The Middlebury people's press. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1841-1843, 1843-02-08

nlmeeH orancn OF Inc Legislative. votod
to sustain the Presidents vetoes, and revil.
ed Congress for passing the very measures
he had himself warmly advocated. Now the
gentleman maintained the position that the
President had right to withhold papers
from Congress at his pleasure, and that
Congress had no more right 10 demand pa
Pers from the President than the President
had to demand papers from Congress.
The gentleman told the nation that Con.
gress was moving to its destiny, and had
pretty strongly minated that the destiny
would be dark one. He had maintained
too that Congress had no more right to dis
cuss the measures Of the President than the
President had TO discuss the acts OF Con-
gross. All these monstrous perversions OF
the Constitution the gentleman now openly
! avowed and commended for. He had been
eeduced into this course by the lead of a
greater man-he meant Daniel Webster.
Mr.. D. said no had once admired Mr..
Webster as much as any man ever did,
He held him to be an intellectual giant-an
intellectual iiger-and in some departments
of human inquiry greater than any other
man the world had seen. He had, howev-
er, nothing of what was usually called gen.
ius and which was held to be marked es-
pecially by the power of invention. His
great attribute was intellectual power. He
was vast mine, world of inteilect-and
possessed crucible in which he could an
alyze any and all creations OF the reasoning
faculty, and reproduce them al pleasure in
new and striking forms to suit himself. BY
his long and eminent services in both Hous-
es Of Congress, he had won for himself a
civic crown of value beyond all the chapleis
ever won by the bloody sword of the con-
queror. 10 closet labor and in the power
of composition he had no superior if ever he
had his equal-while his speeches, whether
forensic or senatorial, we're the noblest Of
the century. "But, how were the mighty
fallenl' He had erected for himself mon-
ument more durable than the pyramids, and
that was found in his speeches on currency
and on the bank. And yet this same man
now comes to Congress with plan which
he acknowledges as his own, and which
contained not feature that was not condem-
ned and annihilated by his own reasoning. 10
What had he said at Richmond in 1896,
under an October sun" in the Capitol Of
old Virginia Was it not that the Execu.
tive power had increased. was increasing,
and ought 10 be diminished Yet now this
same Daniel Webster was among the fore
most Of the advocates of Executive power.
Yes. and Of Executive power under the AID.
ministraiion Of such creature as John Ty.
Ter! He now proclaimed that Bank of
the United States was obsolete, PROBABLY be.
cause he found that either his principles or
his own case must be obsolete. What had
he said about Government pressl That
one of the first duties of Wing Admins
tration would be 10 seperate the patronage
of Government from the public press. Yet
no sooner was he in office than he was found
chaffering to purchase up little sixpenny
presses ali over The country. He had re-
preached members Of Congress for their op.
position, and sought 10 seduce them to tho
support Of John Tyler. When tbs late Cab
inei was about to DO dissolved, who had
poured more inefable contempt upon the
head of this same John Tylerl His Ian
guage had been, "Who is John Tylerl He
Is nothing more than moth in the carpet"
Such was his estimate of this Presidents
intellect, and il was true one. When men
contemplated the vices of the man, they felt
fierce indignation rising within them but
when they beheld what feeble, pusillani
nous, ignoble being it was at whom they
were enraged, all their resentment sank at
once into cold contempt. Mr.. D. called
the House TO recollect Mr.. Webster's pom.
pious proclamation that he would renew the
English system, and make himself the sole
medium Of communication with the Presi-
dent and that all who were found to have
been guilty of interfering with the purity
and freedom of elections should be removed
by the Executive. But how did this square
with his s,;sech at FaneuiI Halll How
could he, high officer of the Government.
and his colleague Spencer could they,
after this, go out on electioneerIng tours,
and make political spsoches to influence
coming election!
This was in confirmation or what had
been advanced by The gentleman FROM Mas
sachuseiis. Mr.. Gushing, that in the great
political seething pot the Administration
would be the most potential element. Yes;
thew were TO decide who should and who
should not De political candidates for the
Presidency. What shameless violation
of his own avowed princi, les was here -
Mr.. " e5s;er had done the cause of theWhigs
important harm; Mr.. Spencer had done
them none--none his character was TOO
well known. The man who had been a
Clintonian and an anti Clin,onian. Jack
son man and an anti-Jackson man, Mason
and an anti-Mason, a Wing and Tyler
man, could effect but little against or in ia
vor Of any cause. He had conyoked con.
vention al Syracuse 10 deEounce the Presi-
denis veto, and in - days had unblushinely
taken office under that very man. Such
political prohIgacy as this was not 10 be
found in The annals OF any Government
Returning TO Dir. Webster, Mr.. d. said tina,
he bad once been his second choice 70. the
Presidency; oud had he but preserved in
his patriotism and his principles. should
he have succeeded, Mr.. d. would have cri-
ed. amen What man he was What a