The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-11-13
THE RICHMOND wHIc.,

A late number of this rabid journal contains
the last dying echo Of disappointed man, in
long and frantic address to its patrons over
the signature OF JOHN H. PLEAsANTs. Notwith-
standing we have ever regarded this retiring
editor as desperate political gamester, who like
the men of broken fortunes with whom he has
indissolubly identified himself, labored under an
unfortunate nsonomania that constantly pro-
duced him fallacous visions Of fame and fortune
growing out of few exploded and condemned
"favorte measures" measures that have been
repeatedly denounced, and must always be reject
ed by an overwhelming majority Of the people,
Notwithstanding we have viewed him as one
striving to grasp substances in mere chimeras,
and always petulant abusive and morose, when
opposed or defeated land could never consci-
entiously" sympathse with him in his repeated
and inevitable misfartunes, nor patiently endure
his continued vituperations-ye we are now
frank to confess thai this address in the g Rich
mond Wing" has filed us with emotions Of
pity. We pity the man of misery, even when
his miseries are the result Of his own impru-
dence and vices.
Mr. Peasants writes like ruined man, and
his daring and .incoherent attempt to stgmatize
the President in his HIast words, /" would con
vince any rejecting person that Mr.. Peasants
himself considered "his casen a hopeless one.
What good did Mr.. peasants expect to accom-
plish for himself, or for the one on whose eleva-
ton to the Presidency he foolishly "stood the
hazard of the die" by such futile and abortive
ribaldry as the following: 49,.
"Iknew Mr.. Tyler well, personally, and had known
him long, and could not believe, that man COM
mon place. absolutely inferior to many fifteen shi-
ling lawyers, with whom you may meet at every
County Court in Virginia, would seriously aspire to
the first station among mankind, for such the Pres-
dency of the United States certainly is" b..
In another paragraph he reasons conclusively,
though perhaps he did not design it, that Mr..
Tyler was not only Unexpectedly, but inmocently
and irresistibly elevated to his exalted station.
Then why all this abuse of him2 Why not
peaceably submit to fate2 But the man is mad.
Yet when he strove to secure Mr.. Tyler's cleo
ton as Vice President, and fondly imagined that
in the success Of General Harrison his own idol
would be in the ascendant-and although the
prescription Of has oDm State was meditated
by his leader and concurred in by himself-still
he did not venture to brand Mr.. Tyler as being
"inferior to many fifteen shilling lawyers" before
the election. Though palpably and hopelessly
bereft of his wits now, there was ''method in his
madness" then. He praised Mr.. Tyler at that
time-he abuses him now. Mr. Tyler was un-
pledged, and has acted consistently with his de-
clared opinions of former years. Now we sub
NIT it to the reader whether the President is an
"apostare" or Mr.. Peasants mailman.
But this disease with which Mr. Peasants is
so sorely afflicted, has recently ragged to some
extent in various sections. Among certain ed
itors who had been in the habit of dealing to
some purpose in bank loans, it has amounted
almost to an epidemic. But we trust they will
grow better. All can never be restored to rea-
son, perhaps, but we still have hopes that some,
aided by unbroken constitutions, will ultimately
recover. Indeed we find an occasional para
graph in this famous address indicating here and
there brief lucid interval. The following re-
Elections are quite natural to one in Mr. Peasants
condition:
"The country for years agtated to its centre
arduous struggle of political the re-
suit has been the elevation of John yer to the Pre-
sidency! Never did fate severely expose the van
ity of human wishes demonstrate the fallacy of
human expectations" "
The "vanity of human wishes" being so eff
fectually exposed and rebuked, would it not be
the most prudent course for Mr.. Peasants and
the like "broken down politicians" to pursue, to
isle ,x.slo C-l
the path of preferment by means of common
sense and common honesty? Truly did "fate
expose the vanity of human wishes"-the wish
es of those human beings who vainly hoped to
see President of the United States submit to
partisan dictation. May "fate"-or Providence
country that it may be as effectually rescued
from thepoluted hands of unprincipled aspirants,
as it was in the instance referred to above! An
overriding Providence has hitherto averted ev
cry threatened fatal calamity impending over
our beloved country since the birth of Wash
ington, and we have every reason to believe
that the same Power above will continue to
watch over US and guard US.
And truly "the fallacy of human expecta-
tons" was demonstrated" The "Richmond
Wing" and "Courier and Enquirer" and other
kindred prints, expected to obtain uncounted
thousands from another "Monster''-a "Mon-
ster" that would feed them by devouring the
poor. Think of the thousands consumed by
partisan presses, obtained from the last Uni
ted States Bank and never returned-and
then of the wailing widows and orphans whose
fortunes were squandered! Subsidized editors,
cormorant stock jobbers, swindling directors,
and specializing capitalists, are irreconcilably
offended at the independent course pursued by
the President-and very naturally so.
1t is stated that the Hon. John quincy Adams has