Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-07-20

same constitutional provision would come III" pay
under which you are occupyin. your present position:
re s,relv YOU would not pretend that thc SAID Office
had devolyed upon you that you could advance 'ie
,h,,st ella m either 10 title, or 70 us salary, 81 lth
oai $, ecial aw and Appropriation Of Congress = 'ia'
effect. -, =
III 10 ,Gieial ..poweIs and duties oil the Presidency.
/, is ,rlc to- that OF any party would prooa
Div raise an objection 10 the passage of the act OF Con-
ess eually necessary 10 cntte you 10 lis salary, ana
10 Justify The officers of the Treasury IN paying to yon
But that which constitutes in reality The essence Of The
honor incident 10 that possession Of the highest OF Dug
mites that aspire TO on ths earth, 'ie cho'ee
Of the people, you do not possess, you cannot pfelehG
TO claim None of that mpa pajle but powerful moran
force which is derived from that elective ard represei
taye character, attach TO President VINO mas at
tanned that office only in the mode in which Its admit
nstration happens to have fallen you our election
By the people as understands Oeller TIA"
had not the slightest reference TO the contingency
which in the course of Providence mas occurred 10"
we're nominated as very respectable gentleman, LOT
rho satisfaction Of portion of your party, 10 whom
| the opinions with winch your name STOOD anu s'ahcs
identified, OF the most prominent ques'ons o.
the times were far acceptable than those which
entered into the political character such as v was' oil
| General Harrison You are voted for by the main
hulk Of your supporters, simply as "Iyfcr too, much
after the same fashion in which any worthy individual
Of the "Smith family provided ne had never been
an actual inmate of a pen'tentlafy, might have been
Ted under similar ClrCuIlsl1UCtS iANtH u Jpu
were clearly now, that which you clearly are not, e-
rally and technically the President OF the 7. >, It
would be but the empty shell OF the Office so Tar as
regards all It's true dignity and worth, that you would
CRASH All that which constitutes II the glorious prize
whch in truth is 10 the modest ambition, lies YET be-
yond lar beyond and above, the position to which an
Unforeseen accident has advanced you OF have yet,
Sir to earn from your country the honor OF the Pre-
sidency-and TO IT in the only mode I'll which II
to be earned by the arduous and noble l Of ccserv
| ing It.
il is no immateria point of mere ,tuar and echnl-
cal Distinction this question to the true otlca! posi-
ton which you hold. Ii never can be unworthy
of our most careful attention to settle, ny hrss COT
rect precedent the proper construction Of ne" lo
in the application Of the great and sacred charter Of our
liberties and Of hopes the CONSTITUTIONS IL 70 e"sy
100 TO imagine cases in which the most serious eVs
might BIZ the fruit of the seed planted by Tue precedent
now set by you. Suppose these Two iunc,iohares 10
be- the heads Of two hostile ana evenly paahceu par
ties at a period of high excitement ana hntuai eAas
oerat,on and that a temporary disability should, accord
inc 10 vour doctrine dlvest the President Of that oce
and cause il 10 devolve upon the wee ifesiueh''-
might not the attempt hy the former to resume rs on
the recovery Of his ability to discharge us powers ahu
dnt;es be possibly probably attended with dIcui-
lies which might be the most disastrous: And on The
present occasion eventual consequences OF the higest
/ moment may perhaps hinge upon The question. sr
Won are still what the people made you, TIE ice re-
sdeut: and by that name beg leave 10 address you
as you ought to be addressed tes,iylng thus IN reality
higher respect and friendship, than u should
ta,er yonr vanity by title 10 which you have as yet
claim, but which you may hereafter make most glo-
riously your own.
one in the opportunity winch it affords you Of render
ing most nestmablc services to your country, and OF
inscrbing your own high among the highest oi The
names enrolled in the Pantheon Of It's grateful meGory
Are you equal to that opportuny-are you worthy "i
that position: | await with the most earnest interest
the answer which time mast develop 10 tue IN.
auiry. You have to prove yourself eitiier great
man. or a very llltc Prove yourself an honest one
true TO the faith ofthe political school IN which you
were rearcd-true to the high principles Of the glorious
old State TO whose favor YOU ali that you aTc-rue
TO the opinions manfuy uttered By you IN former
years, and with which denhed all oil political char
that attaches to your name,-prove yourself bul
thus honest and true, in the present unprecedented
crisis of our national affairs, and among those noble
sons to whom Virginia has been so long wont to point,
like the mother Of the Gracch, as the jewels alone
worthy grace her qneenly brow there VIII he none
no. not one-on whom through future years her eye
will rest with proud atlrciiom higher than that
which will be equally desert and your CERTAIN ie
ward | beg your indulgence while venture 10 hold
up before you, mirror, as faithful an Outline
of that position trace within my present BRET
limits.
AT no former period Of our history, together with
similar political excitement has there existed similar
confusion OF parties 10 that winch no" prevails among
US The question is no longer-so far regards Tie
terms in which il is statedwhch Of the two rlrai par
ties shall prevail, the Federal or The Democratic
which Of the tive antagonist poca! theories shall 20
ven the Of the public affairs, that Of the Slate
Rights or that OF the Consolidation sciool-which Of
the two names shall be adopted the expression ut
the ideas dominant the Administration that OF Alex
ander Hamilton, or that OF Thomas Jefferson. The
only question: according at least to the public profess
sions of both parties, is Ghch Of the two in reality
the true Democratic, the true Stale Rights, the true
Jeiirrsonlan party.
am far, indeed, Sir from intending to imply that il
is with equal e that the two parties are thus lay
ing claim 10 common character. Hypocrisy IS said 10
be the homage which VICE pays TO virtue There is
doubtless many honest Democrat whom mistake las
cast among the ranks Of the Wing party, TO whom
would be injustice, am the last 10 offer, to lmpuic
TO him any other spirit in his political professions or
conduct than the same sincerity am conscious of in
my own. But that this prc,enson BY the party whose
have elevated 10 power, Is one .! the most
fragrant of frauds aud, at the same tune, III lis very
alsehood the most signal act OF homage they could offer
to the memory OF great political apostle and Ia the
truth as we'll as the power al the principles he has
bequeathed to US, am entitled 20 assert have here
nothing To say of the Democratic or antDem"cfatic,
the Federal or the anti Federal, the lamionan the
Jetfersonian, character Of particular measures upon
which the two parties may have been, or may yet be,
at issue. However clearly may discern in them the
evidence of the radically antagonist character OF the
two parties in their present organizations the re-
derallsn Of the and the Democracy Of the other
being illustrated IN stronger rene! Al tue
Of these than they have ever been be-
forryr, TO YOU have scarcely the right 10 address
such an ar sum"nt. lou would regard il oncsided
assumption OF the whole subject al the controversy,
TO which Of course, | could not clam your assent
But Nrginan You were born and bred, and State
Rights iau as you have always protested to hr, yon
cannot refuse the assertion which you may verify
by inquiry Of your Secretary Of State that at least
the main bulk Of the old Federal and anti Democratic
party still 10 he found among those who have been
tba The Admin
whose fall you have risen Individuals may indeed be
pointed 10, side, conspicuous from their very
rty, whom the onward movement, of the public mind III
the Democratic direction has converted into friends Of
the party and the principles they may have opposed
but the other side b. whole OF popm
lation of country and numerous presses Of
Gent reputation and unchanged character, which, as
they were Federal of old, are Wing And while on
the one every such convert 10 b. found among the
Democratic ranks frank IN acknowledging the radical
change ii continent through winch conviction and OK
per.ence have led hif the other any such imputa
ton of change repealed Sith scorn. Leading Wing