The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-09-05
From the ~. Y. Morning Posi-
HOW PRESIDENTS ARE MADE.

Ii is idle to suppose that few men meeting together
IN convention, can make President oil me oni'eu
States. Ii is idle TO suppose that Congress WIN ah
ITS man9uvrIng can ds tate to the people the canlr
date for whom they 10 cast their votes IL Is idie
to suppose that newspaper, or any number oil news
papers, can control public opinion as to lead J, 10
settle down upon particular and designated inuiVi'
dual the most competent person Tor the ieuela' cA
ccutve chair.
All that these various agencies can do is to express
less directly. the predominant inchna'lon1 oil
the mass of the people There are deeper and more
powerful causes work. 10 The heart of society deter
mining the issues upon which our parties dvide ana
selecting the men who are represent the antagonist
principles Of the adverse forces These causes are
the native and habitual instincts ofihe people, derived
from their natural constr utons, their positions IN 'he
social &c lie, the Interests and Their hopes
There can be but two great parties IN tins or any
other nation. The one is the party OF conservatism
or the stationary party, and the other sIhe party vi
progress or the movement party. The one Is wed
ded things they are the other to things as they
should be- The one contends for the preservation OF
all the existing arrangements OF the social stae' anu
the other for the gradual reform of all their abuses ana
wrongs. The Wing party, which represents the LOT
mer is the sticklcr for laws already made, no mater
how artia aud unjust the other, represented by the
Democratic party, the champion OF greater iioerS
in all the departments Of trade and poiiticai ac.ioi
All who satisfied with their condition. Arrange
themselves about the former while all who desire
better social ton for every member oil lhe hu-
man family instinctively cling to the latter.
But it is seldom the case that all the great ques-
tions dispute between the two parties come up 'oi
decision at the same time They are all more OF
less debated and there is general uanlmy on each
side in regard to its respective DOCTRINES but the man
contest relates to single, distinct, and indepeh
dent ISSUE The controversy as to the latterai
can be called nothing more than skirmshhS' "ho
the heat of the battle bears upon the one great ao
sorbing, and all exciting topic -.
ThuS for ipSfa
General Jackson the commander-in-chei OF INC
Democrats the great bone of contention was the es
adjustment of a National Bank. On tins question
parties divided Ibis question the struggle was pro-
secuted and on this question the administrator Oh
the old chief was triumphantly sustained MI van
Buren, was elected in his first campaign on the same
ground but before his second trial, the question
was considered as decided, and he found 1t lmposs
BILE to rally his troops because the great dea winch
they had all along so strenuousy 6attled Tor, was
withdrawn. No popular cry could be raised on the
Democratic side and the Wings, taking advantage OF
the feeling for change which was everywhere begin
ming to manifest itself, succeeded in persuading the
people for Harrison and reform.
So in the Presidential contest which is approaching,
parties will divide great question Other ques-
tons will be involved in the dispute but the main
struggle will be as TO the question That question
will be, if we rightly interpret the signs OF the
times, protection and anti-protecton. Ought the
General Government so to arrange its revenue laws
as to sustain class of the community at the ex-
pense of anotheri. That is the point The people
WILL must take side in regard to it and their candi-
date for the Presidency during the contest will be-
not the man who can bring the greatest amount OF
personal in his favor but the man who most
perfectly imbodies the principles OF his party