The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1843-07-11
From the Richmond Wig.

Before the rise of Jacksonism II was
rare thing TO hear Of peculation in office
A few which occasionally occurred, made
a profound impression on the public mind.
Now they are Of constant, almost daily &C.
currence, and from their frequency scarce
ly produce remark We presume that
he number Of delaulters in the last ten
years, and the amount Of public and corpo.
rate property stolen, are unexaDpled in the
records Of history.
We have dated this new and infamous
era as cotemporaneous with the rise Of
Jacksonism. That the Chronology is true
is certain, and We believe it equally so, that
the deplorablc relaxation in the morals Of
public men, which has led TO the rapid
growth of the crime of official robbery, is
owing TO the spirit of Jackson's method Of
acquiring and maintaining his popularity,
still KEEP, up after his retirement by his
successor Van Buren,.
A prominent and the mos, marked char.
acteris,ic Of Jackson's Demagogu:sm, was
the lo,eering Of fhe standard of qualifea-
fion for official trust. His policy 10 doing
60 was obvious and emiaently successful as
it regarded the only end be consulted,
namely his OWN popularity. II made OF.
fee hunters Of thousands Of meu, who, uu-
der the honest predecessors Of Gen. Jack.
son, would never have dreamed Of thinking
themselves qualified for official station /;
and wherever /, made place hunter, it
made Of course, parasite aud an active
pariiz4n. By this means, Jackson and Van
Buren, recruited their mercenary leglons.
The hope q Office, from which the mos,
incompetent aud worthless were not ex.
cluded, enlisted violent and noisy pariizans
throughout the land, men prepared 10 dc
ANY THING but TO live by the sweat Of their
bros. Their electioneering services were
rewarded with the Offices Of the People
ard the more conspicuously inscription,
those services had been, the bettor the or
fee and higher the reward. For ! 2 year,
(and he who now fills the Presidency il
pursuing the same policy the offices 0
the Country II IS well known, we're Gistri
buted By The rule Of partlZan service. Th,
deserving, the modest, the upright, the IN
obtruslve we're overlooked the ciamorou
and boisierous partlzan who could recon
mend himself, by the lies be had circulated
the eiectioDeering efforts he had made
and by bawlIng oudesi the name Of III
Hero, monopolzed the honours aud emoIu
nenis Of office. The example of the sue
cess Of 50 many worthless and even infa
nous people 10 obtaining Office, was an il
resistble incentive 10 the needy and rapa
cIous all over the Union Hence we ca
account to a considerable extent for Jack
sons popularity, and hence for The multi
tude Of rogues TO ofice, who have plumber
ed the Public and disgrsced the America
name.
Let US state single fact authenticate
by the archives at Washington, and to
we'll known TO be disputed. 10 MIR. Va
buren's time, out OF seventy eight Ian
Officers, Registers, Receivers, &c, NOR
than serenity were defaul,ers the mos, re
mafkable circumstance Of the kind we in
aglne that ever occurred under any Go,
eminent. Why did so many steal h
public money! Because they were me
devoid OF character sho had been put
by Gen. Jackson because they had hu
raed for bin, or done him partisan servic
Their fitness for The place had not bee
consulted a, all. They we're 10 becsui
"h he rewarded his friends" as be gave o
tce IN advance be meant TO do. Mer
was not taken into consideration. lie ust
the public Offices as his own private fund
pay off his Derceuaues: and Mr. Van b
ren followed IN bis footsteps" for Of the
very 10 Land Officers no, one, we beiey
was displaced, although their own le,te
confessed their gilt. Their friends wro
that they had done and could DO good ele
tlooeerlng service, and ihey were retaine
10 the eternal disgrace oCtbe Adninls,ratl,
which eonnsed at the plumber Of tho Pc
pie, and rswarded avowed Rogues.
We feel theu fully authorized 10 sialir
it as historical fact, that the enormous i
crease Of official crime ~ this country,