The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-06-28
THE PRESIDENTS LETTER.

The Presidents late letter, it is reduced to
moral certainly, is doomed to run the gaun-
let of the entire Clay press. Every mail brings
us the annotations of these learned and unpre-
JUDGED commentators upon the courtesy OF OH
cial life Each, in turn, seems TO be horrlhed
at the amazing audacity Of the Chief Magls-
tIate, in venturing to express general opinion
as 10 what ought or ought not, to be the course
pursued by thos, who, in virtue Of their office,
are to be considered the representatives of the
People. Each goes off in most excrucang
spasms, at the enormity of Mr.. Tyler's offence,
in presumng to intimate that these aforesaid
representatives should pay some little regard to
their leg inmate powers and duties. Each fumes
his hour at the moral treason OF the Presld nj,
in opening his lips, even in mild, courteous
terms, in his own defence
All this, however, is very natural on the part
of those who regard nothing as perfect except
the idol they have themselves set up, and be-
fore which they are resolved every knee shall
bend, under pain of their sovereign and over
whelming displeasure. In the intensity and
blindness Of their ZEAL they seem entirely to
have overlooked the important fact that the Pre-
sldent may have rights as well as Congress;
and Utmost in terms insist, when rudey and fe-
rociousy smllten on one cheek, he shall mildly
AMI calmly, in all the spirit of meek endurance,
present the other to the buffetings Of those who
have, for purposes best known to themselves,
constituted themselves his prosecutors and
judges, and who app ren,ly have little regard
for the proprees Of life or of official station,
whenever their anger or anmosily prompts
them to assail one who, equally with them
selves, to say the least, has been intrusted with
the management of the public affairs. These
partisan editors, indeed seem TO think that
when rudey thrust to the wall by those who
withou, reason, have assumed begerent at
tude towards coordinate branch of the Gov
eminent, the President shall not presume to
repel those who thus madly and unwarrantably
assail him-that though vllifed and contumeli
ously treated on all occasions, by reckless
cabal-hs motives mpeacaed, and his actions
wilfully misconstrued-rank injustice being
made to tread, as it were, upon the heels of
gross misrepresentation, touching his every
movement in the rightful discharge OF his high
frust-he shall be denied the privilege which IS
awarded even to the meanest maleiactor, OF
vindicating himself before the country-of turn
ing back upon his maligners and assailants the
current Of obloquy and reproach with which
they have sought to overwhelm him. Strange,
indeed, are the rules of official courtesy which
are thus promulgated! Most exquisitely i'm
partial in all their requirements But let not
their originalors be astonshed, however, should
there be found one or more, who are not dis
posed to yield implicit obedience to their code.
But, one thing we thank these men for
the letter which has greatly excited their ire,
and upon which they so wantonly comment
The foil to their rude thrust is thus ever inter
posed TO ward them off. 1t viii be hard to per-
suade their readers, that the President has
grevously sinned in penning that epistle, when
the epistle itself is before them. 1t will be hard
to cover up its truth and justice, in the smoke of
the general cannonade which they keep up
against it, For once faction has countermined
itself With that letler-md yet cogent-in
their hands, we repeat it, it will be hercuean
task to convince an intelligent and candid
People that if wrong has been doat, the Pres
dent alone is the wrongdoer. That ii the in
terests Of the country have been neglected, the
immediate representatives of the People are en-
tire!v faullless That if all has not been done
that could or should have been done, there was
no one to cast stumbling-blocks in the way
except the Executive. That if the burdens
that press the industry of the country In the
dust and cripple the energies Gifts citizens, have
not been re n we'd at least hghtened, the
cause is to be sought for in the bureau OF the
chief officer, rather than in the halls OF leglsa-
ton and the purlieus of the caucus-room. For
tunate indeed, has it ben for the President,
that, throughout the illiberal contest which has
been waged against him, though the very
hoodgates of ruthless persecution seem to have
been let loose upon hin, simple and unostenta-
tious Justice has ever stood in the way to check
their mad career-that though the clouds
of MISREPRESENTATION and detraction may, for a
sea son, have spread ihick darkness around the
mighty arm o. truth is fast rolling away these
tremendous obstacles to the clear view OF the
People, and thrusting them b,ck into the
gloomy and noxous recesses whence they ema-
mated. 1t is not in the power of party
madness long to enthral the senses of the whole
community. Past experience has made the
People wary. They will ia hon for them selves
the depth of all partisan projects and PROPOSE
tons that may be presented to them. The ipst
dirit of party is no longer supreme law with
them. Content, then, may ali friends of the
President be-content they are-that his letter
should be spread before the whole country
that it should be sent to every dwelling through
I'D