Morning herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1837-1840, 1840-10-09

in constituting the executive power Ii was easy to
make popular House Of Repre- entatives-it was
not difficult TO construct second branch of the Ma
tionai Legislature. But the great officially in their
minds, was how to make the balance of executive
power so truly adjusted to defend the coustry on
me one hand, and the States the ott err from the
Jeopardizing OF the public liberties Our ancestors
mad seen the evils resulting from weak executive,
during the Revolution. And as they had just emer-
ged from one war, and were perhaps about to plunge
into another, they looked carefully TO how Il ey
should confer just such proper degree of power as
would constitute an executive sufficiently strong for
all The purposes OF defending the nation at large
from evil, without being enabled in the least to en-
e roach the separate rights and Liberties of the
| several states. Loud cheers
| They did this. They perhaps gave even more
| power 10 the executive than they would have DONE
had they not so recently suffered such disasters
from the want of power IN the executive. But
mains to be proved, whether ii would not even have
been better had they given less power TO the
tive than has been given than 10 have hazard
ed the augmentation of executive influence so dan
ger0us to liberty and so injurious TO the public at
| large Loud and continued cheering, and cries of
''that's good States Rights doctrine."l
| Because my friends, executive power is that power
which cOnfers favors on so many, bestows all the
patronage of the government on whom it pleases.
And if we look to the patronage of the executive we
shall see how alarmingly it has increased of late
years. We find the expenditure of the Office hold
ers Immensely increased we find the to be
| true of the diplomatic department-and of all the
departments. II is so in the post Office department
| and in the CONNIE rcial department. ven will find
it to be to frighfu extent. Take the largest
city in the Union as an example. And in the public
service of the customs at New-York, you will find
that executive patronage has increacd threefold
within a very short period My friends, there is
constant increase in the power Of the present gov
eminent in besto~ing Office. Then, on the other
hand there is the vast Poweri' possesses in reno
rdis from office. And that this power has been
crcsed most rcmorseless!y sometimes, you but
too well aware. Loud cheering, and cries of
| "True."l
And, in my opinion, unless called for by a due
regard for the public interets, this power of removal
| from Office should never be exercised [Cheers
And Virginia proud and generous Virginia, more
| than any other State in the Union, has disavowed
and condemned this doctrine of removals from Office,
for opinions sake. tCheers.l And wish to do ho-
nor to Old Virginia for this. [Cheers. Because she
has ever less practised this power than the other
States, where the spoils doctrines exist [Trcmen-
dOus cheering.
But there are other parts of this power which arc
| exercised with remorseless hand. And what
now say, desire TO say for myself on this head IL
| may be thought presumptuous in me TO say what
do, notwithstanding the great authority of one Of
your most illustriOus men-a man who knew more of
| the Constitution than any other that ever
| breathed-who saw it in its cradlc-who held it in
his and nursed il in its infancy-who presented
| the child Of his creation to the people, and had the
satisfaction to see them adopt it as their own
| Gcheersl-and who lived long enough to and to
| enjoy the honors arising from it; and who went
down to his grave in the fullness Of time, amid
thousand blessings which he saw spring from it, and
| which, morning and evening, he had prayed to his
God might come from it. Tremendous cheering. !
| ana YET, THIS great ana yOOu man subscribed 10
the doctrine which has since been carried out so
shamclessly by men who had none of his purity or
| patriotism.
differ in opinion from him as he expressed him
self in 1890, which he did to this effect that the
power Of removals from office does exist indie
pendent power Of the executive. Iwish that he bad
| taken another view Of the subject. will.not say
that he wrong. will not be so resumptuous as
that, for respect his memory too highly tCheers.
| But I wish that he had taken another view of that
| particular subject.
| All I sI.nur hat is Of 1,a Gr.s
| time that have thus expressed my opinion on this
subject; in 1884 | fully and freely expressed my
opinions on l., and they have been confirmed by re.
| cent experience What does this power do, or
Their, what does II not dot IL plays uponthe hopes
Of men. II plays upon the fears Of men 1t plays
upon the daily bread of men, It plays upon the
hourly living Of men. And all this does give TO that
power most unnatural and ~ rannical influence.
Again. this power never ceases to exert its baneful
influence. II acts constantly and il acts with tire.
meRdeus unity OF purpose They that are IN, have
but united object that is to Keep all others out.
And those partizans that not in the Offices
poy pay Of the COVER ment, have but one strong,
concentrated desire, and th.t is, 10 get in On the
contrary, the energies Of the opposition general
w spread all the country, split up into small
patriotic bands, some seeking one thing, and some
another; having no union OF action between them
And thus the executive, so constituted, and con-
centrated, keeps oct and keeps down, and success.
fully opposes, rules, and rides over all those who
| would be much more formidable, that they would
be irresistible, were they but united, with
| centrated purpose or action. Cheers
| What do we see What have not seen We
have seen an administration continually IN a mno-
rity-frst in branch Of the national legislature,
and then in another branch OF the legislature, and
vet that has been successfully enSbled, by the
ercise Of executive influence and patronage, and by
the exercise Of the veto power. TO bring men to
support those Of its measures which at first not only
found but very little favor at the hands Of any, but
were absolutely received with scorn and contempt
| [Chcers
Again, when we look at the means employed by
executive power, we must not overlook the power
exercised BY will not say a pensioned, but by a
patronized press. And Of all things the most dan
gerous 10 a popular and free government govern
NEST exercised over the people by a pafronized
| press is most 20 be dreaded-most 10 be abhorred
| tLoud checringl And il those who hold the rsins
of government, far violate the great trusts re-
posed in them as 10 support press cut of the
voted by the people, for carrying on the necessary
| business Of the government. they strike the most
fatal blow q. the root of the tree Of liberty which
they could strike; for they take 10 themselves and
usurp by their own self constituted power, all the
channels Of communication between them and free
people, whose servants they are, 60 whom they are
bound 10 render strict account of all their doings
| and whom they sre bound to obey And except in
France, where the minister will set apart 1900 900
Of francs for the annual support Of the papers in the
pay and under the surveillance Of the government |
| know Of place where the powers &c a govern
ment press exist TO such an extent, and exercise
| such baneful influence, as in this country. HIM
mensc cheering, and cries Of Richie and Blair
| Have you not, virginians, been deeply mortified
| time and again, to see the anxiety and the pains
taken in the election Of the government printer
corning which many Of our most valuable men,
| your own friends, have taken the utmost pains C.
keep this source Of patronage out Of the hands OF
| executive power. You have, and you were right
in your approval Of their proceedings. Why, my
friends, so highly important do consider this sub
| ject that know that the first thing to be done In
| order to effect thorough reformation OF existing
abuses, is TO separate implicitly the government
| printing from political countensnce. tChcers u
the government pays man Co preach politics, all
| know what politics he'll preach before be begins.
| o,l Lana far nd 1 III hp her atI hx H..
government, IL will all be 80 triumphs" from the
first paragraph the fret page to the last paragraph
| on the last page. Loud and continued cheering.
am for cutting this OF entirely. tCheers.l Iwant
| to give the people fair chance. tCheers don't
want to compel the people to psy-pay-pay-to
support government, whilst at the same time that