Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1842-10-06

What party, 1t may bs asked. could hesitate to
srust candidate, bound to them by the aceumu- |
lated pledges and promises expressed and empli- |
cd, here already detailcdf What human intelli- |
gence, without the spirit Of prophecy, could fore
soc that this man, when installed i'm the chair OF
Chiei Magistrats should, in the face Of all this,
he opposed To Bank, to any establishment |
bearing the name of Bank That he should re- |
fuse his signature to tariff bill, because it failed
~ take fro the States their distribution Of the a.
vails Of the public lands! That he should be so
much enamoured Of the veto power, that like a
lad when first intrusted with gun, he should be
eternally firing 1t OIL, merely TO hear the noise it
made; That he should forge, the one tcrn prin-
ciplo, and begin y, once 10 lay his plans Ter his
own reelection I! That he should essay to build
up party Of his own, and failin. in that should
propose to form partnership with the Loco Fo-
COS, and repulsed by them, should then fall back
in sullen discomfort upon his "corporSfs guard"
and without an inch OF solid ground to stand upon,
eridiculously set himself up as tho rival and COM
lpetitor OF Henry Clay?
This exposition would however be very impcr-
feet, if HE undersigned failed to notice the course
Of Mr.. Tyler in relation 10 appointments To- Office,
and Tor that they lave Purposoly reserved place
by itself.
1t was in the memorable era Of 1929, that the
people OF this country for the frat time In Its his
tory, witnessed the open prostitution of this power
Of removal and appointment. Is was then. that
ihe Offices and salaries OF the Government, were
-seized upon and used as the property of faction.
Men were turned out by hundreds, nay by thou
sands, for other reason. than tina, their opinions
did not conform to the Government standard.
Freedom of sentiment in the humblest citizens,
was openly punished by distranchisement. Hon
esty, patriotism, fitness for public station, were
accounted as nothng-sorvie adhesion to the par
ty in power, the thing needful.--fhe
Government asked no man to approve their mea-
sures, because he thought them right-thc appro-
baton they desired they We're ready to pay for,
and to pay for too, with the Offices and salaries
committed TO their hands as sacred trust for tho
good of the whole people.
Aud when the leaders Of that party were con-
frontcd in the Senate, with this system Of whole
sale corruption, aud when expectation was excl
ted 10 hear what explanation excuse could be
made for it-so far from dceming any excuse or
explanation necessary, they met the charge by
the open avowal shat "to the vic,ors belong the
spoils." And verify spoil and conquest,
did ihoy appropriate the whole power aud patron
age of the Government. The Post Office in all
its ramificaons--ihe Army, the Navy, the Mill
tary Acadamy, the Custom House, the Land Of
fees, all, all were seized and divided as the
Tightful plumber of the victors.
In due time the natural fruits OF such system
began to make their appearance. The pubic
money was no longer safe from the fingers OF its
own appointed keepers. The standard OF public
morality became SO utterly debased. that it began
TO be doubted whether We were the same people
as in times past, where il was possible all the
rogues and dsiauters could come from.
Upon tho election of Gen. Harrison, il was
well hoped, that his defeated opponents would
ncquiesce in tho fiat Of the majority, so cmphati-
caliy announced from the ballot box. But in this
reasonable hope the country was doomed to meet
with disappointment. The who in
1929, then in the lirst flush Of victory kept seat
on the Supreme Bench vacant whole term, and
in like manner held back every important appoint
ment under Government. that the new incumbent
might fill them; in 1871, when discredited and
condemned by the people, busy never;he-
less to the last nom ent Of their expiring power,
IN thrustng their own pariiz ans into every office
great and small at home and abroad, iii which
Now if any one thing more than all others,
had the effect to buoy up the hearts of The " higs
under their manifold revorses, was the hope that
the day would come, sooner or later, when This
army OF mercenary hirelIngs should be turned a
driit, and patriotic men put in their places. Time
and perseverance and good cause at length ac-
compshcd their hopes, and gave them the as
tendency. Changes were expected in the whole
policy OF the Government, but none looked
forward to with more interest, by the great mass
OF the Wings, than the purgation of the offices of
the country. They cared not who were appoint
ed, provided they were honest and capable men
but the removal Of those who had accepted Office
as the price OF their principles, and had agreed 10
pay for their appointments in services to their
party, the Wings regarded as sacred and mper-
alive duty. Scarcely, however, was the work O,
begun, IMAM tue CRY OF persecution was
sounded every where by the helpless and suffer.
ing democracy of the country Mr. " akcr
discoursed in the Senate about prescription Mr.
Benton talked about the unprecedented rare fo,
Office, save the mark and Mr. Buchanan very
complacently introduced resolution calling upon
the President for the names of all persons who
had been removed from office since The 4th oil
March 1871.
Mr.. Tyler had already been called to the head
Of affairs the administrator, de bonis non o. the
]amented Harrison lie found an opposition al
ready organized against him. AS far back as
January, 1911, when the votes of tire States were
unseaed, and the result of the late contest declar.
ed by the Vice President, MIR. Benton had risen
then in his place, and proclaimed with a loud
voice, that the democracy were not beaten, and
the Legislature Of Missouri, acting upon the hint
Of their leader, had nominated Mr.. Van Buren, as
the democratic candidate for the contest of Io4i-
before General Harrison was inaugurated. And
by clear majority OF one hundred and sixly thou
sand OF the popular sufIrages was not allowed a
single day to show whether his intentions were
good, his measures wise, patriotic and saluiary,
or the contrary. The country required repose but
twas 10 have repose, II disappointed and des-
perate party could prevent it. The army of office.
holders organized by the late administration, aud
paid with The money Of the people to fight its bat
ties, had been bat III part disbanded by General
Harrison. 1t still formidable from It's num-
bers---more formidable from its spirit, to the new
order Of things.
Under these circumstances the completion Of the
good work so happily begun by President Harri-