The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-06-09
WHOLE NO. 800.

breach in the walls of the citadel of imperial
power Day after day, week after week, and
month after month, were they continued, until
the very citadel itself began TO crumble. In tins
state OF things ended the Congress before last.
A new era had arrived. The old chiefs days
had ended. His successor was less popular and
less powerful than he The friends of the Con
stltuion beheld in the distant horizon the dawn
OF better times. They heard the deep toned
inurmurs Of an oppressed and indignant people,
reyerberatng from the mountains of the far
| North 10 the rich valleys Of the extreme South,
and waited in their swift passage from the AT
lantic TO the Pacific. All was anxious hope and
confident expectation with every Wing. The
elections for the first Congress under the sue
cession came on, Power, which had met with
defeat after defeat, until il was thought harm
less, instead of remaining in sullen passiveness,
as was vainly thought by many, rallied for
other death-strugge. II put suddenly into ope
ration its hundred thousand secret springs, and
by means Of the most corrupt use Of S39,0o0000
| oil appropriations, II made another rally that as
| tonished itself.
| The contending armies sent their chosen
champions to this theatre To determine the fate
OF the day in one last pitch-batite. Each party
had numbered its forces, and it was ascerlained
thai the advocates OF power were in small mi
nority, and hence were Responding, whilst we,
their adversaries were exulting The fight came
| on, the signal 10 arms was given, when 10 and
| behold Southern division, under the com
mand OF the two Carolina generals, deserted TO
the enemy, and turned the fortunes of the day
How these two gentlemen and their few, but,
under the circumstances, most potent friends,
| are to explain this their movement is beyond
| my conception. Ii is, however, their affair
II IS true, Mr.. Chairman, that the chief OF this
little clan has given 10 the country one explana
ton OF the motives of himself and followers for
this strange revolution. This explanation is
contained in a letter of that Senator, written al
Fort Hill on the Sd of NOVEMBER, 1897, just
after the memorable called session at which he
took his new position. The letter is very lengthy,
and contains an argument about Southern doc
| trines, Southern position, and such like matters,
| and, after pointing out the causes that had
brought Mr. Van Buren, and his party to the
| brink OF ruin, in two or three short sentences
which will read from his letter, he assigns the
reason of their change in the following language:
| " As saw this state of things clearly
perceived that very important question presented
| for our determination which were compelled TO
decide forhwith-shall we continue joint attack
with the Nationals those in power in the new POI
son they have been compelled to occupy 1t
clear with our joint forces could utterly overthrow
and demolsh Them but less clear that the VIC
tory would inurc not to but exclusively t the be-
neft Of our allies and their cause"
1t is not my purpose to detain the House to
critlcise the sufhciency of the reason assigned
Tor this change OF position the language speaks
| for ITSELF and am content to submit it without
comment to the country. But for one thing |
am constrained to give the gentleman credit,
and that is for his candor and frankness in giving
the true reason for the change.
/ The Senator in this letter seems to speak for
himself and those Of his friends who went over
with him; and, as have never heard one of
| them disavow the reason assigned for the change
by him, either upon the present or any other oc
casion, shall treat it also as their reason. Then
the reason OF the change of the members of this
House from South Carolina, and the member
from Alabama, (Mr. Lewis,) was because they
believed the victory of the Wings would not in
ure 10 their benefit. This being true, the con-
| verse of the position follows as a necessary con
sequence-that they joined the Administration,
because by such junction they would secure
victory which mould inure to their benefit.
Now, Mr.. Chairman, (said Mr. CD | agree
with these Southern gentlemen, that, if they
acknowledge their individual promotion, whether
for selfish purposes or as means OF carrying
out their peculiar opinions as the basis of their
political afinites, they were quite right in the
step they have taken. For am sure they have
already realized benefits from this new alliance
of theirs in two short years, which ! do suppose
the Opposition would never have thought OF con
ferring
No public man ever acknowledges he has
any selfish views in desiring political pro-
motion. Ii is always exclusively for the public
good that station is sought. II was doubtessly
upon this principle that the Southern gentlemen
sought the positions which some Of them attain
ed, and others came so near reaching
The member from Alabama, at the meeting
of the first Congress after his change Of position
became an aspirant to the speakers chair; a
conception which | am very sure never would
have entered his head while in the ranks of the
Opposition. AT least am sure no member OF
that party would ever have thought of the name
of that honorable member in connexion with
that high Office. do suppose knowledge of
his fitness for that station would have been
lost 10 the present generation, but for his new
alliance. II may be that ! have placed an erro
neous estimate upon the fitness of that member
for the chair, although have served here with
him for four years. Notwithstanding all this,
and though | had considered the gentleman
from Alabama, as the only member in the Con
gress before last, that outstripped the member
from South Carolina, Mr.. Pickens,) in the bit
terness OF his party feelings against his pre-
sent associates, yet he was their iavorlte and
most prominent candidate for the Speakers
chair. I would not, Mr.. Chairman, for the
world, insinuufe that the new allies of the
member from Alabama ascertained, unless they
allowed some portion Of the victory 10 enuren
to the benefit of the gentleman and his Southern
friends, that he and they possessing now, rs
they did in the last Congress, the balance Of
power, would seek out new political associations.
But, Mr.. Chairman, other strange erents have
grown out of the new position Of parties or,
rather, ! should have said, events that would
have been strange but for the solution afforded
by this most remarkable letter of the distin-
guished Senator from South Carolina. Butwith
this letter key, all these apparently strange
consequences seem to be the most natural things
in the world.
There are seven members Of this House from
lsnroI,nn md from, Inhn Ihnil