The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-11-09

marks:
Whether for his own or his nations sin, Mr. Ty.
Ter was forced from the obscuriy Of private e INTO
the position Of trust and power which he now occu
pies we do not propose To determine. The fact We
consider equally unfortunate for both In the quiet
exercise Of his profession as lawyer, be doubtless
may have secured the confidence OF The community
in which he lived though we imagine that as on
advocate in causes OF much magnitude requiring
nice perception Of principles or clear assertion Of
them he can never have been much sought aitef ~
The dignity OF his manners, the purity and integrity
~ n. personal morals would suffice 10 make hun
,oJ c;,'zen in his relation to the state and to the
society in which he moved yet this same urong,
headed conscience exhibited IN his public HE, would
be art 10 mar the practical value OF his influence
in any scheme Of local or general benesoehee, anu
make him one Of thai large class OF men who, WIN
the best intentions, always doing some social mis-
chief"
This entire paragraph is either false IN point
of fact, or il is an abstraction-not ITgtnid
abstraction, either, but Scotch metaphysical
one. If Mr., Tyler has assumed the Preslden-
tial Chair, elevated 10 discharge OF ts high
functions from the 'obscurity OF private life"
we cannot imagine what the writer would call
public life We had supposed that If any
American citizen had led life, strictly devoted
TO the public service, il was the present Presl-
dent of the United States. Representing his
native county, with but one exceptive vote, at
the early age of twenty one years, he has tlled
every legislative and executive post, constltu-
tonally created, which the State or Federal Go
vernments can offer to the ambition Of an Anne
rican, and Mr.. Tyler is now in the prime of
health and life, at fifty -one years Of age. In the
short round Of thirty years, he has risen from
the representative Of county to that which has
been emphaticaly called the " HIGHEST POST or
HONOR IN THE WORLD" There is no other midi
vidual in this Union of whom the same history
can be witten. This, TOO, without stain upon
BRIDE AND WITHOUT AN INTRIGUE What the
writer means by the Presidents possessing
g wrong-headed conscience" we can con
ceive, but il is a sentiment TO which Christian
man cannot affirmatively respond. Conscience
is TO yield, on all occasions, to erpediency a
party politicians views of e.rpediency! Is this
what the writer means? 1t is the only con
struction to be put on his language We do
not-cannot-never will, voluntarily, nor can
we be forced-to subscribe to SO impolitc and
sinful heresy. Impolitic, because it leads the
country to the preclpice Of its destruction, and
sinful because both the moral law Of man and
the Gospel of God condemn it. Besides, if the
success or unsuccess, TO take the ground
sumed by the writer, Of possessing or of not
possessing such prong headed conscience, as
Mr.. Tyler enjoys, is to be measured by the
standard of his example, we would advise
all men who wish to obtain consideration
in the world, in the enjoyment of its places OF
power, TO affect to have it, if they have it not
Follow his history, and, in the short space of
his life, what places has he filled, beside offices
Of honorary character, the most honorable al
lcays, He is presented to us, as State Legs
tor, State Councillor, State Chief Magistrate,
member of the House of Representatives Of
the United States, United States Senator, Vice
President Of the United States, President of
the United States,-and all these Offices at the
hands Of the people-he himself poor, without
patronage, and without single newspaper
press ct his command. We humby think
rare conspiration of fortuitiesn could not have
produced this result. No-the people of Virgi-
mia, the American people, have seen that wis
dom, and that excellence Of virtue, in John Ty-
Ter, which the blind or non-inquiring optics of
the writers Of the New World have not seen, or
which, having seen, their prejudices have dis
torted, or they have wfully misrepresented
We desire TO comment, briefly, on the fifth
paragraph, and, since these portions of those
tcles are fair specimen Of their value, we have
done. The writer remarks:
In surveying whatever public acts of Mr.. Tyler
have survived in our memory, we find something Of
these features Even those worthy in the eyes OF his
friends, Displaying to the best vantage the peculiar
traits of his character, and challenging if any of his
acts can the respect and admiration OF his
betray lack of symmetry, shortcomng, which DIS
urb If they do not destroy, their full effect These
acts too, have been performed In conunctures where
the conduct Of really great has furnished ready
and most unfortunate contrast to that OF MIR Tyler.
When, rather than yield his conscience TO the man
date Of the State of Virginia and further the perpe-
traon of act savoring equally Of serviity and y-
ranny, he lngs at the feet of his constituents the
power and dignity of his Senatorial station his party
applaud him and his friends admiie. But The nobier
coarse Of his eminent colleague under the precise
cumstances checks the applause and divers the adj
miraon TO himself With integrity less stern,
with pride less unyieldng, but with a juster est-
mate of his own positlon with sounder views Of that
fabric of Government in which himself and the great
State of Virginia formed equally part MIR. Leigh
slgnied his intention neither to obey the usurping
structon nor betray the confded to him. by re-
signing II in the hour Of peril Thus also Mr. Tylers
recent exercise of the Veto power defence equally
OF fierce threats and softest persuasion the sacrifice
OF the favor of the dominant party Gear 10 hun,
and winning only the applause of its opponents
odlous to him, exhibits certainly much nerve, and
at first sight deserving Of sincere respect but
the remembrance of the illus,rious example of Mr..
Madison, dispels such sentiment. We instant
" feel how much more worihily the latter demeaned
himself under the same trying circumstances how
the same honesty of conscience, unite with more
sag acous mind and Informed by wider experience,
might have solved the tlfic ultles of MIR Tyler posi-