The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-08-09
From the Ne,c York Union.


We perceive that this excessively witty jeu de mot
upon the title His Excellency, which CUSTOM ra-
Their than good taste, has applied to the Chief Magis
trates Of this Republic is still sparkling in the Wing
prints of the country brilliant gem of ridicue
Tor the brow Of President Tyler. To the high or
der OF wit in this verbal rayesty, there is, Of course
no other objection than that it absolutely resis
ribIe Ii must be admitted to be the wittiest thing of
any kind that has appeared In those pap since the
exquisite word q too in the Tippecanoe songs-an
adyerb by-the-by, which they wish they had not
added and which, it Is SAID they find more difficult
pronounce than any other III the whole compass of
their mother tongue.
To the dreadful satire and sarcasm, however, in
the new computation, 90 His Accidency," must
record our solemn objection Ii Is too horribly Sc
we're, not only upon President Tyler, but upon his
venerable predecessor and the Constitution of the
United States. If 1t were wrong In MIR. Tyler to be-
come President by accident, it doubly wrong in
General Harrison to be the author Of that accident
and treby wrong the Constitution to allow any in
cumbent Of the Presidential chair so enormous a
prerogativeso frightful opportunity of exercising
/" the one-man-power" The satire upon General
Harrison is aggravated by the fact that he had the
example of all his predecessors the Office for bet
ter course of conduct.
Neither Washington, nor Adams, nor Jefferson nor
Madison, nor Monroe, nor John Quincy Adams nor
Jackson, O. Van Buren,, would exercise the dan
gerous prerogave of dying in office and thus appoint
ing successor without the voice of the People In
Decd the three distinguished men last named, have
been scrupulous and forbearing in this matter as
not only to live out their terms of office but to evnce
determination to live to the end of their lives If
reports be true, General Harrison failed in both of
these respects and in the light Of such illustrous
patriotism he had before him, his delinquency be-
comes so garng as to render the title, His Acct
dency," when applied to his successor terrible stg
ma upon his memory at which the feelings OF his
friends must revolt.
The satire of this epithet is 50 unmerciful, that we
would ask the Wing prints and their disciples who
are so cruelty using it, how they would like TO have
it turned against themselves How would they like
be told that President Tyler is " Their Accidency
instead of his own 2-that the accident Of his consi-
tutional accession to the Presidency is much more
fatal one to their precious and glorious objects than to
aught else in the world And again, suppose they
should press this reproach upon the memory of Gen
Harrison to unfeelIng extent to arouse some
of his friends to charge them with the guilt Of his
death and the accession of Mr.. Tyler? How would
they like that? Mr. Tyler might appear to be 1hcir
Accidency in still farther sense. 1t is well known
that President HARRISON one occasion, when
strong gang OF his Federal torturers had just left him
in very exhausted state said to distinguished friend
of the present President who then entered the ROOM
"Profit am glad to YOU the Federal portion Of
the Wing party making desperate efforts 10 seize
the reigns of Cover nment-they urging the most
unmercifu prescription and if they continue to do so
| much longer they will drive me mad!" Now, may
it appear that they did drive him far into this
state of mind, that he committed the overt act of dy-
ing in Office with which they charge him when they
81 lie his His Accidency2" And if So are
they not accompces in the very crime of which they
complain
And, once more-suppose that, 10y some unforeseen
circumstances, Mr.. Cay should die in the Presiden
tia chair, and Mr.. Bolts, Mr.. Stany, or Corporal
Weed as Vice President, should become his success
| sor We ask the Wing editors, and their followers,
in the civiIes way in the world, how they would like
for either Of these gentlemen, in such a case 10 be
called His Accidepcy" by the Locofocos They
must that, after overcoming the difficulty of mag
lining the primary event, such result might occur,
without any Indifference to the possession of power
on the part of Mr.. Clay, desire exercise cons-
tutiona prerogatve against the will of the people
| He would almost necessarily die Of extreme age, for
are convinced that by the time of his election to
| the Presidency be will be far advanced in life
than many If his enthusiastic friends suppose
| In short, the Wings unsparng in the in
Fiction of this opprobious designation, but
two methods by which they obviate the posi-
billy of its recoiIing with scsthng effect upon them
selves The first is, again to elect President,
which the method they appear likely to adopt: and
the second is 40 to amend the Constitution to
compel their President to serve out his full term
which latter is especially worthy the consideration
OF Mr. Clay IN connection with the other equally de-
sirable alterations Of that aDtiquatcd instrument
winch ne has so profoundly and powerfully urged.
In the opinion, however, Of many sensible and
weidsposed persons, Of both political parties Pre-