Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1844-02-22

into tue Constitution itself.
while yet plastic in the hands Of its ma.
kers, those hostile principles were at
to be enerafted. And our ia
FAINT Republic, before it had cemented its
strength or adopted its own practical
form, was made to bend by the stroag
hand Of master spirit to those favorlte
measures of the rich and we'll born. which
our fathers pronounced incom patibIe with
public safety, and tending to monarchy.
When men are banded together for tue
accomplishment of certain purposes,
where intricate relations are involved
and wisely laid plans required, as in the
affairs OF Church and State, he who most
clearly perceiyes the end in view and
presses on most boldly TO the accomplish
inent. draws the others after him by
necessary law Of their nature, inspires
them with consequence, imparts faith
aud courage, and, by common consent.
IS acknowledged as their leader-ile be
com es- the representative and exponent
of their opinions the embodiment and
living type of their sentiments and de-
sires. Whatever lie thinks and feels, by
common sympathy is thought and felt
by all; and though absent, he is yet pres
ent in spirit, overrullng their decisions
In this relation stood Luther to the Re-
formaton--Patrick Henry to our own
Neutrality-suspicious. to the late ReVo-
lutions of Europe--and in this relation
stood Alexander Hamilton to the ruling
men. and leading measures OF Government
in the most eyentful period of our Repub
lie. His was the strong and compreben-
siye intellect. that impressed itself upon
every measure: the master spirit that
touched the secret springs of power, I'M
ers, and turned them whithersoever he
listed for the accomplishment Of his pur-
poses -Unbounded was his sway over
the popular will. Bold. talented and
ambitious, he was fearless in the declara
ton OF his opinions, and reckless in the
adoption OF his measures. An adventu.
rer of fortune, bred up in the camp, ia
mlliar with the vices of war, and accus-
toned to absolute command, he avowed
that he had no faith in the capacity Of
man for f-government-no faith in
Repubics--and that the British Consti.
tuition, with all its corruptions, was the
best model of Government. In the Con-
ventlon, he proposed and advocated
system bearing all the strongly marked
features Of monarchy; and when foied
in his attempt to ensrafl those ant-re,
publican principles Up the Constitution,
he sought by policy and indirection to
infuse them imperceptibly into the ad-
minlstration of government. He adop-
ted it as maxim; that men could only
be governed by their vices-priUate Uice,
public good The policy he recomnen-
ded, was recognition of the odious doc
ttine, that National Debt was Ma
tlonal Blessing. 1t was under the auspi-
ces, and on his recommendation, as Sc
cretary Of the Treasury, that The debts,
contracted by the Continental Congress
for carrying or the war, which had been
purchased for few farthings in the
pound by the SPECTATOR, were funded at
their par value by the Goyernment--Th
debts, contracted by the respective States
Tor the same purpose, we're, in like man
ner, purchased by the greedy Insurer,
ard assumed by the Federal Govern
ment and funded. An enormous and in
iqul.ous debt, was thus imposed on the
nation-a few parasites, and favorites of
Government, enriched thousand fold
while the poor soldier, the original ho-
der of those debts, was impoverished, and
turned away with pittance, in exchange
for the blood and treasure he hae expen-
ded in defence of his country. A more
stupendous fraud was never before prac.
tised with impunity. A contemporary
historian, and an eye witness Ut these
transactions, says:
AZ foreigner was prime leader Of the
funding system. 1t required strong
nerves to drive such measure against
the whole force of Southern eloquence,
against manifest equity and against the
temper OF the people. TIE measure was
not carried, till the monied Aristocracy,
intended to be created by the system, be-
Came powerful enough TO give Itself be.
ing. \ funding system is an engine of
pros ssious powers--st creates as many Ar
istocracles as eau be subservient to it,
and has the complete control over them
all. Binder this nonied Aristocracy
were soon ranged all its advocates in
the subordinate Aristocracies of the
counting house, the bar, the desk and
the sword. For all these, no balance
was provided by the Constitution. When
the moral faculty Of nation has been
depraved, every destructive consequence
wil! follow. The funding system took
the place Of energies which it DESTROYED
appointed members Of Congress-de-
yised plans of enlisted the
presses, and managed all the appeals to
the fears of danger and lust Of wealth,
which influence the multitude
Such is the testimony OF a cotempora-
ry Historian, against the demorallzing
effects Of a funding system.
AS an auxiliary and handspring to this
destructive system, and constituting an
essential part oft, a National Bank was
established, not more by the arguments
chan the earnest cntreaties of the prime