Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1841-12-09
SOUTHERN LITERARY MESSENGER.

|
take the same deep interest, in all that concerns hi.
constituents and the State, which he has ever taken
SOUTHERN LITERARY MESSENGER.
To IHE ED.r0R or rue WHIG.
Gen,lemen: Having welcomed tho Dseembcr
NO OF The Southern Literary Messenger, by an inn
mediate and careful perusa, it is but an act of ius
Tee to ITS enie'prising Editor, TO express nj tho
close OF the year, an unbiased opinion Of the me-
MS ei his work To no one, are the hardshipy and
NeIatlons OF an Editor more thoroughly known and
oy none are they more justly appreciated than
yourselves To cater Tor the tastes of n mass of
patrons no easy task, and requires patience, eau
tousntss and tolerance foe the weaknesses of mnnv
One deess poetry, and smother ubhors prose, Will,
thlrd possesses an ardent passion for the erov.
and Philosophical, or metaphysical; aud not few
Svow decided preference for romantic Gescrip,ions
oil the days OF knight.errantry and fiction. To
meet 'heso varied and dscordAnt desires is the mr.
uuous uuty' anu tou!-oecupying thought Of tho
Editor. How lar he succeeds, is TO lie measured h
the tncom'uns OF his friends and their exertnns 10
sustain his enterprise. 1t is but rendering ip,tic.
to affirm that Mr. White has, to an almost unp,,-
cedented extent, accomplished this and is now r..
alizing the substantial evidence OF success IN which
we have alluded. The Messenger is essentially,
Southern, and dedicated Southern literature. al
though with becoming liJerality, its pages are omen
to productions from Northern pens of ndmi,,ed
talent.
Its appeal upon the South for support NJ IN.
commencement OF another year, should be met by "A
hearty response and all who have not as vet dSno
so, should unic with those who have been TsfrcShd
10y ITS pages IN sustaining the only periodical from,
which the increasing literary talent Of line SonIL
can I've reflected But we must turn TO the Deem
Der number, and give It a hasty glance.
The leading article is a beautiful no.al tale from,
the pen of an accomplished lady, Miss Charotte
Barnes unlike many OF her profession d rs exch,ns-
ed the nlnSy, gdej tapestry OF the stage, for the
more Iehned aIuremtnls OF Instrumentation
the higher and more sety.ceablc reputation of lie
morallsi, to the iusome aduatiun and vulgar adp,i
ration OF the herd. Adelaide Gordon comments
itself to the attention Of the general reader fo, tho
high tone of It's morality, its rich pathos the purity
OF us s'yle ana the success with which II crowns
virtuous lntGnts.
From among the many excellent articles will,
which the Messenger abounds, we select as pceu-
linTly inter sting at this moment, that which is
headed "JudgG Abel L. UnshuL" This .rticIa
present Secretary Of the Navy. Never was time
more happily selected, the manner more adfoitIv
arranged. 1t Is truly holding before the Judge
mirror and inviting him to view himself We b.I
quote the Judges own words lest we do him itius-
uce 10y statement from memory:
The right 10 forbid the people TO pass whatever
laws they please, is the right to deprive them Of self
government II is power wh ch can never be en-.
trusted TO one man, or any number Of men short of
the people themselves, wthou; the certain destruc
ton OF public liberty. Ii is true that each denart.
ment OF the government should he armed with n
certain power OF self protection against the assaults
oil the other departments and the executive proba-
Olyi stands most IN need OF such protection. But
the veto power, as II stands IN the Constitution
goes far beyond this object Il is in effect power
IN The executive department TO forbid all action in
any other There IS some
thing incongruous in this union of legislative and
executive powers in the same man Perhaps il ls
proper that there should be power somewhere. TO
check nasty and Il-cousidered legislation and that
power may be ~ well entrusted To the president ns
to any other authority But it IS not necessary that
II should be great enough to prevent all legislation
nor 10 control IN any respect the free exercise of
the legislative will. II would be quite enough for
the security Of the rights oil the executive and quite
enough TO ensure temperate and wise legislation TO
authorize the president merely TO send back TO the
legislature Tor reconsideration any law which he ds.
approved. BY thus GiiOrdIng TO that body time and
opportunity Tor r fl ction, with oil the additional
lights which the president himself could throw upon
the subject, should have every reasona bic secTi-
~ for the due exercise Of the legislative wisdom
and ioIr expression OF the public will. But IT. of.
ter all this, the legislature, ia both It's branches
should stll adhere 10 their opinion the theory and
the sound puc ice Of all our Institutions require that
their decision should be binding and final"
Look here, upon this picture, and on rHIs"-
Such were Judge Upshur's opinions at the time
that he was untrommeiled by connection with the
dominant power, and needed not the alIurements of
office but that they can lie his present continents
is more than ordinary crCduty can readily en-
brace.-For II the Veto power be fatal to "public
liberty" how can he, as patriot, receive into his
arms the individual who has exercised in its most
odlOus FORM and IN direct violation Of the public
will, and at the same time, IN open contrnyention
OF his own pledge-ihtt he should look TO the Re-
personalities OF the people Coming more mmedi-
.Hal.s fr4aTN AZ fraFF H. a.
in reference 10 the very same measure to VIII CHI he
applied the Veto power in its most obnoxious and
oppressive ch'ractcr2 Never was the Veto pryi-
leco more shamClully abused, and scahingly an
piled for II betrayed great and powerful party
into the hands OF IT'S enemy. Can the Hon Secrc-
tary (cntertainlrg the opinions which prompted his
misterly exposition Of the evils Of the Veto pogerl
view this perhdious act, with any other emotions
than disgust aud detestation for the perpetrator3
Judge Upshur regarded the re eligibility of the
President a fruitful source Of abuses, and even in
tlmaled that by dishonest exercise Of patronage,
an ambitious spirit might Ultimately sap the founda-
tons Of liberty, and substitute for our happy inst-
tuuons a fearful dCspotism. We annex his 70.
marks:
"Ths fact" says he, Chat tho samo President
may be elected, not for n second term ONLY but for
third, or fourth, or twentieth, will ere long suggest
TO him tho most corTupung uses Of his powers, in
order TO that object Al present there is no
danger OF this. Presidents are now made not Ivy
the free suiugos Of the people, but by party man
agemenli and there are always more than one in
the successful p0uy, who nro looking To their own
turn in the Presidential Office. IL is too early yet
for o monopoly Of that high honor; but the time viii
come, when the actual Incumbent will find means
10 buy OF opposition md TO insure a continuance
in Office by pros.ituung the trusts which belong to
~. This is obviously within the natural course
Of things, that II may we'll excite our surprise that
the Convention should have left tho public liberty
wholly unguafded, az 50 nssnablo a point. II IS
surely plain dictate Of wisdom, and necessary
provision in every free government, that there
should be some definite limit 10 the duration Of ox-
ecu;ivc power, in The same hands. We cannot hope
20 10 free from tho corruptons which result from an
abuse Of Presidential power and patronage, until
that officer shall be eligible only for term-a
long term II you plcoso-and until he shall be ron.
dered more easily and directly responsible to tho
power which appoints him.
With these views before US, We cannot but infer
that the adherence Of Judge Uyshur to the present
Administration even in this the deepest gloom Of
the Wing party, augurs bright nnd favorable issue,
for n there be truth IN man, the attachment Of Abel
+. Upghur TO the government is pledge 10 his
country, that John Tyler ubiures all expectation oil
hope al wish, for denomination. Most urgently
do we commend this biographical sketch 10 the at
isntion Of Secretary Upshur.
IUFB Tho Letter Bag Of the Ship Caledonia.
Brander for Liverpool, will be taken from nv
Compting Room This Evening NJ o'clock.
deg CHAS. PALMER.