Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1841-11-27
LETTER FROM GEN. SCOTT
WAsnINeroN, Oct. 25, ls4l.

to receive many letters from as many differ ,
emf States, each propoundlng, on the part
Of the writer and his neighbors, nearly the :
same political interrogatories, to which an {
swers are requested
The scope of the inquiries is flattering
proof of the interest that some ofmy coun-
trymen, take in the opinions that have
formed on certain great principles of abb
ding importance to the success Of our sys-
TENS of Government: and as have nothing
to conceal, if nothing of value to commune
cate, / shall at once, without policy or re-
serve, and in the form of circular, comply
with their several requests. Z. I.....
Party Politics. Although, from early
manhood, have, by the profession of arms,
in defence of my country, been thrown out
of the arena of party politics, ye'. have
never ceased to be an attentive observer oil
public events, and thus, believe, there has
scarcely been discussion of moment in
Congress, within my time, o n which did
not form, and modestly, but. firmly, express
passing opinion. ...
A mere youth, | felt tt .e liveest Joy when
the alien and sedition laws expired in the
triumph of Mr., JEFF erson. From 1906
was old enough, by speech and by pen, to
call for prompt and energetic redress of
our wrongs suffered from Great Britain I'M
: der her orde''s in council attack on the
| Chesapeake frigate, and long continued i'm
pressment of our scamen; and when the war
: Of 1912 at length came, was among the
: first ami longest in the presence of the foe
+ The insults received from the French Dl-
n rectory; their depredations on our COM
} Pierce, renewed under Napoleon's DEGREES.
Fl Berlin and Milan which followed the Brit
:, ish orders in Council, also largely shared in
d my indignant Reproduction. '.n
s The administrations of Mr.. Madison and
n Mr.. Monroe like that of Mr.. Jefferson, had,
7. in their respective periods, my humble, but
e hearty appreciation; and / have since cen
Y sured nothing in either but the sale of a
h part, and the dismantling of the remainder
Re Of our Navy; the gun-boat system of de-
d fence that followed. and the indefinite en-
rs barge, which, gripping us for war, by des-
troyng our commerce and finances, and OPP
II pressing agriculture, was long continued
without redressing one outrage from a.
: abroad. .... ...
y, l give this little sketch of the growth Of
~ my party feelings or opinions, unimportant
w perhaps, except to myself and few partic-
n, n ular friends, to show that, if have never
n. been Fcderaist, in any party sense of the
- - term, so neither have been a jacobin, a.
n mprdcticG6le or abstractionist in any sense
y. whatever; but always an old fashioned re-
publican, devoted to the support of law ant
10 order; Democratic Wing, just as all my
~ family had been Wings in the great strug
~ gle for national freedom and independence
to The Judicjory From an early and lon!
~ continued study Of elementary law, my
mind has ever been imbued with deeI
reverence for the bench-State and Fedora
le an independent department in our sys
le TENS of Government, and which holdinf
u neither the purse to corrupt, nor the sworc
N ofpower to terrify, addresses itself only witt
e the mild force of persuasive reason to the
" intelligence and virtue Of the whole com
= munity By the Federal Constitution, eve
n ry possible safeguard is provided to shield
j. its judiciary against fleeing prejudice, pc
e litical rancour, and party dependence, t.
{ which Legislatures and the Executive ar
II unavoidably, directly, and constantly expo
l. sed. Hence, to the tone Supreme Court
Re is wisely extended (by appellate jurisdic
Re tony "al cases in law and equity, arisn
d under the Constitution, the laws of tn
a United States, and treaties made, or whic
e shall be made, under their authority
Looking at this express, provision, hav
y always held that when a doubtful question
+ arising either under the Constitution itsel
e the supreme law of the land: under an &C
OF Congress, or a treaty, has once been so
n ernnly adjudicated by that court, the prir
D cij Die of the decision ought to be taken b
IT all as defnitively settled-unless, indeed,
y be upon a rehearing before the same tribu
g nal This appears to me too clear for di
y pu tation; for the court is not only declare
d, to be supreme; and hence there can be n
IS Der .ch beyond; but to Congress is only gi'
&c en- the power to constitute "inferior,' tr
m bun ais. BY appeals to the Supreme CouI
a SCI Wemen was intended to be reache
and anarchy, through long destruction
49, the .ubic mind, on great questions of lie
- islati We and Executive power, thus rende
~ cd i'm possible. Practically, therefore, f
= the eopie, and especially their fun
70 tionar les, to deny, to disturb or impus
~ princil lies thus constitutionally estabshe
strikes me as of evil example, if not of
direct revolutionary tendency, except, i
n deed, il the case of judicial decision e
OF larging power and against liberty; and al
" dangerol IS error of this sort can always
al easily CO ERECTED land should only be co
v rected) b, ! an amendment Of the Constit
e. ton, in on of the modes prescribed by tn
IT. instrument itself--the organic Jaw Of Il
n States and the people. Msconstructo
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