The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-07-03
1.-THE RULING PASSION STRONG IN
DEATH

One of the most striking features of locofoco-
ism is the desperation with which it clings 10
office. 1t can surrender every thlng-principle
profession - consistency personal indepen-
dence-party adhesion-every thing, personal
or political, before il will yield up office, and the
emoluments which its malpraclices and corrup-
ton have so greatly multiplied. In its very last
death struggle it clings to office, as the miser
clutches his keys in the delirium of his last ex-
pring agony. 1t matters not that the will of the
People has pronounced its DOOM and sentenced
it to give up the trusts it has abused, into honest
hands. 1t matters not that judgment of forfeit
ure has been rendered against it, and that a
cdpids dd redendum has been awarded by
that tribunal whose mandates none ought to re-
sist or dsobey, it still holds on to office as though
it were to be surrendered only with life itself.
While it was in power, if Wing or Conserva-
tive was discovered holding Office in any part Of
the country, he had his walking ticket before one
wanting, rotation in Office" was ready iustif-
cation. Then rotation in office" was a cardi-
nal democratic principle; now rotation is de-
nounced as prescription.
These remarks are elected by the course of
the loco-foco newspapers, and that of the Oppo-
sition in Congress. Instead of lending their aid
to accomplish the business for which Congress
was convened, the Opposition occupying
much of the time daily in delivering harangues
to the galleries about ''proscription, and depre-
eating the removal Of their loco-foco friends
from office as though it was of more importance
than devlsng measures for the relief of the
People
They have introduced into both Houses re-
solutions calling for information respecting APP
pointments and removals, on which to hang
their speeches about prescription. Whoever
goes up 70 the Capitol will see how large por-
ton of every day is occupied in this way, by the
Opposition, instead of aiding or maturing the
great measures of relief Tor which the whole
country is so anxiously looking Instead Of lend
ing their assistance 10 secure uniform currency,
and to revive the business and pros perity Of the
country, they employ their time in endeavor-
ing to keep their ocofoco friends in office,
against the settled judgment of the people. In
stead of assisting TO provide the ways and
means to pay off the 4" Yam Buren, debt" so
called, contracted by their own msmanagement
and mprovidence, they are endeavoring TO IN
crease the public burdens, by proonging the
session with denuncatory speeches against the
very principle of rotation of which they have so
long been the advocates. And when they shall
have in that way extended and increased the
expenses of the session, the party will turn about
and charge it upon the Administration.
We wish the people to understand these
things. We wish them TO know who is en-
deavoring TO relieve the country, and who is
seeking to perpetuate the evils which Mr.. Van
Buren, and his ofliceholding partizans and sup
porters entailed upon US.
We stepped into the Senate Chamber, day
or two since and found Mr.. Pierce talking very
loud, and deprecating in " set terms" the re-
mova of some locofoco from office. He could
not endure the thought Coming from New
Hampshire, where such thing as Wing hold
ing an office after the discovery of his politics,
longer than it would take Isaac Hill TO snap his
fingers, was never known, he seemed to sup
pose that the locofocos had prescriptive claim
by the Constitution to hold all the offices and
enjoy all the emoluments of them, Through
every kings reign" He was much distressed,
no doubt, at the thought of any departure from
what, in New Hampshire, is considered sound
law.
| That the loco-foco federalists have an excu-
sive prescrpve right to all the offices, is no new
idea. When Gen. Jackson came into power, he
recognized. the doctrine to the fullest extent