The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-09-04
REMARKS OF MR.. CUSHING,


august rs, ls4l.
N, crmtso said be was conscious the members o.
,hs cammtee were anxious TO take the Gus suon, anu
~ would not have risen 20 address tnemi ous 'o s
reflections on the character and eonouc' o. 'he 80
An, ~ The United States which had been introduced
- ,hs debate by the gentleman from Tennessee,
1Nr Arnold. y and the gentleman nom virginia, MT
Ra1,s which were Of far mole consequence TO tne
House and the country than the subject properly uh
der consideration. Before replying, however, 70 me
remarks OF those gentlemen being up ne wouid maze
some observations as 70 the bill itself
THAT part of the speech which relates TO tina fos
Ofhce Department Is omitted
Mr.. c. said he would now leave the immediate
question of this BILL and 70 the subject OF de-
bale viz the remarks made this morning BY the gen
,leman from Tennessee, (Mr Arnold,) and the gen
tleman from Virginia, Mr. Bolts MI =. mao ieA
ed in this House regard both these gen'enen ~.
personal respect, and be should Say hosas IL
occasion incompatible with that s. niimen'- nc IN
ceded 10 them the privilege OF thinking ana speans
for themselves; nay il Was not thing 70 DC eonI
10 them-it was their night, their inoeieasDe iisn -
soeak on this floor with freedom ana inuepena...i
Eheher their sentiments in accordance WIN ms
or not il was their night, representatives, OF .he
peole 10 express their sentiments God iofpiu 'na'
he should desire TO prevent their doing 10, ~ 1s v
any other matter He MIR CD was not IN inc rioass
when the gentleman from tennessee n,.... :,
uttered the Expression supposed to have reference !"
the President of the United States, upon when me
gentleman had been called TO order MT. y. uio no'
know that he could have ooneoIied IN af'oses snl
remarks Of the gentleman rom tennessee, Nc ns ,hs
been present The opinions and the conduct OIL tne
President Of the United States, at any fate ms ON
cal opinions and conduct were lar subiec. Of cln
csm of censure, nay, of obloquy, IN TINS noose, =
any member Of il chose TO descend 10 the use -
ouy in such a relation. As to the precise terms ~
which any Official of the present were TO be chaf
ac,erizea by any member of the House, maj was
question more concerning the honor o. inc nenpeI
hlmsel than that OF the President u Inc gentleman
from Tennessee used the language which ne M VI
IA hes,d ..cr,bed 10 him be il So Bad taste or bad
temper even in debate here was to be tolerated as one
of the vices Of liberty, TO be sure Out yet IN 'he
suppression of which there might be danger OF sup
messing liberty itself; and he was willing 70 ac-
Cent he evils of freedom along side OF its blessings
He believed that those blessings would incomPafapp
outweigh any OF the necessary evils attendant upon
them and he willing TO accommodate himself 70
those evils rather than run any rs- oil losing those
blessings And therefore it was not the particular
phraseology it not the spirit even, lobJec'ionaole
as that was,) Of the remarks of the gentleman from
Tennessee or those of the gentleman from Virginia,
(Mr Bolts with which he now found fault Invasive
idea pressed by both Of them to which ne took e1
ceution and he did this, not only with feelings OF
regret so far as regarded Them but still more out Of
conct I'm for the peace and harmony OF the great party
10 which they in belonged and II was In be-
half Of the interests of that party and no, the inte
rests Of that party only, but those Of tie Union, and
of The people Of the United States-Wth whose pros
perty that OF the Administration was In his opinion
identifed-t in behalf Of these great interests
that he responded the remarks OF those gentlemen
The gentleman from Tennessee had applied to the
President sundry expressions Of general obloquy,
which had neither point nor meaning IN themselves
and he had then said turning to the Opposition men,
beers Of the House, the President belongs to you and
not TO US. And the gentleman from Virginia said
he looked upon the conduct OF the President as
treachery the ylest and basest MIR. e. said he be-
Iieyed these were the very words and the gentleman
from Virginia mods his assent Now, az TO these OPT
MONS expressed by those gentlemen, Mr. " SAID ne
Joined issue He denied that those imputations were
lust or true any whatever, and ne challenged
argument upon this issue These general
Of the gentleman from Tennessee and the gentleman
from Virginia amounted TO nothing; they were moth
ing bat bald and naked declarations OF their opinion
Mr. c. not only opposed his opinion to their opinion,
but he went further he denied the conduct OF the
President Of the United States open to any charge
of ireachery, and he challenged members to candid,
fair and impartial argument upon that point wherev
er and whenever the House would give him fair
field.
Mr. c. said that twelve months had not elapsed
aimee the people Of the United States convused
from Maine to Louisiana by that great contest which
ended in the triumphant success Of the Wing party,
and IN The election OF the sainted HARRISON and not
Harrison only but Tyler too, as the constitutional
heads Of the Government II was the greatest polltl
cal revolution which took place in this country
the greatest in personal as IN mere party change
succeeded John Adams also in that Of 1928, when
Andrew Jackson succeeded John Qincy Adams,
there was that complete disruption Of continuity
in the psrsonnei Of the Administration when Hal
rison succeeded Van Buren, In this last case, there
was total change, not only in regard to measures,
but to men also
the gen,eu an from Tennessee Mr. Arnol1) and the
gentleman from Virginia (Mr Botts) conteaded, for
the success Of great principles and tor the Of
m those DrlDcIDles. and whose
persons those principles should be embodied and made
incarnate He commended for both. The individuals
for whom he in common with those gentlemen had
SPOKEN and written, and labored were placed in pow
er and therefore there is question here to men,
but only as TO principles and if the allegation Of the
gentleman from Virginia is justified by the fact, il
must be upon some question OF principle that those
men to be charged with treachery to Their party
their friends, and their country.
What were the principle in the vindcaion ofwhich
the Wing party came into power To Judge what
were their principles it was necessary to inquire how
they were constituted, Of what men, and protesting
when the organzatfbpaek, for instance, to the tune
back 10 its date and inquire and trace n go
hour Of its final trial. Who composed il z Were they
men of one identical opinion Were they men whose
consciences could be compressed and stamped down
in the mould of a caucus decreel Were they men OF
that sameness OF mind and judgment which could only
arise fom placing them IN some intellectual bed OF
Procruses by which all should be reduced the great
and the small alike, to one unvarying measured On
the contrary, not that party founded in the first
place on the great principle of opposition TO the then
Administrations and Of opposition purely And that
opposition involving not identity OF opinion, not sav-
ish sameness Of thought, such as belongs only to the
mere tools Of desposm and not TO reemen, possessed
of consciences Of honor and opinions of their own-
He affirmed tina, there was never any such standard
OF minded slave hearted sameness Of opinion
in thu ranks OF that victorious party And not the
party founded in the second place, that Other great
idea of reciprocaton Of catholic orbearance for the
varying opinions of banded together for the per
fornance Of great patriotic dutythat Of rdling the
Country or the corruttions AID msrule Of the then
Administration He con,ended that there was this
general understanding pervading The party Of mutual