Democratic standard. [volume] (Georgetown, Brown County, Ohio) 1837-1850, 1842-12-06
EXTRACTS FROM Mr.. SPEN GERS
LETTER.
Mem York, Oct. 10, 1912.


GENTLEMEN have received your COM
municaton of the 18th inst, inviting me
to extend my journey into western New
York-a region hallowed in my affections
10 give an explanation of the course Of
the administration, and an exposition Of
its policy ;and TO remove 'misapprehesIon or
misrepresentation in reference TO my own
position. When ] consider the state of
the public press-one portion of it en-
ployed in continual assaults upon the
President and many measures ofhis ad-
mnistration, aud the other portion render
ing equivocal defence of some of those
measures only, and condemning others
cannot be surprised that you and intel
ligent fellow citizens should desire othet
sources and means Of information 10 ena>
BILE them to form an impartial Judgment.
| am not aware of any rule of official duty
that forbids a compliance with your re-
quest; but, on the contrary, i! seems to
me Congenial TO the spiritof our institu'
tions that those to whom the power Of
Government are intrusted should, on all
proper occasions, and when il can be
done without interference with official
obligations, be willing to give an account
of the execution of their trust TO those
who ask it in the spirit of fair inquiry
Although it would give me the greatest
pleasure to crafty you and myself by
personal visit, for the purpose indicated
by you, yet my duties at the seat Of Gov
ernment forbid an absence so protractsd
as would be required 10 perform a JOUR-
uey of such extent. | shall endeaVor,
therefore, to comply with the substance
of your wishes, by written, instead Of a
personal communication; which, trust,
will be nearly, If not quite; as acceptable.
TIE policy ofthe administration is in.
dlcated by the measures which the Pres
ident hos adopted when the power res
ted with him, or has recommended TO
Congress when legislation was necessary.
lis general scope and aim haye been e.
quail and exact justice TO each and every
portion and interest ofthe whole country.
He takes these interests as he finds them,
secured and proteced by the Constitution
and law; and his greatest pleasure con.
s!sts in his greatest duty, to uphold and
maintain that constitution as it was de-
livered to us by our fathers, and execute
those laws in their fair and full force and
spirit"
"Tbe annual message at the opening
Of the last session of Congress, and the
message during that session, furnish
chart of the measures of the administra-
teE, and enable us 10 discern the policy
Of the President from the most authentic
and unquestionable sources. An enume-
ration of these measures, and the fate Of
the Recommendations by which they were
urged upon the attention Of Congress,
will enable you to perceive how far that
policy has been carried out, where it fail.
ed, and the cause Of such failure.
lst. The first point TO which the Pres
dent called the attention Of Congress
iD his annual message, was the danger to
which the c0pnry was exposed by the
want Of suitable provsiuDs in our ind cal
code, to enable the General Government
to perform the duties with which il is
charged-of maintaining peace and pre-
serving anIicable relations with al. the
nations of the earth; and he suggested
the propriety Of providing by law for the
removal from the State courts TO the fed
eral judiciary Of all such causes as might