The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-04-16
vTHE OPPOSITION TO THE ADMINS
TRATION.

1t has been said by high authority that we
have President without party and parties
without President" condition Of things much
to be depored, in the estimation of the author
of the assertion. Unfortunately Tor our COM
try, it has been, for many years past, the Ia
shion to have party Presidents, and such would
doubtless have been the case still, to greater
or less degree, had it pleased Providence to spare
the life of the great and good man whom the
opponents of the late Administration had ele-
waited to the Presidential chair. 1t has, how
ever. been otherwise ordered, and thanks to the
course pursued by portion of the Wing party
in Congress, the present Chief Magistrate finds
himself free from the trammels that usually
connect themselves with political obligations, so
far at least as the dispensation of Government
patronage is concerned. Nor has this unusual
state of things been the result of any act on the
part of the President Brought into power
through the agency, in part, of the Wing party
he commenced his official career by showing
his readiness to sanction, without reference to
his own individual opinions many measures
which had appeared to be consonant with the
wishes of large majority Of the People OF the
country. 1t, however, unluckily happened that
in attempting to regulate the currency of the
land, the mode selected for efectang that object,
by Mr. Clay and his adherents, involved con-
struction of the Constitution totally at variance
with the conscientious convictions Of the Presl-
dent, and, consequently did not receive his sane
ton. In the exercise ofhis high prerogative, and
in obedience to the solemn appeals OF conscience,
the President dared TO avail himself of the ueto
power in preventing what he believed to be an
infracton of the Constitution of the United
States, which he had sworn to support. FOR
this reason, and this reason alone, has aportlon
OF Congress, claiming to be composed OF what
are, in the language of the day, termed Wh1gs
proper, thought proper to unturl the standard OF
opposition to the Administration, and formally
to declare uncompromising hostility to its mea-
sures. without any reference whatever to their
merits or dement's. No matter how enlighten-
ed or patriotic may be the policy recommended
by the Executive ii is to be baffled and render
ed Intellectual by the erclusipe advocates OF q
National Bank as The ONLY medium through
phich the fiscal concerns OF The Government
are to be conducted, and we are to be told by
the head and front Of this band OF politicians,
that we have president without a party
If, indeed, it be true, as Mr.. Clay has declared,
that we have sChief Magistrate who is with
out party" without at this moment going into
discussion of the advantages and disadvantages
of such a state ofthngs, we would ask HIM and
his friends why it is that such is the case? Is
it not because gentlemen who were sent here to
represent the wishes of their constituents, and
to adopt such measures as might be best cacu-
lated to promote the National interests, have
usurped an authority to which they have not
the most remote claim, by holding up to public
scorn the Chief Magistrate Of this country as
weak, vacillating, and faithess," and proclaim
inc to the nation their eternal enmity to him
and his measures, be they oohdt they may
We would ask these gentlemen protestdnts'
where they find the power conferred upon them'
to brand with contumelious epithets the ndlvi-
dual whom the nation has thought proper to In
vest with the second dignity in the Republic,