The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-08-08
From the .Nep York Union.
60 HIS ACItInENCV

We perceive that this excessively witty leu de mot
upon the title His Exceency," which custom, ra-
Their than good TASTE has applied to the Chief Mags
trates of this Republic is still sparkling in the Wing
for the brow of President Tyler. To the high or
der of wit in this verbal travesy there is of course
no other objection than that it is absolutely rress-
tible 1t must be admitted to be the wttest thing of
any kind that has appeared in those pap rs since the
exquisite word /" too in the Tippecanoe songs--an
adverb, by-he-by which they now wish they had not
added and which, it said, they now find difficult
to pronounce than any other i'll the whole compass of
their mother tongue.
To the dreadful satire and sarcasm, however, in
the new compilation, His Accidency,n we must
record our solemn objection. Ii is too horribly Sc
| we're, not only upon President Tyler, but upon his
venerab predecessor and the Constitution of the
United States. If it were wrong in Mr. Tyler to be-
come President by accident, il doubly wrong in
General Harrison to be the author OF that accident
and trebly wrong the Constitution to allow any in
cumbent of the Presidential chair so enormous a
prerogatve-so frightfu an opportunity of exercising
4" 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 prerogative OF dying in Office and thus appoint
ing successor without the voice Of the People. In
deed, the three distinguished men last named, have
been scrupuous and forbearing in this matter as
not only to live out their terms of Office but evince
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 usrious
patriotism as he had before him, his delinquency be-
comes glazing to render the title " His Acct
dency when applied to his successor terrible stig-
| ma upon his memory, at which the feelings of his
| friends must revolt
The satire of this ephet is 50 unmercifu that we
would ask the Wing Prints and their disciples who
| are cruelty using 1t, how they would like to have
| it turned against themselves How would they Ike
to he told that President Tyler "Iheir Accdency -
instead OF his own !lhat the accident OF his consti-
tutuna accession TO the Presidency is much more
fatal one to their precious and glorious objects than
augh, else in the world ? And again, suppose they
should press this reproach upon the memory of Gen
Harrison to unfeelns exten, as to arouse some
| of his friends to charge them with the guilt Of his
| death and the accession Of Mr.. Tyler1 How would
| they like that Mr. Tyler might appear TO be "Iheir
Accidency" in still farther sense. 1t is well know
| that President HAIR son, one OCCASION when a
strong gang of his Federal torlurers had lust left him
IN very exhausted state said to disng uished friend
of the pr President who then entered the ROOM
"Proif! am glad 10 see YOU the Federal portion of
the Wing party making desI crate efforts TO seize
the reigns of Governmen--they are urging the most
uumeciful prescription and IT they continue TO do so
much longer they will drive mad ~ Now may
not 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 thev charge him when they
81 lie his successor His Accidency2 2" And if so are
they Mt accompccs In the very crime of which they
complain
! And, once more-suppose that 10y some unforeseen
circumstances, Mr. Cay should die in the PresitIen
tia chair, and Mr. Bolts, or Mr.. Stany or Corporal
Weed, Vice President, should become his success
sor We ask the Why editors, and their followers
in the civilet way in the world, how they would like
for either of Tia, gentlcmen, in such case TO be
called His AccIdeucy" by the Locofocos They
must that, after overcoming the difficulty of mag
lining the primary event, such result mi lht occur
without any Indifference to the possession of power
the part of MIR. Clay, desire exercise const-
tutone prcrogatIye against the will of the people
He would almost necessarily die Of extreme aye for
we convinced that 10y the time of his election to
the Presidency, he will be far advanced la life
than many Of his enthusiastic friends suppose
| In short, as the Wings unsparng in the in
Fiction of this opprobious designation, we see but
two methods by which they obviate the posi-
bilty of its recoiIing with scathng effect upon them
selves The first is, again To elect President
which is the method they appear likely to adopt and
the second is so to amend the Constitution as 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-
srable alterations of that antquated instrument
which he has so profoundly and powerfully urged.
In the opinion, however of many sensible and
weldisposed persons, of both political parties Pre-