rnment-iie freedom ot elections. On this las
ocrs>ion, | characterized tie general policy ftit
nd administration by hat seemed o me to be it, head
leg & atmrs, snd drciaf d M, CONVICTION that on
nat. gr.s' gae-tions OF re~peci ft The rights 81