The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-10-05

JOHN TYLER A TRAITOR"
This is a common expression Of the wings. But
why do they say thIsi What are their grounds r.
John Tyler q traitor To whom is he traitor Is
he 10 the Constitution, which he has sworn TO sup
mort Is he TO the God Of the Universe, by whom
he has sworn to support that sacred Instrument Is
he TO the people who so triumphantly elected hun
without a single pledge TO his official conduct p
Who says this Who dare say it with any regard TO
his own yeracyi Let us hear-let US look and see
What pledge--what promise-what principle upon
wbice he came into Office has he violated We want
10 know Az the people want To know, and they
will they shall know. John Tyler traitor Ben
ediet Arnold Hull, and yet President, yet unim-
peached. How grave, how disgraceiul, now prePos-
ferrous a charge and yet hear il daily Whom
has he betrayed Whom Of his friends has
he sacrihced-who injured in the leastt Let
us examine into this Whole matter, ana then
let each and every one Judge Tor himself
convention met nominate candidates Tor President
and Vice President at Harrisburg and General
Harrison was nominated for The first oilce lie was
northern man. and supposed to be IN the interest oil
the abolitionsts. His nomination was known TO be
conciliAtory To every Northern man who was oppos-
ed MIR. Van Burens reelection. so lar, SO good
The whole north, the whole non-siaveholding nte-
rest was united TO Great, good, glorious,
the convention thought. The next question was TO
conciliate the south. How shall we do IL was the
general exclamation. There was no other way than
by the selection of a candidate for Vice PRESIDENT
All saw all knew this. Cautiously, then, the mem
bers went to work. An important duty was devoy-
Ing upon them The popularity OF their whole TICK
et indeed its very fate, was involved. single man
was wanted. They wanted the man. and twas not the
man who wanted the honor of the selection. They
cast their ewes over the whole of the Union for their
safest strongest man. They wanted southern
man. one who could unite the whole slayeholdng in
terest and yet not be obnoxious to the north. And
they were not long in selecting their man, and he
was the old Governor of Virginia, well known as
" honest John Tyler" who was never defeated Tor
any office for which he candidate before the
people. They eXacted no pledge of him and limited
no expectations One favor and one alone was all
they asked, and that the use Of his name. Gov.
Tyler was not a candidate before the convention and
desired not TO be When he attended, nothing was
further from his expectations than nomination.
But at their request, their unanimous, earnest re-
quest, he consented, And this was the only favor
they demanded They did not inquire his
timenis upon single point, and much less demand
pledge that he would go with factious Congress or
imperial dictator, right or wrong II they did not
know Mr. Tyler's princi les, whose fault was it :
Certainly not Mr. Iyler's. IL was their own and
they know it. They know that Mr.. Tyler made
pledges and, therefore, can have violated none
How, then, is Mr. Tyler traitor To whom or TO
what is he recreant Let his accusers come forward
OF course, are now talking about those who were
his original supporters. Will such tell us IN what
President Tyler has changed since his election 7
What were his views in 1870, Are not the same his
views now, word for word, comma for comma ];
Who can say to the contrary; And yet every day
brings to the cry the ruthless, reckless, VIC
lent, unjust, sanderous cry of Tyler The traitor
But, saws one, he vetoed our bank Let us change
the phraseology of this The word - reto" is of mo-
dern invention and is not in the Constitution. That
instrument provides that, after bill shall have
passed both Houses OF Congress, it shall be sent 10
the President and if he approve of II, he shall sign
il and then 1t .hall become law but, If he shall
not sign the bill can still become law if two-thirds
of Congress approve of H. The word "yeto" is
Latin word, and means q forbid" Now the Presl-
dent more forbids bill than two-thirds OF both
Houses of Congress. If he is tyran they are,
tanly. But he forbids nothing. He merely will not
act iraudulently by signing bill which he does not
believe just and right Could he do less under ms
oath of office We certainly cannot see how, since
he is bound by every moral and constitutional obi
CATION 10 withhold his signature from every bill which
he does not approve. This part OF his oath Of
office. He must do his duty, and he must be sole
Judge Of that duty The Constitution provides for
conscience keepers, but every man is respon able
to his God and his country for his acts. President
Tyler does not approve of National Bank. Can
he then sign bill creating one: Certainly not, if
he regards his oath Of Office and is honest
Congress is one branch of the aw-making power of
this country and the President is the other And the
whole body of Congressman may well be stigma
TIED as tyrans and traitors for not doing what
tain persons want as the President. Both branches
understood however TO do their duty reckless Of
all consequences. Each acts for itself and neither
has right to impugn the motives of the other Sub
sttute, then tie constitutional language for the word
veton and President Tyler does not appear in SO bad
a light as some would represent. To whom or to
what, them is John Tyler traitor is he a traitor
to his previously expressed opinions Where or
when was John Tyler committed to National Bank :
Let have the hour, the day. the week or the year.
the time or the place In what letter. what speech
by himself his friends, is he pledged to support
National Bank under any circumstances Ii his ac-
cusers can point us the facts which warrant their
charges we would like 10 have them do it.
But they cannot, and therefore they will not dis
grace themselves by attempting it. They had rather
rely upon bold reckless, bareaced assertions TO in
jure Mr.. Tyler, and make him appear the traitor
when they themselves are the real traitors They
elected him to Office, and after having taken oath to
discharge its duties TO the best Of his Abilities they
are mad because he will not substitute their con-
sciences for his own and follow their dco, let the
consequences be what they may. They wish to gov
ern ard yet make him responsible FIR the consequent
ces. They wish him to be President, and yet they
! be the rulers. Having left him because they could
not use him, they now denounce him traitor, and
fain would have the people believe it. This is their
design, bu, in 1t they will be thwared. John Tyler
traitor and has violated no pledges, but remains
the same John Tyler whom the Wings nominated for
Office at the Harrisburg Convention. II They have
deserted him. il is their fault if their party suf-
fers from division. Thy, and they alone, who
cannot tolerate honest difference Of opinion, will
! be held responsible. So much have we said IN de-
fence of President Tyler, because the Clayies are
wagng a desperate against him, and there is no
Tyler press to come to his aid Our sympathies are
wrought upon by their false and dastardly attacks,
and though opposed to the election of Mr.. Tyler
over Col. Johnson yet willing to do him JUS
tice, which is boon denied him by every Wing
press in our State, and by every ofice-hoder APP
pointed since his accession to power
From The Madison (Ia) Courier
I55"The gross insult which was offered to the ma
ton at the Ashburton dinner in New York city, by