The Whig standard. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1843-1844, 1844-02-20
CO M MIC ITO N.
TO MARTIN VAN BUREN.-No. l.

expIendum anmi cupidincm. Sall,tst DE Bell. Ju-
gu,tha S. g.
offer no apology for addressing you in this
public manner. have long been taught, in this
free and enlightened country, that the public
conduct of public men may be examined into
and canvassed, without offending against Its
laws. Whoever seeks station of high trust
and power, must expect to have his conduct
infinitely investigated; and he has no just reason
to be offended, if some of his fellow citizens
should take the liberty Of expostulating with
him upon it.
Against you, sir, I feel no personal resent
ment; but no false delicacy shall prevent me
from giving my sentiments respecting your po-
litical conduct without disguise. / boast OF no
superior talents, or means of information, except
such as my humble situation affords me-the
observations Of private individual upon matters
OF the highest importance. cannot, however,
refrain from indulging feeble ray of hope that
they will not be altogether unworthy of atten-
ton and that they may aid the efforts of other
Wings, in developing the principles by which
you have governed your conduct in public life.
1t is not necessary for plain farmer to be a
professed politician to understand the operations
of the Federal Government, or the history OF our
public men but politics and agricultural inter-
ess are so closely and intimately blended toge-
ther, that the reading of newspaper is almost
a necessary part of his daily occupation. The
taste thus acquired in early life has not deserted
me in ripper years, and the history OF my own
country continues 10 occupy the principal part OF
my leisure hours. Your pubic character has,
therefore, not passed unnoticed. My estimate
of your public character, from your public con-
duct, may not be precisely accurate; but the
great outlines will be sufficiently marked to pre-
vent any material mistake.
1t has been thought dangerous to the morals
Of mankind, even in fiction and romance, to make
US sympathize with character whose general
conduct is blameable; but how much greater
must the effect be, when in real history our feel
ings are interested in favor Of a man, with whom,
to say the least, every principle Of his public
conduct is at war with our interest.
TO consider you as the greatest man of the
country, may become the Partially of your
friends; to deny you the credit of possessing a
moderate degree Of talents, would be justified by
no degree Of hostility. Your mind is not philo-
sophical, nor does it ever wander in the regions
of taste or imagination. In constructing an ar
gument. it is confused, entangled, and beclouded
nor does it exhibit images Of exquisite beauty
and tenderness; nor is the argument clothed in
great majesty and srenglh-but what you lack
in capacity, cunning and assimilation make up
the stock of your wisdom. A profound master
of deception, you have, from nature or the force
OF habit the art Of being dark and uninielligible
Even upon occasions where duplicity was use
less, you have minated your opinions in shori
and broken hints-always mysterious and indie
cisive. Intending to conceal your sentiments,
you are of course more involved than ever. Ia
citus says that Tiberius valued himself more for
his art OF discrimination than for all his other
talents. He paced ii in the rank Of the highest
of virtues, and hated the man who attempted TO
discover the secrets of his heart N,llum eque |
It6srius ut re6atur, Virtutibus suis, guum
d'ss'mulationsm dilegedat Eo Gquis accept,
recludc que pren,eret.
You have been educated in the school of in
trigue, and in this school you have received
Impressions, and from some peculiar organiza-
ton Of mind, your first impressions are indelible
and unconquerable. You have permitted them to
ripen into habits, and they have become TO you
obligatory and irrepealable laws. They disdain
to listen for moment to all counter impressions,
and always meet them with zeal and ardor
proportional to their just influence Indeed, the
conspicuous trait in the organization of your
mind is self possessiOn-a determination to &C
complish your objects at every hazard. You
look down with contempt upon all the admon-
tons and restraints of wisdom, which always
will be found in the middle PATH" and delight
to soar aloft, amidst the interesting scenes Of
monarchical splendor, and all the delightful sug-
gestions and entertainments Of unfetered power.
In reviewing your public conduct, and account
ing for your present elevation, the mind unread
in the history of New York, may be at loss to-
trace the circumstances that have been SO favor
able to the qualification of your ambition. But
when the causes are developed, the mind ceases to
be astonished. The ladder which you construct
ed, to enable you to accomplish your plans, was
hypocrisy and decepton-you supported every
man whom you thought would assist you in
achieving your political elevation-and you oppos-
ed every man who might be an impediment or
stand in the way of your advan,em This
fexiblity of princple-this prostitution Of honor,
always placed you in the ranks Of the triumphant
party. Superadded to this, the force and influ-
ence Of party discipline, which were brought to
operate upon Legislative power-a power rigid,
absolute, despotic, and controlling, which requires
of all the members of the party, that they must
support the party "rght or wrong,"-in other
words complete system of passive obedience
and nonresstance. There is still another ma
chine which you employed equally as potent,
hac hoor, distinctly annliad oil