The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-03-03


himself to become the ready instrument of eff
fecting the selfish ends Of the active politicians
through whose immediate agency he may have
been invested with his high Office.
The public service, in the proper Administra-
ton of which, every man in the commonwealth
has, or should have an equal interest, has been
most wrongfully warped, and made to adapt IT.
sefto partisan purposes, and thus has the welfare
of the nation been sacrificed to the advance
ment of one portion of the community at the
expense and depression of another. Whilst
experience abundantly proves, that such has
quences of such course are national degrade
ton and forgetfulness of the high obligations by
which freemen should be actuated, it becomes
the duty Of every American citizen to correct
abuses which, if suffered to continue, must ter
inmate in the prostration of our republican in"
object of derision and contempt. Under a con-
dition of things, so well calculated to arouse the
apprehensions of every genuine patriot, and
after political struggle of almost unprecedented
violence, the supporters of our late venerated
Chief Magistrate succeeded in acquiring power,
and were looking forward with joyful conf
dence to the restoration Of constitutional liberty
in all its purity, when it pleased the Almighty
to deprive the nation of the services of ruler
whose devotion to country and disnterested
patriotism had obliterated party distinctions
and procured the union Of the good for the good
of the Union. At the period to which we re-
fer the elements Of political strife were ra-
pidly subsiding into state of quietude, and it
was confidently expected that whatever might
be the wishes and efforts of interested agtators
to the contrary the reasonable portions of the
two great contending parties would unite In
sustaining an Administration heralded by so au-
thoritative an expression of the popular will
With the ardent hope, and, we may add the
undoubtng belief, that course of policy, al
ready begun under the auspices of his venerated
predecessor, might be successfully carried out
by himself, and those whom he should call to
his councils Mr.. Tyler assumed the duties of
the Presidential chair, and feeling conscious of
his own honesty ofpurpose, entertained no fears
that minor differences of opinion would be sut-
fered to place in his way any difficulties that
might not readily be surmounted by spirit of
mutual forbearance and concession. He knew
that there were points of policy on which his
views did not accord with those Of some of the
most prominent members of the Administration,
or popular party, but he felt, at the same llme,
that, as these differences had their origin Oh his
part in conscientious convictions, and had
been fully ascertained previously to his
being elected to the Vice Presidency, he
had Alright to anticipate, on behalf OF those
with whom he was now drawn into close COM
munon, an exercise of forbearance and llbe-
rality in accordance with the decacy of his po-
sition How far these expectations have been
gratifed, we may learn from the events OF the
late special session, when in the exercise OF the
high prerogative of his station, and the lndepen-
dence of an American citizen, he had the firm
ness to prefer what he, at least, honestly and
conscientously believed to be the good OF his
country to mere partisan popularity, and thus
drew down upon himself torrent of ill-advised
abuse and vindictive opposition, wthouta para-
lei in the annals Of our country. When IN
giving his prompt and hearty assent to every
measure adopted by Congress, and not, as he
thought, unconstitutional, he venured to with
hold his approval from one involving constitution
al scruples as to the mode of attaining the end
proposed, which to his mind were insurmount-
able, what must have been his surprise at
finding himself assailed by the very men on
whose hberality and confidence he ha4. placed
the most implicit reliance, and presented to the
country, not as one who had committed an no.
nest error, but as traitor to the cause of which
he hal been one of the most firm and able advo-
Gates
1t is to the course of Congress, in thus as
signing unworthy motives and dishonesty OF
purpose to the head of a coordinate branch of
the Government, and to the subsequent unre-
lenting and embittered opposition to the Presi-
dent on the part Of that body, that we take ex-
ception and we now call upon those who have
so unfeelingly and wantonly forgotten, we will
not say the decorum of their station, but the re-
spect which they owe to the freemen by whom
for the manner in which they have discharged
their own functions. An issue has been formed
by the authors of the WRONG of which we COM
plain, on which the freemen of the United States
are to pass sentence, and we shall see hereafter
whether the People will say that weeks and
months spent in thwarting and paralysing the
action of the Executive Department of the Co.
vernment, and in wrangling about petty points
of order have been devoted to the service OF
the nation Nor is this ALL This same abused
and betrayed People, writing as they now are
| under the agonies of ills unredressed, will be
called on to decide whether their demands on
the time and talents of their servants have been