Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1842-02-21

this high pretenson; il the uncomfortable right I
the custody OF the public Treasure has been claim
ed for the Executive Department, and an entire ex
emption from sll expression Of dissent by the Sc
nate from the Il cs'den'ial eonsrue,icn oil the Coo
stitution, by which these vast powers have bee
| assumed; n, as perpetual memorial oil the la
umphau, assertion Of these high prorcsa'ives, th
records OF the Senate have been desecrted an
defseet Il the President, by means OF his all per
vad;ns influence, has brought the most powerful
States OF the Union to his feet. and caused then
1 openly TO condemn and repuda,e measures wh'ei
| they had long cherished and maint,ined 10y thei
| Legislatures, Governors Senators and Representa-
tves and support others. which they had with equa
| soemnity condemned; and IL we have seen thes'
| same Gov mors, Senators and Representatives,
swell the train of Executive pensioners and Deepen
dants; If an Executive Department, with the sane
ton OF the President, has assumed the power &c
borrow money, n power which the Constitution has
expressly confiJed TO Congress alone; ID an ex-
tension has been given to the vetc eoniempla-
ted by the most ardent advocate OF strong EIecu.
tive, whereby Congress has been deprived OF the
power TO control H. even by vote OF two-tlirds;
G we have witnessed the successful oxertion Of
that most dangerous of all powers, the nomination
Of successor; n we have seen that successor, for
the purpose OF consolidating this unholy union Of
he purse and the sword, call an extra session oil
Congress, solely to give the form Of law TO
concocted by himself and put into actual operation
by the force OF Executive power alone-greatly
extending that patronage which had been de.
clared by him and his friends, to be the fruitful
parent OF so macy evils; ii, having been fooled
in his first attempt, he has persevercd in OPP
position to the oitropeated expression Of the
public will, and finally succeeded by the rejec-
tios, without hearing, OF the regularly tc-
turned representatives. OF sovereign State, and
supplying their places with Executive p,rtLans; II,
with a boldness which could only have been inSpr-
cd by long course OF successful usurpation, aud
the oil the continued htelity OF his house
hold troops, who filled the halls OF legislation, he
demanded mercenary army Of 600 hundred ihon
sand roisrS ultimately to tie converted into cc han
bred thousand bdyopetS; and pressed the extension
of bankrupt law TO State corporations, whereby
the state banks and the business OF the whole
munty would have been subjected TO Executive
controls if the Public Treasure has been squandcr-
ed TO feed and pension swarms OF cihce-ho.ders and
contractors and serve press for the purpose oil de-
luding the people and influencing elections-assail.
ing liberty her last entrenchmsn fall these things
and much more of the same character and tendency
have occurred, not only in our day but within the
last twelve years, when the coustIion has scarce
y attained Its ieth year. no tenderness for defeat
ed adversaries should induce Us TO draw the veil OF
oblivion over the past; no conhdeacc IN the new de-
pcsiiores OF power will justify US la closing our
eyes upon our actual condition, and relying upon the
promises OF hope.
We should take q calm and dispassionate survey
of the evils which have suffered, and the pcris
which we have escaped; search on, the avenues by
which the enemies OF liberty have nvaded her
stronshods; repair the Gilapidaied works, pull
down such as have oeen found rather TO favor the
approaches OF the enemy than serve the purposes
OF defence, and, IT need be, erect new ones.
The frs; reflection which such survey is calcu-
lated TO awaken, IS, that power which has, in 50
short time, achieved so much must be ondov ed
with too much inherent strength. Such conquests
cannot be the result of fortuious circumstances.
An Executive, who has obtained the mastery OF
the Legislature, and transformed it from a counter
pcisc TO his power, as It designed 10 be by the
trainers OF the Constitution, into an instrument OF
hts ambition, using the State Legislatures intended
as check upon 10th, as a means of obtaining this
mastery, and by The influence of pensioned press,
and a mercenary corps OF Office holders and dc
pendants, oeluding large masses Of the people ia,o
the support OF measures subversiye of their lber-
ties, must be too strorg.
IL may be said that the late Presidential election
has showo that the ballot box IS an oyermaich for
IL IL Is true, that after long aud fearful struggle
Using under ffeqUent defeats, the people did TIL
umPh, most sisnally triumph, but the experience
Of the past warns US that this triumph may be the
parent of future disaster. IL WAS after q triumph
almost as signal, tina. the system introduced
which brought us TO tue pseeipice chose APP
palling brink we have long stood. Il wa,
| amidst the acclAmations OF a conf ling people
who welcomed the champion Of reform uhe- HI
approached the Capitol and seated himself il
| the chair OF State, that the NINE was commenced
which well nigh Slapped the foundations of their Ii
berries. Let us not, then, indul.e in an erroneous
estimate Of the power Of the ballot box, uLderra,,
the strength OF its enemy and sink into the apathy
| of telusve security. Let US rather look bicl
upon the ''current OF the h.sdy fight" and see !
We have Tot cause TO thank the giver of oil good
for giving us the victory when all seemed lost.
During the administration ofGen. Jackson, Their
were but few defections from his rank. The,
consisted, for the mos, part, o! solitary individuals
who sunk under his whitening Grown and the lasi
Of his press. If The secession of Tennessee msy
be considered an exception, IL single and tenn
porary. Inc frst election restored his ascondency
IN the House Of Representative, which was fol
lowed by the triumph of his parsy in his native
/ State.
He handed over to his successor, a large maiorit,
OF the nation, the und.spured command Of boil
Houses of Congress, and an ovsrfowing treasury
not, 1t Is true, without the seeds Of decay. IL wa
under these auspices that Mr. Van Buren, called al
extra SESSION OF Congress fer the purpose OF secur
ing that power over the national treasure whic
his predecessor had seized, but which might prov
W steady IN his own more feeble gasp. The col
den Prize had been clu,ched. the people had give
reluctant sanction to the usurp1uon-iO place IL be
yond the reach ofaccideni, was thought necessary
TO entrench it behind the forms of law. The sus
pens on OF specie payt.en,s by the banks, cause,
by the measures winch had placed the nltiona
purse in the sole keeping Of the Executive, avofe,
this design He had, doubtless, al the same time
mliurcd in his own mind, the tSo remaining mea
sures, with which he inieLded TO signalzs his admin
istration and psrpetuaie the power OF his party
his Bankrupt Bill and his Army Scheme. FO
Notwithstanding his failure in his first nttcmp,
obtain the sanction Of Congress for his custody an
control Of the Public Purse, he broBght forward b
Army Scheme at the succeeding regular session, N
With oil lis giant limbs in foil proportion, it IS iru
bu, the skeleton was there, ITS hdeous vislge, mui
. fed in the mantle OF the militia, and skulking he
hind the Secretary Of Wa. The Bankrup! b
followed. Now let il be i'm leined for moment th,
the so called Independent Treasury had Jeen g.
tablished, nj the Extra Session in Sep enber, 53
by the undivided votes Of those who had up 10 th
time constituted members OF his parry, strengthens
: by new recruits from The opposition, aud hayn
ceased TO he the subject OF discussion, had gone n
quiet and extended operation. The same sirengl
S in the TWO Houses would have carr Ell the 'held.
Of his Army Scheme Of the December Session
the same year; leaving The "details" 10 be SUPPLE
from iano 10 time by the PIcs.dcn, Himself Us
afterwards prJDosed under Tar less favorable ci
cumBanccs. BY November, 1870 lie would has
had corps Of one hundred ard hfiy thousand 20
tiers, ono hundred thousand of which would has
been drilled rnd instructed" for Two years by Off
GERS OF the Army, selected by tim, under such ru!C
end regulations Us he might prescribe, paid out
his "lndependent Treasury" ard stationed"
New York, PtnnsylyanIs, Ohio, or wherever, in hi
opinion, their services were most wanted. Add
this the power which would have been conferred b
the proposed extension of the Bankrupt Law,
Sate corpOiaiionf, and the no less frmiJsbs allie
Of parry pride ond party prejudice, sustained a.
directed by an INSCRIPTIONS party press, the who
led on by OficchO.dcrs ard contractors, and
IoJeying one great central power. anil that rowe
the President himself whose political * s.snee va
s,aked on the result; and he who can ca vey thi
formidable array and hope for successiu res.s,ine'