The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1845-07-07
GEN. JACKSON AND THE TRIBUTES TO HIS
MEMORY

GEN. JACKSON AND THE TRIBUTES TO Ills
MEMORY. ...
The PROCESSION IN New YORK Now that
the public here have paid their tribute to the memory
oil Gen. Jackson, Tin which we have joined-nay, all
have joined y we feel it to be duty (no matter how
unpleasant, but one imperative upon to perform)
to protest. and earnestly protest. against that part
OF his history which has left the elements Of revou
ton in tho constitution OF his country, and mischicv-
Gus and alarming traces that indeIiby engraved
upon Gov eminent for all time 10 come. The vi
olence Of Gen. Jacksons character may be forgiven
and forgotten amid the plaudits we owe him for the
gallant defence of New Orleans Ills war upon the
currency, the bankruptcies he caused State and ind-
vidual, the ruin he brought upon thousands by his
experiments with banks and with hard money, the
perncious examples he has left behind him, his high
use of the Executive prerogatve, and his bold
sumptions of power, will probably be got over; but
there is That in his administration which never will be
forgotten, got over, never oradicated which is
impressed upon the government, nay upon the
stution, and which will live long as the Repub.
lie lives, aud in the end be its deah--we mean the
fatal legacy ofPRoscRIPri Amid these funer-
a. procession then, that we have-as part OF that
vast number that lined the of this city yester
day, and sweed the long drawn out procession IL
mid muilled drum, and bier, and PAIL and um-we
feel called upon to say with all the power we can
say t,-Gen, Jackson is the first that corrupted
! and poisoned the constitution of his country, and
sowed the seeds ofdssoluton within it. While we
thank him for being gallant soldier. we can only
thank him the Roman patriot thanks Caesar, or the
Frenchnan, Napoleon. The American hero is but
a common hero Of his cass-with prompltude,
ergy and vaor, but without self. sacrifice in1amed
with the vulgar love ofpower and lorget(u that he had
! n country well as himself and party to
Washington alone of the ''heroes" whose history
we have, did justice, loved mercy, and thought more
ofhs country than of himseror party. Gen. Jack
son continued an ultra partizan to the day OF his
death. He is represented by tho letter writers from
the Hermitage as breathing Of war and bloodshed al
most with his last breath, (see his reported remarks
upon the Oregon quesion) lie died forgetting there
were such human beings as Wings to be thought Of
cared for by his country, and full Of personal ami
mostly toward his political opponents to the last
Others then may applaud NIL he has done-but we
cannot. We feel for his memory feel for the
memory Of Napoleon, but we cannot feel that his
exnmple was anything but pernicious TO his country.
We thank him for the blood he has caused be shed
in our Defence and we bury him with the honors of
the military, but we have no civic laurel for him.
The legacy of PRoscRIPrIoN FOR opinions sake
which Gen Jackson has left 20 his country, will in
the end, destroy this Republic. His legacy we call
| it, because no first, in ls29-3O, began it. In his
day it was proclaimed that "Gen. Jackson will pun
ish his enemies and reward his rridnds," and the
| "victor Gin civic victory belong the spois" In
lS2930 Jackson first began to act upon these princ
| pies, and he the first man who instituted the
Practice of making his country and its offices SPOIL
for which citizens were to strive, gladiators for
prize He it was, who first converted citizens strug
Cling for a common good into opponents, into parti-
zans into office seekers struggling for place, spoil,
office, salary, cash. lie ii who first held up the
patronage Of this vast country to the highest bidders
! as Rome held up by the Preorian Guards, 20
him who had the most to give for the Imperial purple.
What Gen. Jackson then established has now be-
come cUsroM-nay, species of common law as
binding il written in the constitution; and hence,
when chief Magistrate is TO be elected, the great
question with thousands is, not who is the best man,
or who has the best prnciples-but who ia lkeliest
to succeed and thereby give the spells. The
try in their estimation is for sale in four years
Gen Jackson has established .he principle .
It is replied, however, to all such just
marks these, 1.-THE Wings in this respect are just
as bad as the Democrats But that would not ex-
cusc Gen. Jackson for the legacy left behind him
There it is, and whether followed by Wing or DEM
ocrat, il is just perncious to the country. His vi
olence and his passions revouonzed the country in
this respect and his popularity sanctioned the quasi
revolution. 1t is not true, however, TINT the Wings
are as culpable as the Democrats called The
Wings were stripped Of all offices by Gen. Jackson
They were hunted down by him as if they had no
rights in the Government, nor privileges under it
When they came into power, they necessarily pro-
tected themselves, and began the restoration Of equi
~ in the fair distribution of place and power. Per-
haps in too many instances. natural for human
notcre under the long prescriptions they had suffered,
they took than their fair share Of the offices Of
Government. So much the more is Gen Jackson to
be condemned for so administering the Government
to create in the bosoms Of large portion Of his
fellow citizens this spirit of revenge Nay the lega-
cy Of Gen. Jackson has become fatal, that in order
to have success for good principles now il seems al